It’s that time of the year again — when long summer days give way to long winter nights and you dream of vast acres of spotless snow, or maybe, a group of friends strumming a guitar and sitting around a bonfire under a star-lit sky.

As another year draws to a close, you dream about the days gone by and then, like millions of one’s fellow citizens begin to notice that the cities are slowly emptying of people and phones are going unanswered or unreachable. The penny finally drops: Winter Vacations. Then you finally begin to address that most important of questions: Where should I go for the holidays?

Should you be predictable and head once more to the sun-kissed beaches of Goa? Or is this, finally, the year to let go and experiment?

Either way goes, says an official from Stic Travels: “People are opting for a couple of holiday destinations for this winter, both domestic and international. Goa remains an all time favourite holiday destination as people really enjoy going there around this time to enjoy Christmas and the New Year.”

When in doubt, go to Goa, seems to be the general sentiment. With its sun

and sand and old-world architecture, Goa remains the favoured domestic destination for Indians planning a break. However, Goa faces a challenge with two other alternatives finding increasing favour from holidayers — the lush tropical and calm-inducing locales of 'God's Own Country', Kerala, where travellers can choose between beaches or the languid backwaters for an out-of the-world experience and the varied hues of the northeast —verdant Shillong, nestled

in the hills or the mystic ambience of Gangtok,

home to several Buddhist monasteries.

In recent times, a considerable number of people are opting to spend their vacations in hitherto offbeat destinations in the Northeast, especially Sikkim and Meghalaya, while many opt for a vacation in Kerala, travel agents say.

But for sultry film actress Udita Goswami Goa it is. Although a long restful holiday is out of the question this year due to her busy schedule she says, “after I complete my pending projects, I would love to go to Goa.”

The green-eyed beauty adds that she would like to visit scenic Ladakh and explore the wonders of its stark, lunar-like landscape and the old traditional Budhhist monasteries and pilgrimage sites situated in the high plateau. “I love and enjoy Indian winter,” she says, citing fond memories of a trip to the remote but beautiful and unspoilt Lahaul-Spiti districts of Himachal Pradesh, a microcosm of Ladakh and a haven for intrepid trekkers which is cut-off from the rest of the country for almost eight months of the year.

It’s a fact that the global financial slump has wrecked havoc with many holiday plans, with budgets slashed and many lavish plans put on ice. Says Himmat Anand, COO, Sita Travels: “There has been drop of 15 per cent in bookings this year, but the worst is still yet to come. Due to the ongoing recession, the booking could further drop by another 25 per cent. Booking for the months of January, February and March are drying up. The most preferred destinations in India are Rajasthan, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. Downgrading has been noticed in terms of hotel bookings. People who usally prefer 5-star hotels are now making do with less.

If an expensive vacation in Europe no longer fits your budget, join the many people heading to South East Asia for a break this December.

The Far East, particularly Thailand with its famous beaches, calm climate, rich culture and cuisine and plentiful shopping opportunities or cosmopolitan Singapore are extremely popular. Says a Thomas Cook executive, “A large number of people are opting for the Far East. Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand are the most poular destinations. We book approximately 750-1000 travel packages to such destinations each day across our offices in India”.

One of them could be Priya Sachdev Chatwal, former model and the wife of famous US-based hotelier Vikram Chatwal, who says she is most likely to head for the Far East this season with Thailand being the most probable destination.

Fashion designer Rina Dhaka says she plans to do the same.

“Nothing is planned as of now, but I would like to go Thailand, which has nice people, beaches and food. In India, Shimla is my all-time favourite, for the simple reason that most people ignore it as it is not accessible by plane”.

But Berlin it is for ace marksman Abhinav Bindra, who made an entire nation ecstatic with his Gold medal at the Beijing Olympics earlier this year. Germany, he says, is like a “second home” to him.

“New Year’s is a special occasion for me and for such a special occasion I would love to go to a place which revives my energy to the maximum. One such city is Munich,” he told FC, adding, the city holds a lot of memories for him and he never gets tired of it.

For rising Bollywood star Sonu Sood, Atlanta is where he heads to escape the maddening crowds. “I plan to go to Atlanta this winter. The place is good for quiet long drives,” he says.

But family ties are also of the utmost importance to him, so Washington is also where Sood might be heading thats where his sister lives. “I love to party in Washington. The place has some good casinos,” he adds. Las Vegas and Texas are his other favourite destinations.

Whatever your final decision— be it Goa or Gokarna, Atalanta or Assam, make sure you return with a bag full of memories to see you through the year ahead.