1 . Bright and early on the morning of our first full day in Antarctica (南极洲), L’ Austral’s Captain Fabien’s voice woke us up as it came through a loudspeaker. If we looked outside right now, he said, we’d see a beautiful sea of icebergs (冰山) in the golden sunlight. My sister and I jumped out of bed, staring in amazement as we sailed past giant pieces of ice. In the distance, we spotted a group of humpback whales feeding on smaller fishes. Next door, my parents were also waking up to the sights of a new day in Antarctica. Over breakfast, my sister and I excitedly told them about the whales we saw from our room that morning.

You might not immediately think “family vacation” when talking about a trip to Antarctica, but tour companies like Adventures by Disney are changing that. The company offers guided group trips to destinations across all seven continents in the world.

Our adventure started when we flew to Buenos Aires and explored the beautiful Argentine capital for a day. After leaving Buenos Aires, we flew to Ushuaia on an Adventures by Disney plane. Then, it was the journey toward the Drake Passage. After a speedy Drake Passage crossing, we reached Antarctica early, adding a half day to our scheduled four days on and around the continent.

To those unfamiliar with Adventures by Disney, the fact that you can experience Antarctica — the most distant, extreme continent — with Disney might be surprising. During the trip, there were thoughtful acts, from stamped postcards to send from an Antarctica post office to a champagne (香槟) party on our final stop of the journey; Adventures by Disney truly thought of everything for us. Antarctica is a life-changing destination packed with experiences that can’t be copied. We experienced Drake Passage seasickness, hiked up ice hills alongside lovely animals, and had a taste of champagne. And honestly, it’s going to be hard for the next family trip we take to compete.

3 . China.org.cn here provides a list of some popular Chinese destinations for winter tourism in 2023 and explores how they plan to make the most of the legacy (遗产) of the Winter Games.

Shenyang started a Winter Olympics-themed travelling season from December 2021 to March 2022 and introduced 86 activities covering folk music, a traditional Chinese ice game festival, an ice sculpture exhibition (冰雕展), and ice and snow festivals.

Zhangjiakou in Hebei was the co-host city of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics and hosted most of the skiing and biathlon events. The city has built nine ski facilities (设施), with over 164 kilometres of ski runs. So far, Zhangjiakou’s winter sports activities have attracted over 6 million players.

Known for its long winter season that can last up to eight months a year, Altay Prefecture in Xinjiang attracts skiers worldwide with its huge area of natural powder snow. The data shows that the ski places of Altay Prefecture received 2.45 million visits in the 2021-2022 winter season, with tourism revenue (收入) reaching 1.63 billion yuan, up 25.3% and 23.4% year on year. During the Spring Festival holiday last year, the place saw more than 6,000 skiers on a daily basis, 60% of which came from outside Xinjiang.

Snow and ice sports and winter tourism activities have been heating up in Xinjiang since Beijing 2022. The growth index (指数) of Urumqi’s winter tourism listed first in China in early 2022, according to the online tourism platform TravelGo. Xinjiang has unique ice and snow tourism resources with a snow season for nearly five months.

4 . Travelling plays an important part in making us feel relaxed and happy. It also brings good changes in our life and keeps us alive and active. Travelling gives us practical experience of things we have studied in the books. So a person who does not travel at all does not find any meaning in the name of Ganga River. However, if he has travelled to this place, he can truly relate everything he has studied and will always remember each and every detail of that place.

Nowadays, many people like travelling as they want to explore the world and watch everything they have read about. And this seems to be quite true as practical knowledge is more important and effective (有效的). People like to visit historical places present in different parts of the world and collect information on the same to write books and stories.

Travelling has become easier due to (由于) advancement in technology and transportation (交通). Earlier people used to travel by road or sea and it took many days to travel from one place to another. However, now the situation has changed and people travel to far off places within hours and minutes — thanks to well-built roads and airplanes.

People travel for different purposes, some travel for further education while others travel to relax and enjoy. Many people take a break from their busy schedule and go for a vacation, which makes them feel pleased and energetic (充满活力的).

Many writers and painters travel to different places to experience some of the best things of nature and express them in the form of paintings or books. People also travel for business purposes so as to make money from their business. Students travel for educational purposes. Everyone has a unique reason to travel. Therefore, travelling is an important part of human life and it provides knowledge and offers all kinds of benefits (好处) to mankind.

Harbin, the capital city of Heilongjiang province, welcomed nearly 3.05 million visitors,     1     (gain) 5.91 billion yuan of tourism income during the three-day New Year holiday.

The trend was then enlarged on social media where influencers (网红) highlighted that many “southerners”, who     2     (refer) to as “little potatoes from the south”, flooded into the city’s ski resorts and bathhouses. The phrase is associated with the     3     (remarkable) distinctive light-colored jackets and lovely hats that tourists from southern China typically wear when traveling to the north, as well as their relatively     4     (short) figure compared with local’s. Though     5     (criticize) online for being stereotypes, locals clarified that it reflected a genuine sense of goodwill and friendship.

Apart     6     the iconic Harbin Ice and Snow Festival, tourist spots introduced varieties of new attractions, such as hot balloon rides and bonfire parties. On Central Street,     7     struck the tourists most was the organized parades featuring the Oroqen (鄂伦春族),     8     ethnic minority from the region.

To facilitate the     9     (consume) of Harbin’s popular frozen pears, the city has even introduced frozen pear platters (摆盘), making it more convenient for tourists to taste the delicacy.

“You can get the incomparable snow experience and service in Harbin,     10     the temperatures can drop to -35℃,” a tourist said.

7 . Slow travel is about connecting deeply with your travels. Rather than rushing from one place to another, slow travelers treat each experience as an opportunity to learn and feel more deeply to the people, culture, and food they want to explore.     1    

Once, a vacation provided relaxation from the stress of everyday life. But over time, we began trying to put everything we want into a checklist.     2     Slow travel exchanges checklists for the chance to really enjoy a place. It’s amazing how much more involved you can be when you’re not in a rush. It’s easier to relax and look forward to whatever the day brings.

If you’re used to jumping from one attraction after another, the idea of slow travel may feel like you’ll miss the latest Top 10. In fact, you free yourself from scratching the surface of everything without enjoying anything.     3     Go to one museum and study the art and architecture, get the backstory rather than running through three museums and taking some photos quickly. Appreciate the destination.

When you decide to take the slow travel route, you free yourself up to meet and spend time with others. You can meet locals at a park or restaurant and enjoy a conversation. Learn about the people on your food tour. You may even decide that you like someone enough to meet him/her later for lunch or a coffee.     4     because you are not rushing to the next big thing.

    5    

Traveling by plane, train, and bus has a bad effect on the environment. We can transport ourselves to one location and spend more time exploring it on foot, by bike or on horseback. That’s less harmful to the planet than rushing to the next thing on the list with whatever vehical that will get us there in a hurry.