December is when Britain gets dark at 4pm and the appeal of a boarding pass becomes overwhelming. The good news: you don't have to go far for warmth. Europe's own islands sit in the late teens, the Caribbean-adjacent Atlantic throws up a couple of curveballs, and the southern hemisphere is in full summer swing.

Closest to home are the Canary Islands. Gran Canaria averages around 20C in December, with enough to do beyond the beach – the historic Vegueta district in Las Palmas, the Maspalomas dunes and hikes through the island's ravines and volcanic terrain. Tenerife, the largest of the islands, hits highs of about 21C, with Mount Teide (Spain's highest peak at 3,715m) towering over the interior and resort towns like Los Cristianos and Playa de las Americas on the sunny southwest coast. Lanzarote runs slightly cooler at around 19C but makes up for it with Timanfaya National Park's moonscape and the cave-and-tunnel arts venue Jameos del Agua. Madeira, further north in the Atlantic, averages 17C and trades beaches for levada walks, canyoning and Funchal's red-roofed old town.

If you want proper heat, Cyprus is one of Europe's warmest winter spots – Limassol sits around 16C with a smart marina, the 2,000-year-old ruins of Amathus and swimmable beaches at Lady's Mile and Governor's Beach. Further afield, Bangkok averages a steamy 27C with nine hours of daily sun, and December falls in Thailand's drier, more comfortable season – ideal for temple-hopping between the Grand Palace and Wat Pho before diving into Chinatown's street food.

Muscat is arguably at its very best in December: 23C and sunny, before the Gulf's brutal summer. The Omani capital pairs whitewashed old quarters and the Grand Mosque with the Muttrah Souq, one of the oldest markets in the Arab world, and makes a base for wadis, Nizwa and the Hajar Mountains. Cancun, meanwhile, emerges from its rainy season with highs around 30C, white-sand beaches, diving on the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef, and day trips to Tulum's clifftop ruins and Chichen Itza.

For a full summer reversal, Sydney (around 21C) and Cape Town (23C, with 11 hours of sunshine) flip the seasons entirely. December means beach days at Bondi or Manly, harbour ferries and long evenings in neighbourhoods like Surry Hills – and in Cape Town, the start of the South African summer.

Who's this for? Short-haul travellers wanting winter light without long flights should look at the Canaries, Madeira or Cyprus. If you've got a week or more and want genuine heat, Muscat, Bangkok and Cancun deliver. And if you're chasing an actual summer, it's a long-haul flight to Sydney or Cape Town – book early, as December is peak season in both.

Story first reported by The Independent Travel.