If you’re looking to take a break this winter, then you might take the opportunity to travel abroad. There are parts of the world, after all, which receive plenty of sunshine during the winter months – and so an overseas adventure might offer the perfect remedy to those winter blues.
What are the benefits of winter sun?
Sunshine isn’t just pretty to look at and pleasant to soak in; it also offers a range of health benefits. For one thing, it promotes the production of vitamin D, which helps to regulate levels of certain key minerals in the body, and ultimately helps to keep your muscles and bones in good condition. Rather than taking a vitamin D supplement during winter, you might visit somewhere sunny. This is especially worthwhile if you’ve got darker skin, as you’ll need more sunlight to get the same level of vitamin D as a pale-skinned person.
We should also consider the extent to which sunlight tends to act as a mood booster. Ultraviolet radiation can help to stimulate the production of serotonin, which is a hormone responsible for creating that natural high. It’s for this reason that many of us tend to feel a little bit depressed during winter – and that a spell of winter sunshine might be the answer.
Where are some good places to go to get some sun?
As you might expect, most of the best winter sunshine destinations are in the southern hemisphere, where the seasons are reversed.
Canary Islands
Take a trip to the Spanish-run Canary Islands, and you’ll find a number of obvious hotspots popular with British Tourists. Lanzarote and Tenerife are both household names during summer, but the weather in this part of the world is pretty lovely even when it’s snowing back home.
Barbados
Winter this close to the equator means dry season, where you’ll get plenty of sunshine and few monsoons. As such, it’s the perfect time to visit Barbados!
Cape Town, South Africa
When it comes to tourism, there’s a lot to like about Cape Town. It’s surrounded by incredible scenery and wildlife, and you’ll be able to enjoy the balmy weather from the top of the nearby Table Mountain, which you can ascend via cable car.
Other benefits of winter travel
There are a few other benefits to travelling at this time of year. For one thing, the demand will be lower, meaning that you’ll be able to enjoy lower prices, and thinner crowds when you reach your destination. This applies to the cost at every stage of the journey – you can shop for train deals from London to Gatwick airport, for example.
You’re also more likely to be able to enjoy the authentic local culture, rather than a version of it that’s been adapted to suit tourists. For these reasons and more, winter is a great time to go abroad!