Beaches? So Blasé. Travel to cold destinations is a 2018 travel trend we’re loving. Travelers venture to the far north, and even the far south, to escape tourist overcrowding. Skip the sweat. These places will keep you cool.
British Columbia, Canada
Average High in Vancouver
- July: 72°F / 22°C
- August: 72°F / 22°C
British Columbia is all about the outdoors. “Scenic” and “breathtaking” don’t even begin to describe the natural beauty. Hiking, biking, kayaking, camping– it’s all here and summer-time temps hit that sweet-spot.
Tierra del Fuego, Argentina
Average High
- November: 53°F / 11°C
- December: 55°F / 13°C
Tierra del Fuego is well off the tourist-track, and with a name like “land of fire,” you know it’s going to be something special. You’ll have the wild beauty of this far southern destination all to yourself. July and August are winter-time in Argentina, but November and December are prime months to soak in the beauty.
Appenzell, Switzerland
Average High
- July: 64°F / 18°C
- August: 64°F / 18°C
This alpine region is strait out of a fairytale book. The natural smell of wildflowers and cut grass here is fresher than anything you have smelled in your life. It’s bucolic and hauntingly beautiful. Adding to the otherworldly ambiance is a form of yodeling unique to the area. Visit Hotel Hof Weissbad for traditional music and dancing or “Ebenalp’s surreal 19th-century Bergasthaus Aescher, built directly into a cliff and only reachable by gondola, followed by 30-minute hike.”
Antarctica
Average High
- Pretty damn cold. We won’t mislead you about this one. Summertime temps in January top out around 26°F / -3°C
Earth’s southernmost continent is uninhabited by humans for a reason. The conditions are as harsh as they get on earth. It’s cold, dry and has the highest average elevation in the world. Antarctica is not for the faint of heart, summertime highs in January and February are rarely above freezing. But don’t take this incredible land off your bucket list just yet. Tourism to Antarctica in the form of cruises and scenic flights are fairly common and there is a recent trend of extreme adventure seekers camping on the coast.
Reykjavik, Iceland
Average High
- July: 59°F / 15°C
- August: 57°F / 14°C
Anyone who follows travel trends can’t have missed the recent influx of Reykjavik travel content. We even talked about this Icelandic city before, but it’s worth mentioning again. Reykjavik pulls off the feat of feeling small and homey but modern and quirky all at once. There’s always a festival and if you’re truly brave (and properly equipped) you can scuba dive between tectonic plates.
Denali National Park and Preserve, Alaska
Average High
- June: 52°F / 11°C
- July: 55°F / 13°C
This is wilderness. Six million acres of wilderness. The Denali National Park is where grizzly bears live with wolves, moose and caribou. And it’s all on Denali, the highest mountain in North America.
Siberia, Russia
Average High
- Around 50°F / 10°C in July, depending on where you are.
Siberia is a vast, sparingly populated region of Russia. It’s over 5 million square feet, which for reference, is bigger than all of Canada. The natural beauty is incredible, encompassing tundra, forest mountain ranges, and the world’s deepest lake, Lake Baikal. The cities in this portion of Russia are distinct from the more populated areas like Moscow and Saint Petersburg. Geo-political drama has put a damper on travel to Russia, but that just means you get the incredible sites all to yourself.
