Winter, winter white... green, blue, happy, compassionate

Cold

Ski superpowers such as Austria, France, Italy, Switzerland, the USA and Canada delight with new products every year. Artificial snow, new and longer tracks ensure a varied and high-quality offer that is hard to resist for enthusiastic winter sports fans. But the possibilities for excellent skiing are also offered by countries that we never think of when we hear the word skiing. One of them is North African Morocco. Although Marrakesh, which is the starting point for most expeditions to the High Atlas Mountains, is a fascinating mix of Arab-French-Berber influences, which tourists associate mainly with the desert, in the winter months we will see quite a few ski expeditions in the city, gathering strength before demanding trekking and touring skiing in the vicinity of the highest peak in North Africa - the 4,165 meter high Jebel Toubkal. One of the most popular ski destinations at the moment is Japan, which boasts a huge amount of snow. In the northern part of the island of Hokkaido, 120 kilometers from the better-known Sapporo, lies the ski center of Niseko, which is provided with one of the thickest snow covers in Japan by the winds from Russia between November and April. It is the quality of the snow, which is very dry and light (only 8 % humidity) that attracts skiers from all over the world to the 48 kilometers of groomed trails and the surrounding slopes, which are intended for more demanding skiers. Even Iran is a country that would by no means be classified as a country famous for skiing, but the Alborz mountain range, with its highest peak, the 5,671-meter-high Demavand, is a real treat for adventurers. There are some more easily accessible ski resorts near Tehran, but if you want to visit them as a couple, you must first make sure which ski resorts women can ski with men. Heli Ski is becoming more and more popular and accessible - skiing on the slopes, far from organized ski resorts, to which skiers are brought by helicopters. We can take part in heli ski adventures all over Europe, the USA, Canada, even in the Caucasus, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Himalayan Kashmir. And if we think our winters are getting milder, we head to Yakutsk, Russia, where cold means -50 degrees Celsius. The city in eastern Siberia with about 200,000 inhabitants could also be called the coldest city in the world. In January, the highest daily temperatures rise to -40 degrees, and a thick blanket of fog reduces visibility to just 10 meters.

Hot

Tropical seas are far away, but enjoying warm water and lush greenery is not. In the vicinity of Berlin, we can literally move to a tropical island for a day or two. The huge building, which from a distance gives the impression of a tent, hides inside the largest closed tropical rainforest in the world. You can admire 30,000 plants on a kilometer-long walking path, sit in a tropical village in Balinese, Bornean, Thai and Samoan houses, relax in a romantic Balinese lagoon, where the water temperature reaches 32 degrees, or just lie on a beach reminiscent of the white sandy shores of the southern of the sea. Literally the hottest happenings this winter await us in Dubai, where the first of the three artificially constructed Palm Jumeirah islands was pompously opened at the end of November. Currently, in addition to private villas, only the Atlantis Hotel is open on the island, which spreads over as much as 46 hectares, and the biggest attractions of the hotel are the huge Aquaventure water park and the dolphin bay. In recent years, kitesurfing has become a particularly popular water sport among young people, and with it Brazil. On the coasts of the northeastern Brazilian state of Ceará, brave kitesurfers gather mainly in Cumbuco, which lies in the immediate vicinity of Fortaleza. Another center that is gaining in popularity is Paracuru, halfway between Fortaleza and Prea, also famous for its 10 kilometer long sandy beach.

Spiritually

Since we have a little more time to think about ourselves in the winter, we can also devote winter trips to spiritual growth. Sivananda yoga is a style brought to the West by Swami Vishnu-devananda in 1957 under the instructions of his guru Swami Shivananda. Today Sivananda is spread all over the world, the nearest Sivananda Ashram is in neighboring Austria, near Kitzbühl, where you can embrace the mountains join seekers of inner peace and spiritual transformation, learn about the benefits of vegetarianism and increase your vitality at seminars, workshops and yoga retreats. In the west of Europe, along the west coast of Scotland, lies the island of Holy Isle, whose spiritual heritage dates back to the 6th century. Visitors are invited to the Center for World Peace and Health in the northern part of the island (there is a Buddhist complex closed to visitors in the southern part of the island), where seminars on Tibetan Buddhism, meditation, non-violence and yoga are held. They are also preparing a New Year's program where we can observe the daily life of people who work and live in the center. Asia is famous for a wide variety of centers where you can deepen your knowledge of yoga and meditation. One of them is Suan Pa Himawan - a center of the middle path (the path leading to enlightenment) in Thailand, where in a beautiful environment you can fully devote yourself to the most simple and effective methods of meditation. Businessmen exposed to stress, who want to escape from the hellish rhythm, at least for a few moments, flock to the top-class Ananda center, where they gather new strength and relax intensively. The Ananda spa center is located 260 kilometers north of New Delhi, at the foot of the Himalayan mountains. Ananda is a luxury center that offers Ayurvedic programs, yoga classes, ashram visits, fitness programs and a range of outdoor activities, especially for those with deeper pockets.

Charitable

There are only a few percent of us in the world who are lucky enough to be able to afford a vacation, and that is precisely why more and more people who are aware of their luck decide to dedicate their free time to people in need. Vacations spent abroad as volunteers have long been an important part of the education of young people, who proudly add their experiences to their resumes, as their self-sacrifice certainly makes a strong impression on employers. For two decades, the American organization Global Volunteers has been organizing aid to communities around the world that we can help with our knowledge and work. International missions last about two or three weeks, and in January we can join volunteers in India, Brazil, Costa Rica, Ghana, Peru, Tanzania, Romania, Ecuador, the Cook Islands or South Africa. It is not only the residents of distant places who need help, but also our relatives, compatriots and fellow citizens, which is why we can also use the vacation we spend at home to help our fellow citizens.