Winter Travel: The Best Destinations to Escape (or Embrace) the Cold

I have the privilege to live in Colorado, where winter is not merely a season but a way of life. The crispness of the air, the brilliance of sunlight reflecting off fresh powder, the sheer exhilaration of carving down a mountainside—all of it conspires to make winter something to be celebrated. The cold is invigorating, the snow a canvas for adventure. There is nothing quite like stepping out into a high-altitude morning, the breath of the mountains visible in plumes of mist above the pines.

And yet, even the most devoted winter lovers sometimes find themselves staring out at the frost-rimed windows and longing for warmth, for a different kind of adventure, for the seductive contrast of sand underfoot rather than ice. When that moment comes, we go. Here are five of our favorite destinations for winter travel, places that offer not just an escape but a shift in perspective.


Belize: Sailing the Warmth of the Caribbean

Winter travel destinations

Winter’s grip is best shaken by water, and Belize offers the kind that shimmers in impossible shades of blue. To sail along the Belize Barrier Reef is to slip into a rhythm dictated by the tides rather than the clock. The cayes—tiny dots of paradise—offer sanctuary, places where the days unfold in long, lazy swims and evenings filled with the scent of grilled fish and rum cocktails. The cold of home feels abstract here, a distant memory as you float in the warmth of the Caribbean.


Riviera Maya, Mexico: Mayan Ruins and Coastal Retreats

Winter travel destinations

From the snow-laden forests of Colorado to the jungle-draped ruins of Mexico, winter travel should feel like stepping into another world. The Riviera Maya delivers in full. Tulum, perched on a cliff above the sea, is a relic of a civilization that once charted the stars with mathematical precision. Inland, the cenotes—limestone sinkholes filled with clear, cold water—offer a primal thrill, an invitation to dive into the unknown. And then there is the coastline itself, where the beaches are long, the water warm, and the nights scented with salt and tequila.


Florida: A Tale of Two Coasts

Winter travel destinations

If winter must be left behind, it might as well be replaced with something bright and unapologetically alive. Florida does this well. The Atlantic side thrums with energy—Miami’s pulsing beat, the Art Deco glamour of South Beach, the insomniac neon glow of the city. Cross the state, and the Gulf offers something quieter, a landscape of sleepy islands, sun-bleached boardwalks, and the kind of slow, golden afternoons that feel like they could last forever.


British Virgin Islands: The Art of Sailing in the Winter Sun

Winter travel destinations

To be at sea in the British Virgin Islands in winter is to rewrite the season entirely. Here, the winds are fair, the water calm, and the days given over to nothing more strenuous than sailing from one perfect anchorage to the next. Virgin Gorda’s boulder-strewn beaches, the lively hum of Jost Van Dyke’s beach bars, the near-empty sands of Anegada—each destination is a study in the art of tropical escape. There is a peculiar delight in knowing that, as you sip a Painkiller at the Soggy Dollar Bar, the mountains of home are buried under fresh snowfall.


Australia: Flipping the Seasons for a Mid-Winter Summer

Winter travel destinations

If you’re going to escape winter, why not go all the way? Australia offers the most satisfying seasonal inversion—a full-throated, sun-drenched, Southern Hemisphere summer. Sydney’s beaches, hot and crowded in the best possible way, are the antithesis of a cold Colorado morning. The Great Barrier Reef is alive with color, an underwater spectacle that rivals anything seen above the surface. And the road trips—the sprawling beauty of the Great Ocean Road, the rolling vineyards of Margaret River—remind you that travel is, at its core, an act of motion, a rejection of stasis.


Conclusion: The Best of Both Worlds

Winter is something to be cherished, but so is the joy of stepping away from it, if only for a little while. To live in Colorado is to have the best of both worlds—a winter paradise that offers both adventure and respite. The mountains will wait, their slopes patient beneath a heavy sky. But for now, the sea calls, the sun lingers, and the world beyond the snow awaits.


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