Where would you go between Christmas and New Year’s?

If my company had just been acquired the European nation I'd most want to visit would probably be Ireland. And I'd have updated my resume well in advance of the trip, and looked for contacts relevant to my degree and experience who work in Ireland.

Just the way my mind works.

Are you going alone? With a partner? Family?
You will only have 5 days on the ground, and it is a pricey week for lodging. Pick a place with direct flight.
In Europe I would go to Portugal.
Or get warmer and go to a Caribbean island.

I’m spending that week in London because there are exhibitions I want to see. But Portugal sounds like a good idea.

Thought I’d respond to some of the advice
I’m not worrying about my résumé. If I decide, I don’t like these people, I’ll just retire a year earlier than I planned

Yes, I know it’s going to be a short stay so it would definitely be a city and it would definitely be only one city.

I did look at the Caribbean. The flights to the Caribbean are more expensive than the flights to Europe. I’ll save that for another trip

I have actually done London before Christmas but I don’t think London is a good choice because I would land on the 26th and London is pretty much shut down on the 26th so I think that losing that day isn’t going to work for me.

Lisbon is a possibility I had not considered. I’ve already seen a decent airfare there so that might be good and I’ve actually not spent a lot of time in Lisbon ( a couple of days probably 10 years ago)

Since time is of the essence, I assume you would like to fly nonstop from Atlanta.

Not in Europe, but Delta has nonstop service to Morocco.

Otherwise, in Europe: Rome or Barcelona.

Normally this works better, but the prices are silly high: https://www.google.com/travel/explore?tfs=CBwQAxoqEgoyMDI2LTEyLTI1KABqDAgDEggvbS8wMTN5cXIMCAQSCC9tLzAyajl6GioSCjIwMjctMDEtMDEoAGoMCAQSCC9tLzAyajl6cgwIAxIIL20vMDEzeXFAAUgBcAGCAQsI____________AZgBAbIBBBgBIAE&tfu=GioaKAoSCXRem3dCB1BAESLY1hcar0VAEhIJJqFxKtc5REARvE9S0MuSMMA&curr=USD

For me it would have to be non-stop and it would probably be Marrakesh.

Carol, I think jphbucks is not worried about you not liking the people you work with, they may be thinking about the connections you can make through your new European company and figure out how to move there!

So I read my original post at least three times and I can’t figure out why anyone thinks I’m working for a new European company.

I’m not working for European company. So I won’t be making any connections that would allow me to move to Europe.

I have not traveled to Lisbon. It would probably be a good trip. Berlin, Germany looks like it has a good collection of museums. I went to London, England, in July 2016.

Any combination including the singular option of Barcelona, Valencia, Denia, Alicante.

Amsterdam's fun and easy to navigate, and there are a lot of direct flights there. There are also some lovely small towns outside of the city that are easy to get to by train.

I like Jean's idea of heading to Marrakech in Morocco, which would be interesting, exciting, and warm. And as she said, Delta has direct flights there. In fact, the more I think about it, I think that would be my choice.

And now I have an earworm singing "Marrakech Express" to my brain.

Partner used to have only one week for travel. One great combination we did one year was a few days in Madrid, train to Granada, rest of the time there, and flight home from Granada. It's a great time for both those cities--crisp and very clear.

We also would go often to Rome for a week. Great weather that time of year. Light jackets only at night.

Caribbean is just wildly expensive.

Mexico City should be fantastic that time of year. Or Oaxaca.

@ Carol - I also don't know why someone thought your new company was European. I was as confused as you.

I like the idea of Marrakech as well. Delta launched their direct flight few weeks after I traveled. Dang. I had to connect in Detroit and Paris. It is warmer than Europe/US but still chilly nights at that time from what I heard from my guide. It is a fantastic city! I explored it on my own (female traveler, late 40s) before I joined a small group tour around the country,

Since you have new bosses, I would make sure to return with at least a day to recover from jet lag and/or in case of flight cancellation.

Madeira or Tenerife

Decisions, decisions, what fun! Despite how much I adore Rome, it's absolutely jammed over Christmas - NYE, so it wouldn't be my first choice. And we wore our 'autumn' Swedish down jackets all day during that time, so it can be chilly as well. December 26th is a holiday in all of Europe, I would want to check just how much will be open the day you arrive.

What are your interests? Just wandering around, or do you want world class museums & churches? If the cold bothers you, Berlin & Amsterdam can be quite chilly.

If you go to Morocco, don’t expect it to be warm. Our visit there was in mid January 2019, and while it wasn’t sub-zero, it was cool enough to need a jacket both day and night, with additional layers when it was unquestionably chilly. This was both in and around Marrakech, Fes, and in the desert beyond Ourzazate.

In 2012, as part of a longer Italy trip, we’d begun the last week of the year in Sicily, then ferried over to the mainland to work our way north to Sorrento. We had a car, and did mostly one-night-stand stays that week. We actually then stayed for several nights in Piano di Sorrento, and it was neat seeing peoples’ individual fireworks displays all over town at midnight on New Year’s. Later that morning, Pompeii was supposed to have been closed, but it was open until 1pm, and not crowded, except for one large and very loud tour group. Southern Italy, whatever city you picked, wouldn’t be too hot, nor overwhelmed with crowds.

Or, what if you embraced the cold, and went to Iceland? Again, no swarms of tourists. Any ski destination in Europe might be fun, but would be the most expensive week of the year.

We went to the Algarve at that time of year and it was really nice. It’s quite a popular place for Portuguese people to go for New Year as well as other nationalities so a lot of restaurants were open and there was a good atmosphere. Weather was very mild and sunny.

I had a great time in Istanbul during Christmas week. Since it’s a mostly Muslim country, everything is open, even on Christmas Day.

So I read my original post at least three times and I can’t figure out why anyone thinks I’m working for a new European company. I’m not working for European company. So I won’t be making any connections that would allow me to move to Europe.

I've been trashcanned several times in my career, including several times following company acquisitions. My remarks were born of personal experience and risk avoidance.

If you're comfortable with your position moving forward, congratulations. But perhaps you should be somewhat less comfortable.

Again: my remarks are a result of my personal experience. TIFWIW.

Thank you everyone, you’ve given me some great suggestions. Istanbul was a great suggestion but we were just there so I think I’ll probably skip that. Morocco is intriguing, I’m currently in the watch the air fare stage which may be the deciding factor. Where do I get the best deal? (If we had emojis I would’ve considered a smile)

As for being worried about my job. I’m not the least worried. My official retirement date is September 2027. However i am currently old enough to get on Medicare. I could financially step away today and this may turn out to be the retirement celebration because I’m trying to give this place six months but ….. no guarantees. I’ve gone from senior management and an ownership position to a very vaguely defined role. It may be time to move on.

I lied. O would go to Budapest. Book a different concert or musical or opera or
.. ballet each night. Eat at the best restaurants and drink the best Hungarian wines.

What you didn't tell us is what do you want to do that week? Visit a spa? Live in museums? Sit in the sun? Shop after Xmas sales? Eat to abundance?

Frank , I didn’t tell you because I was looking for suggestions but not give me ideas of things I’d like to do that week.

We stay home.

(If we had emojis I would’ve considered a smile)

Carol, Andrew gave us back emojis about seven or eight months ago, so you can use emojis now and smile. 😊

I totally agree with Elizabeth.

But you need to pay close attention to the days of the week. Christmas and New Years Eve fall on a Friday this year, and the 26th and 1 Jan are holidays in many countries, which means services will be minimal, and they always are limited (compared to other days) on Sundays.

We were on Malta from Dec. 27 to Jan. 4 a couple of years ago, and found it quite pleasant. As an alternative idea for Morocco - similar climate, different vibe.

If you have airline miles to throw at the question, you might find some better deals
than paying for the ticket. Plus more flexibility.

I would do small cities in Italy...but can I be a rebel and suggest staying in the US and spending a week in New York..wonderful lights and windows. Theater and beat food. Book a nice hotel and do a spa day. See the Angel tree at the Met.

Of you came here, the Christmas Markets are still open, the theaters, concerts are in full swing. Might get lucky with snow, the lights are beautiful, the food is always good, tge bath houses, spas, some nice museums and the trams run for the convenience and the city views.

Rome is lovely at that time of year compared to many places. Easy to get to, more than enough to do for a week, fabulous food, still festive holiday atmosphere all the way to epiphany,