Where this started
We’d always loved traveling together. Then came a new chapter.
Our youngest seemed to be born with wanderlust. After studying in Korea, she’s now continuing college in Slovenia, giving us one more reason to keep looking toward Europe.
We missed her, of course, but more than anything, we wanted to step into her world for a little while. That trip became the first big adventure of this new chapter for the two of us.
We had spent years building a life we loved, raising our family and traveling together whenever we could. As we moved into the empty-nest years, there was simply more room for longer trips, slower mornings, and days that belonged almost entirely to the two of us.
It felt a little like a second honeymoon. Only this time, it wasn’t a beginning. It was another chapter in a life we already loved.
Then came December
Germany made us fall hard for Christmas markets.
Our next trip took us to Germany in December, and somewhere under the lights in Cologne, Christmas markets became something we knew we wanted more of.
We loved the whole rhythm of it: old squares glowing after dark, something warm to eat in our hands, mugs we absolutely did not need but somehow kept bringing home, and another market waiting just a train ride or a few streets away. We were having so much fun.
That trip became the beginning of a Christmas tradition we never saw coming. And it shaped the way we travel now: comfortable places to unpack, thoughtful routes between cities, plenty of time to wander, and room for the detours that turn into some of our favorite memories.
How we divide it up
I plan. Jim navigates.
Somewhere along the way, we figured out what each of us is good at.
I’m the planner. Hotels, routes, train times, day trips, what’s worth the extra night, and where we need a little breathing room. I like knowing the pieces fit before we go.
Jim is the navigator. He is also the photographer and calm one when the train platform suddenly changes. He keeps us moving in the right direction, notices things through his camera that I sometimes walk right past, and is usually the first one to say, “We’ve got this.”
Between the two of us, it works. I bring the plan. Jim brings the steady. And somehow there is still plenty of room for the detour we didn’t see coming.
How we plan
A comfortable base. A thoughtful route. Room to wander.
A Comfortable Base
We choose our hotel bases strategically, then build the route around them. We usually start by seeing which Hyatt properties make sense for the trip and where using points gives us the best value.
A Thoughtful Route
From there, we look at train connections, day-trip options, and how long we actually want to stay in each place.
Room to Wander
Some days are full. Some are easier. We like having a plan, but not one so tight that there’s no room to change our minds when something interesting appears along the way.
Because some of our favorite memories started with, “What if we went over there?”
What you’ll find here
Here you’ll find Christmas markets we’ve actually visited, routes we’ve actually traveled, planning resources we use ourselves, and the little things we wish we’d known before we went.
Where to go next
Dreaming about Christmas markets? Start here.
The Frankfurt Loop is ten days, six Christmas cities, and three comfortable hotel bases, with easy rail days and plenty of room to wander.