The Holiday season is one of my favourite time of the year. Although I do not have a Mr. Santa Claus to fly me around on his glorious sleigh, I do have Skyscanner to illuminate my search for the best pilot to take me to where I want for Christmas.

From a vast ground filled with charming snowy white to colourful vibrant festive decorations, endless session of partying, ongoing year-end season-end Christmas sales at departmental stores to all sorts of fancy Christmas meals, every part of the world is calling for attention, dressing-up and shining-out in their very own tradition and interpretation of Christmas.

Regardless of where you are or what budget you have in your wallet, the world is your new home. There will always be a place for you. Now, get ready to whack the remaining days of 2017 with this bucket list of globe trotting holiday spreeing destinations. 

Here are my six holiday destinations to visit this 2017.

Amsterdam

Europe is never lack of the festive vibe and yet I particularly love Amsterdam for its modern-retro chic. Every nook and corner of the city is embellished with magical colours and art beset in a modern take of simple chronicled traditions. Coldness aside, Amsterdam’s exuberant Christmas atmosphere and lifestyle is one to keep warm with. There are no towering super-megaplexes or structures of great engineering feats but instead it embraces its deep and long love-hate relationship with water while maintaining its pastel-like contemporary facades. The slow paced water canals and beautifully preserved dykes and bridges provide a picturesque view of the city skylines in every direction with Christmas lights and decor subtly yet vibrantly lined over streets and pedestrian walkways. A city for walking, bicycling or water cruising, there’s no room for cars which brings the pace for all people around here to a nice slow especially as the year comes to a close. 

Bali

The land that quite literally sprung from clear blue waters, Bali to me is a picturesque escapade filled with vibrant and happy people; both tourists and locals alike. Congestively packed all day all year round with plenty of sun, people, activities, food, traffic, nature and beach hotspots, Bali is always new for everyone with so much to explore. A place for those who need a nice new tan for Christmas or maybe even a time to get some much needed year-end R&R&R (rest & relax & rejuvenation) or simply time to stretch that yoga mat and meditate in the audience of the southern hemisphere’s tropical sea breeze, Bali simply energises one’s soul beautifully. Definitely a place to unwind for those who have been through a heavy and rush-packed year. 

Krabi

Have you been naughty or nice? It doesn’t matter. Krabi welcomes everyone to a tropical paradise with a lesser commercialised intensity. Set within the mountainous ends of the Asian continent and bordered with the vast Indian Ocean, Krabi has beautiful rolling waves that glide over the pristine beaches nestled along magnificent limestone hills and rock faces that straddle majestically into the sea. With the benefits of a continent land, Krabi has more slopes and hills to get a picturesque view of the sea while also harbouring many small islets with caves and pristine lakes and beaches to adventure with. Definitely a place for those year end bucket list water-themed adventures or activities including snorkelling with fish friends. 

Barcelona

The second home of my heart, Barcelona has so much influence in my life personally as it may do for most others. Barcelona is like a Priorat wine. Well aged and still sweet to taste, Barcelona captivates everyone with its diverse history and cultures while embodying a rich heritage of architecture and art in their city. But don’t let the old aged buildings and history slow you down, because Barcelona never sleeps! Every night the streets and open parks are always filled with people, friends, family and activity. During festive seasons, the locals are all dressed up to the occasion with festive vibes and celebration. A great place for those of you who are stuck behind a desk and a computer screen all year round to finally have your neck do some stretching and turning exercises as you awe and gasp at the wonderful details and architecture of their buildings, arches and streets.

Moscow

The ultimate cold war of your bucket list…literally. At staggering below zero temperatures during fall, Moscow is probably the last place of your cold winter war against the dropping temperatures of the year end winter. But yet, Moscow still manages to captivate many with its unchanging postcard-like picturesque city. Better to visit during the warmer periods, Moscow still decks its halls with beautiful lights, towering magnificent Christmas trees and sparkling Instagram worthy street decors and activities to keep everyone warm and cheerful during the Christmas period. The perfect place to capture that snowflake on your Christmas Instagram post.

Singapore

Not to forget my very own birth hometown. Every year, Singapore is never short of globally recognised festive shines and decor. In fact, every year it gets more and more glamorous. Adorned with Christmas jewels as lights, the famous shopping belt in Orchard Road is fully dressed up in glitz, bling and trending fashion. Even the shopping malls along that famous road decks up with themed events and activities and crazy year end bargains and deals for binging shopaholic locals. But what entices me most is the food in and around Singapore. Definitely my home base to top up my tank with some uniquely Singapore made spicy hot laksa, bouncy fish ball noodle, deep and dark flavoured char kuay teow and the savoury prawn noodle soup…foods that I miss most when I’m overseas. Singapore also extends its reach as a regional and global transportation hub for the world’s major airlines and sea-lines and hence makes it a definite must stop-over-transit place for long distance travellers. For tourists with more than 8 hours in hand to their next connecting flight, check out the free Singapore day tour that will bring you through the main highlights of the Lion City.

Next Read: The Ultimate Barcelona Travel Guide