If you have saved the best for last, you have most likely opted to stay home for the holidays and decided to start your 2016 with a bang by traveling to a wonderful destination early in the year. For people who are certified nomads or who have itchy feet, the year is best started with a travel to a beautiful and interesting.
Do you already have a place in mind yet? If you are still Googling to find a great destination, check this out: Where to Go on Holiday in February 2016 by World Travel Guide. The post offers great alternatives and ideas for short- and long-haul travels… “From the most hair-raising hike in Borneo to an untouched Thai archipelago, (they) select the best destinations to visit in February 2016” for city slickers, thrill seekers and beach bums.
For city slickers…
Short haul: Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canary Islands
“Why jet all the way to Rio when you can celebrate Carnival in… Tenerife?”
World Travel Guide suggests Santa Cruz de Tenerife, which may lack the “sultry swagger of bodacious Brazil,” but has the most fun Carnival, celebrated from February 3 to 14. For 10 days, Carnival is celebrated with much revelry and fanfare– vibrant parades, live bands, etc.
Long haul: Hong Kong
“If your New Year’s Eve is a stinker, have another go in Hong Kong.”
With Chinese New Year coming up by February 8, you can celebrate the New Year again, if the one you had in January 1 was a dismal one. The megacity will be hosting flamboyant parties to welcome the Year of the Monkey – “… epic firework displays, flotillas of fire-breathing dragons, candlelit temples, energetic night markets and live concerts.”
For thrill seekers…
Short haul: Lapland, Finland
“Like snow? You’ll love Lapland Extreme Challenge”
If you are eager to catch the adventure brought by “… the shrill whirl of a blizzard,” the Lapland is for you. “The Lapland Extreme Challenge is a race from Rovaniemi and back with just waypoints and a tracking device.” Without a motorized vehicle and a support crew, you need more than luck to finish the race. Are you up to the challenge of the Lapland?
Long haul: Borneo, Malaysia
If hiking up a mountain is more to your liking, the peak of Kinabalu lying between New Guinea and the Himalayas can be a perfect trail for you. “As the monsoon season blows over, February becomes the best time to tackle Mount Kinabalu…” The vistas from the peak and the tropical rainforest offer hikers/climbers some great mountaineering experiences.
For beach bums…
Short haul: Herm Island, Channel Islands
If getting your New Year resolutions is a bit hard to do, you need to refocus to reaffirm your commitment. There’s no better place to do that, but in the tranquil Herm island on the English Channel, where there are no cars, no phones and TVs. Instead, “There are… endless miles of idyllic sandy beaches to wander whilst deeply contemplating life and writing impassioned haikus.”
Long haul: Trang Islands, Thailand
Trang Islands make a great alternative if you’re looking for a beach that’s pristine, being untouched by the gripped by the claws of mass tourism. “… Picture shipwreck white sands, dense green forest and rustic canvas accommodation; it’s like 1996 all over again.” That’s what you’ll get from the Trang Islands.
Cheap destinations anyone?
If you “want to figure out where you should go next year in order to live it up instead of watching every dollar,” the post Where the Travel Bargains Will Be in 2016 at Tim Leffel’s Cheapest Destinations, just might have the answers. Leffel writes, “… the countries that make a large part of their income from things they extract from the ground are doing progressively worse. The ones doing better are those that depend more on tech, services, agriculture, tourism, or manufacturing.”
Thus, some destinations where you can “get the most bang for your American buck in the coming year” would be: Brazil, Chile, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Norway, Colombia, Turkey, and South Africa. Backpackers may put Mexico, Peru, Uruguay, Ecuador and Panama high on their list, as well as some Asian destinations – Japan, Malaysia and Indonesia – aside from Thailand. Other countries on sale include “…Ghana, Morocco, Egypt, Bulgaria, Albania, Hungary, and Kazakhstan.”
Starting the year right with an inexpensive, but wonderful destination? Then, cash in on these “con-sale destinations” while you can. These windows of opportunities for great, yet inexpensive don’t come too often.
