Thinking through the logistics of hosting and accommodating 11 people for Christmas this year, it’s easy to understand why many others are planning an escape.
Whether it’s the lure of a white Christmas, the desire to avoid family dramas or simply a convenient time to take a holiday, growing numbers of Australians are taking off for the festive season. Hotels all over the world are offering Christmas packages with feasts and other celebrations included and in many cases families are making multi-generational bookings for get-togethers away from home.
Holiday houses in favourite spots such as Palm Beach and Byron Bay are still popular but there is also plenty of demand for unusual Christmases, which can range from shopping in Tokyo to windsurfing in Morocco.
A spokeswoman for Intrepid Travel, Meg Koffel, says two key markets for Christmas travel are young professionals and multi-generational families. Hot spots for family Christmases are Borneo, Vietnam and other parts of Asia.
Young professionals, who are often taking advantage of a quiet time at work, are heading to places such as South America, Cuba, India and Vietnam. These travellers will often fly out just before Christmas and plan to be somewhere interesting, such as Rio de Janeiro, to celebrate New Year’s Eve, Koffel says.
A spokesman for STA Travel, Reuben Acciano, says young people often… (click here to keep reading this article by Jane E. Fraser)
