January can be a bit of a rough month. The holiday season is over after New Year’s, and the weather is cold and gray. However, there’s an antidote for the mid-winter blues: take a vacation to a warm and sunny destination. Whatever your fancy, you’ll find something to fit when planning ahead for your January 2021 vacation.
Sunny Beaches
Why not leave behind gloomy weather for a tropical stretch of sandy beach? Stateside, Florida is a popular destination with its proximity to theme parks as well as the ocean. Right next door and within hours of the U.S. mainland is the Caribbean. Whether you decide to visit Puerto Rico, Jamaica or the Virgin Islands, you’ll enjoy the warm breezes and island drinks while you relax on a strip of sand.
Or head to the southern hemisphere. Australia and Polynesia are entering mid-summer while the US heads into mid-winter. There are beautiful beaches in southern Australia and of course you will find crystal clear waters and warm sand in Bali, Tahiti and Moorea. There are also Asian beach options from Thailand to the Maldives.
Culture
If you love learning about exotic cultures and history, January is the best time to visit the Taj Mahal and the palaces of Jaipur. It’s also the best time to visit Egypt, where you can see the pyramids and be transfixed by the temples of Luxor. Extend your vacation with a trip to Petra, in Jordan, or check out the markets in Morocco. Then there are the ruins of Angkor Wat in Cambodia and the city of Phnom Penh. January is the perfect time to visit all of these cultural gems.
Adventure
For true adventure, why not try an African safari? For many African countries, January is the perfect time for a visit. Namibia is a less traveled destination that offers a variety of terrains, from dunes to mountains.
Closer to the U.S., Belize offers superb diving with its Great Blue Hole as well as unique cave tours. Nearby Guatemala is a great place to hike through rain forests and up volcanoes.
For a different type of adventure, you can follow in Darwin’s footsteps and visit the Galapagos Islands. This is a once-in-a-lifetime adventure and January is a great time to go.