08/20/2026
If Antarctica or Egypt is on your travel list, I would be looking seriously at December 2026 and January 2027 right now.
These are two trips where when you go matters almost as much as where you go.
ANTARCTICA | Silversea
December and January are right in the heart of the Antarctic summer. You get the long daylight hours, active penguin colonies, extraordinary ice, and increasing opportunities to see whales.
And there is a particularly good reason to look at Silversea this coming season.
Their Fly the Drake voyages aboard Silver Endeavour let you fly to King George Island instead of spending roughly two days in each direction crossing the Drake Passage by ship. You arrive in Antarctica and begin exploring almost immediately.
For December 2026, Silversea currently has Fly the Drake itineraries such as December 1–7 and a special December 19–27 Christmas expedition. January includes six-day Fly the Drake departures such as January 18–24 and January 24–30.
There are also traditional Drake crossings for travelers who want the full expedition experience.
What makes 2026–27 especially interesting is Silversea’s new Cormorant at 55 South in Puerto Williams, created specifically for its Antarctica Fly Cruise guests. It turns what used to be a logistical overnight into part of the luxury experience before and after Antarctica.
And availability is already telling us something: at least one December Fly the Drake departure is currently waitlisted.
EGYPT | Viking
Then there is Egypt.
If someone asked me for one of the best times of year to see Cairo, Luxor, the Valley of the Kings and cruise the Nile, I would put December and January near the top of the list.
Instead of dealing with Egypt’s intense summer heat, you’re traveling during the cooler winter season, when long days visiting temples, tombs and archaeological sites are far more comfortable.
Viking’s 12-day Pharaohs & Pyramids itinerary combines Cairo with a Nile cruise and 11 guided tours, including the Great Pyramid and Sphinx, Karnak and Luxor temples, the Valley of the Kings, Dendera and time on the Nile.
There’s another reason I particularly like this upcoming season: Viking’s itinerary now includes the Grand Egyptian Museum as part of the Cairo program. For anyone who has been saying, “I’ll go to Egypt when the new museum finally opens,” that changes the equation.
Viking’s purpose-built Nile ships are also unusually intimate. Viking Aton, for example, carries only 82 guests.
And right now Viking is making it relatively easy to secure a future trip: its current August promotion advertises a $25 deposit, reduced fares and up to free international airfare on select Pharaohs & Pyramids departures, with the offer scheduled to end August 31.
My advice: don’t treat Antarctica and Egypt like Caribbean cruises that you can casually decide on three months before departure.
For December 2026 and January 2027, I would be choosing the itinerary and securing the right cabin now, particularly if you want a specific Silversea expedition date, Fly the Drake, or one of Viking’s smaller Nile ships.
If either Antarctica or Egypt has been sitting on your “someday” list, this may be the season to turn someday into a date on the calendar.
Figueroa Travel
