Although Christmas vacations can be stressful because of the whole traveling during the holidays thing, they’re also usually worth the hassle. They provide families with a chance to try new things, build memories, and create new traditions. If you’re looking to travel in December — be it via a Christmas cruise, booking a Christmas vacation house, or even taking a Christmas road trip in an RV, plenty of family vacation options exist this holiday season.
Whatever your family chooses to do this Christmas, it’s sure to be fun. But if you need some Christmas travel inspiration, here are 10 exciting holiday vacation ideas.
More from CafeMom: Ugly Disney-Inspired Christmas Sweaters Are a Thing & They’re Really Cute
Christmas Vacation Houses
Families traveling at Christmas may enjoy renting a house so they have access to a kitchen, a washer and dryer, room to unwrap gifts, etc. Airbnb is a wonderful place to start because you can search for accommodations in specific cities or even for specific types of homes. For example, you can type in “Christmas cabin” and get a bunch of cozy recommendations across the US.
You can also use HomeExchange.com (like in the movie The Holiday), where you and another family swap houses for a vacation.
Christmas Cruises
Set sail on any number of Christmas cruises this fall and winter. Here are some options:
- Royal Caribbean — Offers tropical getaways with on-board tree-lighting ceremonies, holiday favorite meals, and more.
- Princess — Visit the Caribbean, Mexico, Europe, and more on board this cruise line. It also offers visits from Santa, gingerbread house competitions, holiday caroling, and others.
- Carnival — Travel to the Bahamas or Mexico aboard decked-out ships that feature visits with the Grinch, Christmas services, ugly sweater competitions, and more activities.
- Disney — Kids can get a dose of Disney magic on their holiday cruises around the Caribbean. They feature character experiences, live shows, and other Disney-centered offerings.
Disney Christmas Activities
Disney cruises aren’t the only way to celebrate Christmas with the magic of Disney. Both Disneyland and Disney World offer Christmas events at their theme parks. At Disneyland in California, families can go on an ornament hunt, see holiday live shows, enjoy the Christmas parade, seasonal decorations, a fireworks show, and other activities.
At Disney World, in Florida, you can get tickets to Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, enjoy the Christmas parade and fireworks, see characters dance in their festive outfits, and other holiday options.
Christmas RV Trips
Taking an RV road trip at Christmas is an effective way to fit many activities into one vacation. You could always decorate your RV and make your end destination Christmas RV Park in the town of Christmas, Florida. The park has a pool, arts and crafts, bingo, movie nights, and other activities.
Or take your RV on a tour of some of the more Christmassy cities in America, according to Travel + Leisure. These include places on the East Coast like Lewisburg, West Virginia; Portsmouth, New Hampshire; and Cape May, New Jersey. On the West Coast, check out Carmel-by-the-Sea or Healdsburg, both in California, or Leavenworth, Washington.
The North Pole
Although it’s probably not a good idea to take kids to the actual North Pole, there are two North Pole cities in America — one in Alaska and one in New York. In Alaska, the tourism website notes that “the Spirit of Christmas lives year round” there. And North Pole, New York calls itself the “Home of Santa’s workshop.”
More from CafeMom: Unique Christmas Tree Decorations for an Extra Festive Holiday
Christmas in NYC
New York City comes with its own special brand of Christmas magic. It has tons of holiday activities such as ice skating, Christmas markets, the Rockefeller Center tree, beautiful window shopping displays, etc. And because it’s the setting for movies like Eloise at Christmastime and Home Alone 2, it also has a dose of nostalgia.
Even if you can’t actually stay at the Plaza Hotel like those characters did, you can experience all of the other Christmas fun the city has to offer.
European Christmas
For families who want to plan a really grand holiday trip, visiting the European Christmas markets could be so fun. Many countries host bustling holiday shopping markets, such as Germany, Austria, France, England, Switzerland and others.
Christmas Ski Trip
Tropical Christmas Vacations
If you’d rather have a sunshine-y, warm Christmas, you can pick a tropical vacation spot. In the US there are places like Florida and California, of course. But Hawaii — which boasts peak whale watching this time of year —also is an option. You can also check out all-inclusive resorts in places such as Mexico or the Caribbean.
Christmas Staycations & Day Trips
You don’t have to travel far from home to have a great Christmas, though. Consider a staycation by renting an Airbnb or booking a hotel in your city. Sometimes just getting away from your actual house for a couple of days feels like a break.
You can also try day trips to nearby zoo light events, Christmas tree farms, or bigger cities that may have pretty window displays and lights to look at.
