"Best places to travel in December" is a strange search, because the honest answer depends entirely on which hemisphere and which climate system you're asking about. December is cool, dry season across mainland Southeast Asia. It's the one genuinely comfortable stretch of the year in the Gulf. It's the start of the dry season in the Caribbean and northern South America, right after hurricane season closes out. And in the Southern Hemisphere, it isn't winter at all — it's the height of summer. We pulled together the destinations where December is verifiably one of the best months to go, grouped by why, with real numbers instead of "great weather!" filler.
Southeast Asia: peak dry season across the board
Bangkok, Phuket and Chiang Mai all list November through February as their best months, and it's not a coincidence — that's mainland Southeast Asia's cool, dry season, sitting between the wet season (roughly July–October) and the punishing heat that arrives from April, when Bangkok routinely tops 40°C. December sits right in the middle of the good stretch: Bangkok is comfortably warm rather than brutal, Chiang Mai hasn't yet hit its February–April "burning season" smog, and Phuket's seas are calm rather than monsoon-choppy.
Hong Kong runs on a slightly different clock — its sweet spot is October through December specifically, before the occasional cold snaps of January–February and well clear of the July–September typhoon season. December in Hong Kong means clear skies, comfortable walking weather up on the Peak, and none of the humidity that makes summer there miserable.
The Gulf: the one pleasant stretch of the Dubai calendar
Dubai's climate is really two seasons, not four: pleasant from November through March, and brutal the rest of the year — summer highs regularly clear 45°C, sometimes touching 50°C between June and August. December falls squarely in the good half, with daytime temperatures that make the desert safari, the Burj Khalifa observation deck and a walk through the Old Dubai souks genuinely enjoyable instead of an exercise in heat management.
Caribbean & Latin America: dry season, hurricane season over
Cancún and Cartagena share the same rhythm: a wet, hurricane-risk season roughly August through October, followed by a long dry stretch from December through April. Booking in December means you're past the highest-risk months and into calm seas and blue skies — Cancún's cenotes and Cartagena's walled Old City both look a lot better without a tropical downpour rolling through.
Medellín runs on a different logic entirely — Colombia's "city of eternal spring" sits at altitude and holds close to 22°C year-round no matter the month, so the real variable isn't temperature but rain. December through March is its driest stretch, before afternoon showers pick back up in April–May.
Southern Hemisphere: yes, December is summer down there
This is the one northern-hemisphere travellers most often miss: south of the equator, the seasons are flipped. December isn't winter in Cape Town, Auckland or Queenstown — it's the start of summer. Cape Town's best months run November through March, when Table Mountain, Boulders Beach and the Stellenbosch wine routes are all in their sunniest, driest window, well clear of the cold, rainy June–August stretch.
Same story in New Zealand: Auckland's warm, humid summer runs December through March, and Queenstown hits its other peak — December through February is the hot, dry summer for hiking, Milford Sound and its famous bungy jumps, distinct from its second peak season in June–August, when the same town becomes New Zealand's ski capital. Don't confuse the two: book December for summer Queenstown, not powder.
December at a glance
| Destination | Why December works | Vibe in one line | Budget tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bangkok | Cool, dry season (Nov–Feb) | Warm and comfortable, temples without the sweat | Budget-friendly |
| Phuket | Dry season, calm seas | Beach clubs & islands, no monsoon swell | Mid-range |
| Chiang Mai | Cool season, before the smog | Mountain air and markets, no burning-season haze | Budget-friendly |
| Hong Kong | Clear, dry, mild (Oct–Dec) | Skyline views without the humidity | Upper mid-range |
| Dubai | The one pleasant stretch (Nov–Mar) | Desert safaris & rooftop pools, not a furnace | Upper mid-range |
| Cancún | Dry season, hurricanes over | Cenotes & beaches at their bluest | Mid-range |
| Cartagena | Dry season begins | Walled city + Caribbean sun | Mid-range |
| Medellín | Driest stretch of the year | 22°C every day, "eternal spring" | Budget-friendly |
| Cape Town | Southern Hemisphere summer | Beaches, wine country, Table Mountain in full sun | Mid-range |
| Auckland | Southern Hemisphere summer | Waiheke wineries and beach days | Upper mid-range |
| Queenstown | Summer peak, not ski season | Hiking, Milford Sound, adventure sports | Upper mid-range |
Every destination on this list is in its peak season during December, which means peak pricing too — especially Dubai (New Year's Eve week is one of its busiest) and the Southern Hemisphere spots, where December–January overlaps with local summer holidays. Book flights and hotels 2–3 months out if you can; last-minute December trips to any of these tend to cost noticeably more than the same trip in a shoulder month.
The bottom line
There's no single "best place to travel in December" — there's a best place for whatever kind of December you want. Warm and cheap: Chiang Mai or Bangkok. Warm and glossy: Dubai or Cancún. Actual summer, not just warm: Cape Town, Auckland or Queenstown. Pick your version, then build the trip around it.