White Christmas: Are Australian’s swapping beaches for ski slopes?

For generations the Australian summer holiday has been a pretty predictable picture: cricket on, a hot breeze, families staking out their patch of sand by 9am.

But globalisation meant travel became more accessible, opening the world to all to experience more inventive holiday seasons.

So, are more Australian families ditching the beach towels and thongs for snow boots and thermals and chasing a white Christmas in the northern hemisphere? Why trade Australia’s turquoise coastlines for sub-zero temperatures?

We spoke to some Aussies who’ve made the switch and a few clear themes emerge: novelty, climate fatigue and the fact overseas holidays are now easier to plan than ever before.

THE NOVELTY

For many families, the appeal is emotional as much as practical. A “white Christmas” has long been embedded in global pop culture: movies like The Holiday and Love Actually have given us a romanticised idea of Christmas so entirely different from our own. While snow falls on our screens and actors are rugged up in front of a crackling fire with a hot cocoa, we’re watching it in front of a cooling fan, sucking on an icy pole in our undies.

So while most Aussies didn’t grow up with a white Christmas, the novelty is appealing to us.

Sandgroper Jemma McFarland has had five white Christmases, four with friends and one with her family.

“Last year was the most recent one, in New York, it was snowing all Christmas,” says Ms McFarland.

“A real bucket list experience.

“Before that was Berlin, twice, around Christmas.

“I was also lucky enough to go to Europe with my family when I finished year 12. It was our first international family trip together. We all just really wanted to go because we didn’t grow up doing that.

“You could say there’s a novelty to it as an Australian. Going from only hot Christmases to a cold one is pretty fun – something I’d highly recommend,” she says.

Destinations like Europe can offer that storybook Christmas, a cosy kind of crisp winter atmosphere that turns a holiday into a memory families talk about for years, like Jemma’s.

“One of the best things about going as an Aussie around Christmas is there are so many public holidays around that time of year, so you can take more time off and make the most of it,” says Ms McFarland.

“We’re going again this year—to Japan!”

McFarland’s friend, Harriet Cohen (pictured below), is her travel buddy. They’ve done many big trips together – Singapore, Bali and America, among others – but the snowy white Christmases always take the cake.

“It’s not Christmas if it’s not cold,” Ms Cohen tells me.

“That’s why there are all the songs about a white Christmas. There’s nothing about a 40-degree Christmas in Perth, a Christmas sweating in front of a fan! Everyone’s having a nice time on the ski slopes!” she says.

“I’ve spent more than fifty per cent of my Christmases in the snow – about 16 or more – so you could say I’m biased.”

ESCAPING THE HEAT

Australian summers are getting hotter, and not just uncomfortable, but in many parts of the country, extreme.

In WA alone, Perth’s temperatures soared to 39 degrees Celsius on the first day of summer, marking the city’s hottest start to summer on record with temperatures still climbing.

For some, the idea of swapping heatwaves for snow is suddenly… refreshing. Though a quintessential Aussie loves nothing more than a day off sprawled out on a towel under the hot sun, with cool water meters away, an escape from the sweltering heat sounds pretty good to people like Ashleigh Webster – another Perth resident – who has lived through many Italian Christmases.

“I hate the idea of sitting at the beach for an extended period of time. I don’t hate the idea of walking along it, the smell of the sea, but spending too much time there under the sun is boring and fatiguing,” Ms Webster avers.

“I’ve spent three Christmas’s in Italy.

“For someone who didn’t grow up there, there’s obviously the novelty of it right.

“As an Aussie you grow up seeing what a white Christmas is, the northern hemisphere and Christmas carols, and it’s nice to experience that, everything from the films.

“But my fav thing was eating whatever I wanted because it wasn’t hot! You can eat all your favourite winter foods.

“And I love the Christmas markets: the mulled wine, the cinnamon smell, the cosiness of it all is much more pleasurable.”

TRAVEL PAIN POINTS

Of course, chasing snow across the globe comes with challenges that a simple beach trip doesn’t. Travelling logistics, gear, lessons, accommodation, navigating crowding and the sting of travel costs like international roaming bills.

But travellers have more tools than ever. Many travel platforms now bundle flights, accommodation, lift passes and even ski lessons into one searchable hub. Instead of coordinating multiple different bookings, you can now plan an entire trip more efficiently.

And you can now roam without the bill shock. Instead of relying on traditional international roaming (which can balloon into hundreds of dollars), travellers are turning to eSIM technology. Services like Yesim connect to over 800 local operators worldwide, automatically switching to 4G or 5G networks in each country—meaning you’re connected from the moment you land, whether you’re in Tokyo, New York, or the Swiss Alps.

No one wants to be stuck in the snow, lost out on the slopes unable to text your friends about what time to meet for apres ski because you don’t have any data,” says Ms Cohen.

“I won’t be spending my first night in Japan hunting for Wi-Fi instead of dinner.”

These modern conveniences give us instant access to local data and make it easy to navigate foreign places, like remote trails, or to do simple tasks, like message hosts.

So, are we tired of the same old summer?

Maybe. Or maybe we just finally have more options.

Beach holidays will always be part of our DNA, but it seems we are increasingly open to experiences that feel worlds away from home, even if only for a week over the holiday season. Because while summer in Australia feels familiar, a white Christmas feels like stepping into a dream.

Heading overseas for a white Christmas? Yesim partners with over 800 local operators worldwide, and the app automatically connects you to networks offering 4G or 5G coverage. For those visiting multiple regions, Yesim offers flexible options: Global Package covers 80+ countries, Global Plus Package extends to 140+ countries, or Pay & Fly works across 170+ countries on a pay-as-you-go basis where you only pay for data actually used. For more information, visit the website.