Jeremy

Jeremy founded Living the Dream in 2008 to chronicle his long-term trip around Asia. Since then he has been on two long-term trips, visited 69 countries, and is just getting started. He is now on a Lifestyle Design quest to build businesses to pursue a life of travel.

Pros and Cons of Visiting Northern Europe in the Winter

While many travelers like to visit Europe in the summer months (and oh is it busy), we’re starting to travel more and more in the winter months.

Part of this is to enjoy winter activities like seeing the northern lights or other outdoor activities (snowshoeing, skiing, etc.). But another part is because Europe in the winter is often much quieter (apart from select destinations) and gives us a chance to go slower and enjoy a different style than what we were used to in the summer months.

In a way, visiting northern Europe in the winter is like a double-sided coin. On one side, we have perks for traveling in a slower season. On the other side, there is an associated drawback because of the winter season. So while we do love visiting northern Europe in the winter, there are many pros and cons to consider!

Note: We should reiterate that this article focuses on northern Europe in particular over the Mediterranean. Some of these cases may apply further south, but we’re looking at places that are cold, dark, and, depending on the temperature, snowy here!

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Are Heated Gloves and Socks Worth it For Winter Activities?

One thing I really hate when being out in the winter is having cold hands and feet. The rest of my body can deal with cold just fine with layers, but cold appendages, particularly when I’m skiing, are the worst- so much so that I often found myself quitting for the day, not because I was tired or had my fill, but because my hands or feet were far too cold.

So I went for the overkill method of staying warm and acquired a good pair of heated gloves and heated socks to wear while skiing. But I was curious, are these really a game-changer, or are they more of a novelty that only works part of the way?

While I am over-the-moon thrilled with how effective my gloves are, the socks are a different story. Although I’m glad to have both, I want to share some thoughts on each in this one.

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Visiting Itimad ud Daulah Tomb – The Baby Taj Mahal in Agra

Before arriving to Agra, we didn’t know much about the city other than the famous monument, The Taj Mahal. 

In fact, we had only planned one night to see the Taj Mahal in Agra a because of reading so many stories about how little there is to see other than this star attraction.

But while the Taj Mahal is the most visited attraction in Agra, and likely all of India, there are others that we appreciated far more during our stay in the city. 

One of those was the tomb of Itimad-ud-Daulah, what we consider to be the inspiration for the famous monument everyone comes to Agra to see.

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Where to Stay for Christmas Markets – Colmar vs Strasbourg

When we booked our trip to Alsace, we admit that we were visiting the wineries first and foremost. But given that our visit coincided with the holiday season, we planned to spend a great deal of time at the Christmas markets as the region is home to some of the most famous markets in the world.

With the popularity comes the crowds, and Alsace was busy!

So after exploring the Alsatian Christmas markets in Strasbourg and Colmar, we wanted to take a look at the two famous cities and share advice on what to consider when choosing which to make your base during a trip.

While we personally trend to Colmar, as you’ll read about below, there are pros and cons for each that we’ll discuss!

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