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Português (PT)Where to go in January
The northern hemisphere at its coldest and Southeast Asia at its best — which makes January's choices clearer than most months'.
January splits the world cleanly in two. On one side, European and northern Asian cities are cold with short days, which suits museums and snow. On the other, Southeast Asia, the Gulf and the southern hemisphere are in the best stretch of their year. The shared drawback is that it follows the new-year holiday, so rooms in dry-season destinations stay expensive all month.
8 places this month suits
Thailand
The middle of the dry season: clear skies all month and nights cool enough to walk. It is the one stretch where the coast and the northern hills are both at their best.
Thailand plansHo Chi Minh City
The south is dry, with almost no rain and the easiest travel of the year in the Mekong Delta. The north is cold and foggy in the same weeks.
Vietnam plansJapan
The Sea of Japan side and Hokkaido carry the deepest snow of the season, while Tokyo and the Pacific side stay dry and sunny — cold, but walkable all day.
Japan plansUnited Arab Emirates
The most comfortable month in the Gulf: warm days, cool evenings, and every outdoor activity that is impossible in summer back on the table.
United Arab Emirates plansNew Zealand
Peak southern summer: long days and every hiking route open. It is also the domestic holiday month, so book rooms and vehicles well ahead.
New Zealand plansAustralia
Full summer. The east coast is at its best with long days, while the north is in its wet season — lean towards the southern cities and the east coast.
Australia plansIndia
The north and Rajasthan are in their coolest, driest month — the best window for long overland routes. Early-morning fog can delay trains.
India plansPhilippines
The dry season is fully in: clear water and the storm season past. Southern islands can still see spells of rain, so choose by which side of the wind you land on.
Philippines plansWhat this month does to a data plan
Two things eat more data than usual this month: cold-weather travel, which drains batteries and pushes people onto their phone maps more, and post-holiday airports, where free Wi-Fi slows to the point of being unusable. Set up offline maps and activate the plan before you leave, and both stop mattering.
What to skip this month
Northern Europe has very short daylight and many outdoor sites close for the season, while several South Asian cities have air-quality problems this month. If the trip is built around being outdoors, skip both and take the southern hemisphere instead.
Thai holidays in January and what they do to fares
The Bank of Thailand's 2027 holiday list puts New Year's Day on Friday 1 January, and 31 December 2026 (a Thursday) is also a bank holiday, so most office workers get Thursday to Sunday off. Departures from Bangkok on 30 and 31 December and returns on 3 January are the most expensive seats of the season, because a whole country travels in the same four days.
After the first weekend there is no Thai public holiday until Makha Bucha in February, so mid-January is the quiet window: outbound fares to Japan, Korea and Europe usually ease once the new-year rush has flown home. The cabinet sometimes adds a special holiday at short notice; check the Bank of Thailand list again a few weeks before you travel.
Visa notes for Thai passport holders in January
These are the entry rules for the places this page recommends. Rules change, so confirm on the official page before you pay for flights.
- Japan: Thai ordinary passports are visa-exempt for short stays of up to 15 days; a longer trip needs a visa from the Embassy of Japan. Immigration rules: https://www.moj.go.jp/isa/index.html
- ASEAN neighbours such as Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia and Singapore admit Thai passport holders visa-free for short tourist stays; the permitted length differs by country, so check before a long trip, for example https://www.ica.gov.sg/enter-transit-depart/entering-singapore/visa_requirements or https://evisa.gov.vn.
- United Arab Emirates: check the entry rule for Thai passports on the UAE government portal; airlines with a UAE hub can also arrange visas. https://u.ae/en/information-and-services/visa-and-emirates-id
- New Zealand: Thailand is not a visa-waiver country, so Thai passport holders need a Visitor Visa. https://www.immigration.govt.nz/new-zealand-visas/visas/visa/visitor-visa
- Australia: Thai passport holders need a Visitor visa (subclass 600) before travel. https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/visa-listing/visitor-600
- Anywhere else on this page: check the country's embassy in Bangkok or its official e-visa portal, starting from the Thai Department of Consular Affairs. https://consular.mfa.go.th
Weather and crowds at a glance in January
| Destination | Typical conditions | Crowds and prices | Official forecast |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japan, Tokyo | Cold, dry and mostly sunny | Busy until about 3 January, then quiet in the city; ski areas full at weekends | JMA |
| Japan, Hokkaido | Deep snow, very cold | Ski resorts at peak demand | JMA |
| Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh City | Dry and warm | Moderate; rises sharply in Tet week if Tet falls early | Vietnam's national weather service |
| Philippines | Dry season under way; occasional rain in the south | Busy around the first week, then normal | PAGASA |
| United Arab Emirates | Warm days, cool evenings | High season, hotel rates high all month | UAE National Center of Meteorology |
| Australia, Sydney and Melbourne | Summer, with heatwave days possible | School holidays, beaches and domestic flights busy | Bureau of Meteorology |
| New Zealand | Summer, long days, changeable in the mountains | Peak domestic holiday month; campervans sell out | MetService |
| India, Rajasthan | Cool and dry; dense morning fog in the north | High season for heritage hotels | India Meteorological Department |
Conditions are typical patterns, not a forecast. Check the national weather service listed for the week you travel.
When to book for January
- For the new-year long weekend, Thai travellers who book in October or earlier usually have the widest choice of flight times; by December the cheap fare buckets on Bangkok to Tokyo, Seoul and Taipei are often gone.
- For a mid-January trip, booking six to eight weeks ahead is usually enough for Asian routes. New Zealand campervans and Australian beach towns need more, because it is their own peak holiday.
- If a visa is needed, the visa appointment sets the timeline, not the fare: book the appointment first and buy refundable or changeable flights only after it is confirmed.
- Buy and install the eSIM at home in the days before departure; most plans in our catalogue only start counting days on first connection at the destination, which the plan page states.
Data needs in January
A winter week in Japan or Korea with maps, translation and a few photo uploads a day usually fits in 1 GB a day or a fixed plan of around 10 GB; ski days add little because you are on the slope, not on the phone. Road trips in New Zealand or Australia need more, since navigation runs all day and motel Wi-Fi is patchy outside towns.
Where to go in January
Is January more expensive than usual?+
In dry-season destinations, yes — the best weather coincides with the holiday. European cities, by contrast, get cheaper after the first week of the month.
Where should a first snow trip go?+
Japan and South Korea make a first snow trip easy: trains run to time, signage is in English, and the run from city to slope is short.
Does cold weather affect an eSIM?+
Not the profile itself, but it does affect the battery, which drops faster in the cold. Carry a power bank and activate the plan before you travel so you are not doing it on a low battery.
Which January dates are cheapest to fly from Bangkok?+
Usually the second and third weeks, between the new-year return rush and any early lunar new year. In 2027 lunar new year falls on 6 February, so most of January sits outside it.
Do Thai passport holders need a visa for a January ski trip to Japan?+
Not for a stay of up to 15 days on an ordinary passport. A longer ski season job or stay needs the right visa from the Embassy of Japan.
Is New Zealand worth it in January for Thai travellers?+
The weather is at its best, but it is also local peak season, and Thai passport holders need a Visitor Visa. Apply early and book vehicles before flights fill.
Should I buy one eSIM for a Japan and Korea trip in January?+
If both countries are on the route, a Japan and South Korea plan covers both on one profile. If Korea is only a day or two, two country plans can work out cheaper; compare on the plan pages.