Winter Luxury Holidays Guide…

Oliver Broad

In this issue we have pulled together our Top Tips for holiday planning over the next few months with our handy 6-month Travel Planning Calendar… from where to go when, to new EU travel requirements and what to consider if you already have a trip booked to make things run smoother:

October

Last minute escapes? If you are looking to book a late holiday during October, you have a great choice as most of the Med is still open. Consider lesser developed destinations that will be coming towards the end of the season earlier than others. These include Corsica and Sardinia whose seasons will usually wind up by the middle of the month so visitor numbers will tail off and availability will remain good.

Nathan has a great hotel tip for Corfu which he visited in August. The rates drop dramatically at the end of September and into October – ask for details.

Oktoberfest: Munich opens its annual Oktoberfest welcoming thousands of visitors to experience beer, beer and more beer! Direct flights from Birmingham and other regional airports make this a convenient short break, as I recently found out when I visited with friends. This is a VERY popular event with nearly 400,000 visitors daily during the two and a half week period in Munich. Booking ahead is essential so contact your RB travel manager to start planning for 2026!

Busier than most realise, be prepared: Early to mid October can still be busy with many retired couples jetting off on a late summer break after the kids have returned to school. Remember to follow our ‘Travel Smarter Top Tips’ to make sure journeys run smoother. These are included in our new ‘Pre-Departure Preparation’ booklet compiled by Clare and the team and issued with your travel documents. Every RB holiday includes Airport Security Fast Track passes with our compliments where available to help get things off to a smoother start.

Late summer = pleasant temperatures: By the end of October you will see the main summer season coming to a close after the busy half term weeks. Spain, France, some of Greece and Italy will all start to wind down. However, keep an eye on southern Greek islands such as Crete (another island Nathan enjoyed this summer) and Turkey which extended their season into November last year as the warmer months continue later due to global warming. 

Cyprus retains its heat too, as does Malta. October is also a great time if you want to explore somewhere on a driving holiday or escorted tour, such as around Sicily, Andalusia in Spain or Morocco as temperatures are more comfortable for sightseeing. Further afield, Las Vegas starts to cool after the summer heat (which Clare experienced with her family in August – ask her to help plan your next visit).

Dare we mention Father Christmas? Want to take the kids to Lapland? Book now for Christmas 2026 as by now this season is virtually full! We always find a rush of interest for Lapland after the little ones go back to school as all thoughts then head towards the next big school break. Nathan took the kids a few years ago so can offer first-hand knowledge and advice when booking with us.

Cruises: October also sees the end of the main summer cruise programmes in the Mediterranean and so you can usually find some great special offers as the lines seek to fill suites and cabins before the ships move over the Atlantic to the Caribbean for the winter season. 

Direct flights to Barcelona and Athens make the fly cruises very easy to access, and there is still some availability out of Southampton with the likes of Celebrity over to Norway and down to the Med. This is also a quieter time for river cruises around Central Europe and a great chance to see some of the popular historic and cultural cities.

EES (not quite ETIAS yet!): October will also see the introduction of the new EES registration booths upon entry to EU airports (not to be confused with ‘ETIAS’ which is the new e-visa coming in 2026). EES is purely a registration system to collect your biometric data when you land. It is being phased in to reduce queues so not all passengers will be required to register on every arrival, it will take around 6 months so it will be pot luck when you are selected. 

We attend regular meetings about both EES and ETIAS and will be on hand to answer your queries and will also include the latest info in our new ‘Pre-Departure Planning’ booklet with your travel documents.

 

November

Long Haul Winter Season: November marks the beginning of the long haul winter-sun season to destinations such as the Caribbean, Indian Ocean and Asia. Cultural tours also begin in India as the Monsoons will have passed by now. Particularly popular with our clients are Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia & Laos which all begin their main season for visitors from the west as we seek warm climates and culturally rich experiences. 

River Cruises down the Mekong also commence. November is an off-peak month for these trips and usually offers great value compared with the post Christmas rush in January and February. I added Laos to my Indochina trip last year which was a real spiritual highlight.

India also begins its main season after the rains move on and Kayleigh has already arranged for some clients to visit Kerala in the south where she toured last year.

4 hours or less: Malta, Madeira and the Canary Islands are your main choices for a shorter flight from November until April, just before the rest of the Med opens up again.

Cruises: Many ocean lines sail their ships across the Atlantic or through the Suez Canal and Red Sea to be positioned in the Caribbean and Asia for winter. Some of these ocean sailings offer great value as they are not quite as popular with fewer stops so do keep an eye out for those. Heading East, there are some fascinating itineraries on offer with stops in Saudi Arabia and down to Africa.

Christmas Markets & Shopping trips: Some of the Central European cities will get their Christmas festivities going towards the end of November and this can prove a less busy and better value time to visit compared to December. These include Bruges, Amsterdam, Prague and Vienna. There are also some short river cruises that would make for an alternative option. 

If you want to get organised early, why not combine a city break with a shopping trip? An easy option would be Barcelona with its great combination of international and Spanish high street and luxury brands, as well as artisan markets. In November you’ll probably also find the temperatures are warm enough for an afternoon on the city’s beach too! Marrakech is also perfect for shopping and the temperatures in November are warm by day and cooler by night, perfect for exploring.

December

Northern Lights: The lights begin to come out across Northern Scandinavia and Iceland from December through to March. December is popular with the winter-activity season opening up at hot spots such as the Ice Hotel in Sweden (did you know we have been running our own specialist website IceHotels.co.uk for over 10 years)? 

Short breaks to Reykjavik in Iceland offer better value compared to Scandinavia and there are more flights now from Birmingham and other regional UK airports. Havila also start their Norwegian Coastal Northern Lights sailings, with a guarantee if you don’t see them you can go back for free! I was onboard last year and loved these new ships which follow the same route as Hurtigruten but offer more comfort and luxury.

South Africa is popular in December as the weather is perfect and it is a great place for a city break, vinelands tour and safari. You can also add a beach stay afterwards too! Nathan has been arranging many safaris this year down to Kenya too so do give him a call to plan your safari as he is our resident expert. Sam and I have also visited South Africa so you will be in great hands booking with us.

Post-Christmas Planning: Most of us are preoccupied with Christmas by this point and generally speaking the travel industry starts to get quieter. Our top tip is to take advantage of this as airline and hotel algorithms which they use to base their pricing structure will see the decline and inevitably drop prices to stimulate demand. Exactly which destinations and holidays are tricky to predict but if you are thinking of booking a last minute trip to depart in January or February, securing this before Christmas is a sensible idea. We always see a rush for post-Christmas trips and so booking early is very sensible – do not leave it until after New Year as the availability will be lower and prices usually spike. For skiers, if you are restricted to February half term holidays, now is the perfect time to get this locked in as availability will no doubt be tricky if you wait until after Christmas.

January

This is the season to fly.. and flop after a hectic festive season. The Canary Islands are perfect if you don’t want to fly more than 4 hours. Sam was over in Gran Canaria with his family recently and stayed in the pretty resort of Puerto Mogán in the south. Whilst there are busy, built up areas in the Canaries, we know where to send our clients to the higher end properties and have great relationships with the hotels having worked with them for many years. 

Don’t want to sit still too much? Why not do what I did and book a triple-centre driving trip on Gran Canaria, taking in the capital city, the Parador in the mountains for walking and scenery and the beach area of Maspalomas? Read more about this trip on our blog here…

7 hours or less flight: Aside from the Canary Islands, the Arabian Gulf is our next most popular destination for winter-sun trips. We have been sending more clients to Abu Dhabi which is less built up than Dubai and only 1 hour away so you can still use the Emirates flight from Birmingham and other regional airports. Nathan and I have both visited and were really impressed with its beaches and stronger focus on culture. 

February

Skiing: Half Term is the busiest time of the year, and most expensive so try and avoid this if at all possible. Prices will drop dramatically right at the end of February and into March and with many of the resorts now offering ‘Snow Sure’ guarantees this is a great time to visit. If this is not possible, we suggest considering smaller, less popular resorts which we can help source for you. 

It is also worth considering outside the box options such as combining a ski trip with a city break, such as Zurich in Switzerland, or Barcelona with Andorra or Baqueira Beret, one of my favourite resorts in Europe and a real hidden gem.

Venice Carnival: February is also the time for Venice’s famous Carnival – a spectacular celebration of masks, costumes and pageantry that transforms the city into a magical wonderland.

Caribbean Cruises: February continues to be peak season for Caribbean cruising with excellent weather and calm seas making it ideal for island hopping. We are arranging more cruises with pre and / or post stays to either relax on the beach or explore the culture of the islands. 

March

Luxury Train 2026 Season Begins: The Venice-Simplon Orient-Express commences journeys on 7th March with a service from Venice to Paris. The newly launched La Dolce Vita Orient Express, based out of Rome operated year-round and so consider this as an alternative if you wanted an earlier or later winter trip. This new train is a retro style and unlike the 1930’s train it operates only in Italy and every cabin has its own bathroom. 

Spring-Time Breaks: Early spring breaks become attractive as destinations across Europe start to warm up and crowds remain light, offering excellent value and pleasant touring conditions. Traveling before the Easter rush in April is also a great idea to destinations such as Barcelona, Venice, Rome, Paris and Madrid.

Wherever you decide to take your luxury or specialist holiday in the next six months, we look forward to taking care of the arrangements. 

Call RB Collection on 01543 258631 or email vip@rbcollection.com to book your trip. 

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