When the summer is over, the weather even more persistently calls us on a trip. There are several periods in the fall, winter, and spring when many people in the United States can go on vacation. These are Thanksgiving weekend, Christmas, Spring Break, but not only. Traveling is even more pleasant and profitable in the intervals between these holidays, because there are not so many tourists and discounts on flights, accommodation and entertainment are possible.
Would you like a ski vacation, a beach vacation or something else?
There are many places in the United States to go on vacation in the winter. Both those who loves warm weather and those who rush to winter pleasures will find something for themselves. The country has a variety of destinations suitable for both snow lovers and hot, sandy beach lovers alike. Add to this the countries that Americans often visit during their holidays (Mexico, Dominican Republic, Canada) and your choice will be even wider.
You can find many of the popular travel destinations on the USA map.
Americans have significantly expanded the geography of their travels in 2023. A significant increase in the number of American tourists was noticed in Europe. For example, it is noted that many tourists from the United States were in Paris, Rome, Florence, Greece. For sure, Americans will travel abroad a lot in the winter of 2023/24.
We would recommend thinking about trips to Finland (Rovaniemi to see Santa Claus Village), the Canary Islands, Italy (Venice Carnival). Also, Thailand has again become a very popular winter destination, including families with children.
Ski and snow vacation
Almost all of us love summer, warm weather, when there is no need to put on a lot of clothes to leave the house. But I believe that it is impossible to fully enjoy summer if you have not been in a real, cold, snowy, white, beautiful winter. A winter vacation can be amazing.
Alpine skiing is the most common representation of winter holidays. But skiing downhill is certainly not the only activity in winter. There is also cross-country skiing and snowshoeing in the beautiful natural scenery, ice skating, dogsledding, reindeer sledding and snowmobiling tours.
Which ski resort should you choose? If you are an inexperienced skier, then maybe you should choose the closest one to you?
The Finger Lakes. The Finger Lakes region offers excellent conditions for a winter getaway. We would recommend looking first at The Finger Lakes if you live in the eastern United States.
The Finger Lakes region has several ski resorts and many cross-country trails in beautiful landscapes. Everyone, beginners, families with children and experienced skiers, will find suitable slopes. Greek Peak, Bristol Mountain, Labrador Mountain and Song Mountain are the most popular ski resorts here.
The ski season usually begins at the end of November, but in warmer years, the season was greatly reduced.
You can find many of the popular travel destinations on the USA map.
Gore Mountain. Gore Mountain is an alpine ski resort on Gore Mountain in the Adirondack Mountains, located in North Creek, New York. Gore Mountain has 107 trails and 15 lifts, variety of trails for cross country skiing.
The ski season usually starts in mid or late November.
Albany International Airport is the nearest major airport to the resort (85 miles). Distance from New York is about New York – 238 miles.
Rochester International Airport is the closest airport to the east side of the Finger Lakes. (It is about 40 miles from the airport to Bristol Mountain ski resiort.)
Arapahoe Basin. Arapahoe Basin, often shortened to A-Basin is an alpine ski area in the Rocky Mountains of the United States, in the Arapaho National Forest of Colorado. Arapahoe Basin is known for its extended season, usually starting ski season in october and staying open until early June.
Arapahoe Basin is located south of Loveland Pass on U.S. Highway 6 in Summit County. The nearest airport to Arapahoe Basin is Eagle (EGE) Airport which is 77 miles away. The drive to Denver airport (DEN) is 88 miles.
You can find many of the popular travel destinations on the USA map.
Sun Valley. Sun Valley is a resort city in Blaine County, Idaho, United States. Alpine ski areas are are located on two mountains: Bald Mountain and Dollar Mountain.
Hailey's Friedman Memorial Airport (SUN) is the Sun Valley’s closest airport. It's located 14 miles from the resort.
Big Sky resort. The Big Sky Resort in Montana is one of the largest ski resorts in North America.It is the second-largest ski resort in the United States by acreage. Winter activities include skiing and snowboarding, seven terrain parks, zip-line, and snowshoeing.
Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport is located just 50 miles from Big Sky Resort.
Whistler Blackcomb. Whistler Blackcomb is (by many measures) the largest ski resort in North America. It is located in Whistler, British Columbia, Canada. The Whistler ski season typically begins around the third weekend in November. The nearest airport, Vancouver International Airport, is approximately 85 miles (137 kilometers) from Whistler ski resort.
Accommodation | Flights | U.S. map
Beach vacations
There are many people who like to spend time on the beach, in warm countries in winter. You can understand them! It is very pleasant to lie on the beach and swim in the warm sea when the cold winter weather is at home. I myself like to spend my holidays like that. Americans have plenty of places for a warm winter vacation.
Florida. Florida is one of the most popular places for northern states to hide from the cold in winter. While northern states are hiding from the cold in winter, the weather is pretty pleasant in Florida. Florida has excellent sandy beaches. You yourself can find a great place for a beach vacation. For example: Miami Beach, Clearwater Beach, Crystal Sands Beach.
See also: The best hotels in Miami or Cheap hotels in Miami Beach.
You can find many of the popular travel destinations on the USA map.
Hawaii. When planning your winter vacation you need to keep Hawaii in mind. Despite the rainy season on the islands during the autumn and winter breaks, there are many sunny and warm days, and the rains are short.
Don't forget to buy a cruise to watch migrating humpback whales. (They appear in this ocean region from mid-December to March.)
Learn more about Hawaii vacations.
Mexico. Mexico is the most popular overseas travel destination for US residents. US residents don't need to take a long flight to get to Mexico. Cancun is one of the most well-known Mexican resort cities. South of the city of Cancun there is the Riviera Maya tourist coast, the cities of Playa del Carmen and Tulum, the islands of Cozumel and Mujeres. Many people return to Mexico over and over again.
Learn more ....
The Dominican Republic. The Dominican Republic is the most visited country in the Caribbean. Tourists are attracted by a comfortable climate, excellent beaches, good golf courses. Most of the tourists come to the Dominican Republic from the U.S. and Canada.
The Caribbean region is one of the best resort areas in the world. In this region there are also other popular countries among vacationers (Cuba, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Bahamas).
The United States plans to ease travel restrictions for fully vaccinated visitors from Canada and Mexico starting in early November 2021. Check it out here.
Thailand. Thailand is a great country for a winter vacation. It has everything you need for a relaxing and pleasant winter vacation: Comfortable weather, warm sea, good beaches and low prices. Phuket and Koh Samui islands, Pattaya city are the most popular tourist destinations in Thailand.
Thailand recently eased restrictions on US tourists. But the process of visiting the country remained quite difficult, even for vaccinated tourists.
Anything else for your vacation plans?
If you have already skied in Colorado, and swim in the Caribbean Sea, you can try to find new places to visit. For example, you can visit the national parks that we are used to visiting in the summer.
Yellowstone looks very different in winter than in summer. Take a trip and see for yourself. Many areas of the park are only accessible for skiing or guided snowmobiling and snowmobiling tours. Plus, the park is less crowded in winter than in summer.
New Orleans. New Orleans is worthy of your attention at any time of the year. An attractive tourist event takes place in New Orleans in February, when the city hosts the Mardi Gras festival.
A lot of interesting things happen in the city in winter, and not only on Fat Tuesday, but also on other days. Too many tourists can be in the city during Madri Gras. The slightly less hectic weeks of January, February, or March are also good times to visit New Orleans. Come to listen to jazz and savor local cuisine in the French Quarter.
You can find many of the popular travel destinations on the USA map.
Las Vegas. Las Vegas is kind of a one-stop vacation destination, a fallback in case you can't decide where to go.
Las Vegas casinos, clubs and hotels will (most likely) be full on New Year's Eve. But later, in January and February, when demand for Las Vegas vacations tends to be lower, the best time to travel to Las Vegas is.
Finland. Americans don't visit Finland often. If you want to make some unusual travel, then maybe you should fly to Finland?
There you can go skiing in winter in Finland. There are many ski resorts throughout the country. If you are in Finland during the Christmas holidays, we recommend visiting the village of Santa Claus, which is located near the city of Rovaniemi.
Accommodation | Flights | U.S. map
Canary Islands. Florida, Mexico, and the Caribbean are familiar to the US for travelers. Northern Europeans often choose the Canary Islands for their winter holidays. We also recommend you to visit the Canary Islands (Spain).
Take another look: ski vacation, a beach vacation or something else.
Book a taxi 🚕from the airport to hotel before your trip.
Look also: How much does it cost to fly to a beach vacation in winter.