Somehow, we’re almost at the end of another winter in the Northern Hemisphere, and no doubt many of you are wishing you’d planned a getaway. Last week, retired JFC-er Dave asked where he should be spending January 2025, and my goodness, did you all deliver with ideas.

While there were a few absolute no-brainers among the suggestions, your #1 actually surprised us. But then we thought about it—stunning coastline, toasty weather, phenomenal wildlife… and plenty of wine. We’re sold!

Without further ado, these are the Detour's top winter escapes, as chosen by you:

1. South Africa

2. Costa Rica

3. Southeast Asia

4. Morocco

5. Mauritius

We hope that's given you a few ideas to play with, Dave! Do let us know where you end up booking... and maybe we'll join you!

Do you have a question you'd like the JFC community to help you answer? Or is there an article you'd like to see in The Detour? Let us know below!

Help me, JFC! 🗺️

By Olivia Flight Finder Olivia is a San Diego native, splitting her time between there and Seattle. When she’s not at her local coffee shop writing about slow travel, you’ll find her hiking or road tripping along the West Coast.

Zion is the 3rd most visited National Park in the US, but only the 36th largest, and most of that land is wilderness that tourists can’t easily access. The main canyon area is a patch of lush, overgrown oasis between soaring tall peaks of red rock, surrounded by desert. This combination of tight space and popularity means that this skinny strip of Eden is pretty bogged down by crowds.

But if you want to get away from the noise, there’s an option — trek deeper down the Virgin River to where Zion Canyon narrows into a slot, aptly named “the Narrows.” While still considered a popular hike, the deep, ice-cold water and miles of boulders are enough to scare off the bulk of the tourist crowd. A couple miles in, and you might feel like you have the park nearly to yourself.

I read a lot of articles online about the Narrows of Zion National Park before heading out myself, but most seem hyper-focused on selling what a “magical adventure” they had. And they’re not wrong, but they do the audience a disservice by pretending it’s all gorgeous sights and calming nature. Those bloggers are outdoorsy and the Narrows was a cakewalk for them, but if you’re not accustomed to this sort of thing, it can be a pretty difficult journey.

Now, I’m not fully inexperienced, but I’m not a serious technical hiker. I’m more of a “Gonna get lost in the woods for a few hours and see what happens” kind of hiker. So from the perspective of some idiot with minimal experience and a Sunday afternoon to burn, here’s what it’s actually like to hike the Narrows.

You won’t make it very far into the canyon without gear, so unless you already own the tools for river hiking, your first stop will be the rental shop. The most popular rental shop seems to be Zion Outfitter, since they’re right by the park entrance. I instead went with Zion Adventures (a few minutes from the entrance in the town of Springdale) for the more flexible pick-up time. This worked out nicely, because without the giant crowd that always surrounds the more popular shop, I was able to talk to the employees and work out my route.

They provided me with a walking stick, neoprene socks, water shoes, and dry pants with a bib. All of these items are 100% necessary if you want to make it in and out of the canyon without tripping, freezing, drowning, or generally having a miserable time. It was $60 for a day rental, which is around average compared to other shops. You can also rent a dry pack, but I was already armed with the latest in waterproof technology (a trash bag I brought from home) so I opted against it.

Once you’re all decked out like a cranberry farmer, you must find your way to the Temple of Sinawava. While the name sounds grand, it’s really just the end of the drivable path through the canyon. It’s around here where the canyon begins to narrow and the smooth rock walls close in tighter. The sandy riverbanks start to shrink and eventually disappear, until the only path through the canyon is the river itself. Get to this spot, and you can begin your adventure.

The scenic drive out to the Temple is only accessible via park shuttle for most of the year. I parked at the history museum, so I had to shuttle back to the visitor’s center, get off, wait in line, and then shuttle allllll the way to the Temple. From my arrival in Springdale to my arrival at the trailhead, two hours had gone by.

Could I have planned this better to save time? Probably. Is that what I did? Nope.

When you get off the shuttle at the Temple, you won’t see much. Just more trees and another view of the creek. But continue down the paved path called the Riverwalk, and you’ll find the edge of the water. The canyon walls that seem distant in the rest of the park start to form a passageway—this is the mouth of the Narrows. It’s also your cue to get wet.

The first few steps in the river feel strange as the water soaks into your neoprene socks. After a few minutes, your feet will warm up the water in your shoes. Or they just go numb. I’m not sure which. It’s chilly in the canyon, with your legs in icy water and minimal sunlight reaching your head. The temperature seems to drop dozens of degrees almost immediately. It feels less like starting a hike and more like entering some sort of massive and drafty stone building.

Soon, the trail weeds out those who aren’t prepared – right before Mystery Falls, a trickle that splays out over the right-hand cliff. This is where the water is deepest, and the reason why dry packs are recommended. The river here came up to my chest.

While the earlier part of the trail was alive with chit-chat, everyone in this section was silent and focused, fighting the current and trying not to trip. Fortunately, I had taken everything out of my backpack and thrown it into my trusty trash bag before stuffing it back into the backpack pocket. Score one for cheapskates.

This bit only lasted about 25 yards. From here the path was much easier, and the water never reached my waist again.

I quickly learned why walking sticks were included in every Narrows package (pretty much the entire path is covered in rocks) but despite my twisted ankles, I was loving this journey. While I might roll my eyes at their pretentiousness, I see what those bloggers mean.

The further you go, the more the crowd thins out, and the more you feel like you’re in an alien landscape. The cliffs gradually become higher and narrower, and you have to look straight up to see the tops of them. In some spots, the river was clean enough to look crystal blue. In others, it takes on the trademark Utah redness. Maidenhair ferns peek out from rocks and feed on the drippy dampness at the bottom of the canyon.

After about two hours, I decided to head back to the entrance (for the good of my limbs, if nothing else). I’d heard that the return trip was faster because you’re going with the current instead of against, and that was my experience too. It only took about an hour and fifteen minutes to get back.

It felt lightning fast, like a blink. Stepping back onto dry land and out of the damp corridor feels like crash-landing back on Earth. When you reach the end and begin your journey back to the car, people see your gear and stop to ask you what it’s like out in the canyon.

“Really, really cool!” I said, like a dork. I was just dying to get out of my wet socks.

But how can I really describe the experience? It was cold and wet and my ankles were killing me, and all I could think about was how badly I wanted to do it again.

All the important (or silly, or strange) travel news from across the web this week.

• Oops! The link to continue reading Flight Finder Andreia’s Travelling As a Picky Eater was broken last week—continue reading now!
• Japan has announced that it will start issuing its new 6-month digital nomad visa next week. But with high salary requirements, it won’t exactly be easy to come by.
• Got a few quid burning a hole in your pocket and want a unique view of April’s solar eclipse? Hop on a special flight along the path of totality.
• All that talk of South African vineyards got you feeling a little thirsty? Look no further than the newly redesigned rooftop of Florence Airport. From 2026, travellers to Tuscany won’t even have to leave the terminal to wander among a vineyard, with grapes to be harvested and aged on site.
  As well as saving on the cost of buying in vino to keep delayed passengers at bay, covering the new terminal building covered in vines is hoped to be less of an eyesore amid the rolling green hills. Cin cin!