This article was published on January 29th, 2017
You finally got those days off you’ve been asking for and want to take a mid-winter vacation to some place sunny, tropical, and beachy. But you don’t know where to begin? Going on vacation is a lot of fun, and traveling is one of the most enriching things you can do. To make your holiday the best gaycation it can be, here are five snowbird travel tips for winter vacationers who don’t want to take the polar bear plunge but do want to have the best winter travel to sunny destinations.
Research: It’s important you look into where you are going and what you are going to do on vacation, before you actually go. Do you need a passport? Are there visa restrictions? Do you need a yellow fever shot? Is the town/city/village gay friendly? Do they speak the same language as you do? Where are the best places to go? What is there to do? Vacation homework can be tedious, but it is worth knowing exactly what you are getting yourself into.
Pre-tanning/sunscreen: Winter means staying indoors unless venturing out for work, groceries, or to shovel snow. Just because the sun is closer to earth in the winter doesn’t mean we get a tan living in the north. You will, however, get burned if you don’t apply and bring extra sunscreen when vacationing in sunny destinations. We recommend tanning first for a few weeks before you go, though salon tanning is different than sun tanning and won’t prevent burning, so try to get it au naturale. Don’t worry, you’ll still get a tan. Just not a burn.
Work it out: Don’t wait until the summer to get that body in good shape. Use your mid-winter break as a temporary goal to help motivate you to work out more. It isn’t always easy getting out in this cold, but routinely keeping physical will guarantee you are looking good and feeling confident for your vacay. Keep a schedule and stick to it, even on your vacation. You’ll feel great that you’ve kept a regiment and such good care of yourself.
Pack an umbrella: Murphy’s Law can be a bitch, and considering a lot of tropical destinations in North America are beginning or in the middle of their rainy seasons, why not bring an umbrella just to give the finger to bad luck? Umbrellas also just-so-happen to make excellent screens from the sun. So make like Rihanna and don’t forget your umbrella-ella.
Bring a beach towel: Beach towels can be such a life safer in so many more ways than one. Need an airplane blanket on the flight there? You’ve got one. It starts raining and you left your umbrella at home? Now you’ve got a canopy. Looking for some post-beach cover? You’ve got yourself a sarong. A beach towel can morph into other things like pillows, shawls, and an extra layer—not to mention the fact that it provides you with an extra towel for bathing and drying.
These are our five best snowbird travel tips for handling winter travel to sunny vacations. Now, pack your bags, including comfortable shoes, and have a great time enjoying the sun, beach, ocean, and weather—while the rest of us freeze to death!
