Heat Up Winter With These NEW Active Adventures

Winter is here. While jetsetters begin to plan their tropical escapes, adventurous travelers can't wait to beat the winter blues by choosing a more thrilling, active adventure in an off-the-beaten path winter destination.

Winter Walking in Tyrol, Austria – The picturesque town of Seefeld is the ultimate base for a week of winterwalking. Travelers will find their breath is taken away among pristine winter scenery and a network of prepared trails, as they travel through forests to higher plateaux and explore pretty villages and peaceful valleys. Situated from a quaint hotel only a few minutes' walk from the center of town, adventurers can truly experience the local culture and warm up their tongues tasting traditional Tyrolean cuisine.

Swedish Lapland Activity Week – Embark on a weeks' worth of exciting winter activities in the remote corners of this stunning region. Snowmobile onto a bay where the sea freezes up to a meter thick and the tidal currents of the Baltic Sea create an exciting backdrop of broken pack ice. Take part in traditional Arctic activities including ice-fishing, a husky safari through the forest and a snowshoe hike across the frozen sea in search of the awe-inspiring Northern Lights.

Chamonix Snowshoeing Weekend, France – What more dramatic setting can there be for a weekend of snowshoeing than in the shadow of Mont Blanc? From the base in Chamonix, travelers experience four stunning walks surrounded by incredible views of Europe's highest peaks. Explore alpine forests, climb mountain plateaus, cable car up to the X Aiguille de Plan and spend the night in a remote mountain hut. Not bad for a long weekend!

Snowshoeing in Kosovo, Albania & Montenegro –The mountains encircling this region offer some of the most unexplored snowshoe routes in the Balkans. View the rugged and pristine landscapes while snowshoeing through alpine meadows, rural hamlets and untouched forests. Climbing high to enjoy breathtaking views of Albania's Valbonë Valley, Montenegro's Hajla Peak and Kosovo's Rugova Valley, these pioneering routes are guaranteed to challenge and amaze the recreational snowshoer.

Cross-Country Skiing in Estonia – The beauty of Estonian winters attracts people from across the world, looking for a mix of snow-covered forest, fairy tale towns and friendly locals. Start in Tallinn, Estonia's compact historic city, to enjoy some of the local tracks with plenty of free time to enjoy the capital. Then it's off to the ski capital of Estonia – Otepää – for four action-packed days of cross-country skiing both on and off track, through beautiful pine forest.

Arctic Lights & Whales – Nature lovers won't go home disappointed after visiting the Vesteralen Islands in Northern Norway. The archipelago sits within the Arctic Circle and offers an intoxicating cocktail of fjords and mountains all teeming with wildlife, from soaring eagles to sea otters and reindeer. This far north viewing the Northern Lights can be extraordinary, although never guaranteed.

Cross-Country Skiing – Ax Valleys, France – The Ax Valleys in the Ariege Pyrenees is a cross-country skiers' paradise, offering high altitude plateaux with regular winter sunshine and a skyline jagged with some of the most famous peaks in France. Mornings are spent in the company of a local cross-country ski instructor, mixing tuition with practice and tours, and afternoons are free to explore the well-marked tracks reaching stunning views.

Bieg Piastow Ski Marathon, Poland – The Bieg Piastow Marathon first ran in 1976 with just 261 finishers. Today, the event has grown into a 9-day winter festival, consisting of 13 races, the highlight being the 50km race which we will take part in. The whole event takes place in the popular ski resort of Jakuszyce in Poland's Jizera Mountains, and area famous for its natural undulating tracks through the forest.

Finnish Dogsledding Adventure – Travel 68° North to the stunning Pallas-Yllas National Park, found in northwest Lapland. Boasting the cleanest air in Europe, this region is awash with mile after mile of frozen lakes and pine forests that stretch out to the dramatic Pallastunturi Fells. To truly appreciate such a beautiful and remote part of the world, there really is only one way to travel: by dogsled.