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Travel Tales from India and Abroad
Snow at Gulmarg, India

Where Are You Heading for the Winter Break?

Posted on December 4, 2013May 9, 2021

Friends and colleagues often ask me where I am heading for the winter break. When I say nowhere it surprises them. After all here I am ready to travel at any time of the year and yet I have no plans for a winter break or a New Year break!

I will try and explain why I am not enthusiastic about traveling at this time. The first reason is professional. I am blessed because I am in academics, I probably have more flexibility to take time off during college breaks. But as the exams end, to take an example of this year, around December 27, I have to grade all those copies. And that means a lot of work. This is the usual story for my not being too enthusiastic about taking a winter break.

I think I can overcome the grading bit but then vacations mean everyone is taking a vacation. And in December and early January it is not only India, it is true the world over. I already live in a very crowded city. I like peace and quiet when I go for a vacation. During winter or summer vacations I have to really try hard to get away from the crowds and I do not like to make the extra effort. We once turned up in Gangtok at the end of December in our usual style, without any booking. We found a room with difficulty. Now go after January 15 and you can almost have the entire town to yourself! So my logic is, why not wait. I will dare not venture anywhere mainstream when the school holidays are in full swing.

The third reason is do with economics. When everyone wants to go on vacation, the demand for vacations goes up. But the supply remains constant in the short run (my first two degrees are in Economics). This leads to the increase in the price of everything. Now I am too lazy about hunting for a deal. Being the holiday season there are deals galore but they require so much planning that my mind starts to spin.

Christmas Break
Winter Vacations

But if you are the one who likes to plan ahead you may find value in such deals. As I was looking around the site, I was stuck by the fact that there were so many shopping coupons compared to travel coupons. Now to a traveler like me it feels bizarre. Why would I like to spend money on shopping when I can spend it all on travel!

So do you have a plan for your winter break? Something may come up at my end too but I am looking forward to traveling after the rush is over!

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32 thoughts on “Where Are You Heading for the Winter Break?”

  1. Nikhil Anand (TheLostRambler) says:
    December 4, 2013 at 3:53 pm

    Lovely Ma’m, added this page to my favourites. In Hyderabad now… No winter…. All time winter…

    Reply
    1. Mridula says:
      December 5, 2013 at 8:18 pm

      Nikhil thank you 😀 Never been to Hyderabad till date!

      Reply
  2. Ankita Sinha says:
    December 4, 2013 at 3:59 pm

    Hey I sometimes have difficulty in believing that you actually teach students and still take vacations throughout.Quite awesome.Hmm..I am going to Thailand next week,but haven’t planned anything for Christmas,may be I would rather love celebrating with friends at home.Hey next time you plan a trip(backpacking sort of abroad) let me know,I am searching for a companion and you look like a perfect match 🙂

    Reply
    1. Mridula says:
      December 5, 2013 at 8:19 pm

      Enjoy Thailand Ankita. It is a beautiful country.

      Reply
  3. r ramakrishnan says:
    December 4, 2013 at 4:05 pm

    I too hate crowds and prefer travel when crowds are thin and there is peace and quiet.

    Reply
    1. Mridula says:
      December 5, 2013 at 8:20 pm

      Me too Rama.

      Reply
  4. Tarun Goel says:
    December 4, 2013 at 4:48 pm

    Heading to Parashar Lake in Jan, Triund in Jan, Amarkantak in Dec. And then ofcourse Rohtang 🙂

    Reply
    1. Mridula says:
      December 5, 2013 at 8:22 pm

      Tarun so you will get snow at Prashar! Envy.

      Reply
  5. sindhoooo says:
    December 4, 2013 at 4:50 pm

    Of course! You are traveling through out the year, you don’t need a winter break as such right? Even I like to travel away from the crowd. We are probably leaving for our native for winter vacation, so that covers my trip through the Konkan… 🙂

    Reply
    1. Mridula says:
      December 5, 2013 at 8:24 pm

      Those are the best vacations I guess!

      Reply
  6. Pallavi says:
    December 4, 2013 at 5:21 pm

    not going anywhere for my winter break because I have exhausted all my leave. Since I live in Singapore, there is no winter technically.. so would probably have gone to Koh Samui or Chiang Mai 🙂 I do like going to quieter places as well.. don’t like crowded places especially for a vacation so I exactly know where you are coming from .

    Reply
    1. Mridula says:
      December 5, 2013 at 8:17 pm

      Pallavi I hear both are really beautiful places! So enjoy.

      Reply
  7. Gowtham says:
    December 4, 2013 at 7:58 pm

    Nice post mam!!
    –easyaptitudes.blogspot.com–

    Reply
    1. Mridula says:
      December 5, 2013 at 8:12 pm

      Thank you Gowtham.

      Reply
  8. Rachit Aggarwal says:
    December 4, 2013 at 8:26 pm

    I also think likewise. Peak period are the not the good times if you are looking for peace and easily availability of everything. I remember during the december when i went to Goa, we hired Bike with rent 1000/-day while in March, we got it at 200/-day.

    Reply
    1. Mridula says:
      December 5, 2013 at 8:10 pm

      Rachit thank you for providing hard data for my theory 😀

      Reply
  9. Anita says:
    December 4, 2013 at 8:52 pm

    Lovely! Wanna visit snow land, but heading to Southern India! 🙂

    Reply
    1. Mridula says:
      December 5, 2013 at 8:09 pm

      Enjoy Anita.

      Reply
  10. Deepa says:
    December 5, 2013 at 1:37 am

    Nice post 🙂 We are planning to visit Konkan sometime this month.

    Reply
    1. Mridula says:
      December 5, 2013 at 8:04 pm

      Wish you a lovely trip.

      Reply
  11. Anuradha Shankar says:
    December 5, 2013 at 9:30 am

    I so agree with the crowd part of vacations. i am stuck with school holidays and wherever u go, u are bound to see them, and feel the brunt too. this year,i am stuck at home, but planning to do a bit of exploring, if possible,within the city. lets see if i get to do it or not

    Reply
    1. Mridula says:
      December 5, 2013 at 7:59 pm

      Anu as soon as Chhavi grows up a little more it is going to be the same for me! I am trying to make the best till it lasts!

      Reply
  12. Rahul says:
    December 5, 2013 at 11:44 am

    Agree with your logic of avoiding travel during the peak season!

    Reply
    1. Mridula says:
      December 5, 2013 at 7:51 pm

      I bet you live in a crowded city too 😀

      Reply
  13. Renuka says:
    December 5, 2013 at 2:24 pm

    Yup, I think it’s better to wait for the rush to be over. I am planning to be in Bangalore next week, and then a short getaway from there. 🙂

    Reply
    1. Mridula says:
      December 5, 2013 at 7:51 pm

      Enjoy Renuka.

      Reply
  14. Shilpi Dutta says:
    December 5, 2013 at 3:12 pm

    U r a globetrotter and a real travel enthusiast! I am feeling J of u now Mridula..Can i join u as a student please???? Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeez!!!

    Reply
    1. Mridula says:
      December 5, 2013 at 7:50 pm

      Shilpi 😀 thank you for your kind comments!

      Reply
  15. Preethi Venugopal says:
    December 5, 2013 at 5:14 pm

    Winter is my favorite time to curl up with a book… No travel plans this time…

    Loved the post…

    Reply
    1. Mridula says:
      December 5, 2013 at 8:25 pm

      Even that sounds so good Preethi, next best thing after travel 😀 and thank you.

      Reply
  16. Lady Fi says:
    December 5, 2013 at 8:45 pm

    Lovely wintry shots. I agree with you – it’s expensive and busy to travel during the Christmas break, unless you go last minute.

    Reply
    1. Mridula says:
      December 6, 2013 at 10:54 am

      OK this last minute bit, I have not tried, let us see.

      Reply

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About Me

I am Mridula Dwivedi and I started this blog in 2005. It has been an amazing ride. I have visited 33 countries till date! I have worked with many tourism boards and prominent travel companies. My blog was featured on the BBC and the Guardian.

I did my Ph.D. from IIT Kanpur. I worked full time in academics till 2015! I quit my job as a professor, thinking I will take a break for one year, which turned into five.

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