Hi all,

Looking at taking the family on two big trips the next two years. One ideally over Christmas in 2025 and the other during summer of 2026. For those who have been, which of the trips in the subject line would you do at which time and why? Assume 2ish weeks per trip. Kids will be between 10-17. Thanks!

Tokyo - March/Early April. Mild weather, cherry bloom
Thailand - Avoid July-Sept (rainy season) if visiting south/beaches.
Aus - totally dependent on your activity desires and where you are visiting. We had a great time in December, beach and GBR focused trip.
NZ-Went in September, able to ski treblecone, mild weather, and almost everything tourist related wide open. Sure there are other good times but those were my experiences.

We did Thailand and Tokyo on our honeymoon many years ago.

Went for 2 weeks early January.

Thailand was incredible weather. Tokyo was absolutely cold as hell.

Jan 1 in Australia would be the equivalent of July 1 in the northern hemisphere at that latitude. For example, Sydney high today is 76.

December - January is summer in Australia and the peak prices for flights and accommodations.

I don't know what the prices are like now but typical flight cost per person in economy over Christmas was about $3,300 when I was buying them 5-10 years ago.

The Australian Dollar is pretty weak right now compared to the USD so you might get some better deals.

Tokyo can get surprisingly warm during August.

Conversely, if you go there in December, it'll be cold and snow skiing is an option.

Does your two week plan mean 1 week in Thailand and 1 week in Japan?

Has to be said though, New Year's Eve in Sydney is hard to beat, happy 2025 from Sydney!

We used to have a nice view from my office on Level 10 at 60 Miller St in North Sydney.

Another surprisingly great watch location was from the top of a hill in North Curl Curl.

Cheers Mate!