10 Places To Escape During The Holidays

It's the Holiday Season. A time when families gather around, people waste tons of money on presents, television is cluttered with old Christmas movies, radios play Mariah Carey all day long, the streets are crowded, the shops are full and you can go blind from all the decorations.

Don't get me wrong, I love Christmas and my family, I love the snow (if there is any), the whole spirit thing, but sometimes I really want to escape and just be somewhere quiet. A place so distant and so isolated, but at the same time - beautiful and magical. So I found a few places like that.

Here are the NUMBER places to escape during the Holidays... or whenever you want:

Crescent Lake 

This is literally the Oasis for your holidays. I say literally, because it actually is an oasis, located in north west China, south from Dunhuang city. 

It almost vanished a few years back, but the Chinese government helped and now you can go and chillax (yes, I said it) for a few days. Go there before it gets too crowded, because sooner or later it will get trendy.

Masca, Tenerife

Have you ever wanted to go visit the Canary Islands? Too expensive for you? Well, now you can! Tenerife is the largest of the islands with more than 9 million annual tourists. It doesn't sound like the place for solitude, but there is one spot on that island, perfect for a getaway.

Masca is a small village with not more than 100 people living there. It is hard to reach, but not impossible, so more and more people are visiting it each year. But you can still go and feel kind of isolated. And for only 3 hours of hiking you can get to the beach.

Togian Archipelago

Also known as the Togian Islands. It's a beautiful place to be, specially if you hate cold winters. It's always warm there, because it's in Indonesia. The water is clear, the nature is untouched. You can rent a bungalow there or simply go to one of the deserted islands and sleep under the stars (not entirely recommended).

Be careful, there are sea gypsies around.

Spiti Valley, Himalayas

This is one of the least populated regions in India. It's usually cut off from the world, because of heavy snowing. The only downer - you have to be skilled and well equipped, because the terrain is quite difficult to cross.

El Nido, Palawan 

It is the Best Beach and Island destination in the Philippines. Which probably makes it quite popular. There are even clubs and night life, but don't worry - you can go to some local community and just enjoy the nature.

Hire a boat and enjoy the nearby islands. It sound like that movie The Beach.

Huacachina, Peru

Another Oasis on the list. Anyway, here is wonderwall.

It's not as cool as Crescent Lake, but you can sandboard and use a buggy here.

Amedi, Kurdistan

The moment you enter the article about Amedi in Wiki Voyage, you see a warning sign - Amedi remains one of the most dangerous cities on Earth. But they say that about every Iraqi city, so don't you worry.

The place is incredibly beautiful, it is said to be one of the most beautiful places in the Middle East. It's not only about the nature, but the city itself is spectacular.

Saint Stepanos Monastery, Iran

It's a monastery, so you know it will be isolated and well protected. Back in the days Muslims used to attack Christian countries and monasteries were one of the safest places. They had thick walls and doors. And this one is located in Iran, so you know it's good.

They probably have one chamber somewhere in the basement, so you can go there and sleep for the night. Christmas eve in a holy place, in solitude. Awesome. 

McMurdo Station, Antarctica

What are the holidays without snow? That's why you can get as much snow as you want (not Jon, though). Everyone who is a big fan of The Thing or any Antarctic expedition movies can go there. Personally, I think it's just dreamy. Everything is covered in snow, there are not cities for thousands of miles, every car has huge tires, there are around 1000 people max, and you feel really manly for being there.

The seat of Clan Maclachlan, Castle Lachlan

While sleeping in a cabin near the South Pole or being in a oasis sounds tempting, there is something cooler - being in a castle. The Clan Maclachlan still lives there, but they are renting 16 of the bedrooms. You can try it and in the spare time you can visit the near Loch.