After the challenging 2020 we’ve all had, there are many of us who are itching to get back to traveling… This year I’m skipping the ‘Looking Back’ post to close the year, as it’s been a total fail in terms of travel; nothing more than a couple of trips to Italy and day-trips from Vienna.
My biggest wish for the new year is certainly the vaccines being available to everyone, so life can return somewhat to normal. And although we still must wait, there is a light at the end of the tunnel now. I’m optimistic that we’ll be able to travel safely — well, at least, much more safely — by spring 2021. ???? What we can do as of now though, is planning.
With that in mind, let’s start looking at the travel opportunities starting with Easter. So, first things first: check the calendar for all holidays in 2021. I’ll take Vienna as an example:
| April 5 | Easter Monday | Monday |
| May 1 | Labor Day | Saturday |
| May 13 | Ascension Day | Thursday |
| May 24 | Whit Monday | Monday |
| June 3 | Corpus Christi | Thursday |
| August 15 | Assumption of Mary | Sunday |
| October 26 | National Day | Tuesday |
| November 1 | All Saints' Day | Monday |
| November 15 | Saint Leopold's Day | Monday |
| December 8 | Immaculate Conception | Wednesday |
| December 24-25 | Christmas | Friday/Saturday |
| December 26 | St. Stephen's Day | Sunday |
| December 31 | New Year's Eve | Friday |
| January 1, 2022 | New Year's Day | Saturday |
| January 6, 2022 | Epiphany | Thursday |
Without the Christmas break, there are 4 monday/fridays when it’s a no-brainer to get out of town. Then you have 3 tuesday/thursdays, which combined with 1 day from your annual leave, give you 4 full days of vacation. These ones depend on agreements with your employer/team. But bring the topic as soon as possible to the table and you increase your chances of securing those days for yourself 🙂
But that’s not all! There’s even more opportunity to travel in 2021.
Late Spring and Summer
Those weekends are perfect for short trips of max 2-3 hours flights. Wouldn’t you like to return suntanned to the office come monday morning? Here are some rules for pulling this off:
- Travel light! Hand-luggage only is mandatory.
- Bring your small suitcase with you to the office on friday and go straight to the airport. Pack an easy outfit to change before going, if you prefer. Some selected and unexpensive gear will help.
- Don’t book a hotel far from your area of interest. Whether it’s the beach or a historical center, you don’t want to waste your precious time with unnecessary moving around.
- Consider how to leave and return to the airport. Being too far will mean expensive taxis, time-consuming transfers, or both. Make smart decisions! This is always explained in the 101 Guides for each city and it’s particularly crucial for short trips.
- Forget luxury accommodation. Yes, a clean and safe place to sleep is a priority but you won’t spend time in the hotel. So if you need to choose between a fancier place far from your area of interest or a simpler one in the center of the action, go with the latter.
We’ll be back in mid-January with new posts to help you travel better, so you can travel more! Until then…
Cheers and Happy Travels in the New Year! ????
Do you have more tips to share? Do you also plan to travel more in 2021? Let me know in the comments below.
Read also:
Don’t Be That Person: Flying Edition
10 Simple Ways To Make Frequent-Flying Easier
How To Choose Your Hotel on Short Trips: 4 Simple Rules
Pin this post and happy travels!
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