Best Places to Visit in January

02/13/2024

The Icehotel in the tiny village of Jukkasjärvi in northern Sweden, provides it guests with an unique experience. Each year from December to April, an entire hotel is made out of snow and ice, including the chairs and beds in the guest rooms. Even the glasses in the bar are made of ice! Guests sleep in polar-tested sleeping bags. There’s no plumbing at the hotel, but bathrooms for guests are found in a warm building close by and there is also a sauna on the premises. A whole host of optional activities such as snowmobiling and husky sledding complete an unforgettable trip.

02/13/2024

The annual Monarch butterfly migration is one of nature’s great spectacles and a top attraction for visitors to Mexico’s central highlands. Each year, millions of Monarch Butterflies make the journey from eastern Canada to the forests of western central Mexico, a journey that spans up to 3,000 miles. The Monarch butterflies spend their winter hibernation clustered in small areas of the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve in Michoacan, before they travel to the north again. January and February are popular months to visit the reserve, because the Monarch population is at a peak at this time.

02/12/2024

Up Helly Aa is a celebration of fire and of Nordic tradition in the remote Shetland Islands in which hundreds of costumed participants march through the streets with torches on the last Tuesday in January. The festival takes all day and involves a number of ceremonial preparations, but the highlight of the event is a torch-lit procession and the burning of a replica Viking ship, also known as a galley. As the ship burns, the crowd sings, “The Norseman’s Home.” This is an elaborate festival and its participants take their jobs seriously. Work for the festival begins almost as soon as the last one ends.

02/12/2024

This is stunning 🤩

02/07/2024

The Rideau Canal, which cuts through downtown Ottawa and measures 7.8 kilometers or about 5 miles long, is often called the largest skating rink in the world. Travelers hoping to skate the Rideau Canal Skateway typically need to wait until January for the canal to freeze completely over, though last winter, unusually cold weather allowed it to be opened on December 31. The skateway typically closes in March. Travelers interested in skating on the rink at the spur of the moment are in luck as skates are available at three rental facilities along the canal.

02/07/2024

A little something to put a smile on your face ☺️

02/07/2024

02/05/2024

Australia Day, January 26, is a relatively new national holiday that has only been celebrated consistently since 1994. This holiday is held in honor of the day that Captain Arthur Phillip first raised the British Flag in Sydney in 1788. A number of big events occur on this day, including the naming of the Australians of the Year. In addition, there are numerous local events held throughout the country, including festivals, concerts and spectacular firework shows. Australia’s summer is also a nice time to visit the southern states as travelers can take advantage of the warm weather.