When many of us think of a winter vacation, we imagine escaping to a southern destination (an all-inclusive one at that). But you needn’t skip countries for a great trip. Even if you do, it needn’t be drastically different in climate. Here are a few ways to enjoy a cold climate just as much as a warm one.

Find Indoor Activities

Every city has plenty to do indoors. From restaurants to museums, galleries and theatres, you can pass your time walking inside heated spaces and still experience all that a city offers. In fact, when the weather’s warm and sunny, you may feel guilty frequenting such places, so planning a trip in the winter will motivate you to schedule them in.

Do Your Favourite Outdoors Activities Anyway

Many of your favourite summer activities—hiking, wildlife watching, fishing—can be done just as pleasantly in the winter (so long as you dress appropriately). You can strap on some snowshoes and mossy along a wintery trail or motor along on a snowmobile. Likewise, you can slide out onto the ice, knock a hole and drop your fishing line.

There are always ways to tweak your favourite activities to fit the time of year. That said, there are a few activities only available in the winter:

• Snowboarding/ Skiing—take a day trip to the nearest ski hill and rip up that fresh powder. You can plan a full trip around the hills or spontaneously decide to run them, relying on rentals for the day.
• Skating—while arenas produce ice year-round, take the opportunity to skate a pond or lake during the winter. Many cities in Canada are internationally renowned for their skating sports and leisure activities (i.e. Ottawa).