Survive And Thrive: How To Make The Most Of Winter Travel

Top travel bloggers share their most inspiring deep winter travel tales.

Photo courtesy Travel Tales of Life.

It's hard to imagine travel or vacation without instantly picturing a beautiful beach somewhere - and I must confess to being a fan of warm weather myself. But there are amazing travel experiences all around the world and all around the calendar. Cold weather is no reason not to enjoy travel to the fullest. Even deep winter experiences, where the snow goes up to the roof and the thermostat plunges down to -20 (or even -40!) can be incredibly enriching and surprisingly comfortable experiences - provided you know what you're getting into!

I asked nine experienced travel writers to share their best tips and happiest memories from their frostiest travel experiences and I know their advice will warm your heart - and maybe even your toes! 

When in doubt, get festive!

Photo courtesy of Vintage Girl Travels

If you've ever wanted to experience a winter festival, visiting Alberta in January is a must. Just like summer festivals (but with parkas & snow boots), winter festivals offer wonderful opportunities to absorb Alberta's multicultural spirit & stunning beauty while actually ENJOYING the deep freeze. From Edmonton’s Viking-themed Deep Freeze Street Festival to the international ice carving competitions Ice on Whyte (Edmonton) and Ice Magic Festival (Lake Louise),to the mountain-celebrating Jasper In January, the focus is on winter activities while having fun. Try snowmobiling, ice-carving, snowshoeing and more - all while also enjoying art, music, food and warm drinks. I can't think of a better way to beat the winter blues! 

Joanna Farley is a blogger at www.vintagegirltravels.com. Based in Calgary, Alberta, she only leaves the house in winter if there's a festival happening or she's out of chocolate.

Nordic skies and frozen noses in Finland.

Saariselkä, Finland. Early February. Temperature -20°C, and moisture in my nose starts freezing if I breathe heavily. Which I am; my first time on Nordic skis, and I've yet to master the effortless way people breeze up slopes, flicking out the tips of their skis, sending powder spraying. I slow for yellow warning triangles; Finnish doesn't have the same root as most European languages, and I can't make out from the jumble of letters whether to prepare for a steep slope, snowmobile crossing, or a nest of bears further along the trail.

I recognize the sign for a café ahead, and stop for a photograph. The weak sun just clears the treetops, bathing the forest in golden light even though its only mid-morning. Snowmelt on branches freezes again as it runs down the trunks of the trees, crackling and popping like a bowl of cereal. In seconds my hands hurt with the cold, so I head to the café. Stopping for coffee (and a doughnut) isn't a treat, its an important Arctic survival strategy.

Vicky Inglis blogs at These Vagabond Shoes.  Based in the south of England, she's disappointed at the complete lack of snow so far this winter.

Preventing a camera crisis, Lapland-style.

Having spent most of my life in a sub-tropical climate, I approached my visit to Lapland, Finland with some trepidation. However, in the dry cold, I found temperatures down to -20 Celsius to be bearable. Below that, keeping warm required more work (-40 Celsius particularly so). Around the -20 Celsius mark or lower, batteries lose their charge very quickly; maybe even 30 minutes or less for a fully charged battery. Suggest you keep batteries warm against your body and only insert them into your camera when needed. Best to carry two batteries. Extreme winter weather holds no fear for me now.

Shane is an avid explorer of The Road Less Travelled and shares his tales through Social Media, photography, writing and speeches.www.thetravelcamel.com

Braving the polar vortex in middle America

I have lived in Southern California my entire life and can count on two hands the amount of times I have actually touched snow, so I wasn't sure what to expect when a friend invited us to Madison, Wisconsin . . . in the middle of winter.  While nervous about spending an extended weekend in snow, I was intrigued by the outdoor winter activities.  Our trip fell in between two polar vortexes, so the temperature fell to -6F/-21C, but we were prepared with wool socks, thermals, etc. Snowshoeing was an experience like I have never had before, with the still cold beauty interrupted only by the occasional sound of creaking, snow covered trees and the crunching of our snowshoes.  Ice skating on a frozen pond was incredible, and I marveled at the frozen bubbles and fallen leaves trapped in the ice beneath my feet.  We enjoyed our first winter travel escapade so much we will next be braving a trip to Sweden’s Lapland for dogsledding, snowmobiling, and chasing the Northern Lights.
 
Katherine Belarmino is the author of the travel blog Travel the World where she and her husband Romeo share their travel adventures.  

Seeing the Northern Lights in the land of ice

Reykjavik isn’t as far as most think.  With flying time under six hours from the east coast of the United States, you can easily do a quick long weekend away as I did with a suitcase full of layers, wool mittens, wool socks and waterproof jacket (with hood) and boots. If you want to see the Northern Lights, don’t wait. Book the first night in case you don’t see the lights, as many operators give you a do-over on the next tour.  Iceland' roads are long stretches so bring snacks and always use the restroom when you have a chance.

Suzanne (aka PhilaTravelGirl) loves travel, wine and cookies and she's flying by the seat of her points to experience the world www.philatravelgirl.com

The dog days of winter

Dog sledding along the frozen Canadian mountain lake, I imagined arctic explorers behind similar canine teams discovering new polar lands. Huskies not only withstand the snow and extreme cold but thrive in it. I will testify as the icicles formed on my eyelashes, the dogs remained unfazed by the blizzard like conditions. At Snowy Owl Sled Dog Tours in Canmore, Alberta you can have a guide or drive yourself. Just never let go or these enthusiastic pups will run for miles.  Dress for the weather and this is a true winter thrill. My 84 year old mother-in-law thought so too. 

Sue and her husband Dave love adventure travel. Inspiring young and old alike to live big at Travel Tales of Life

Soup and sake on a frostbitten night

-20 degrees Celsius. Japan. Nozawa Onsen. Deep snow. Traditional village. Lantern Festival. Miso soup. Chop Sticks. Sake. Frost bite. Put these together and you get the picture.

The Lantern Festival in Nozawa Onsen is like a progressive dinner where you go from district to district in this small village in Japan tasting each miso and drinking each of their sake, all different and all very good and all done in the extreme cold.

Eating said soup with chopsticks with a husband who was being fed a lot of sake by the elders of the village district and this all explains this photo..

Paula and Gordon of Contented Traveller like doing unusual things.

Camping: Yes. Cotton: No.

Winter camping in the mountains of British Columbia isn't as scary as it sounds. After all, there are no bugs, you can easily clean dishes with snow, and the scenery is breathtaking. However, in -25C temperatures, the weather can be literally breathtakingly cold. Winter camping is not an activity for the faint-hearted. But for adventurous Canadians, there is a pride that comes with making it through a cold winter’s night in a tent, to ski across a frozen lake in brilliant winter sun. That is, if your gear doesn't freeze and crack in the cold, of course. Tip: Cotton kills. Layer with merino or coarse wool and waterproof outwear.

Claudia Laroye is a travel writer and blogger based in Vancouver, British Columbia. She shares travel tips & tricks at her blog The Travelling Mom.

When layers aren't enough, go for glogg.

Don't let the smile fool you-- that's completely staged for the photo-- I can't remember ever being so cold as I was when I posed for this photo in Stockholm, Sweden. The cold was even worse because I couldn't wear my bulky mittens and hold the tiny cup of glogg at the same time so I had to keep switching hands to prevent frostbite (because not drinking the glogg was not an option). When I decided to visit Stockholm in December to visit the Christmas markets, I was sure I could handle the cold if I dressed properly. Each morning I went through the tedious process of layering--long silk underwear, a thin wool top, and cashmere sweater (sometimes I even wore two), topped off with a knee length down coat. But none of this mattered as I learned that no amount of layers could keep out that whipping Nordic wind. 

Kristin Francis is a New York City travel writer who shops the world and finds the stories behind the unique souvenirs, shops and pop culture trends on her website Souvenir Finder.

Vanessa's advice: make the most of it - and bring spare socks!

Our home base is Ottawa, which has the unfortunate distinction of being the coldest capital city in the world. It's not entirely unusual to see windchill temperatures of -40 Celsius and it's nothing to spend an entire week in the -20+ range. But while we love to complain about the cold and the weather, the truth is that most locals have found a way to happily co-exist with Mother Nature. Our frozen canal is groomed and prepped and turned into the world's longest ice skating rink. When the temperatures are at their coldest in mid-February, we celebrate with the Winterlude festival. And for those less hearty souls, the winter is a chance to take a pause from an otherwise hectic life and enjoy the simpler pleasures of  staying cozy inside and nesting. 

I think the secret to great winter travel is the same as regular travel. You need a combination of good attitude and preparation and, when winter is involved, that preparation might take a bit more time and consideration. My number one tip is all about feet. Always carry a spare pair of socks - wool, not cotton. Nothing is more miserable (or, frankly, dangerous) as wet, cold feet. Even if your boots don't leak, chilling moisture and sweat can make things just cool and clammy enough to ruin your entire excursion. Changing into fresh, dry, warm socks mid-day will do wonders for moral and comfort.

Now what are you waiting for? Go play in the snow!

What's your number one winter travel destination? What destination is better in winter than it is in summer?


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