Where to go in January
199 cities where January is one of the best months to travel. 144 of them need no visa. Temperature and rainfall are climate normals; prices are median nightly rates for a 2–3 star room and a hostel bed.
Prices are estimates for the travel season. When seasonal data is unavailable, an off-season price is shown and labelled. Rates for your dates, especially holidays, may differ.
Where the numbers come from
Temperature and rainfall are monthly climate normals from NASA POWER and NOAA weather stations, averaged over many years. They are not a forecast for a given date: a single year deviates from the norm, but the order of magnitude holds.
Prices are median nightly rates blended from several booking sources, flights excluded. "Room 2–3★" is a double room in a mid-range hotel or guesthouse, priced per room. "Hostel" is a bed in a shared dorm, priced per person, and is known for about half the cities.
Compare the room price with the total cost of dorm beds for your group. A $34 room shared by two costs $17 per person; two $13 beds cost $26 in total, so the hostel is cheaper in this example. For three or four guests, check room capacity and extra charges before splitting the room price.
Visa status is shown for a US passport and applies to the country, not the city. Check the rules on the country page before you travel: they change far more often than the climate.
Frequently asked
Where can I go visa-free in January?
144 of the 199 cities listed are in countries that need no visa. The visa-free filter leaves exactly those in the table, and the daytime column shows which of them are warm this month.
Where is it warm in January?
The daytime column is the average daily high for the month, and warmest-first sorts by it. Watch the rainfall too: in the tropics a warm month can coincide with the wet season, and the rainfall normal will be several times higher.
How much does a night cost in January?
The table carries two prices: a double room in a 2–3 star hotel or guesthouse per room, and a dorm bed per person. Solo travellers usually do better in a hostel; for two, the room split in half costs about the same as two beds but comes with a private bathroom. Flights are not included.