When to travel
62 destinations where December is the season worth going — with what each one costs a day, how safe it rates, and flights from your airport.
December splits in two: the first three weeks are quiet and cheap, and then Christmas doubles every fare on earth. Book before the 18th and the same trip costs half. It is the start of the dry season across North Africa, Mexico and India.
The ones we would book this month, and why this month.
Nile cruising season. Luxor and Aswan are in the low twenties by day — the same sites that are unwalkable in August.
The dry season starts and the Yucatán is at its most comfortable, before the January and February high-season prices arrive.
Rajasthan at its best: cool mornings, clear light, and the north finally comfortable after the monsoon and the heat.
Every destination in season this month, cheapest first. Daily cost is bed, food and getting around — not flights.
Seasons here are the destination’s own, not the calendar’s: for Argentina or New Zealand, “summer” means December to February. Daily costs are typical mid-range budgets, last reviewed in August 2026.