There are plenty of warm, mineral pools in the open air around the world. However pleasant they may be in the summer, there is nothing like getting into one in the winter, when snowflakes are falling from the sky and you are soaking in warm, mineral water, not caring about tiny details like weather forecasts or an air temperature more suited to polar bears…

How to do it (better):

Don’t forget to take a towel to dry yourself off as quickly as possible as you climb out of the pool. Also take your favorite warm drink in a thermos for pure bliss (coffee, cappuccino, tea and rum, only rum – we’re not judging).

Where to do it:

The Blue Lagoon in Iceland – The Blue Lagoon gets its name from the incredible color created by the mixture of fresh and salt water. It lies 40 km (24 mi) from the capital of Iceland – Reykjavík. The Blue Lagoon contains around 6 million liters (1.5 million gallons) of geothermal water, which renews itself naturally every 40 hours and its temperature is 37º C (98º F). Another cheaper and more tranquil option is the Myvatn Nature Baths nearby.

Japanese onsen – “onsen” is a type of spring that is very common in Japan. Visit Beppu, a city on the island of Kyushu, with its “Hells of Beppu” – geothermal hot spots, each differently colored due to the mineral content in the water.

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Source: the book “203 Travel Challenges. Travel the World. Explore Your Inner Self.”

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It’s way easier to celebrate the summer solstice – the nights are mild, the mornings are warm and all in all it’s easier to drag yourself out of bed at 4 am (or never go to sleep) when you know a bright summer day awaits. Things get harder when you try to convince yourself to do the same with the winter solstice. Just think of the frost, the stone-cold hands, the white death, the polar bears…

If you’re well prepared, however, the winter solstice ritual can become one of the highlights of December (it can even outdo Christmas, I promise!). Here are a few tips to help you have a great winter solstice with your besties.

Winter in the wild | Ales Krivec/Unsplash.com

The ritual

Choose a vantage point with a spectacular view (it’s important that you’re facing east, toward the sunrise). Bring your bravest friends, plenty of hot drinks and some portable speakers. Choose your personal winter solstice song and play it at the sight of the sun poking above the skyline after its longest sleep of the year. As the sun’s rays light up the sky above, raise a glass to adventures and drinks with a view!

The equipment

The key to a pleasant winter solstice experience is to NOT be cold. You wouldn’t want all your memories of the sunrise to be about how you were shivering uncontrollably and gradually losing feeling in your feet and hands. Dress according to the night’s weather forecast and when you’re done, add one extra scarf and one extra blanket. These particular extras are what will save the trip – I say this from personal experience.

A snow picnic from our last winter solstice adventure | © Maria Angelova/www.203challenges.com

The drinks

Bring whatever hot drinks will help you toast the winter solstice – that could be hot tea, hot tea with rum, only rum, or mulled wine. Make sure you bring something non-alcoholic for the poor driver.

When is the winter solstice?

The winter solstice in the northern hemisphere is about December 21. In the southern hemisphere, it’s about June 21. The exact time of the solstice varies from place to place and year to year – simply typing ‘winter solstice’ into Google will show you the the exact time and date for your location.

Have you greeted the sun on the morning of the winter solstice? Would you do it again?

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Winter and snow can be more fun than you have ever imagined. We collected a few kooky ideas, in case you have somehow been trapped in a winter boredom.

1. Yellow snow. A friend of mine told me how, when she was little, she played a favorite game with her father. As soon as it snowed, they would go to the park with a plastic bottle, filled with yellow food coloring. They poured some of the liquid on the snow and waited for someone to pass by, in order to start eating the yellow snow.

2. Ride the slopes with a plastic bag, instead of a sledge. Don’t be looking around like this idea is meant for someone else – it works for adults too. Throwing away your supermarket plastic bags is not eco-friendly, so use them for snow entertainment.

3. Jump in the snow, with nothing but your swimming suit on. It sounds terribly unwise, but it’s what they do in Finland, after a sauna, and nobody has ever died yet. In fact, it makes you stronger. Just don’t spend too much time lying around in the snow.

4. Make a snowman. Dress him up in clothes from the nearest carelessly unattended low-handing clothesline.

5. Write a poem in the snow. Example:

It has been snowing, like, forever.

Enough with this snow.

I’ve got a pink adapter.

Something has a glow.

Alright, not everyone can be a poet.

6. Eat an icicle. Save a passerby.

7. Start shoveling snow for money. If they don’t pay you enough, put the snow back.

8. Go ice skating. Instead of skates, bring rollerblades.

9. Pretend to be a Japanese tourist, in your own town. Visit the museums; take a picture of every street sign, bench and life-threatening icicle over the sidewalk. In a heavy accent, ask a stranger to take a picture of you in front of an old car.

10. Sit on the sidewalk and put your hat in front of you. On a piece of cardboard, write that the world financial crisis has brought this upon you, and you immediately need coins to buy ice-cream.

The post 10 fun ideas for the winter (that are not skiing) appeared first on 203Challenges.

Don’t Ski Alone

Having a buddy with you while skiing will help keep both of you safe. If you get hurt or start suffering from hypothermia, you may not be found and rescued in time if you decide to ski alone. You can arrange a meeting place to go if you get separated from your partner, or use two-way communication devices like a smartphone or walkie-talkie to stay in touch. It’s also a good idea to inform others who aren’t going with you where you plan to ski and when you intend to return, just in case the worst should happen. The longer you’re trapped out in the cold, the harder it will be for you to survive, so always having someone who can send help will increase your chances of being rescued safely.

Wear Protective Gear

Make sure you wear protective equipment when you go skiing. The most important piece is your helmet. Head injuries are common amongst skiers, and a helmet will greatly reduce the risk of suffering one. Many ski gear reviews also advise wearing properly fitted boots, protective goggles, gloves, wrist guards, and elbow and knee pads. The more precautions you take to protect your body, the less likely it is that you’ll get hurt. As said before, suffering an injury out on the slopes can be a death sentence, so do everything you can to avoid them.

Stay Warm

When you’re busy skiing and having fun, it’s easy to lose track of time. The longer you’re exposed to the frigid temperatures necessary for skiing, the higher the chance you have of getting frostbite. Being active can also make you feel warmer, but you are still at risk of suffering from hypothermia. Wear warm clothing that covers as much of your body as possible, and use layers to keep your body at a safe temperature. Bring extra clothing items like gloves or scarfs in case the ones you’re wearing get wet. If you have waterproof clothing, that’s even better. But make sure they are loose enough that they don’t restrict your movements, as that can also pose a danger to you.

Be Aware of Potential Hazards

Having an awareness of your surroundings can save your life. Look for potential hazards like trees, rocks, ice patches, or sudden changes in terrain. You should know where the trail is and never stray from the markers. The trails are laid out to avoid dangerous areas, but if you leave it, you risk encountering any number of environmental perils. Don’t allow yourself to get distracted by your phone or music. Other skiers are also potential hazards, so always be aware of where they are in relation to you.

Obey the Rules

Always obey the rules while out on the slopes. Don’t ignore postings for closed trails or warning signs. These aren’t suggestions—if a slope is deemed too dangerous for skiers, it’s because there is a hazard on the trails that can kill you. Trails are also marked for a reason.. Use the proper techniques while skiing to keep yourself and others safe. These things exist to protect you. You should also use proper techniques while skiing to avoid injuring yourself or others.

Know your Limits

Don’t push yourself to tackle trails that are beyond your abilities. Most trails are marked with certain skill levels in mind, but different places might use different symbols, so make sure you know in advance what they are and what they mean. If you’re a beginner or intermediate skier, don’t push yourself to tackle the tougher trails before you’re ready. You also need to listen to your body. If you’re becoming tired and fatigued, take a break. Continuing to ski when you’re not in the right condition to do so can lead to injuries or accidents. Respect your limitations and don’t try to keep up with others if they’re more experienced than you.

Skiing is only fun when nobody gets hurt. The best way to enjoy it is by doing it safely. It’s a dangerous sport, and there are many ways it can go wrong, so you don’t want to turn what should be a good time into a nightmare. Remember these tips in order to keep yourself safe while skiing.

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Enjoying a picnic in the snow might not be the first thing you imagine when someone suggests spending leisure time outdoors, but you can’t deny that it’s an exciting new way to experience winter. Just dress accordingly and head out into the wonderful white world around you!

Okay, you should probably do a few more things to prepare…

Here are our best tips to ensure you have a fun (and, most importantly, warm!) experience every time you organize a winter picnic, whether that be with kids or just other grown-ups.

The essentials before you go:

• Check if starting a bonfire is allowed in the area where you plan to hold the picnic.
• Bake some goodies (or live like a boss and get somebody else to bake them for you. After all, we can’t all be Gordon Ramsay).
• Prepare some hot drinks or soup and bring them with you in thermos flasks. Good ideas include tea, hot chocolate, coffee or spicy mulled wine to keep you hot from the inside.
• Wrap yourself up in several layers of clothing (you can take off layers if you start to get hot).

Winter picnic | © Maria Angelova/www.203challenges.com

Don’t forget:

• An extra pair of gloves, because your first pair of gloves will definitely get soaked.
• Extra blankets.
• A waterproof mat to sit on.
• A lighter.
• Extra batteries for the camera (because they run out much sooner when it’s cold).
• A rubbish bag to take your trash home.
• A towel (see ‘activities with friends’ below).

Keep yourself warm | alex/Unsplash.com

The activities

You can add a host of activities to this list depending on who you are with and whether you’re planning a calm family Sunday or a crazy day out with your friends.

Winter picnic activities with kids: build a snowman; collect pine cones; build an igloo; make angels in the snow; engage in a snowball fight.

Winter picnic activities with friends: climb the nearest peak and pop a bottle of sparkling wine at the top; bring loudspeakers and play your favorite music (don’t forget an extra pack of batteries); if you’re feeling especially brave, roll around naked in the snow (that’s what the towel is for!).

Winter picnic activities with that special someone: make the atmosphere more romantic by bringing a candle or two and lighting them; hike to a vantage point and watch the sunset, then make your way back down using your flashlights.

One extra idea: If it’s around Christmas, decorate the car so even the trip to the picnic spot will be a special experience.

Read more: 21 unusual Christmas travel ideas for every kind of traveler

The winter solstice challenge: a December ritual

Winter challenge: jump into a warm, open-air mineral pool while it’s snowing

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