Christmas is a funny time of year. For some of us, it's a time to look forward to: a time to meet up with relatives, friends and other faces we haven't seen for most of the year.
For others, it's a needlessly stressful time in which we're forced to socialise with people we don't especially like, to a soundtrack of tunes we wish would just go away. Year to year can vary too: one year you're Jimmy Stewart, the next year you're the Grinch.
You're either one or the other, but both attitudes may motivate a Christmas journey abroad. Why not quit the country to find warmer weather closer to equator, and to have a Christmas where frost isn't biting at its toes? Afterall, goodwill to all men doesn't happen because of the weather of the northern hemisphere, it's the time of year that's important!
Ah, but there are problems. Firstly, Christmas flights can be chaotic, with the public transport system giving a huge sigh of relief and quitting on you just when you want to use it. Want to get to Gatwick on Christmas Eve? Expect bus replacement services and all kinds of other aggrevation at this time of year, because nobody wants to work over Christmas unless they being paid very well indeed.
Secondly, there's the general grief of the December weather. In the last decade, we've seen plenty of occasions where European and American airports become entirely non-operational. Planes are stuck on the tarmac thanks to winter blizzards obscuring everything in sight, leaving many passengers inside the terminal for hours and even days at a time.
But if these things don't put you off, where should you head to? The Caribbean seems like the most obvious candidate, especially for couples and singles. Warm weather is fantastic for those in love, and less disruptive for their yearly routine.
Families are perhaps best served by going to places that aren't actually all that warm. Taking the children (whilst still young) to Lapland is something you'll only get away with for so long. As they get older, they'll expect something equally magical but slightly more sophisticated. Disneyland covers the tweenagers and the theme parks nearby will cover your teens.
If you're going away, hope you have a great time!
This post was written on behalf of the UK-based company Florida Holidays by Kenwood Travel who are currently focusing on into providing some of the absolute best Orlando holidays 2012 packages out there!
