Whether you Want an active holiday, something totally different or more traditional festivities, there’s a holiday for you.

adventure, why not spice up your stay with a snowmobile safari or a dog sled excursion or go skiing at Björkliden Ski resort, which is surrounded by breathtaking views of Lake Torneträsk and Lapland. Don’t forget to visit Santa Claus and his reindeer while you’re there. www.icehotel.com

Our top trip for this winter has got to be the Ice Hotel in Juk-

kasjärvi, Sweden. The hotel is celebrating its twentieth anni-versary and has grown from a 60 square meter Igloo to the world’s largest hotel of ice and snow at about 5500 square meters. If you have a sense of

Ice Hotel, Jukkasjärvi, Sweden

DECEMBER 2009 TRENDY TRIPS 11

sxc.

hu

12 TRENDY TRIPS DECEMBER 2009

Christmas is a great time to visit New York City. Whether you want to do

some window shopping, catch a play or enjoy a traditional Christmas dinner, you’ll find plenty of things to do in New York. Enjoy the festivities at The Rockefeller Center with its fantastic decorations, Christ-mas tree and ice skating rink. Or take a walk down Havemey-er Street, which is Brooklyn’s latest portal for cheap eats and stylish shops. But don’t miss the chance to admire the world famous Times Square. www.nymag.com

Try something different this winter and spend Christmas on the beach.

An all-inclusive holiday in the Caribbean is very tempting and one of the most luxurious holidays when you’re used to the ever changing weather in England. You can be as lazy or as active as you want to be. Lie on the beach all day or take ad-vantage of the variety of water sports on offer. www.tropical-sky.co.uk

There are so many places to choose from, whether you want a mini cruise

taking you to Christmas mar-kets in Europe or a longer cruise to Hawaii or Egypt, you’ll be spoilt. Although it might be a little weird to be stuck with lots of strangers on what is traditionally a ‘fam-ily holiday’, it will be a great break. And if you’re on one of the more exotic cruises, don’t expect to get a turkey dinner with all the trimmings. There will be lots of different nation-alities on board and some don’t celebrate Christmas. So, if you can’t do without the crackers and party hats, bring them with you, have a pizza and go for a swim. www.iglucruise.com/christmas-cruises

If you enjoy the snow and want to make the most of it, rent a chalet in the French

mountains. Enjoy skiing and snowboarding by day and a nice relaxing fire in the eve-ning. Be a bit more adventur-ous and go ice go-karting or take ice driving lessons. Or how about a jaunt in an acro-batic airplane or microlight? If that’s too much activity for you, have a day off and get pampered instead. www.snow-chateaux.co.uk

Disney is not just for the kids and you don’t need them as an excuse to

spend some quality time soak-ing up the magic in either Walt Disney World, Florida www.disneyworld.disney.go.com or closer to home in Disneyland, Paris. www.disneylandparis.co.uk Marvel at the Beauty of the Christmas parade and join in with the Christmas tree lighting ceremony or why not

Shopping in New York

Cruise

Experience the Magic of Disney

A White Christmas in France

Enjoy a Beach Holiday in the Caribbean

5

4

3

2meet up with Mickey and his friends at one of the many cel-ebrations around the parks.

6sxc.

hu

sxc.

hu

sxc.

hu

TOP 10

Paris, the city of lights, is the ultimate romantic destination. You can ad-

mire the most fantastic shop window displays at the Gal-leries Lafayette at Christmas time and shop for something more unusual in the markets. It’s the perfect place to buy your loved one a memorable gift or even propose? Cross the Pont des Arts over the Seine and take a walk along the river banks. If it gets too cold, whisk your date on board a bateau mouche river cruise for a romantic dinner ‘a deux’. www.parisdigest.com

So, we might’ve put the UK ‘Staycation’ in ninth place, but that doesn’t

mean that it is one of the worst holidays. There’s always plen-ty to do, and here are just a few ideas to help you recon-nect with British traditions. If you want to get out of the house, visit a Christmas mar-ket, a National Trust property or go and see a Pantomime. Go carol singing, have a walk in the great British country-side or go ice-skating at one of the many rinks installed espe-

Rome is vibrant and alive during the Christmas period. You can enjoy

the traditional Christmas cel-ebrations, and visit beautiful-ly decorated churches. In St Peter’s Square, you’ll find the famous life-size nativity scene

If you’re a ‘bah humbug’ type - and there’s nothing wrong with that – then just

ignore the festivities around you, hire a stack of DVDs and lock yourself in your house until the world returns to ‘nor-mal’. Because, let’s face it, this year like every other, there’ll be nothing on TV but re-runs. Oh, and the Queen’s speech...

Hibernate

‘Staycation’ in the UK

The Wild Card

Romantic Break in Paris

DECEMBER 2009 TRENDY TRIPS 13

cially for the winter season. If you’re stuck inside, why not get out the old board games or invest in a new one. Baking cookies is a family favorite, but you can always do some Christmas crafts, if you’re not really into cooking. But the best by far, and you can do any of the above activities with them, is to get together with friends and family and have a good time.

7

1098

and at the Christmas Market in Piazza Navona, you can purchase components to make your own. But it’s important to bear in mind that Christmas in Italy is considered a family holiday and a lot of Rome shuts down Christmas Eve until the day after New Years. That said, it remains a magical place to be over the Christmas period. www.italyheaven.co.uk

sxc.

husx

c.hu