Four destinations worth packing (or staying) for
This winter feels more present than most. With Italy gearing up for the Winter Olympics and snow finally doing what it is meant to do closer to home, the season feels less like something to endure and more like something to engage with.
Trips planned with the season in mind tend to work better, whether that means going north, staying put, or heading somewhere warm enough to reset the balance.
There is also a point in every winter when novelty wears off and routine becomes useful. You stop looking for variety and start appreciating places that allow for repetition, where the days fall into a rhythm without much effort. Good equipment matters here, particularly bags that are carried often, packed properly, and expected to behave.
These are four ways of approaching winter travel without overcomplicating it.
OPEN LANDSCAPE AND WINTER AT A STEADY PACE
This Blefjell cabin is the kind of place that quickly resets your expectations. Set in open terrain with wide views across snow and sky, it feels removed without being remote, and well considered without feeling designed for effect.
Days organise themselves easily. Coffee by the window while the light comes up, then skis on if the weather allows, or a long walk straight from the door. The landscape is open and forgiving, better suited to steady movement than anything rushed. When you come back inside, the cabin does its job, warm, simple, and easy to settle into.
Evenings arrive early. Food is uncomplicated. Clothes are worn repeatedly because they work, not because anyone is paying attention.
You bring one main bag, unpack it once, and then forget about it.
WALKING PACE, WARM INTERIORS, AND FAMILIAR ROUTINES
Paris is easier to live with in winter. The pace drops slightly, the streets thin out, and the city becomes more navigable on foot. Distances feel shorter, and the familiar parts of the city reveal themselves without the usual noise.
Days tend to follow a simple pattern. Walking between neighbourhoods, stopping often, sitting longer than intended in cafés that feel designed for exactly this purpose. Museums and bookshops take up whole afternoons without much effort. Evenings stay close to home, favouring places you can return to without thinking too hard.
You carry one bag all day and notice quickly if it asks for attention. In winter Paris, practicality wins out over statement.
MUCH MORE THAN FASTELAVNSBOLLER
This is the kind of winter your kids will talk about when they are adults. When I was a kid, there was so much snow that…The sentence is already forming, and the city is doing its part to make it true.
Copenhagen has a lot more to offer than a €66 fastelavnsbolle. Anything with a slope turns into a sledging hill, the lakes freeze over, and ice skaters of all ages share the same surface with equal amounts of laughs.
Take the day off. Pack your bag with warm blankets, hot cocoa, and enough snacks to last longer than planned, then get outside and stay there until your fingers tell you otherwise.Staying home for a winter like this is not about missing out. It is about noticing when your own city delivers something worth remembering.
CLEAR LIGHT, STEADY DAYS, AND LITTLE NEED FOR PLANNING
There is usually a point in winter when you realise you are no longer enjoying it, but simply getting through it. The cold has had a fair run, daylight feels rationed, and wearing all your clothes at once has lost its novelty. Going somewhere warmer at this stage is less indulgence and more common sense.
La Gomera makes that decision feel considered rather than reactive. Winter days are warm enough to live outdoors properly, with clear light and steady temperatures that slow things down without dulling them. You walk old paths through the hills, drive narrow roads that lead more by instinct than instruction, and sit outside whenever the day allows.
Life settles quickly into a workable rhythm. Coffee outside, movement through the day, long lunches that stretch without effort. You pack lightly, use everything you bring, and carry one bag that stays open and practical from morning through to evening. It feels less like escape and more like balance restored.
