Where to go in December
Road trips that our season estimate rates as best in December: 83 routes in Europe, North America and Oceania.
Where to go in December by RV or camper? December brings short days, festive lights and the start of winter in the Northern Hemisphere. In the Alps, winter campgrounds open for the ski season, and Christmas markets make for cozy stops in central Europe. If you’d rather have sunshine, head to southern Spain, Portugal or the US desert Southwest. In Australia and New Zealand, summer begins, with long days and beach weather.
The routes below are the ones our season estimate rates as good in December, based on long-term temperature averages, terrain and pass opening seasons. Our tip: over Christmas and New Year, ski resorts and winter campgrounds book up early, and in Australia the long summer school holidays begin. Book ahead for the holidays, carry snow chains in the mountains and check whether passes on your route are closed.
USA · 33 routes
The newest 24 are shown here; all routes are in the trip guide catalogue.
© Hans Stieglitz · CC BY-SA 3.0Florida Gulf Coast and the Everglades
Photo by Mason @ TRI on UnsplashFlorida’s Forgotten Coast
© Prayitno / Thank you for (12 millions +) view from Los Angeles, USA · CC BY 2.0Pacific Coast Highway south: Malibu to San Diego
© Famartin · CC BY-SA 4.0Oʻahu circle: Diamond Head to the North Shore
© Ken Lund from Reno, Nevada, USA · CC BY-SA 2.0Kohala and the Hāmākua Coast: Kona to Hilo the northern way
© Beyond My Ken · CC BY-SA 4.0Superstition Mountains, the Apache Trail and Tonto Basin
Photo by Alex Parisi on UnsplashTucson and Mount Lemmon: from saguaros to pine forest
© LuidmilaKot · Pixabay Content LicenseManatees, cypress swamps and shell beaches – by camper along Florida’s Gulf Coast to the Everglades
© Famartin · CC BY-SA 4.0Lava fields, black beaches and cloud forest – a campervan loop around Hawaiʻi Island
© Kirt Edblom from Kihei, Hi, United States · CC BY-SA 2.0Single-lane bridges, bamboo forest and sunrise above the clouds – by campervan along the Road to Hāna and up Haleakalā
© DXR · CC BY-SA 4.0Coquina forts, sand tracks and launch pads – by camper along Florida's Atlantic coast from Amelia Island to Vero Beach
© Larry D. Moore · CC BY 4.0Texas Hill Country on US-290: LBJ country, Luckenbach and wildflowers
© Chris M Morris · CC BY 2.0Spanish missions and the Frio River canyonlands
© 12019 · Pixabay Content LicenseBlackwater, cypresses and crystal-clear springs – by camper from the Okefenokee Swamp down the Suwannee River to the springs of North Florida
© User:Genoist · CC BY-SA 3.0Spring pools, manatees and sand pines – by camper from Orlando through the Ocala National Forest to the springs of Central Florida
© Håkan Dahlström from Malmö, Sweden · CC BY 2.0Florida’s Space Coast: Kennedy Space Center to Daytona
© Kalisa66 · CC0A1A from Jacksonville to Daytona: forts, lighthouses and coquina
© User:Genoist · CC BY-SA 3.0Central Florida springs: Wekiwa to the Ichetucknee
© David Broad · CC BY 3.0Turquoise to the Horizon – Along the Overseas Highway to Key West
Photo by Pascal Bernardon on UnsplashThe Overseas Highway to Key West
Photo by Cesar Cid on UnsplashJoshua trees, salt lake and palm oases: by camper through the deserts of Southern California
Photo by Royce Fonseca on UnsplashOrange groves, the Pink Moment and island hopping – by camper through Ventura, Ojai and to the Channel Islands
© w_lemay · CC BY-SA 2.0Islands in a sea of desert: by camper through Arizona’s Sky Islands: Chiricahua, Bisbee, Tombstone, Saguaro and Organ Pipe
© Alan Levine from Strawberry, United States · CC BY 2.0Dust, lakes and saguaros: by camper along the Apache Trail through the Superstition Mountains to Roosevelt Lake
Europe · 3 routes
© jairo_83_0 · Pixabay Content LicenseLaurel forest, lava fields and trade-wind clouds – by camper across Tenerife and La Gomera
Photo by Michael Schreiber on UnsplashLava fields, wine hollows and shifting dunes – by camper across Lanzarote and Fuerteventura
© Felix König · CC BY 3.0Rock needles, pine forest and shifting dunes – by camper around Gran Canaria
Oceania · 47 routes
The newest 24 are shown here; all routes are in the trip guide catalogue.
Photo by Ms M on UnsplashSurf breaks, limestone stacks and sandstone ridges – by camper along the Great Ocean Road to the Grampians
Photo by RE Walsh on UnsplashRainforest, granite bays and wombats at dusk – a campervan loop around Tasmania
Photo by Laura Cros on UnsplashBays, bush and penguins – by camper along the Princes Highway from Sydney to Melbourne
Photo by Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa on UnsplashFrom Franz Josef and Fox Glacier to Haast and Jackson Bay
Photo by Nathan Hurst on UnsplashKarri giants, granite coves and beach kangaroos – by campervan through Western Australia’s South West to Esperance
Photo by Urlaubstracker on UnsplashMountain ash, muscat and snow poles – by camper through Victoria’s High Country
Photo by Caleb on UnsplashSandstone gorges, gold-rush villages and snow-grass plains – through the mountains of New South Wales by camper
Photo by Emma Li on UnsplashMackenzie Country lakes and Aoraki / Mount Cook
Photo by Titus Blair on UnsplashThe Catlins coast from Balclutha to Invercargill
Photo by Ian Ward on UnsplashCrown Range and Lake Wānaka to Cromwell
Photo by Tonia Kraakman on UnsplashTe Anau to Milford Sound via Homer Tunnel
© Thomas Berwing · CC BY-SA 4.0Bluff to Stewart Island / Rakiura and Ulva Island
Photo by Jamie Davies on UnsplashConvict road, Semillon and snow-grass highlands – by camper through the Hunter Valley into the Barrington Tops
Photo by James R on UnsplashPelicans, crater lakes and terra rossa – by camper through the Coorong to the Limestone Coast
Photo by Urlaubstracker on UnsplashMineral springs, steam trains and gold-rush towns – by campervan through the Macedon Ranges and the Victorian Goldfields
© Maksym Kozlenko · CC BY-SA 4.0Misty forest, sandstone gorges and wombats by the river – by camper through the Southern Highlands to Kangaroo Valley
Photo by Paddy Pohlod on UnsplashGrand Pacific Drive: Sydney to Kiama
Photo by Dominic Kurniawan Suryaputra on UnsplashBlue Mountains and the Central West
© LaurindaRB · CC BY-SA 4.0Apple orchards, wooden boats and the end of the road – by camper through southern Tasmania to Cockle Creek
© Mattinbgn (talk · contribs) · CC BY 3.0Red wine, volcanic spires and starry skies – through the Central West of New South Wales by camper
Photo by RE Walsh on UnsplashTulip fields, a flat-topped mountain and the end of the world – by camper through Tasmania’s north-west and the Tarkine
© Peter Firminger · CC BY 2.0Hunter Valley to Port Macquarie
© Ymblanter · CC BY-SA 4.0South Coast: Kiama to Narooma
Photo by kylie De Guia on UnsplashCanberra and the Snowy Mountains
FAQs
Where can you go by motorhome in December?
It depends on what you’re after. For snow, winter campgrounds in the Alps are great. For mild weather, southern Spain, Portugal and the US Southwest are good choices. For summer, travel to Australia or New Zealand, where the seasons are reversed. Wherever you go, check pass closures and winter equipment rules before you leave.
Can you go camping in a motorhome over Christmas?
Yes. Many winter campgrounds in the Alps and year-round sites in southern Europe are open over the holidays. Book early, because these dates are popular. You’ll need a reliable heater, enough gas or diesel and, in snowy regions, winter tires and snow chains. A carbon monoxide alarm belongs in every van or motorhome.
How are the routes for December chosen?
Our season estimate combines long-term temperature averages, terrain and the opening seasons of mountain passes for every stop of a route. These 83 routes are rated “good” in December. Weather varies from year to year, so check the forecast before you go.