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.

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If you are thinking about an Asia holiday in January, you are in luck. This is literally the best weather month in the majority of the famous destinations such as Bangkok, Singapore, and Goa. Below you'll find out picks for the 18 best destinations to consider for an Asia trip in January, and it's easy to combine many of them because they are close neighbors.

Those lucky enough to be staying for at least two weeks should definitely see more than one country. You can book a cheap flight into Hong Kong, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, or Singapore from almost anywhere, and then book cheap flights from there to visit anywhere else. Click to read more

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

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

With most of the world's borders being shut tight since March of 2020, you can forgive many of us for being desparate to plan a vacation other than a weekend road trip. Nearly all summer trips to Europe in 2020 had to be cancelled and at this point we are still unsure that a summer 2021 trip will be possible. Is there any good news for those Americans (and Canadians) wanting to plan an international trip in the coming late autumn and winter? The answer is YES, and things are much better than you would probably guess.

As the temperatures drop in the northern areas we naturally want to head south for sunny beaches, and the great news is that almost ALL of our favorite destinations are actually open and welcoming American and Canadian visitors. Mexico and the Dominican Republic are among the most popular and easiest destinations to visit, but also quite a few other Caribbean islands and even some Pacific islands including Bora Bora are ready to be booked. 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. It's worth noting that Christmas to New Years is peak season for crowds in Phuket and all other major beach areas, so booking early is wise. 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

The final month of the year marks the time when people in northern climates start looking around for an escape to the sun. Fortunately, there are big parts of the world that have their best weather of the year at this time, and are very cheap as well, once you get there. The best places to visit in December are of course close to the equator or even below it.

Most of the destinations below are in Latin America and Southeast Asia, so depending on where you are starting from it might be a rather long flight to get there. Many of us can take two weeks or even more around this time of year, but that fact means that all of these places do get crowded and raise hotel prices for the weeks around Christmas and New Year's. Speaking of that, we have a separate list of cheap and warm places to go over Christmas and New Year's, only listing beach areas around the world with affordable hotels during that period.

It's best to book as far in advance as possible for both your flights and hotels, since so many people have the same idea and prices generally just keep going up as it gets closer. Click to read more

In many ways November is the best month to visit Asia because most of the top destinations such as Bangkok and Hong Kong have excellent weather, but the big crowds don't start coming until just before Christmas. You can see on the list below that you have many excellent choices of destinations this month, and hotel prices are close to their yearly lows in many of them. In some cases it's better to visit in the second half of November because the beginning of the month can still be a bit rainy.

Those looking for beaches will be happy to see Phuket and Goa on the list, but there are many great cities that also have fine weather in November. You have so many great choices in southeast Asia that this is the perfect time to start a longer visit that spans several countries if you have the time.

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No one will be surprised to learn that Europe is getting fairly chilly in November, but there is still plenty to see and do. There is actually one place where you can still work on your tan, but most people will be better off focusing on the larger and most famous cities, and especially those in the southern countries.

Below you'll find our 14 best picks for places to go in Europe in November. The crowds will be smaller than in summer and hotels are usually quite a bit cheaper, so you can actually see more of Europe on the same money if you come this time of year. 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