Forget the obligatory Christmas dinner and snoozing on the sofa this year – follow in Kate Winslet's footsteps (from all-time favourite Christmas film, The Holiday) and escape with a trip abroad! But instead of hanging out with Jack Black in LA, embrace the festive spirit and explore Europe during “the most wonderful time of the year”.

Hop-on hop-off travel network Busabout is offering three special Christmas departures travelling across Europe over the festive season. Imagine snowy landscapes, steaming cups of mulled wine and the twinkly lights of traditional Christmas markets. Busabout's festive trips offer travellers a winter adventure with all the trimmings, including a special Christmas Day meal and celebration on every departure.

• Eastern Festive Trek: This 11-day festive adventure discovers all the jingles and bells of Eastern Europe, travelling from Poland to Slovakia, on to Hungary and Austria, and ending with a New Year's Eve celebration in Prague. Travellers visit the winter wonderland of Zakopane in southern Poland, with the option to don their ski gear and hit the slopes on Christmas Day, followed by a Polish Christmas feast in the evening. In Budapest, explore the thermal baths, gothic buildings or have a skate on Europe's largest ice rink. Travellers will enjoy a tour of the Schnapps Museum in Vienna and explore the bohemian treasure that is the UNESCO-listed Old Town of Cesky Krumlov.

Prices for the 11 day Eastern Festive Trek start from £809 per person, with a one-off departure date of 22 December 2017. Price includes daily breakfasts, all on-trip accommodation, Christmas Eve and Day dinners, walking tours and a visit to Vienna's schnapps museum. For more information please visit www.busabout.com.   

• Alpine Festive Trek: This 12-day European adventure from Paris to Berlin travels through the Swiss Alps, Austria and the Czech Republic before arriving in edgy Berlin to ring in the New Year. The beautiful alpine town of Lauterbrunnen plays host to travellers for two nights of crisp, country air as they explore waterfalls, mountainsides and rolling hills. The sleepy Austrian village of Grunau is the perfect spot for a festive Christmas celebration. Travellers enjoy a hearty Christmas Eve meal, the chance to spend Christmas Day skiing on the Alps and another Christmas feast in the evening with a side of local Schnapps! Culture buffs will enjoy stops in Salzburg, Munich and Cesky Krumlov and the fairy tale city of Prague.

Prices for the 12 day Alpine Festive Trek start from £949 per person, with a one-off departure date of 21 December 2017. Price includes daily breakfasts, all on-trip accommodation, Christmas Eve and Day dinners, and walking tours. For more information please visit www.busabout.com.   

• Mega Highland Christmas (operated by HAGGiS): Often overlooked by British travellers for festive escapes, the stunning, frostbitten landscapes of the Scottish Highlands offer hearty local welcomes and fiery spirits to warm the soul. Travel from grand, metropolitan Edinburgh to the idyllic wilderness of the Isle of Skye, famed for its ruined castles, clan legends and jaw-dropping scenery. The Christmas celebrations begin in Inverness, considered the 'capital of the Highlands', where travellers are welcomed to their hotel with a steaming glass of mulled wine. Christmas Day is spent exploring the Highland's snow-capped mountains and savouring the crisp Scottish air, followed by a Christmas dinner and a spot of traditional Scottish Ceilidh dancing. Then it's on to mysterious Loch Ness, cross country through the Cairngorms National Park and finally back to Edinburgh for yet another dose of mulled wine at the sparkling Christmas markets. 

Prices for the five day Mega Highland Christmas start from £509 per person, with a one-off departure on 23 December 2017. Price includes daily breakfasts, all on-trip accommodation, Christmas Day dinner, and walking tours. For more information please visit www.busabout.com.     

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ABOUT BUSABOUT
Every day Busabout (www.busabout.com), the free-spirited travel expert, connects travellers from all over the world to epic adventures worldwide. Through its unique Hop-on Hop-off network in Europe, Busabout seeks to enrich the lives of guests with the choice of flexible travel. Neither a traditional tour nor a totally independent trip, Busabout's Hop-on Hop-off network offers travellers the best of both worlds with the flexibility to experience Europe their way, the added support of door-to-door service, freedom to create a personalised itinerary, and a Busabout Guide and Driver. The brand's modern coaches link up 47 of the best European destinations, allowing travellers to choose where they go and how long they stay at each place. Busabout is part of a group of companies that share the same fun-loving attitude - HAGGiS and Shamrocker Adventures offer the very best in backpacking adventures in Scotland and Ireland. Busabout and The Travel Corporation are committed to ensuring the environment and communities we visit remain vibrant and preserved for generations to come. To learn more about our past and current work at TreadRight, please visit us at treadright.org.