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.
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.