Wherever we are in the world, Christmas looks different for everyone… there is no wrong way to do it! (Even though we probably spend a lot of time debating with friends about ‘the ultimate way to make roast potatoes’… ahem.
You might be surrounded by your family with mountains of gifts, a food-coma worthy traditional feast & trying to avoid the inevitable drama that also comes with every single grown member of your family coming together in the most high-pressure environment!
You might be doing the ultimate ‘orphan-Xmas’ by getting on the prosecco and doing karaoke with your best friends, who for a multitude of reasons also don’t spend the festive season with their families.
Maybe its a family skiing trip, or a couples getaway, or volunteering at a food shelter, there is a lot of pressure on everyone to ‘do Christmas perfectly’, but first of all – ermmm what does that even mean?! So it looks like a scene from Love Actually?! Nahhh, just take pleasure in whatever it is you’re doing is PERFECT for YOU!
If you’re a solo traveller/digital nomad spending your first Christmas abroad, maybe you’re far away from home, and now suddenly feeling a little lonely or lost, and not sure how to approach this day for the first time without your friends or family. Well, let us tell you, no it won’t be your idea of ‘traditional’, and yes you probably will end up sitting on a beach, in a jungle or on the side of a mountain, with people you’ve known for 3 days, sharing stories from around the world of your weird and wonderful festive traditions!
But we’re here to give you our top 3 tips on how to help you make the best of this and make it a special time even if you’re not doing your ‘usual’ special things!
1. Surround yourself with people...
Wherever you are, head to booking.com or hostelworld.com and find a hostel that has barely any beds left (but hopefully one!) – essentially this means – guaranteed people! Nothing worse if you’re feeling lonely than arriving at a hostel and finding you’re the only guest…! Of course also check the reviews and chose a spot that sounds sociable and fun!
It’s a big trend for hostels to host nightly ‘family dinners’ now, and this is hands-down maybe the best way to initially integrate with other guests at the hostel, even as an introvert! Also we recommend heading there 2 days before Xmas so you can have a little time to bond with these new people before the big day! (Remember too, everyone there is also in the same boat!)
2. Get your Facetime mate dates booked in!
Arrange a time in advance to Facetime with your family or best friends, and enjoy the wonders of modern technology as you become a part of each other’s Xmas even from across the globe!
One year I did this and actually had taken a santa hat with me on my travels, purely for this one conversation, when I appeared on my families screen, sitting on a beach in a santa hat, they thought this was brilliant and a story my dad still loves to tell! LOL.
3. Stay open-minded
This is likely to be nothing like the Christmas you’re used to, but that’s okay! Embrace the adventure, think of the story & the treasure memory that this will become, and omg 100% DEFO make a snowman out of sand on the beach!
