Adventures for Anyone: A Little Sidestep Into Embracing Winter! Northern, Arctic and Antarctic Travel in Winter!

Ah, winter. That season that makes you want to run away to a tropical paradise, curl up with a good book, do in home projects, or just be cozy. It can also make you stir crazy and want to do something a little nuts.

I'm a person who hates February. By that point, I've had enough of waiting for Spring. I also am not made for a tropical paradise. This leaves me in a bind. Going stir crazy is one of the hardest things to overcome when living in northern latitudes.

On top of being stir crazy in February, Covid-19 has rendered us all but travel free. Planes are dealing with nutjobs. Crossing borders can be tricky. Crowds are to be avoided. Therefore, I give you northern winter travel. I also give you extreme southern winter travel. One thing you don't see much of is Covid amongst people who spend their time in frozen areas outside.

I know what you're thinking. She's nuts. Maybe, but I've done this. I've been to car racing on a lake. I've been to St. Petersburg in January. I've been on vacation inside a mall for days in Edmonton in February. Let me tell you. You don't have to ski, snow machine, snowboard, or ice fish to enjoy the winter. You can be a plain old boring tourist and have a great time.

Let's start with the basics; accommodation. Have you ever wondered what an ice hotel was really like? They have them in several locations now, including Alaska. If you don't want to get a passport for an exotic frozen adventure, there you go. You can stay in Norway, Iceland, Sweden, Finland, Canada, and Russia in an ice hotel, but Alaska has one too. You don't have to be active, young, talented on skis or anything to stay at an ice hotel. Most of the ice hotels have local activities to go along with your experience. You can meet the local Sami and their reindeer. You can go dog sledding. You can see the northern lights. You can experience Banya, Sauna, and even drinking vodka right out of holes in a lake. It's your choice.

Dog sledding is one of the most universal winter activities/sports in the world. If it's something that you've always wanted to do, you can do it almost anywhere that there's snow. Nunavut even has winter tours that include dog sledding. So, if you ever wanted to go to the North Pole, there you go. There's a winter tour to Svalbard. This is the island at the top of the world. It will be dark, but you WILL see the northern lights, you WILL travel by dog sled and you WILL see some of the most amazing terrain in the world.

Winter is dark in the northern parts of the world. However, the people are hearty and warm. In Iceland, you can go out and do any number of things in the winter and enjoy the blue light. In a lot of northern areas, it never gets to be bright sunlight during the day in the winter. It's called the blue light and it's the direct opposite of the summer's white nights.

There are northern lights tours all over the world. Most recently Atlas Obscura joined the ranks with an offering of a tour from St. Petersburg to Murmansk in Russia. They are all guided tours with special accommodations to bring out the best of the northern lights. They also include many other activities and the chance to experience life in a completely different culture.

In many places, festivals are held in the middle of winter. In Quebec City, they have one of the world's most famous winter festivals. It lasts for weeks and visitors get a chance to see competition, participate in activities and try local food. In Quebec City you can take a ride on the icy toboggan run and learn to sculpt ice, in addition to many other things.

In Fairbanks, Alaska, they hold the world championship of ice sculpting. Artists come from all over the world to compete and they have a great festival to go with it. There's an ice hotel in the area, and Alaska is famous for their dog sledding. It's an all around win in a climate that you probably aren't used to.

On Moosehead Lake in Northern Maine on most Saturdays in February you can watch car racing. Right on the ice. On some weekends they have snow machine drag racing too. In February they also have a local chocolate festival. It's a great time. I can personally vouch for that.

There are so many ways to take a chance and enjoy the great north in winter. But, if you have to be extravagant, there's always Antarctica. It's their version of summer down there in winter, but visitors are limited. Once again, you won't get into much of a crowd. You can take a cruise, which is highly recommended. You can go on ship, icebreaker, or even sail to Antarctica on a schooner. It's a once in a lifetime experience and shouldn't be missed if you have the time.

Churchill, Manitoba is another great arctic destination. They are famous for their tundra buggies that take visitors out to have a real life encounter with polar bears. It's the only place in the world you can do that, and what an adventure.

Iceland. There you can do just about anything year round. You can take four wheel drive tours year round to see the sights of Iceland. Winter doesn't phase these locals one bit. The great thing about Iceland is the swimming. From the spa at the Blue Lagoon to over 300 swimming venues around the country, you can just ignore the cold and enjoy a swim. They have both outdoor and indoor facilities. There are hot springs, pools, and water parks available. It's a must experience in summer or winter, but in winter you get to see the Norther Lights.

So, let's say you aren't hearty enough to spend your time outside in the cold to beat the winter blues. That's okay. A few years back I found the best alternative in the world. I went to stay at a mall. The West Edmonton Mall is the largest mall in North America. I spent four days there and had a great time. The entire time it was below zero outside. I spent the day in an indoor water park and even went zip lining. I went to an amusement park and rode rides. I went to the movies. I celebrated Chinese New Year in a Chinatown. I watched the winter Olympics on Bourbon Street. I played mini golf, went to the movies, went to an aquarium and tried all kinds of food and drink. I also went shopping. My hotel was right in the mall, and it was an amazing time.

Don't think that you should try to go to Canada during a pandemic? That's okay. Minneapolis is home to the Mall of America, and you can visit that one. Also an amazing super mall with tons of things to do.

I took a few years and experimented with ways to survive the winter blues, and I've come to know that doing something a little crazy is the best way. You can throw caution to the wind and do something amazing. It will bust up those winter blahs. There are a lot of ways to have fun in the frozen depths of winter, and I wholeheartedly recommend giving some of them a try. Stay in an ice hotel, race on a lake, see the Northern Lights, or take an indoor vacation in a super mall. Whatever it is, embrace the winter and enjoy!

https://www.atlasobscura.com/unusual-trips/arctic-russia

https://iceland.nordicvisitor.com/travel-deals/winter-travel/?rf=m055-23&utm_source=msn&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=winter%20arctic%20tours&utm_content=iceland+winter+tour+s+23&utm_campaign=IS+m055+iceland+winter&msclkid=c5df2677132c14086f35478df407f38c

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