I love the sun, the beach and cocktails by the beach. More than anything, I love being tan. So, as you can suspect, most of my trips take me to warmer climes. In my mind, I annually survive New York winter, so why on earth would I pay to go somewhere cold?
This is me announcing that I may be changing my tune. You all know (I can’t stop talking about it) that I recently went to Norway, which was, in fact, cold. And then we went to the Arctic, which was even colder. No, it wasn’t the freezing temperatures of the winter months, let’s not get crazy; I was there in the Arctic fall, but I packed sweaters, coats and Uniqlo Heattech that I desperately needed.
Social media has dubbed these trips “coolcations,” which makes my skin crawl – but the trend names in travel are something to be discussed another day.
Anyway, I went on a vacation to a cold place, and I loved it. Here is why:
Cozy
This trip was so freaking cozy, which I think can feel extra restorative in a way that baking in the sun does not. When I spend all day at the beach, I feel like the sun just sucked the life out of me. I’m exhausted; most likely, I’ll take a nap afterward.
On this trip, everything felt comfortable and catered to feeling relaxed. For instance, after a morning of dog sledding and getting cold, damp and a little muddy, we headed up to a cabin and sat enjoying waffles with raspberry jam and coffee with a splash of brandy in it.
I was all cuddled up in my bright pink Norwegian sweater, sipping tea, reading books and watching the fog on top of the water. It is a different type of sweet and romantic.
Exploring is more pleasant
While I love being hot, I have a temperature threshold where it all stops being fun and starts being miserable. Europe in the summer leans more miserable than anything else. I will admit, being in a place where the average temperature was around 50ºF, I found that doing outdoor activities and exploring was much more pleasant as I wasn’t dripping sweat or begging to take a break in the shade.
We spent an afternoon canoeing on the river, and it was fabulous. Never once was I too hot or too cold, and we never crossed another person’s path. This takes me back to a particularly hot day in Rome, when I was in throngs of crowds to see the Trevi Fountain and felt like maybe it was okay if I never saw it.
Speaking of crowds, it’s quieter
It is getting harder and harder to avoid the masses, which can be both good and bad for many reasons. Personally, I hate crowds. I hate strangers touching me, I hate waiting in line, and I hate feeling overwhelmed by the sheer mass of people surrounding me.
Heading to colder destinations can alleviate some of this. I think the traditional vacation for most people is escaping to the beach, and for the majority of my life, that was me, too. I am not saying that is wrong – best believe I will be back to the beach. But going left when everyone else is going right means you can enjoy the rather slower, more spacious approach to a destination. Without the pressure of securing your spot before other visitors do.
And I still got in bodies of water! Which is my main goal when I leave New York. I sauna’d and then took an icy dip in Arctic waters. I hot tubbed and hot tubbed some more. I even swam in an indoor pool. I can still embrace the water baby in me when it is cold outside.
Exploring first, relaxing second
The cooler weather actually encouraged me to be excited about exploring more. Because the temperature was comfortable and I wasn’t itching to go to the beach, I actually felt more excited and inspired to go out and see the destination more than I typically would. When there is a beach, I will be there, and I won’t want to leave, regardless of where I am.
Five hours cruising around fjords and spotting glaciers and wildlife – sign me up! Hiking through a misty afternoon – yes, please. Dog sledding, museums and canoeing – I am into it. I felt much more inclined to try new activities and see new things than I typically do when it is hot and I am by a swimming hole.
I am not here to police where you go. I am just saying, try your hand at a cool destination and let me know how it feels. You might just like it.
Want to take the trip yourself? Here is the itinerary.
See you next week!
– Chamidae
Sweden and Finland are also beautiful to visit in the summer.