Welcome the new decade in a relaxed manner – check out the Contact Point’s list of tips

The Contact Point’s social media Advent Calendar collected 24 tips on how to spend a restful Christmas season in the style of various countries. You can take the tips with you to start the new decade gently. Welcome New Year 2020! You can find the calendar on the Contact Point’s Facebook and Twitter pages.

If you are planning a holiday abroad, you can use our website to plan your trip without worries. Our country-specific pages contain information on health care services in more than 50 countries in case you fall ill during your trip, for example.

1. In Salzburg, visit the Baroque Mirabell Palace and enjoy the sounds of Mozart in the fabulous Marble Hall.
2. Sit down comfortably and enjoy some sweet Portuguese port wine with cheese and roasted nuts.
3. Enjoy hot tea by the ruins of an ancient monastery in Wicklow National Park and let nature and history wash over you.
4. Living in Australia, koalas are professionals in taking it easy. They sleep most of the day.
5. Calm down and listen to the flow of archipelago life in Saaremaa, the largest island in Estonia.
6. Take a glass of bubbly and enjoy the glamour of the President’s Independence Day Reception from the comfort of your sofa. Congratulations, Finland 102!
7. Let the sun caress you and enjoy the speed in the French Alps. Give your feet a rest by lying back in the powder snow.
8. Delve into the underwater world and snorkel in Maui. Admire the corals, colourful fishes and turtles.
9. Enjoy a tasty dinner on the rooftop terrace, admiring Dubrovnik Old Town as the sun sets.
10. Step into a chocolate shop in Belgium and get intoxicated by the scent. Would you fancy some nutty, salty or sticky chocolate?
11. It is easy to relax under the Greek sun. After that, you can enjoy a refreshing swim in the pool.
12. Look at all the green! Step into a Japanese garden and enjoy the greenness all around you.
13. Plunge your fingers into the dough and bake some German vanilla crescent cookies (Vanillekipferl). Dust the hot cookies with a sugar mix and enjoy!
14. Join the singalong and sing Christmas carols with a choir of thousands at the Stockholm railway station. Hej tomtegubbar, slå i glasen och låt oss lustiga vara!
15. On the shores of Thailand, you can sit down on a sun lounger and sink your toes into the warm sand.
16. Get inspired by the masterpieces of Picasso, Frida Kahlo and many other artists at the Centre Pompidou in Málaga. Maybe you will feel like doing some painting yourself?
17. Wash away the stiffness and muscle cramps in the spa town of Jurmala in Latvia. Plunge into the bubbles, get a massage and relax in the sauna.
18. Take out your knitting needles and knit a sweater in the traditional style. Lopapeysa, the Icelandic sweater, helps you stay warm in the cold of the winter.
19. Have afternoon tea in British style, enjoying warm scones with jam and thick whipped cream.
20. Admire the Northern Lights by the Arctic Ocean. Maybe you can spot some whales, too?
21. The table is full of delicacies and you are surrounded by family and friends, with lots of talk and time. Enjoy a long dinner in the Italian style – buon appetito!
22. Nothing is as important as ice fishing – even Canadians know it! Grab your fishing gear and enjoy the silence of the nature.
23. Take a good book with you and head for the beach in Tulum. Let the gentle wind tickle you while you get absorbed in the story.
24. Denmark is the home of hygge, comfortable cosiness. So, wrap yourself in Christmas, surrounded by the scent of cinnamon and spruce trees. Glædelig Jul!