Taking off Travel blog

The holiday season is in full swing, especially in those towns that look like they were built for Christmas (some of them were!).  Here are the top five picks for the best Christmas towns in America based on their look, feel, and, most of all, festive holiday spirit.

1. Solvang, CA
Located less than an hour away from Santa Barbara, the city of Solvang is not your typical California coastal town.  The architecture is modeled after traditional Danish buildings, giving tourists the feeling of Old World charm and quaintness.  During December, Solvang hosts a number of holiday traditions including the Olsen’s Gingerbread House, Danish Silver Gift-Giving, and caroling in Solvang Park.

All the winter festivities come after Julfest, the beginning of the holiday season.  Visitors from across the nation travel to Solvang to celebrate the holidays surrounded by Dutch-inspired architecture like half-timber buildings and windmills.

2. Leavenworth, WA
Modeled after a Bavarian village, Leavenworth’s city center is composed of Germanic half-timbers that house everything from quaint shops to modern Starbucks.  As snow starts to fall in central Washington State east of the Cascades, Leavenworth becomes a winter wonderland.  The city looks like something out of an Old World snow globe: horse-drawn carriages, sleigh rides, carolers, and lighting festivals are just some of the local highlights that visitors can enjoy.  Every part of Leavenworth is infused with holiday spirit: from the hotel accommodations to the restaurants in the town, guests can enjoy a thoroughly festive Christmas town.

3. North Pole, AK
Ever heard of Davis, Alaska?  Unless you lived in the Last Frontier State before 1953, your answer is probably no.  That’s because, nearly 60 years ago, Davis changed its name to North Pole, becoming a national sensation and holiday pilgrimage site.  The most iconic landmark in town is the 42-foot tall Santa statue that stands outside the town’s gift shop, Santa Claus House.  The store lies just minutes away from the Post Office; out of towners send their Christmas cards there to receive the local postmark so that their letters come from The North Pole.

4. Woodstock, VT
Modeled after the Oxfordshire, UK village of the same name, Woodstock has been lauded numerous times for its quaintness and picturesque design.  The village loves to kick off the holiday season in style with the Wassail Weekend, a festival steeped in the winter traditions of old England and the Norse countries.  Today’s festivities are somewhat more up to date, with a parade that features 19th Century period costume as well as Victorian holiday decor on display at local museums.  Plays, musicals, and poetry recitals round out the evening entertainment between late night shopping and enjoying the general splendor of the whole holiday affair.

5. Branson, MO
In a cozy corner of southern Missouri, the town of Branson stands ready to entertain and delight all comers.  From country music spectaculars to family-style jubilees, the city offers so much in the way of Midwest charm and spirit.  The highlight of Branson’s holiday season is their theme park, Silver Dollar City, all decked out for winter.  Lights and snow (sometimes real) edge every building; after picking up a roll filled with molasses, visitors can enjoy a staged shootout between the Hatfields and the McCoys.  Included with the cost of admission is a ticket to view the Marvel Cave, a cavernous subterranean expanse that digs 300 feet down into the limestone beneath the park.  (Image: Kathy McGraw)

Analise Marcus loves seeing how cities and towns across the country celebrate Christmas, whether the festivities last just the season or all year around. She enjoys using a promo code for Travelocity to save on all her holiday travels.

This year, why not try something different for the Christmas season? Whether you have kids or you’re just a big kid yourself a visit to Disney World can add something special to the holiday season. It’s no secret that I’m a big Disney fan – not so much the company itself but the vacation experience they provide ‑ so for me it wouldn’t be a hard sell to spend part of the holidays there.

Okay, so it won’t be warm but on the other hand it may be far less crowded. Although you can’t completely count on that now that many people have woken up to the magic of the Magic Kingdom at Christmas you can still experience much of the joy by going just before or just after the peak Christmas Eve the New Year’s Eve period when you will still get to experience much the festivities. There’s definitely something special about Disney at this time of year.

An extra ticket will get you entrance to Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party with the Once Upon a Christmastime Parade where Santa himself appears.  Everywhere you look there are fabulous Christmas decorations. Being Disney, this is done on a large scale. There are thousands of lights on the huge Christmas tree on Main Street and  Cinderella’s Castle has 200,000 white lights. The Small World ride has special decorations for Christmas as well as a seasonal version of the well-known song. There’s also a Haunted Mansion with seasonal replacements for the usual attractions. The parade which takes place several times daily is transformed into a Christmas Fantasy Parade and there’s a huge firework show just for this holiday season.

Check out this Christmas lights at Disney World video to see what it’s like.

With snow, hot chocolate cookies as well as the standard Disney magic there’s no better place to be for the holiday season.

Christmas comes but once a year, so deciding where to spend it is important. Europe’s cities are some of the most culturally significant in the world and with their snowy climates, traditional markets and lit-up architecture, they can be the perfect spot for a Christmas getaway. Follow our guide for the top European cities to consider for your Christmas break; they’re all available as last-minute hotel and flight packages, allowing you to enjoy a festive weekend away without stress.

Our first choice is an obvious one:  Paris. With its elegant Christmas lights and decorations, the already beautiful city of Paris is a real sight to behold during the festive season. Alongside the city’s already world-famous boutiques, their Christmas markets hark back to a tradition from the Northern Alsace region, where they create an outdoor village of wooden booths, offering gourmet treats, decorations, crafts and other beautiful samples of French culture. In Europe’s premier city of love, you can also view the city’s lights from the Eiffel Tower or ice-skate under the stars in one of the several free-entry, open-air ice-skating rinks that are set up around the town.

Amsterdam holds its Winterparade in the last week of December each year:  perfect timing for those looking for a last-minute weekend package. With a mix of theatre, music, film, dance and comedy, the Winterparade provides a modern, imaginative way to spend a festive day. If you want a more traditional cultural treat, Amsterdam’s museums and theatres are full of Christmas themed exhibitions, while taking a canal boat trip is the perfect way to sight-see a city renowned for its beautiful architecture.

Speaking of canals, Venice is the perfect Christmas spot for romantics both young and old. The prime location of a loved-up weekend trip, happy couples can travel by gondola on the city’s expansive and extensive system of canals. As with any European city worth it’s salt, Venice is home to a beautiful Christmas market; the Campiello dei Golosi (or Gourmands Square) offers a platform for Italy’s best fresh produce farmers to sell their wares, while streets leading off the square house stalls selling traditional wooden toys, cards, scarves, lace and soaps.

A popular destination of late, the city of Prague is a fast favourite among those looking for a weekend city break. With festive lights, fresh white snow and beautiful window displays, the people of Prague really take Christmas to heart. Wander through the tree-lined streets or drink in the beautiful architecture as you make your way through the meandering roads of the central city area. The main square houses the city’s grand Christmas tree, while the animal stable at the Old Town Square is decorated nativity-style with a petting zoo and figures of Mary, Joseph, baby Jesus and the Three Wise Kings.

The home of the original Christmas market, the German city of Cologne offers visitors an impressive backdrop to festive activities. Beneath the city’s Cathedral lie well over 160 wooden pavilions, stocked with everything from traditional toys to foods and wines. Watch the city’s artisans at work as they make traditional mulled wine, or head to the Alter Markt for nostalgic roundabouts, puppet theatres and a Santa’s Grotto.

Rachel is a freelance blogger currently on the lookout for hotels for sale.

(Images: dhaun, paulafunnell)

Here are some of the items that made the travel news recently.

Thanksgiving and Holiday Travel

In the travel news this week, it seems that travelers making plans for Thanksgiving and the rest of the holiday season can expect full planes despite the expected drop in holiday passenger numbers. The Air Transport Association is predicting a 2% (approximately 400,000 people) reduction in the number of air travelers during the period. Don’t think that means more capacity, though. It means less. Airlines have cut seats to ensure full planes, a revenue boosting move to address tight margins. Best tip: book now or miss out altogether. FareCompare CEO Rick Seaney also warns that instead of looking for a good deal, holiday travelers will simply get a ‘better bad deal’.  See also: Four Ways to Travel Lighter for the Holidays.

Medical Travel

The Economist has released a report on the world’s top destinations with potential for medical travel. Although it doesn’t promote this kind of tourism,, France tops the list, followed by Mexico, which is actively developing this area and the US which, like others lower in the rankings, has a good level of specialist care and the right business environment for expansion.  Many developing nations have also made it into the top 20 because of low costs and good medical expertise. The figures are part of a report titled Traveling for Health: The Potential for Medical Tourism which assesses healthcare costs, economic factors and healthcare system strength.

Travel to Cuba

Following the easing of Cuba travel restrictions, CNN reports that Marazul Travel, working with Delta Airlines, is providing direct charter flights to Havana from some US airports. Flights from Miami started last month, flights from JFK will start next week and there will be flights from Atlanta in December.

The American Automobile Association (AAA) has released its annual Independence Day Travel Forecast, in conjunction with IHS Global Insight. The figures predict a 2.5% decline in travel by car for the upcoming holiday weekend. Still, some 39 million travelers will be on the road, going at least 50 miles from home. The survey sees gas prices as a key contributor to the downward trend:

Gas prices remain a significant headwind for not only the overall economy, but also for the travel and tourism industry. While almost 25 cents less than the nearly $4 a gallon peak of early May, the national average price for regular gasoline is still more than a dollar higher than at this time last year. The 37 percent year-over-year increase in prices far outweighs any short-term benefit that the recent five percent decline in prices over the last several weeks might provide.

However, there is some good news. For those who are traveling, holiday spending is forecast to increase. Party on!

The full report is available for download here. And if you’re one of the people on the road to the airport for the Independence Day holiday, don’t forget to check out our coupon for off airport parking savings.