If you are planning a Europe trip in January then you are obviously expecting cooler temperatures. Fortunately, most of the best and most famous tourist cities such as Paris, Rome, and London don't get much rain (or snow) in winter, so as long as you are dressed properly you can still see just about everything.

Below is our list of the 12 best European destinations to consider for a visit in January, including one actual beach. The days in Europe are pretty short this time of year, but at least hotel prices will be at or near their annual lows. This is also the only time of year when you can visit cities like Venice or Barcelona without being surrounded by thousands of other tourists at all times.

If this is your first trip to Europe you may also be interested in our recommendations for best first-time Europe itineraries of your own. Click to read more

Located on Mexico's Caribbean coast, beautiful Cancun is a hotspot for vacationers seeking as much sun, fun, and ocean time as they can. Here you'll not only find great seafood, drinks, resorts, and nightlife, but amazing beaches, nearby ancient ruins, lots of curious ocean creatures, shopping, and attractions that will make it hard to leave. But, because Cancun is known as one of the more expensive parts of Mexico, people do plan on spending a decent amount of money here.

Though the Cancun Card won't be able to save you any money on your resort, you'll find that this card is designed to save you lots of money on area attractions, both in the ocean and on land. But, is this card a good deal for everyone visiting Cancun? To find out if it's right for you, continue reading our review, below.

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As January approaches it seems like half of the Northern Hemisphere is looking for a place to escape the cold. The good news is that there are dozens of great options in the Southern Hemisphere and the Tropics, so it's just a matter of finding the one that suits you best.

Those who live in North America and Europe should start by considering the Caribbean, as it's far faster and easier to reach than the cheaper options in Southeast Asia that appear lower on this list. Best of all, the Caribbean comes in all price ranges, at least once you pay for your flight. Particularly in the Dominican Republic, you can find all-inclusive resorts that offer amazing value, even in high season like this. Click to read more

People frequently ask me about airline mileage programs and since I'm not an expert on that topic I usually refer them to my friend John DiScala, who is better known in the travel biz as Johnny Jet. He runs a popular site that is loaded with tips and tricks for getting the most out of mileage programs and flights in general. The following is a guest article from John that many should find useful.

Since 1810, Oktoberfest has been an annual tradition in Munich for both locals and world travelers alike. If you enjoy good beer, camaraderie, and new cultural experiences, a fall trip to Munich is a must. Whether you stay for one afternoon or all 16 days, you can redeem airline miles to attend one of the world's largest Volksfest!

Since Munich is one of the more expensive airports to fly into (especially during Oktoberfest), redeeming airline miles for award flights can give you a good return on investment. Click to read more

Easily one of the most fascinating cities on Earth, Hong Kong is a place that everyone should visit at least once. It's large, beautiful, and quite confusing the first time you visit. A Hong Kong Pass can be a great way to save time and money on your first trip to this city, but it's not for everybody.

In the review below we will go over the prices of the top attractions and recommend the best ones that you should consider whether you buy the Hong Kong Pass or not. You can actually have a lovely time visiting Hong Kong without spending much money, but you can have a better time if you are well organized and choose to experience the top attractions and probably also a day trip to nearby Macau. Click to read more

If you are tired of all-inclusive Caribbean holidays or even marching around historic European cities, you are not alone. After a few vacations like these, the beaches and even the cathedrals all start to look alike. So where else can you go?

Experienced travelers are often looking for something different so we decided to put together our list of the most unusual (and also some of the most desirable) vacation destinations around the world. If you look elsewhere for “unusual destinations” you'll typically find weird, obscure, and remote places that may be interesting to read about for a couple minutes, but you'd never want to go to any of them. Our list is packed with some of the best and most enjoyable places to go in the world that also are very unique. And we also tell you the best way to reach each of them. Click to read more

After a quiet autumn for tourism, the planes headed to Asia are all full again starting in mid December. Most tourists want to go to the beaches and islands, and there are plenty of those on the list below, but many of Asia's best cultural destinations also have fantastic weather starting in December.

Below you'll find a mix of the destinations that have great weather in December and are also very worthwhile stops. If you are looking for a sandy beach to relax on you'll have many good choices, but first-time visitors to this area should really include at least one or two of the main cities as well. Click to read more

While December may not be the ideal month to visit Europe, it can actually be a lot of fun and you won't have much competition at the famous sights. Unless you have a special reason to do so, it's best to avoid northern Europe and even most of central Europe in winter. But that still leaves most of the most famous cities, which will be filled with shopping and working locals until just before Christmas.

Below you'll find our list of the best cities to consider for a Europe trip in December. With a bit of advance planning you should be able to get cheap flights between most of these as well, so you can visit several of them as long as you allow about 3 days in each. There is even one reasonable beach destination, although it may not be warm enough this month unless you are from one of the Nordic countries. Click to read more

There are many great reasons to travel by yourself, although many of us do it primarily because we can't find companions to join us on trips that last weeks or months or years. Since 2010 I've been running travel websites for a living and I've literally spent about six of those years traveling and living in places around the world. Solo travel chose me rather than the other way around, and somehow I'm an accidental expert on the subject.

Finding the best places to go as a solo traveler can be tricky at first. Other articles I've seen simply list places the author enjoys and recommends that you go solo for that reason alone. In the article below I describe many different types of places that can be good choices for solo travelers along with why. I think and hope that people will find it useful and at least give you some strategies for what to look for and what to avoid on solo trips. Click to read more

Spending the Christmas and New Year's holiday weeks with family and friends is the longstanding tradition in most of the Western world, but those based in the colder northern climates are looking for alternatives. After a couple decades of being bundled up, many start to wonder if there is another way to spend the holidays.

Those with the resources have been heading to Hawaii for Christmas for a long time, but there are actually dozens of countries and islands with similar tropical climates around the world, and most of them are far cheaper, at least once you get there. Below is a list of nearly every major tourist destination that combines warm weather and low prices during the weeks around Christmas and New Year's.

Updated for 2018: This year's list has been updated and expanded, with current price information for 2018 holidays as of August, 2018. Click to read more