Sunshine or snow, summer or winter, balmy or brisk ... at what temperature do you like your travel? Our duelling experts make the case for both sides of the weather dial.
HOT
By Amy Cooper
Humpback whales are intelligent. We know this because at winter's first icy breath, they swim to warmer waters for a rollicking party of mating and calving - the cetacean equivalent of a holiday in Bali.
Nature knows best. For good times, all creatures follow the sun.
So do I, probably because I was raised in a Scottish region where your feet rarely thaw and winter makes daylight a mere memory. Chasing summer in the UK can be a hit-and-miss affair. If your attention wanders for a moment, you can miss it entirely.
My first tropical holiday was a revelation. Rays that warmed your bones, kissed your skin and melted your winter blues. Palm trees, luminous beaches, smiling locals, luscious fruits, lilting music - a postcard come to life. I was bathed in a blissed-out glow.
You should ignore the American tourist on Tripadvisor who complained: 'It was lovely but they should just hold it somewhere warmer.'
It's a real scientific thing - sunshine and warmth boost endorphins. Cold and gloom make you sad. You can't beat stepping onto a plane swathed in sweaters, then shedding them like an unwanted skin at the other end; the change in air from brittle to balmy and your mood lifting with the temperature.
Sunshine holidays answer our primal urge to soak up good vibes. Humans need to bask, and no amount of preaching from human mojito Wim Hof will convince me it feels good to lie around in ice. Besides, tans are more fetching than frostbite.
We're lucky in Australia because summer never really leaves our shores - it just rises to the top. Follow the whales, and you'll find it. On the east: the blue vistas and dreamy beaches of the Whitsundays and optimum dry, warm sailing conditions. To the west, the world's largest pod of humpbacks (around 40,000) head for the spectacular Kimberley coast. A small-ship cruise there immerses you in some of the world's most remote and stunning landscapes.
Chase the sun to Bali, at its best in June, one of the driest months, or the beautiful Hawaiian islands, a quintessential tropical paradise with a perfect temperature of 24 to 29 degrees year round. Make your migration to island idylls Fiji, Tahiti, Vanuatu or New Caledonia. If you insist, I'll join you in the endless Maldives summer in an overwater bungalow, or in the Caribbean for reggae and Red Stripe beers.
Not into islands? Hunt your high-mercury thrills in sizzling cities like Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur, or desert metropolises Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
Sunny weather is egalitarian. You'll enjoy the same rejuvenating radiation in a budget beach shack as a luxury hotel - no need to splurge on ski hire or multi-layers of high-tech, high-altitude, high-maintenance, high-price gear. Just pack your bikini or your budgies and remember: to truly chill, you need heat.
COLD
By Mal Chenu
Winter is coming. And that's cool by me. As someone who does not rock a Speedo, the joy of rugging up against the cold of winter warms my heart. Not as slim as Klim and with less packet than Hackett, I'm happy to don the puffy jacket and explore the world's winter wonderlands.
And by heading to Europe and other northern hemisphere climes in the cooler low season, travellers can save more than enough to buy a really nice puffy jacket.
Delightful dustings of snow on Trafalgar Square, the Champs-Elysées and Piazza San Marco add to the romance and give you a more unique selfie. And the paucity of wimpy summer-only tourists means you can actually get a table at that Roman trattoria, Bavarian beer hall or Viennese strudel haus. Visit Iceland's glaciers and active volcanoes, take the train and cable cars through the Swiss Alps, skate on the frozen canals in Amsterdam and sing Auld Lang Syne at Hogmanay in Scotland.
America does cold well, too. They won the cold war after all. The luxe ski resorts in Colorado are snowy splendours but you should be aware they will ruin you for lesser pistes. You can also check out the migrating snow geese in New Mexico, the frozen Minnehaha Falls in Minnesota, hike in snowshoes through the canyons of Utah, and catch a salmon in Alaska. In Canada, you can ski at Whistler and attend winter festivals in many cities, including Winterlude in Ottawa, where you can also skate on the world's largest ice rink - the eight-kilometre Rideau Canal.
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In Japan, the hot spring onsens are even steamier and more inviting in winter, while the Sapporo Snow Festival welcomes two million visitors a year to gawk at the ice and snow sculptures.
Chill thrills are also available in the warmer southern months. This is when you can cruise to the otherworldly landscapes of Antarctica and kayak among ice floes, trek across glaciers and get into (unwinnable) staring contests with Emperor and Gentoo penguins.
The ethereal, shimmering colours of the Auroras - both Borealis and Australis - are on everyone's palette list, and you should ignore the American tourist on Tripadvisor who complained: "It was lovely but they should just hold it somewhere warmer."
In Australia, a cold-climate trip to a winery with a stay at an open-fire accommodation, a getaway to an interstate AFL fixture, a Super Netball match, or a special show are all cool getaways. And spectacular Queenstown and other Kiwi wonders are just across the ditch.
Dark MOFO in Tasmania has become the go-to Aussie winter festival. This pagan party par excellence features music, art and feasting, and for those unafraid of shrinkage, or with more packet than Hackett, a nude swim in the River Derwent at dawn on the winter solstice.