Essential Tips For Winter Travel

September is here. The Northern hemisphere is slowly heading towards winter, which makes some people go yay!, while others curl up under the blanket, or start looking for plane tickets to somewhere warm, preferably even hot! For all those considering trips to Canada, Russia, South Korea, and other destinations experiencing seriously cold weather, we have put together some tips to make your next trip a little bit more comfortable. Warm up the mulled-wine, here we go

Layered clothing is the key
One of the pillars of smooth traveling in a cold climate is having layered clothing. In other words, you are prepared for rare warmer days, which might suddenly turn a bit icier. If the destination gets a lot of precipitation, then the outermost layer should ideally be weather-proof, dodging all the incoming sleet and snow. Otherwise, the cold wetness will start permeating your layers and decreasing your comfort as the time passes.

Did you check the weather?
Sounds kind of obvious? Maybe, but still many of us check the weather a week or a few days before the trip and end up ultimately surprised about the actual weather in our destination. As the climate changes, the winters (and late autumns too) might not have such an obviously predictable weather. You might end up with walking through rain puddles and slush, or on the contrary, some seriously frigid winter storm.

Do as the locals do
No cold climate or destination is exactly the same as you are bound to experience some slight variations due to proximity to sea, adjacent mountain ranges, etc. Hence, try to find out what the locals wear and do to stay warm & happy. Two examples. Quite a lot of people are using cold-fighting face gels and creams in more metropolitan areas of Siberia. The cold, dry winds are really damaging to the skin. Another example are the ubiquitous ski cafes and restaurants in the mountain resorts all over Scandinavia that are visited by both locals and travelers alike. And that brings us to the next point…

Warming up makes you happy
Definitely plan some time indoors because that will be your “happy time”. Order some tea, coffee, or hot chocolate to warm up and get a little cozy. This is something that you can do in practically all cities, but in the case of wild wintertime nature exploration, you are better off packing some hot liquids that are kept warm with…

Bring a thermos
a thermos! And you might need it even if you are only going to be a city dweller on your trip. Let’s say that it’s early Sunday morning and you have already gone out to explore the town. The cafes don’t open before 11am. The toes have started to freeze. You can’t feel your nose. Some emergency warm-up is needed, ASAP! In such a situation, you are going to love a nice, big thermos full of hot herbal tea.