Best Places To Travel In January

Kick off the new year with an adventure. Whether you are flying south or hitting the slopes, these are the best places to travel in January.
Booking early is the key to the best availability for flights and accommodations.

Colombia

If the cold January days have you down, head to Colombia, where the days are warmed by plenty of sunshine. During the third week of January, make plans to be in Cartagena for the Cartagena Classical Music Festival where renowned musicians from all over the world perform classical music pieces in the city’s most stunning plazas, churches and theaters. Combine your stay in Cartagena with a few days spent island hopping in the Caribbean for a perfect mid-winter warm-up.

Tanzania

Tanzania is one of the best places to travel in January. It’s calving season in the famed Serengeti, an incredible spectacle where upwards of 8,000 wildebeest are born each day. With the many infants on the plains, there’s sure to be lots of predator action as well. During calving season, the Southern Serengeti and Western Ngorongoro Conservation area host the highest concentration of predators in Africa. Lions, hyenas, and cheetahs show up in large numbers to patrol the grasses, waiting for the perfect time to make a kill.

Malta

Make plans to be in Malta mid-to-late January for the Valletta International Baroque Festival, a celebration that honors the baroque identity of the UNESCO World Heritage city of Valletta. The city was built shortly after the Great Siege by the Ottoman Empire in 1565, and with 320 monuments in a 0.2 square mile radius, it’s one of the most densely populated UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the world. The festival resounds with music from the baroque period when Valletta was built. There are 10 different music venues, including the Manoel Theatre, one of the oldest working theaters in Europe. The perfect itinerary combines the best experiences of the Maltese islands by day, with musical ensembles in Valletta by night.

Easter Island, Chile

Celebrate the traditions of the Rapa Nui culture at the Tapati Festival on Easter Island at the end of January. The yearly festival celebrates the traditional music, dance, and sports of the Rapa Nui culture with dance competitions, carving competitions, horse races, the Rapa Nui triathlon, and haka pei where villagers slide down the island’s steepest hill on banana trunks. The entire event culminates with the crowning of a festival queen by moonlight.

Cambodia

Travel to Cambodia in January when the air is still cool. It’s definitely a peak season to travel because of the relatively cool and dry weather, but Donna Salerno Travel will keep you from seeing too many crowds while also seeing the best the country has to offer. Temple hop between Angkor’s great marvels for a few days, then spend the second half of your trip lazing about in tropical island isolation on our Cambodian journey.

New Zealand

Marlborough Lodge has quite a history behind it, serving first as a convent for the Sisters of Mercy in Blenheim, later moved and converted into a bed and breakfast. The luxury lodge is set on 16 acres of parkland and vineyards and has 10 suites that sleep up to 20 people. From there, it is easy to explore the Marlborough region with a day cruise on the Marlborough Sounds.

Galápagos Islands

There’s really never a bad time to visit the Galapagos Islands and when you travel there depends on what you want to see. In January, underwater visibility is at its best and the water is warm, so it’s a good time to snorkel. It’s breeding season for land birds so you can expect to see unusual mating rituals, green sea turtles laying eggs on the beaches, and nesting after the rains. Consider staying at the Galapagos Safari Camp, a luxury tented camp that offers a land-based way to explore the islands.

Utah, USA

Head to Utah in January to attend the Sundance Film Festival from January 19 – 29. The 10-day festival showcases new work from American and international independent filmmakers. Screenings are hosted in Park City, Salt Lake City, and the Sundance Mountain Resort in a variety of venues and each year, over 40,000 people attend the festival. Pre or post festival, spend some time on Utah’s best slopes.

Italy

The Dolomite Mountains are less crowded on the breathtaking slopes and there are less lines outside the beautiful sites scattered across the rest of Italy. The opera, symphony and theater seasons are also in full swing in the rest of the country. We can definitely say salud to that!

Inspired by our list of the best places to travel in January or have a destination of your own in mind? Contact your Travel Expert to begin planning your journey. Stay up to date on all our online content by following us on Facebook and Twitter.

Best,

Donna

Donna Salerno Travel
888-777-7820
DonnaSalernoTravel.com