- When the winter rolls around and the weather gets cold,
a lot of people flock to the hot destinations.
But there's something special about the brisk weather
and winter destinations, and if you embrace it,
you can learn to love it.
In this video, I'm gonna be talking about
my top 10 winter destinations
that you absolutely have to travel to.
Some of them I've been to, some of them I haven't,
but I cannot wait.
And we're just gonna get right into it,
so grab that hot chocolate, put on your tuque,
and let's travel to some winter destinations.
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And if you are new to this channel,
my name is Kristen Sarah,
and together with my husband Siya Zarrabi,
we are Hopscotch the Globe.
On this channel,
you are guaranteed to be internationally inspired.
Whether you're gonna travel halfway across the world
to a beautiful destination, or just be in your...
the comfort of your own living room.
We want to inspire you to bring culture into your life.
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Number one, Greenland.
Specifically, Nuuk, and Ilulissat, Ili, Ilu, Ilulu (laughs)
Ilulussat.
Ilulussat?
- [Siya] Ilulissat.
- Ee-Lee-Lu-Lu-Ssat (laughs)
Ilulussat
I think it was right.
Si and I went to Greenland two years ago now
and it was one of the best trips we've ever been on ever.
It was absolutely...I'm getting chills right now
as I start to talk about it, because it was so stunning.
It was like being on a completely different planet,
it was peaceful,
it was silent, it like made you feel warm inside
and it was so interesting the way that they lived there.
It was completely different
than any other place in the world.
So, so freaking interesting, oh my gosh. And it was so cold,
like I'm talking like minus 30, minus 40 cold,
but if you were prepared
and you dressed appropriately, there's so much
to enjoy there.
Some winter activities that we got up to
that we highly recommend are dog sledding,
really, really fun. And in Greenland they
are way more intense than in any other country,
we like went off a click on this like wooden sled,
with this like award winning dog sled musher.
I think that's the right title, probably not,
but whoa it was so thrilling.
Snowshoeing, the most intense snowshoeing I've ever done.
You think how can snowshoeing be intense, well,
go to Greenland and check it out because it is.
What made the snowshoeing so intense was
the snow was super deep, it was like 6 meters.
And we're going up mountains and down mountains,
just over and over again.
It was like four, five hours
of snowshoeing straight. It was intense,
like it was cold out but we were hot.
We ended up taking off tons layers
because you're really burning a lot
when um, when you're in those conditions.
Taking a boat to see icebergs.
It blew my mind.
You have this idea of what it's gunna be like
but it's not until you get like so close
to these giant pieces of ice that you are just so blown away
and then it's just silent, too,
you just kind of hear the wind and (sigh) Oh my God.
One of the best experiences in my entire life, hands down.
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Finland, oh we love Finland so much, we've been twice.
We've been in summer and we've been in the winter,
but is so special in the winter time.
Growing up, I believed in Santa Clause
and I mean he is real, let's face it.
But Santa Clause and reindeer,
and just like this magical world that would come
to life during the December month.
And when you go to Lapland, Finland you are
literally living your childhood dream.
There's reindeer everywhere. There's more reindeer
than people that live there and that is where Santa lives.
He has his whole workshop there and you can go
and you can meet him, and he speaks all different languages.
And he is the coolest guy ever.
We also stayed in a glass igloo, which was really beautiful
in the winter because it was just, you could see all
the snow outside and be really cozy on the inside.
It was really cool.
Oh, we also stayed in an olokolo, which was part
of this snow castle that they build every year.
And you can actually eat inside a snow castle
at a snow restaurant.
Of course when you go to Finland all time of year
but it's extra special in the winter time.
You gotta go into the sauna, sauna that's how they say it.
Sauna. And you get all toasty and then you get out
and you roll in the snow or you jump in a cold lake
and then you go back in the sauna, back and forth.
It's really good for you
and its part of the Finnish culture.
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Germany. You go to Germany during the winter months
for the Christmas markets.
And they happen all around the country.
Now we think of Christmas markets you might think
oh it's for children, but in Germany it's for adults.
You got your gluhwein, you've got tons of delicious food
that will warm your insides and it's just really,
like it's really beautiful and cozy,
like a big hug when you're walking through different market.
There's so many different artists
that are creating these one of a kind pieces.
They make great gifts.
The food is so delicious. The gluhwein, oh my God,
ah it's like...it's... it's hot wine.
So you're gunna really feel warm and fuzzy inside.
As I mentioned you can go all over the country
and visit all the different markets,
because each city has its own and they're all super unique.
You can take the train, go from city to city,
which is a lot of fun.
And the food is a big part of being at these markets.
You gotta indulge in the food and there's ton of street meat
so if you're a meat eater, you are going to be in heaven.
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Canada, eeey.
My home country.
My home and native land.
I cannot forget Canada because there's so many spots
in Canada that are amazing in the winter time.
There are so many incredible places in Canada
to embrace the winter, but three of my top are
Banff and Canmore,
Canmore, Banff
I really can't choose
and they're so close together, that you can just go
to both even in one day.
And then there's Mont Treblant and Yellowknife.
Banff and Canmore are these super cute
ski and snowboard villages that really come to life
in the wintertime. They have awesome shops, great food.
The ambiance is just...it's like the ultimate place
to go in the winter. Everyone's super happy
and really knows how to embrace the cold
and just get out and have a lot of fun.
Oh and of course, the mountains.
I cried for an hour and a half
staring at the mountains in Banff the first time I saw them.
I...it like...it stopped me in my tracks
and I literally just bawled my eyes out.
I don't think I've ever felt that moved,
besides, seeing icebergs in Greenland
the way I felt in Banff, Alberta.
Mont Tremblant. We've been four times now
and it's, it never gets old. It's so much fun there.
And again it's another ski, snowboard village
located in Quebec and it's a short, short flight
from Toronto. It takes an hour. And it's super cute.
It's really colorful. There's a lot of things you can do
in the winter there. People really embrace the cold weather.
Mont Tremblant is actually where I learned how to snowboard
and I have fallen in love with it,
so each winter now I go snowboarding.
Thanks to Mont Tremblant for teaching me.
You can go skiing. There's the luge which is a lot of fun.
And what I really like is you can basically like
take your skis and go through out the village
and just park them right besides a restaurant, go in,
have a really delicious meal and come back out,
grab your skis and hit the slopes again.
Mont Tremblant is like a village resort,
you've got everything you need there.
You don't even have to bring winter clothing,
or snowboards, or skis you can rent everything there.
There's so many delicious restaurants,
so many different cuisines from all around the world like
Italian, they've got an amazing pizza joint.
Uh, really good sushi too. Delicious Thai food.
Awesome ice cream. The list goes on.
Yellowknife in Northwest Territories, oh my God,
I had one of the most amazing experiences there as well.
Seeing the northern lights.
And I saw the northern lights previous to going
to Yellowknife, but the northern light there blew my mind.
Blew everyone's mind that was around me.
We were just like consumed in this worm whole of colors
of greens and pinks and yellows and reds
and just dancing in the sky right before our eyes.
It didn't even feel like it was real, like...it was...
It was...It was unreal.
It literally left me speechless that experience
and a lot of people that I've spoken with who've been
to Yellowknife said that it was the best place
to see the northern lights for them as well.
During the winter months is the best time to see
the northern lights in Canada, in Yellowknife,
so head there during the winter if you want
to see these beautiful crazy lights dance before your eyes
in the sky that will blow your mind.
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Lake Bled in Slovenia.
We went there I think about two years ago
with our friends and it is stunning.
There's this church that is located in the middle
of Lake Bled with mountains behind it.
It's like one of the most picturesque place in Europe.
And you can actually take a boat to the church
and there's a bell there that you can ring
and make a wish and of course it comes true.
There's several restaurants and hotels around the area
where you can get a beautiful view of the lake.
I highly recommend going there if you're planning
a Euro trip in the winter time.
It's beautiful in the summer as well but there's something
extra special about it in the winter time.
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Yuzawa, Japan.
Located in central Japan in the Chubu region,
there is a ski and snowboard village.
And the ski and snowboard season stretches really long
because it is located in the beautiful mountains.
Yuzawa is known for the hot springs,
for the public bath houses and all you can drink sake shubs.
And if you're in Japan, you might as well
head on over to Nagano to see the epic monkeys
chilling in the hot springs, enjoying life,
the simple life, the peaceful life.
And of course, head on over to Sapporo, like the beer,
the delicious beer, for the snow festival.
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Vienna, Austria is so much fun during the winter time
because it's ball season. By ball season,
I mean like Cinderella ball.
You get to dress up, you get to take dance lessons
and learn the waltz so you can hit the ball room floor
and impress everybody with your skills.
And you get to take a horse and carriage
to the ball if you'd like. It's a fairy tale come true.
There a lot of really epic coffee houses
that have a lot of history that you can go in,
have a coffee, warm up, have some pie,
have some schnitzel if you want.
There are also a lot amazing markets where you can get some
one of a kind crafts by really great artists.
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Moscow, Russia, have not been there yet,
but its at the top of my list to go to during
the winter time because it is a winter paradise there.
They turn it up in the winter.
Turn it up! (laughs)
You can go skating in front of the famous
Saint Basil's Cathedral, you can visit the market,
you can visit museums if you get too cold
and you want to go inside somewhere,
or if you want to stay outside just indulge in some vodka.
And that is it for my top 10 winter destinations
you absolutely have to visit.
Weather it's a last minute trip for this year,
plans for next year, or the next year after that.
You just absolutely have to put them
at the top of your list.
For those of you who love hot weather,
who love being warm and that's why travel,
I challenge you to go to one of these destinations
during the winter time and really learn to embrace it
because you'll be surprised.
There's a lot you can do during the cold weather
that you can't do during the hot weather.
And if you dress appropriately, you will have so much fun.
Now it is your turn,
I want to know what are your top winter destinations?
Let us all know by leaving a comment below
and tell us why you love those winter destinations.
Inspire us. And I will see you guys later.
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