Alternative Christmas holidays

It’s little surprise that so many of our most popular alternative Christmas holidays are set amid the wintery wonders of Finnish Lapland. So far north that you’re within the Arctic Circle, or just outside it, our activity breaks are packed with adventure, from snowshoeing to husky sledding, and learning how to fish on frozen lakes. And the night skies always carry the promise of seeing the stunning Northern Lights. Our holidays also help to support the traditional lifestyles of Lapland’s Indigenous Sámi people, which are under threat from climate change and loss of grazing land. Through visits to reindeer farms, museums, nomadic camps and festivals, our trips give you enthralling insights into Sámi cultural traditions.

If you’re considering some winter sun, our alternative Christmas holidays will quickly have you reaching for your flip flops. Going long haul means you need to plan early for the best flight prices, but we can often arrange these for you to save you the hassle. Choose a window seat for your best chance of a mid-flight Santa sighting. December is the heart of the ‘green season’ in Botswana – safaris at Christmas mean less dust, lots of baby animals around, and spectacular afternoon thunderstorms. Costa Rica is dry and sunny, washed clean by the rains – the streets of San Jose are illuminated by the Festival of Lights in mid-December. And Christmas is an ideal time for whale watching off the coast of Sri Lanka. Our holidays use only responsible boat operators to ensure the welfare of these majestic creatures is prioritised.

Not every family celebrates Christmas the same way. Yours may prefer to escape grey, chilly weather for warmer climes. Or perhaps you relish the opportunity to do something different once in a while and not have to worry about coordinating Christmas lunch and visiting relatives. Our alternative Christmas holidays for families are a great way to spend time together creating memories, be they in the snow of Finnish Lapland or on the beaches of Costa Rica. And they’re also perfect for multi generational families. Because why should the grandkids have all the fun?

Christmas is celebrated in many fascinating ways around the world, and joining in with your hosts can provide an interesting window onto their culture. Stalking the Austrian Alps is the Krampus, said to carry naughty children off to the underworld. There are many novel techniques families use to keep him away. Less scary and more charming are Iceland’s history of giving books as gifts, and the quirky Venezuelan tradition of roller skating to Mass on Christmas morning. Meanwhile, if you’re in Finnish Lapland for Christmas, make sure you’re out of the sauna by sunset, when ancestral spirits come out of the woodwork to warm themselves up.