Travel destinations of the month – January

Are you guys ready for a new category? Well, to be honest you have to, because here it is already. From now on you will find here at Schwabentraum every month a collection of the best travel destinations. The special thing is that this collection is not made by us alone, but together with you.

We will make a post on Instagram at the beginning of each month, telling you our favorite destination of the month and asking you to write and explain your destination of the month in the comments below. Of course, you can also send us a message with your favorite travel destination of the month. Please tell us a little bit about your travel destination of the month and what enchanted you there. If possible, it would be great if you can reach the destination (starting the journey from the place where you´re living) by car, so we can share inspirations where to go when you want to avoid flying. If your comment explains in a lovely way your travel destination of the month, we´ll put in our blog post and link to your Instagram account or to your blog. We hope that you like this idea as much as we do and become a part of it.

But enough talking, are you ready for the best destinations in January? So here we go with our first post in our new category: Travel destinations of the month – January

Our travel destination of the month January: Slovenia

In 2019 we were in Slovenia twice and the country simply delighted us. No matter if you like sightseeing in cities, climbing peaks, lying on the beach, swimming through lakes or action – in Slovenia there is something for everyone. In January it’s still too cold to go swimming (unless you’re as crazy as us and go into the water at 12 degrees outside) and some water related activities like SUP or rafting are not possible, but there are many other things you can experience in Slovenia. Here are some of our favorite things do in January in Slovenia:

• Watch the sunset at the coast
• Visit the castle in Ljubljana
• Hike to the top of the Pleša and enjoy the view
• Visit the Kozjak Waterfall
• Hike through the Soča Valley along the river
• Walk around Lake Bled and eat the famous kremšnita

As you can see, even in winter there are numerous activities that will make your trip to Slovenia unforgettable. And don’t worry, these are by far not all the things you can experience there, there are many more. For example, in winter in Slovenia you can go skiing or sledding, go to the SPA, go hiking in the Triglav National Park, enjoy long walks on the beach and much more. We will give you a detailed report about our New Year’s Eve trip to Slovenia, but until then, this is just a small overview.

Our community´s travel destinations of the month January 

Daleontravel:  Trentino Alto Adige

“Great idea guys! Our January favorite destination is Trentino Alto Adige! It´s about 2-3 hours drive from our home and it´s full of snow in this time of the year. We go there to some of the beautiful Spa hotels to relax and recharge batteries. They usually have a good quality-price rate too! We definitely love to chill in a hot swimming pool surrounded by the snow, with the vapor rising around us. “

Jo.h.anna.melissa: Austria

“I think that my home country Austria is a great destination for January. You can go skiing in the alps, but even if you´re not a sports person you can go there and admire all those beautiful snow covered mountains. The lovely city of Salzburg is also worth visiting in January.”

Cari_wanders:  Bavarian Alps 

“Such a great idea. I recently decided to explore more of my home country (which is also Germany) and I traveled to the Bavarian Alps last week, which was wonderful! The Berchtesgadener Land is so beautiful – especially when it´s covered in snow – and there are so many possibilities for outdoor activities (mountain climbing, boat tour on the Königsee, cable car rides, sightseeing in the major cities, …). Oh, and there are plenty of wellness hotels in that region where you can relax after a day full of outdoor action! And most importantly, Bavarians are the friendliest people. Everyone was so nice to us.”

Green.wanderess:  Iceland

“To be honest I´m not sure about January haha, I would say Iceland cause it was so beautiful covered in snow but risks of snowstorms are also a bit scary.”

Isabel.faraway:  India

“My favorite destination of the month January is definitely India – even if you have to fly to get there. I have visited India a view days ago and I was really surprised. India has so many different sides. The beautiful Taj Mahal, absolutely loveable people and beautiful beaches. You can learn here so much about culture, religions and especially about yourself. I can only recommend visiting India once in a lifetime. And January is the perfect travel time. I love this idea – everyone can get inspiration.”

Janines_italian_escapes:  Tegernsee

“My favorite travel destination of the month January is the Tegernsee. There it is so wintry and simply original Bavarian. Skiing, hiking and a mulled wine on the Wallberg is just perfect. And in the Tegernseer Braustüberl there is also so much delicious food.”

Thetravelisa:  South Africa

“South Africa us an amazing destination for January. It´s summer right now and the weather is amazing. Also, you will find a lot of baby elephants in the national park since they´re mostly born in November so you can see little elephants, warthogs, impalas or rhinos. Unfortunately, you can´t reach it by car and have toto fly.”

Isaandicecream:  Noosa Heads

“Unfortunately, I haven´t been able to travel much this month after our 5 weeks of traveling from end of November to the 31th of December but one little weekend trip we did do was driving 3 hours north to the sunshine coast. It´s so close to home and definitely worth it! We have friends living in Noosa Heads and since it´s a coastal town you can go for a little hike at the Noosa National park. You walk along the cliff and past beautiful beaches so you can even go for a quick dip on a hot day if you like. The town itself is super cute! There are plenty of options to have some food and drinks after or before the hike and there are lots of surf shops! I love the atmosphere on the sunshine coast and if you are close, I can highly recommend a weekend trip to everyone! If you drive a bit further inland, you will find lots of hiking trails and waterfalls as well.”

Your_special_trip:  Finland  

“Finland. Snow, minus temperature, winter dreamland. Stay in a glass igloo and see the northern lights. Cross country-skiing, sauna huskies… cannot stop with all the beautiful things to do there. Perfect destination in January. Have been there 2 years ago. “

Monas.sound.of.travel:  Amsterdam

“Oh that´s a really amazing idea! My favorite destination of January is Amsterdam. It is such a great city destination to reach by car and we loved to still see all the Christmas lights in the city, we love the charm of the canals and the beauty of the old houses. And it´s not that crowded in January. And we love our favorite breakfast place there at Bakers and Roster´s.”

Globusgefluester:  Japan 

“Japan is an amazing destination for January. In the North you can go skiing with one of the best powders in the world, but when you don´t like cold temperatures you could visit Okinawa and go swimming and snorkelling. Maybe you meet a sea turtle? When you are crazy like us – do both! Winter and summer vacation in combination is really extraordinary.”

Abenteuermomente: Austria

“The best in January is Austria. Perfect for skiing, winter hiking and wellness.”

Reisestrolch:  Mexico

“Our destination of the month ist Mexico. We love this country because it is incredible diverse and has something to offer for everyone. The cultural offer is bombastic and even after 4 years, captivates us more than any other culture has done. Eating is also a big argument. We love Mexican food! We highly recommend that to everyone.”

Couple_around_the_world: Abu Dhabi  

“We loved visiting Abu Dhabi because there are so many beautiful sights like the grand mosque and emirates palace, but the city is so relaxed and not too busy like Dubai. It has great weather, beaches and yummy food.”

Twothemoonandbackpack: Swedish Lapland 

“What a great idea guys! Love it! So, I would say, Swedish Lapland is the place to be in January. Kiruna to be more specific. The days are short here and very cold (-16 degrees) but it´s worth it. It´s absolutely peaceful and almost like a fairy tale, all covered in more than one meter of glittering snow. You can visit an amazing ice hotel which is a real piece of art. There´s an ice bar in the hotel where you can have your favorite drink served in an ice glass. And very close to the hotel is a place where you can feed and cuddle some very cute reindeers. There are also a lot of hiking and skiing spots around Kiruna. And a lot of agencies offer Huskie sledding tours. After a short day which already ends at 3 pm, you can drink a hot beverage in one of the cute coffee shops in town and for dinner you need to go to the delicious Restaurant Spis which has very nice local dishes (meat, fish and vegetarian). In the night you can go chasing the Northern Lights. Another reason to visit Kiruna: people are very friendly and helpful there. And: you can travel up here all by train (we did it from Switzerland). It´s so comfortable! There´s a night train from Stockholm to Kiruna (so you can also spend one or two nights in Stockholm before or after you visit Kiruna). You could also visit Abisko, which is an hour away from Kiruna, nature must be fantastic there. Sounds amazing, doesn´t it?”

Nomadandinlove: Garmisch-Partenkirchen 

“We would say Garmisch-Partenkirchen! January is the middle of winter so it should be snowing quite frequently now. This little village in Bavaria is simply beautiful, huddled between the magnificent German Alps. And from there you can easily go to Zugspitze which is the top of Germany.”

Ani_fernweh:  Thailand

“I am definitely for Thailand. It is just such a magical country, with so many different facets. The nature and the animal world simply knock you out and the people are very warm. And January is definitely one of the best weathers. We have been there three times, but it is just not enough. We have only seen a fraction.”

Zmar18:  Placid, New York

“I love Placid (New York) for the month of January. It´s incredible to see this area covered in snow like. It was the place for the Olympic Winter Games 1932 and 1980. From the massive ski jumping towers to the beautiful Mirror Lake, to seeing the sports complexes where athletes from all around the world have competed for nearly 100 years.”

4sticks_in_a_bundle: Black Forest

“As we now have a child in school we are restricted to only going away during school holidays. But that doesn´t stop us adventuring on the weekends. January is the perfect time to explore the Black Forest. So much effort is put into the hiking trails in the Black Forest. Some are interactive, which is great to keep kids entertained (Baumwipfelpfad). Others lead to yummy food (Grünhütte is famous for their Blueberry Pancakes). Some teach us about the animals that live in forest (Wildkatzen Erlebnispfad). If there is snow, it makes even more fun! Remember, there is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing. So dress warmly, put those hiking boots on and go explore all that the Black Forest has to offer.”

Endlessly_jetlagged:  Finland

“The first destination that comes to our mind for a perfect getaway in January is Finland. Winter destinations don´t get any dreamier than Lapland. So many once-in-a-lifetime experiences in one trip from icebreaker cruise to watching the northern lights from our very own glass igloo. Loved every bit of it.”

Sametasln:  South Macedonia region of Greece

“Such a wonderful idea, you´re awesome guys! My favorite abroad destinations are not so close, cause I´m living in the middle of a large country. But South Macedonia region of Greece is achievable for 10 hours drive, which is not so bad. And actually I´m planning to do that trip next week. So why is this destination perfect for me? First of all it´s achievable by car as I already mentioned and the route is wonderful. On this route you can visit Edirne (old ottoman capital and one of the most amazing ottoman architectural masterpieces), Xanti ( small cute old town), Kavala (old town and pretty sea) and reach Thessaloniki. Thessaloniki has history from Roman Empire to ottomans and modern Greek architecture, delicious Greek food and beautiful seaside and cheerful parties. So when you go through this route, you see a long history of different cultures, tastes various delicious food, amazed by nature and even have crazy nights.”

Twotickets.toanywhere:  Cotswolds 

“Our favorite is Cotswolds! We went there last week and had the best time. We spent the days going on walks in the countryside, exploring cute villages and ending the day snuggled by the fire in a traditional English pub. We drove from our house and it took 3 hours.”

Aidylkor:  Canary Island 

“Nice idea! I would totally say the Canary Island! Not only because they have a wonderful temperature the whole year, but also because each island has unique personality. Do you prefer to hike to the top of a huge volcanoes, take a walk through millenary woods, get yourself lost between the dunes or go sailing with dolphins and whales? You don´t have to choose. You can experience it all there.”

Twotravelhearts:  Norway

“Maybe Norway will be a great destination for January and it´s possible to avoid flying. I like destinations with the contrast of snow and blue water. We hope we will see it one time.”

And that´s it! Thank you so much for all your wonderful recommendations! If you want to know more about our travel destination of the month January, check out this blog post and read how we spent less than 300€ for one week in Slovenia.

We can´t wait for the blog post with the best travel destinations in February.  This new category makes so much fun and it´s amazing that everyone can be part of it. So check out our Instagram (@schwabentraum) and send us a message with your travel destination of the month Feburary and become part of the next “travel destination of the month” blog post.

And now it´s up to you guys! Do you have anything to add, some questions or some more important stuff? Or some more recommendations for January? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below. We would love to read them ♥.

Bleibt gesund und passt gut auf euch auf!
Alles Liebe,