Home for the holidays? Not me!

By Amy Bradley-Hole

Travel columnist

updated 4:06 p.m. ET Dec. 12, 2006

Ah, the joys of a traditional holiday. Everyone comes home to celebrate. Your family sips homemade eggnog while gathering around the fireplace to open beautifully wrapped gifts, anticipating the elaborate meal you’ll serve later that day. Puh-leeze! The holidays are way too stressful. What you need is a vacation!

I speak from experience. My family can often be found at a new destination each December, with relatives meeting up to celebrate from as far away as Los Angeles or London. Some families escape the winter chill and take Caribbean cruises in December (who doesn’t want to go back to work with a fabulous tan?). You, too, can stay in beautiful rooms, eat fabulous food and take in the spirit of the season — all without lifting a finger. The possibilities are endless, and there are a few major benefits to hitting the road this season.

1. Traveling can reduce holiday stress
   Yes, you read that right. Traveling for the holidays can actually help relieve some of the stress we encounter this time of year. Think of all the planning and hustling and last-minute shopping and scrambling you do during the month of December. Ever feel like you’re overscheduled and overwhelmed? Well, if you’re not home, you don’t have to do any of it!

2. No cooking. Enough said
   Look, no one will die if they don’t have Mom’s chestnut-and-sausage stuffing this year. Most hotels and nice restaurants serve amazing holiday dinners. They provide a bigger spread than you can serve at your own home, and they cater to everyone’s tastes — that nephew who always insists on grilled cheese can have it if you’re eating out. And just think of how lovely it will be when no one argues over who burned the crescent rolls.

3. You’ll see beautiful decorations
   Most hotels really do it right when it comes to holiday decorating. There’s nothing like a three-story Christmas tree or a 20-foot-tall menorah to get you in the holiday mood. The light displays at many properties would shut down power to your entire block, and their florist bill for December alone can easily exceed your yearly household budget. Many hotels also offer themed holiday celebrations. For example, in Las Vegas, you can enjoy everything from Italian carolers to festive pirates. Unless you’re some domestic god or goddess, chances are the hotel decorations will far surpass your tree and garlands at home.

4. Hotels often provide special holiday surprises
   Hotels love to go all-out for the holidays. At Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort last year, we got a special surprise Christmas Eve turndown service that included fancy chocolates, cookies and little gifts that were just beautiful. And Santa makes an appearance at many hotels right around Christmas Day — somehow he just always knows where to go!

5. The trip itself is the present
   What better gift to give your loved ones than the chance to see a new city or country or to participate in new or fun activities? While the cost of a trip may be more or less than what you’d spend on presents, the experience is priceless. One year, my family went to Lake Tahoe and I got skiing lessons for Christmas. The lessons were totally unsuccessful, but the experience was one of my most memorable presents ever! Your family can also get into the spirit of the season by taking a “service vacation,” which allows you to see a new place while participating in a volunteer project like rebuilding a school or helping conserve a fragile ecosystem. Talk about a feel-good holiday! Whatever you choose, let everyone be involved in the planning. That way, everyone can feel that the trip is their own special gift.
   

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