I am undeniably in love with my job. Getting to tell people I'm a travel editor? Come on, I was born under a lucky star. But even those who get to travel for a living must set aside time for themselves, and there is an indisputably correct way to take time off from work: plan around holidays.

Why take a three-day weekend when it could be four or, dare I say, five? If you're based in the US, go ahead and request the Friday before MLK day off to treat yourself to four days of no-work bliss. I'm already planning a girls' trip to upstate New York over Presidents' Day Weekend (someone just proposed we stay on an alpaca farm - how euphoric is that?). Lonely Planet's HR team can expect a timely request for some bonus days very soon.

My second piece of advice: make the time off worth your while. You deserve to see the world, whether it's a quick visit to the nearby mountains or that dream Europe trip you've been saving up for since the pandemic. All travel merits a time off request, big or small, because we experience tremendous self-discovery when we're on the road.

Here's how to maximize your time - and yourself - in 2025.

Ann Douglas Lott

Digital Editor

Winter is the most underrated time of year to visit Europe, whether you're seeing the northern lights twinkle over Lapland or soaking up the winter sunshine in Fuerteventura. Here's where else you should go.

Take the polar plunge and just go

Lush rainforests, rolling grasslands, snow-capped volcanoes, deserts littered with pink flowers - the biodiversity of South America is just the icing on the cake. Here's a rundown of the continent's must-visit destinations.

Where to go in South America

...all year long - even in July! Glide beneath volcanoes in Hokkaidō in February and keep your gear ready for a New Zealand trip come June. Here's where the slopes are calling every single month of the year.

A slope for every month

You've let it be known to us that our Japan guidebook was your favorite this year by a landslide. But where are you headed on your next Asian adventure? We've got you.

Keep exploring

Start the year off strong with a low-season trip to Italy or a Caribbean vacation in low-key Anguilla. Here's where else you should go in January.

Photography by: Trevor Charles Graham/Shutterstock, Violette Franchi for Lonely Planet, Don Mammoser/Shutterstock, Mayumi K Photography/Shutterstock, Isra Suvachart/Shutterstock, Isabella Moore for Lonely Planet, Barbara Dudzinska/Shutterstock, Amir Hamja for Lonely Planet, Matyas Rehak/Shutterstock

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