Whew! You need a break…FROM the Holidays! All that gifting, and receiving, not to mention all the family time. It’s time to leave it all behind. Time to enjoy some quality “me/us” time during the blah-blah-yawn days of January.
Janus was the Roman god of beginnings and transitions, usually shown as having two faces. So there you have it: two choices to ponder. Go warm or stay cold, be active or get rest, see the sights or see no one. We’re here to help.
The key thing: no matter where you go, go with a purpose, and GoWithUs for an easy, convenient exit and reentry back home. Now where to?
Of course, if money is no problem you can think about faraway destinations like Dubai, Sri Lanka, or Thailand, one travel magazine’s Destination of the Year. But the piggy bank might be a little light right now. Closer to home might be more practical.
Think about the Southwest and California. Temps are livable. Using San Diego as a base opens up whale watching on the Baja Coast in Mexico, or Death Valley National Park, or Joshua Tree in Palm Springs. You could spend days covering San Diego sites, too: the zoo, the parks, the harbor, U.S. Navy boat tours.
Outside of a change in weather, the Southwest offers activities galore. For example, think about Park City, Utah. Not just for skiing, but the Sundance Film Festival starting on January 23. You also might be surprised how decent San Francisco can be during January, thanks to warm ocean currents. Using San Francisco as a base also gives you short jaunts to Yosemite, the redwoods forests, and Napa or Sonoma for wine tastings.
As long as you’ve mentally made it to California, a flight to one of Hawaii’s four islands wouldn’t take that much longer. Spend a few days on the beaches, in the water surfing, in jungles, atop volcanoes, or learning how to hula at a local mai tai bar. Even the great banyan tree in the center of Lahaina on Maui is coming back to life after the fire.
Again, think “purpose.” You’re not just getting away from somewhere, you’re going to somewhere. Have a plan, pick an area that offers much to see and do, in addition to relaxing by the pool. Museums, culture, restaurants, history; you can find purpose in so many different ways.
Another thing to contemplate is how to see some of these great cities. GO Shuttle offers GO See the Sights tours of cities like SF and Honolulu, such as New Orleans, Key West or Washington, D.C. which will still be festively decorated long into January’s dullness. Check out your options here.
Going back to your grade school science classes, you might remember that the Earth tilts on its axis while it revolves around the sun placing the northern hemisphere (where we live) further away from the sun during winter. That means the southern hemisphere is closer. So, while vacation destinations hugging the Equator (Mexico and the Caribbean, for example – check out our new service in Tulum!) don’t vary that much temperature-wise all year long (except during hurricane season, which ended in November), the southern hemisphere heats up during January. The Argentine Patagonia awaits. So does Australia, New Zealand, or South Africa.
But, if the piggy bank is totally empty, perhaps getting a closer look right around your hometown would help you recoup from the Holidays. There are probably some sites and activities right in your own backyard that deserve a second look. But do it in style, you can easily book a personal tour of your hometown area with your favorite shuttle service. Check out the list of cities around the world where we offer our GO See the Sights service, and enjoy the feeling of being on vacation without ever leaving town.
For airport transportation or around town rides, click here to check rates and availability.