While most people associate “peak winter” with the Christmas holidays, the best time to experience the cold season is actually at the beginning of the year. Between January to March, the weather strikes a perfect balance: cold enough for frost to form but milder than pre-solstice temperatures. This is the perfect time to travel to temperate countries if you want to experience the season. With skiing and snow festivals on the horizon, there’s tons of winter fun to be had before spring sets in! Except, if you’re a tropical tourist like me, there may be more to worry about than the price of the plane ticket.

I will take any chance to visit a place with cooler climate, and I suppose a lot of Manila-dwellers would feel the same way for obvious reasons. But anytime I start packing for a trip like that, the anxiety portion of the program also begins. How cold will it get? Do I have warm-enough clothing? Will my dry skin turn into a flaky mess??? Cue over-packing both clothing and beauty products. Sadly for me, lugging around what feels like every skincare product in my collection doesn’t always guarantee success in actually keeping my skin moisturized. As the saying goes, it's all about quality over quantity.