Travel Advice: where should we fly from London for 2-3 weeks in January?

October 9, 2016 4:12 PM

We are going to be in London and Edinburgh at Christmas and New Years, but don't fly back to Canada until Jan. 21. Where should we go where our Canadian dollars go further than they do in the UK?

We have travelled in much of Europe in the past, so Western Europe is mostly out. Current ideas include Greece, Bulgaria (skiing?), Prague, Budapest. We've been to Turkey and Morocco and could consider returning to either (assuming we choose new itineraries). My wife likes the idea of going somewhere warm. With cheap flights available out of the UK we are also considering going much further afield (Asia, Africa, elsewhere...)

Egypt would be amazing, but the Canadian government is recommending against non-essential travel. Jordan could be cool. Seems safe enough.

We're pretty adventurous travelers and are open to anywhere, really. Looking for general ideas or very specific travel deals or activities.

Thanks!

posted by hamandcheese to Travel & Transportation (5 answers total)

Marrakech! Kotor! Dubrovnik! Muscat! Istanbul and Edirne! Venice/Ravenna/Bologna. Agree that Jordan sounds cool, too. We traveled to all of those places at various times with our kids or solo/as a couple. You're so close, any of them would be within striking distance.
posted by Emperor SnooKloze at 4:33 PM on October 9, 2016

You could have an excellent two weeks in Thailand for a lot less than a comparable trip in Europe (hotels over hostels, flights over buses, great food). Spend a bit of time in Bangkok and then either head north to Chiang Mai and surrounding villages, or south to an island or two. Domestic flights on Air Asia/Nok Air cost almost nothing in Thailand (I've flown from Bangkok to Chiang Mai for $11 USD before...) so you can save time.

Europe to Thailand in the winter is a heavily travelled route and prices are very low - a quick Google Flights search turned up tickets for a Jan 5-Jan 20 trip for under $550 USD return per person via Dubai on Emirates.

A bit closer but equally warm and cheap would be Sri Lanka.
posted by mdonley at 10:04 PM on October 9, 2016 [1 favorite]

Also, maybe check out this question about cheap/quiet/lovely retreats for a person working on their thesis from a few days ago.
posted by mdonley at 10:07 PM on October 9, 2016

I would say Eastern Europe - Prague, Budapest, and perhaps one other city or a week skiing if you can afford it. I spent a lovely five days in Budapest with a friend earlier in the year and we felt as if we could have stayed longer. I would also like to visit the Eastern Europe outside of the capital cities. A Hungarian once told me that Budapest is not "the real Hungary" and I can well believe that. Once you have flown out to Eastern Europe, travelling around by rail might be possible, if that is your type of thing.

This suggestion fails on the "warm" requirement, but Eastern European countries have a long tradition of saunas and so on.

Another suggestion is Iceland, which I love, but the days are short at that time of year, which I found a bit depressing, and travelling around the country beyond the area immediately near to Reykjavik will be somewhere between difficult and impossible at that time of year due to the weather and the roads being difficult to drive along. I also have no idea what the exchange rate is doing between the Canadian dollar and the Icelandic króna.
posted by Erinaceus europaeus at 11:34 PM on October 9, 2016

In all likelyhood the echange rate is going to be way in your favour so don't rule out the UK as too expensive. Check out some places further afield than London and Edinburgh. Head up to the peak district or the Lakes. Check out some Scottish Islands. Given my pessimistic outlook (my student loans are in $ but I get paid in £) it wouldn't surprise me if CAD and GBP are near parity soon.
posted by koolkat at 1:17 AM on October 10, 2016