Week trip after Christmas!?

Where? Which country?

We are looking at Europe, but the choices are wide open! I was specifically thinking of the Rick Steves tours, but don't have to be limited.

Europe is a rather big area. Are there particular countries or regions or cultures you are interested in? Particular interests? (Art, History- esp any particular period, food, architechture, etc.) Any input will help people give you better, more focused answers. Also what is your budget? How many are traveling and are any of them children? All that has an impact on what will work well for you. Personally I love the UK in the winter- but it is not everyone's cup of tea then (lol) . The days ARE shorter and the weather less plesant. But the crowds are smaller. This year might be problamatic between Christmas and New Year's due to the way the holidays fall. The Monday and Tuesday after Christmas (on Sunday) will be "bank holidays" which mean many tourist "things" may be closed.

There is a week between Christmas & New Year's Day. Unless you want to leave on Christmas Day, or leave before and spend Christmas away, you'd leave on the 26th. Busy travel day, iffy weather across the US. Going to Europe would put you there on the morning of the 27th, jetlagged from the West Coast. You probably shouldn't start a tour that day, as you may miss the beginning. So you could pick a tour that starts on the 28th. That gives you 4 days on tour and then that's the 1st. Are school schedules in play? Is that all the time you have? Do tours start mid-week? Or if you go before Christmas, do you want to spend the holiday on a tour bus? If I were you, I'd skip a tour, pick a city and stay put. Less hectic and less travel, lots to do indoors during shortened daylight.

Adding to what Karen wrote, coming from the US to Europe in the winter, it takes about two days longer to recover from jetlag. So I agree, best to pick no more than two locations.

I agree that with only a week you won't have time for a tour. Expect that most lodging prices will be higher for that week. We spent 2 weeks in Europe over the holidays a few years ago, leaving CA on Christmas Day. The prices are lower if you fly ON Christmas. We were in Paris for 10 nights. It was great, but COLD! You will need to be prepared that wherever you go will be much colder than San Diego. The daylight hours are short. I suggest you pick a couple of places of interest to you, then come back to ask more specific questions. I think cities with a lot of things to do indoors are what you should consider. Stay in one place.

Tom, interesting comment about jet lag. Is that because the days ARE shorter thus less exposure to sunlight and whatever it does for recovery? I also agree with Andrea's comment on choosing destinations with lots of indoor activities, so probably big cities with museums, churches and possibly theatre might work the best for you. Pam

We frequently elect to fly into or out of Europe on either Christmas or New Year's Day. We get great rates that way. We also sometimes run into that Super Luxury - lightly populated flights. One year, we each got an entire middle row of seats, and slept all the way! A very cool thing about the week between Christmas and New Year's is that there's a festive, holiday party atmosphere going in. Lights are still up, stores are sparkling, people are in that jazzed-yet-mellow holiday mood. I think it's a great time to travel! As for the cold, I am not sure what everyone's obsession with heat and beating sun is all about. I actually prefer traveling in cooler weather. Fewer hordes of tourists? Check. Opportunity to wear a cute topcoat and boots without sweltering? Check. Atmospheric, unusual, and actually interesting vacation snaps? Check. The poster who suggested trying places with lots to do indoors makes a good point. If you aren't super enthusiastic about schlepping through cold, clouds, drizzle, snow, etc., choosing a destination where you have lots of choices of museums to visit, galleries to browse, glittery stores to shop in, cafes to hang out in, operas to see or pubs to crawl is a great choice. I adore Paris and London between Christmas and New Year's, but that's just me. Another thought - why not just go the Whole Winter Hog and check out Scandinavia? Copenhagen knows how to deal with winter, as do Stockhom, Oslo, Reykjavik...

Cheryl - there are a couple of RS 7 day trips (London, Paris, Rome) beginning Dec 26 that might work. You would be dealing with seasonal weather and shorter hours but I think it would be really nice to see the cities decorated for the holidays. I did the Paris city tour and really enjoyed it - you can really pack a lot into a week with a good guide, museum pass, and metro pass. If you can work around the details, I think it would be a great trip!

Does everyone forget air travel conditions on both the east coast US and in European airports last winter and the winter of 2009? Thousands stranded on both sides of the Atlantic, airports closed for days at a time, travellers waiting 1-3 weeks in Europe to reconnect with their luggage??? It's a higher-risk time to travel. NOT saying you shouldn't travel, just prepare for these things. If you have a tour to join on Saturday, don't wait till Friday to leave the US. Allow yourselves some extra time, and be prepared to be flexible. If you have to have checked baggage, take at least one change of clothing with you in a carry-on, and don't check your winter gear - wear your boots, parkas, mittens, etc, on the plane.

"Tom, interesting comment about jet lag. Is that because the days ARE shorter thus less exposure to sunlight and whatever it does for recovery?" I would assume... all I know is that when I have crossed the pond in summer, jet lag usually is gone by day 2, but in winter, I'm still feeling on day 3 or 4. About snow and weather cancellations- during the holiday seasons the last two years, yes, there were significant flight disruptions. But this year, as soon as the holiday travel season ended, the weather became much more mild. Who knows what it will be like this coming winter? And of course, another volcano in Iceland could disrupt travel at any time of year.

Sshhh, Tom. You'll wake up the volcano.

Too late! The volcano in Chile already heard him.