5 Places You Should Be Booking Now for Winter Adventure

Winter is prime time for a few of our favorite destinations: here’s where to lock in dates before the good spots fill up.

These are truly some of our favorite winter adventures over the years.

Winter (North America’s) lines up with a great window for the Quilotoa Loop and Baños, Ecuador’s adventure-town basecamp for ziplining, canyoning, and waterfall hikes along the Ruta de las Cascadas. Pair a few days in Quito with the 3-day Quilotoa trek and an Amazon lodge stay for the full range cloud forest to rainforest.

Later this month - I’m sharing out itinerary but you can also check it out here: Explore Ecuador

Panama’s dry season runs December through April, which lines up perfectly with winter up north, making this an easy, warm, and underrated booking right now. Split your time between Boquete, mountain town, coffee country, hiking and rock climbing, and the Gulf of Chiriquí, where Boca Brava, Boca Chica, and Las Lajas offer sport fishing, surfing, and diving. Our 10-Day Panama Itinerary has the full breakdown, plus shorter alternate versions if a week is all you’ve got.

St. Lucia is a beach trip with real adventure texture built in. Hike Gros Piton or Petit Piton, take a catamaran day trip that hits a waterfall and mud bath along the way, go horseback riding on the beach, or spend a slower day snorkeling and exploring Pigeon Island. It’s also a fantastic pick for multi-generational trips: we did a group of 15 ranging from age 5 to 70.

Start planning with our St. Lucia destination guide.

Hawaii is worth booking now, ahead of spring break price spikes. On the Big Island, don’t miss Hawaii Volcanoes National Park — lava tubes, petroglyphs, and the Chain of Craters Road. On Maui, West Maui and the Road to Hana are must-dos. If you’ve got a full week, our 7-Day Hawaii Itinerary covers both islands and both national parks; short on time?

The Big Island 2-Day Itinerary hits the highlights.

This is the one with the shortest runway, condos and rental houses near the big resorts fill up fast for peak weeks. We recently spent a week visiting four mountains, Breckenridge, Keystone, Vail, and Beaver Creek, and hit a stretch of 45-degree days plus a storm that dropped 10–15 inches of fresh snow. Traveling with kids or teens?

Check out our tips on planning the perfect teen ski trip and our list of the best ski resorts for teens and families before you pick your mountain.

Have fun out there,

Gretchen

Destinations

Steal our 7 Day Itinerary to the Dolomites, Italy

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Jun 9

If you’ve ever dreamed of jagged peaks rising above glittering alpine lakes, the Dolomites are the destination that truly lives up to the hype. I spent a week there in the summer with my family and came back with pages of notes everything below is what I wish I’d had before I went.