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Why You Should Travel Between Thanksgiving and Christmas
Gili Lankanfushi, Maldives. Photo: Shutterstock If you guessed it’s the window between Thanksgiving and Christmas… ding ding ding! The first two weeks of December are when tourists are relatively scarce, airfare deals and hotel offers are plentiful, and conditions are good for local activities, in many popular spots:
In Europe, early December is prime time for Christmas markets—such as the one that the WendyPerrin.com team strolled in Oslo—and holiday lights and concerts. In the Caribbean and Central America, rainy season is over, the sea is clear, and the snorkeling is great. In South America, it’s the start of summer. In Southeast Asia, the skies are blue and the landscapes lush. And holiday shopping is just more fun abroad, whether you’re in the artisan stalls of Vienna’s holiday markets or the cellars of Chilean wine country.
Experiences that some of you got to enjoy during the first two weeks of December last year included:
URUGUAY AND ARGENTINA: “We stumbled on a very good business-class fare from New York to Buenos Aires…”
Traveler Linda Shorey biking at estancia La Soleada past the “always-curious cows.” Photo: Traveler John Decker.
“We stumbled on a very good business-class fare from New York to Buenos Aires. Initially we thought this would be just a trip to Argentina. Then we saw how close Uruguay is to Buenos Aires—just a short ferry ride away! This eventually led to rural Uruguay being the focus of the trip.
Two estancias were identified, one of which offered an opportunity for Spanish lessons, as well as trekking, bicycling, and horseback riding. Estancias in Uruguay are working farms, and the home-cooked food at both was delicious.
Jordan highly recommended we stay at the Narbona Wine Lodge in Carmelo. It was a lovely, quiet place where one can walk or bike through the vineyards and surrounding dirt roads with almost no traffic. Uruguayan wines are very good, although almost impossible to find in the U.S. We loved the 100% tannats and red blends.
We also spent three days in Montevideo. It is a quiet city that provides great walking and biking opportunities of 15 miles along the Atlantic Ocean. Jordan’s team arranged a visit with Lobo Núñez, a world-renowned drummer who can make music using anything.
And we did spend three nights in Buenos Aires at a wonderful, tiny, boutique hotel that Jordan recommended, located in a quiet residential neighborhood with nice cafés where we sampled regional cuisine, local beers, and delicious flan.” —Linda Shorey
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BELIZE: “We opted to spend three nights in the jungle and four nights in the beach area…”
Travelers Laurie and Michael Schuftan celebrate their anniversary with a beach BBQ at Moho Caye.
“My husband, Michael, and I had a wonderful time celebrating our 30th anniversary in Belize! We traveled from December 7th through the 14th. With Patricia’s guidance, we opted to spend three nights in the jungle and four nights in the beach area.
Our private villa at the Lodge at Chaa Creek was beautifully appointed and set amid the lushness of the jungle. Anniversary wishes, fresh fruit, and a ready-to-hatch butterfly pupa greeted us in the villa. Michael and I had limited time to take advantage of all the opportunities available. Still, we managed a night hike, a morning birdwatch tour, and a visit to the Butterfly Farm.
Our home for the last four nights was a gorgeous beachside villa at Naïa Resort and Spa. Again, we were greeted with anniversary wishes, flowers and balloons. We had a fantastic day on a private catamaran to Moho Caye, where we snorkeled and our guide Mike and Captain Leo grilled a delicious lunch on the beach. We found Belize to be an enchanting country, with its diversity of topographies and cultures and very warm, welcoming people.” —Laurie Schuftan
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VIENNA, BERLIN, PRAGUE: “My daughter was studying abroad in Europe, and we decided to meet in Europe at the end of the semester for a mother-daughter trip…”
CHRISTMAS MARKET AT RATHAUSPLATZ, IN VIENNA, AUSTRIA. Photo: Shutterstock
“My daughter was studying abroad in Europe, and we decided to meet in Europe at the end of the semester for a mother-daughter trip. We didn’t know where to go, especially in early December when it would be cold! I specifically wanted a trip that wasn’t too busy to have time to explore and would also appeal to a fickle older teen who doesn’t love extensive sightseeing. Brook helped us narrow our options to Christmas markets in Central Europe and connected us to Gwen.
Gwen turned out to be the perfect choice because, also the mother of a teen, she understood exactly what I was dealing with! Gwen recommended a few itinerary options, and we ultimately decided on a trip to Berlin, Prague and Vienna, spending three to four days in each city.
Everything was amazing! Gwen’s guides took us on exclusive tours—that even my daughter found ‘cool’—of the library in the Strahov Monastery in Prague and the attic of St Stephen’s Cathedral, where we were able to sit in the Pope chair! We had requested centrally located boutique hotels so that it was easy to wander around and walk to restaurants, which is exactly what we got.
Best of all were the activities geared toward my daughter. There was a Christmas market tour in Vienna and jewelry making in Prague. She loved the guided vintage shopping in Berlin and the traditional-food cooking class in Vienna. Gwen’s planning checked all of our boxes so that both my daughter and I had a wonderful trip!” —Wendy Minocha
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COSTA RICA: So many animals come out in the rainforest at night, and with the right guide you can get really close…
“We split our time between the Osa Peninsula and the Manuel Antonio beach area. The Copa de Arbol eco resort Irene found for us on Drake Bay was stunning—very private, peaceful, only 10 casitas located right in the rain forest. We enjoyed private guided hikes and tours—a night walk in the rainforest around the resort, snorkeling off Cano Island, and a walk thru Corcovado National Park. The wildlife was amazing and so close—sloths, tapirs, tree frogs, toucans, and all four species of monkeys. The food at Copa de Arbol was top notch, and the staff all friendly, professional, and ready to help with any request. The highlight for me was the night walk—so many animals come out in the rainforest at night, and with the right guide you can get really close to them without disturbing them or putting yourself at risk.
On the second half of the trip we traveled from the Osa area to Manuel Antonio by boat and van with driver, to the Arenas Del Mar Beach and Nature Resort. The views all around this resort are nothing short of amazing, and our rooms were both spacious and beautiful. We did two private tours—one to the Manuel Antonio National Park and another to a local farm to learn about how coffee and chocolate are grown and produced. The farm tour was my favorite part of this leg of our trip, since we got to meet and ask questions from the family who run their own small farm outside Manuel Antonio. And we sampled the coffee and chocolate of course. The food at Arenas Del Mar was excellent, and the staff was just great—just the right balance of being helpful and nearby but letting us enjoy our time together as a family. A great feature of this resort is how private it is, while still being close to the more active areas around Quepos and the village of Manuel Antonio. Golf carts shuttle you in and out of the resort and also back and forth to the private beach.
My one piece of advice is to think about your priorities and communicate these to Irene. There is so much to do in Costa Rica that it’s easy to get overbooked. Irene really helped us pick the right activities (with the right guides), and the right number and schedule. I’d also recommend downloading WhatsApp if you don’t already have it. It’s a great communication tool used in many parts of the world. Our trip went very smoothly, but I had a few basic questions along the way and Irene was very responsive getting back to me on WhatsApp.
My family had a wonderful trip to Costa Rica and I can highly recommend working with Irene and her team if you are thinking of going there.” —Luke Merrow
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DANUBE RIVER CRUISE: Everywhere had fantastic Christmas markets, and my daughter and I had lots of fun wandering the stalls…
“My daughter and I just returned from a wonderful trip to Europe to experience the Christmas Markets. We wanted to do a river cruise, so we contacted Tom from Wendy’s WOW List and we are very pleased with all of his recommendations and arrangements. We went with Scenic Cruise Line and loved it! Truly all inclusive, the ship was very nice and comfortable, the food was fantastic and the staff outstanding! We started in Nuremburg and ended in Budapest, with daily stops in a variety of places. Everywhere had fantastic Christmas markets, and my daughter and I had lots of fun wandering the stalls and buying Christmas presents to bring home. I took Wendy’s advice and packed an extra duffle bag to bring everything home!
While in Europe, we wanted to do and see as much as we could, so we asked Tom to help us with arrangements prior to our cruise and for the day we returned. He set us up with a local guide in Prague—Dasha—who was wonderful. Very knowledgeable and fun! Our first day with Dasha was our WOW Moment, which was actually a full day of touring the old city and Jewish quarter. What a wonderful WOW surprise! She took us all over Prague while we were there, and on a day trip to Cesky Krumlov—a beautiful small medieval city with interesting history and great little local shops/restaurants. She arranged for a driver to take us from Prague to Nuremberg to meet our ship, which was terrific and hassle free.
We stayed an extra day in Budapest at the end of our cruise and Tom arranged another lovely local guide, Gabriella, to pick us up from the ship and show us around Budapest. She took us to her home for a traditional Hungarian lunch and then to the natural mineral springs baths, which was perfect for the end of a busy cruise.
I highly recommend Tom for any of your cruise needs as well as the pre and post excursions you may want to do. He was very easy to work with and listened to everything we wanted to do. It was a very memorable trip with my daughter and one I will always cherish.” —Robin Stone
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ECUADOR: The attention, service, food, activities and company were wonderful and quite personalized throughout…
Hiking and horseback riding—plus great food—were highlights of Hacienda Pinsaqui.
“My wife and I are in our 70’s and are experienced travelers so it means a lot when we can tell you that Allie did a fantastic job of planning and arranging our trip to Ecuador last month, December 3-19. We asked her to include time in Quito, the Andes, the Ecuadorian rain forest and the Galapagos Islands. She did it all with accommodations and guides that were exceptional.
We arrived in Quito late and stayed overnight at the beautiful Wyndham Airport Hotel, from where we were picked up the next morning by Christina, our guide, and a driver who took us via some scenic stops at mountain lakes, a condor park, street markets, a weaving factory, and a wonderful lunch to our destination at Hacienda Pinsaqui. It is a beautiful large home and ranch where we stayed for 3 nights enjoying history, hiking, horseback riding and great food. We were picked up at the hacienda and returned to the airport hotel from where, the following morning, we travelled into the amazing rain forest with a short flight east from Quito, a 2-hour motorized canoe trip down the Napo River, which flows into the Amazon River, then a shorter paddle canoe trip to the La Selva Lodge.
The Lodge is magnificent, and this is a great learning experience. Each day we were accompanied by 2 native guides and a naturalist guide to explore the myriad ecosystems of lakes, rivers and forests, as well as a nearby village. Paul is an outstanding, personable and knowledgeable guide who did not miss a thing. The lectures were most informative, the Lodge staff are fantastic, and the food is wonderful. After 3 nights we returned to Quito, then left for Galapagos the next morning. We were greeted at the airport on Baltra Island by Daniel, our superb guide, and the delightful staff of the Endemic. This is a gorgeous, motorized catamaran that can accommodate 16 passengers, but had only us and one other couple from the US booked for a 5-night journey.
It was the first 2 weeks of December with fewer visitors than usual. The attention, service, food, activities and company were wonderful and, as you can imagine, quite personalized throughout. A tour of the Galapagos Islands is truly an extraordinary experience. Daniel introduced the next day’s activities/options each evening before dinner. From the magnificent tortoises to sea lions, penguins, blue and red-footed boobies, frigate birds, falcons, flamingoes, sharks, sea turtles and so many other species of flora and fauna, these islands are unique in the world. On the 6th day we returned to Quito, stayed at the beautiful Casa El Eden boutique Hotel, hosted by the exceptionally hospitable Blanca and Mario, and were joined the next day by Christina, our excellent guide, for a tour of Quito and the strange features of latitude 00.00’. There were no questions unanswered and we were most comfortable every step of the way. All in all, a great trip!” —Barbra and Gene Hirsh
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MEXICO: We experienced city tours, food tours, a traditional cooking lesson and a demonstration of weaving with all natural dyes…
“My adult child (30) and I (60) took a wonderful trip to Mexico City and Oaxaca (December 4-13, 2024) planned by Zach and his team. Despite some communication hiccups at the beginning of the planning process, we settled in, and Jose planned an amazing itinerary for us. Zach and Jose asked us lots of questions to begin and the sample itineraries first shared with us showed that they were listening. Due to some physical limitations, we did not visit some of the archeological sites and skipped some hiking. Our days were full, but left time for rest and exploration on our own as we requested. Our hotels, both Pug Seal properties, were lovely. We especially appreciated the delicious breakfasts and the snacks and fruit waters available throughout the day. The staff were very friendly and helpful without being intrusive. Each location even has an honor bar.
Our guides and drivers in both cities were fantastic (guides Antonio in Mexico City and Yesi and Lupita in Oaxaca). We experienced city tours, food tours, a traditional cooking lesson and a demonstration of weaving with all natural dyes in Teotitlan, a visit to Monte Alban and three small pueblos specializing in different indigenous crafts, a visit to Coyoacan, San Angel and Xochimilco for a boat ride. Everyone that we met throughout our trip was friendly and welcoming.
And the food! From my traveling partner: “Generally just had a blast with never a bad meal.”” —Amy Cook
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NORWAY: Excursions including snowshoeing, ice fishing, visiting a Sami reindeer herder, and viewing the amazing Northern Lights…
“We ventured from Oslo to the Arctic Circle with hopes of seeing the northern lights, and we were very happy we took Torunn‘s advice to visit Alta. Alta is breathtakingly beautiful, and not very commercial. There, welcoming and insightful guides outfitted us with warm outerwear (for the below-zero temps) and led us on excursions—including snowshoeing, ice fishing, visiting a Sami reindeer herder, and viewing the amazing northern lights—that were small, special, and not touristy.
Every night, we were welcomed back to cozy accommodations and meals of local delicacies that exceeded our expectations; and, at both a riverside lodge and a mountain resort, we enjoyed hot tubs under the stars and saunas reserved just for us. Throughout our vacation, Torunn and her team provided us with special experiences and made us feel welcomed and well cared for. We can’t wait to return to see more of Norway when the weather is warm and the sun is shining!” —Roger and Gina Symczak
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It’s a very cheap time to fly to NYC but to stay there is freakishly expensive in Dec. esp on weekends when shopping is in full force. Hope to see you when I’m there this year!
Totally agree. Already have one trip planned and hoping to do 1 or 2 more.
Ooooh, I would love to hit most of these places. Indeed, it is a great time to travel. I already have a couple of trips planned. Seems like an ideal time, also, to visit South Africa
Woo hoo! Headed to Europe for the Christmas markets in 3 weeks. Can’t wait! Going to Cologne, Nuremburg, Dusseldorf and Bruges. Hope to see some in London, too. 12 days with my 13 year old son and a rail pass. Can’t wait!