Where to go
Where to go to the sea in December
Thailand, UAE, Maldives, Sri Lanka, India, Egypt
- ThailandBangkok and Phuket. The Grand Palace and Wat Pho are the first pair, and Yaowarat is the night market after. Floating markets use more than one pier, so this plan does not pin them to a single stop.
- UAEDubai. Burj Khalifa and Dubai Mall are one stop. Al Fahidi and the Creek are the older city, and JBR is the beach walk. A desert camp is not pinned here.
- MaldivesMalé. Malé is the arrival city. The days themselves are an overwater villa, a snorkel, diving, and a dolphin cruise on resort islands, not a walk around the capital.
- Sri LankaColombo. Colombo is the arrival name. The days run through Sigiriya and Dambulla, Kandy and the tea train, Yala, then Galle — not a walk around the capital.
- IndiaGoa. North Goa beaches and the Anjuna market come first. Old Goa churches and spice plantations sit inland. South Goa is the quiet stretch, and Dudhsagar is a falls day.
- EgyptCairo and Hurghada. The Giza plateau is the pyramids and the Sphinx. Islamic Cairo and Khan el-Khalili are another day. Luxor and Hurghada are in this plan, and they are not a walk across downtown.