Winter Trip 2026: three suitcases, one missing husband, and the Netherlands’ surprise snow era

I haven’t written a proper travel story all year—not since our last winter trip—and for a while it genuinely felt like we’d gone nowhere. We did squeeze in a few small getaways, but work got loud, life got busy, and I kept procrastinating on the part I love: sitting down and turning it all into a story.

And honestly, I’ve also been wondering if travel blogs still matter now that AI can plan an itinerary in seconds. I use ChatGPT a lot these days to map out routes and ideas (with plenty of double-checking, because it does get things wrong). But when it comes to a place I’m truly curious about, I still end up reading people’s travel blogs anyway—because I’m not just looking for what to do, I’m looking for what it felt like to be there. The small moments, the surprises, the mood of a street at dusk—those are the things AI can’t quite capture.

So I’m going back to writing. Slower, maybe, and definitely not as a “complete guide,” because AI can do that part. I want to write about our experience—our little adventures, the memories that stuck.

So here we go: my first post of 2026.

We’ve basically become a “Christmas-in-Europe” family ever since Fabio started university. Both kids are on school break, and instead of Fabio doing the long flight back to Jakarta, we just migrate to his side of the world like festive penguins with carry-ons.

This year came with a plot twist: hubby couldn’t join. New company, new role, zero chance of time off. So it was just me, Alyssa, and Fabio waiting for us on the other end—meaning two of us had to survive a long-haul flight and move our own luggage like we were auditioning for an airport bootcamp.

Packing for winter is always a scam because the clothes are already bulky before you even start layering. My “pack efficiently” plan sounded great in theory… until I realized Wool sweaters and coats don’t magically compress themselves.

The packing math (aka: I tried):

• 3 thermal ultra-warm tops + 2 thermal bottoms
• 5 wool/cashmere sweaters (don’t judge me—Europe in December judges first)
• 4 Heattech pants + 1 skirt (for the one day I might feel fashionable)
• 3 pyjama/lounge sets (because cozy is a lifestyle)
• 2 wool coats + 1 long down jacket (I loved both coats and if I travel more than 1 week, both goes with me)
• 1 ski jacket + ski pants set
• Gloves + ski gloves, beanies, wool socks
• 2 shawls (thin + thick: emotional support in fabric form)
• 1 pair suede boots + hiking boots (the hiking boots were worn on the flight—strategic, not stylish)

Not the most efficient… but honestly? This felt like the bare minimum for survival and decent photos.

The plan

This was a 3-week itinerary, mainly because we were doing a full week of skiing in Les Gets with my sister’s family. Without Les Gets, this trip could easily be trimmed to 2 weeks across Budapest–Switzerland–Netherlands.

I’d been to Budapest once for half a day and fell hard—the kind of love where you whisper, “I’ll come back” while staring at the Danube like you’re in a movie. So we started there, then took a night train to Switzerland. We’ve done Switzerland before—hello, Jungfrau region, you gorgeous overachiever—but we’d never made it to Zermatt or Montreux, which felt like two very important blanks on my Switzerland bingo card. When I built this itinerary, I picked countries that “play nice” with each other: easy train connections, minimal transport drama (famous last words), and—most importantly—smooth access to the ski resort that Finna and I had already agreed on.

And we intentionally ended in the Netherlands for one sentimental reason: to do the proper post-holiday reset, and to say goodbye to Fabio before he disappeared back into uni life, exams, and whatever students live on these days (coffee and deadlines, I assume)

Zurich, continued into Zermatt and Montreux, went skiing in Les Gets, and wrapped up in Amsterdam before Fabio returned to uni after New Year.

Why skiing in Les Gets? We chose Les Gets because it’s the perfect family-ski sweet spot: charming, manageable, and built for people who want a great ski week without turning it into an endurance sport.

• Beginner-friendly but not boring: wide, gentle runs for confidence-building, plus enough variety nearby so nobody feels stuck doing the same slope forever.
• Part of Portes du Soleil: it sits inside one of the biggest ski areas in Europe, which basically means “options” (even if we mostly stayed local).
• Proper alpine village vibes: walkable, pretty, cozy—aka the kind of place where “quick hot chocolate” somehow becomes a whole afternoon.
• Logistics worked for our group: since we were meeting my sister’s family, Les Gets was a straightforward choice everyone could reach easily, and once you’re there, life is simple.
• One stable base after lots of moving: after bouncing from Budapest to Switzerland, having a full week where we didn’t need to repack every two days felt like the smartest decision of the trip.

The itinerary (what I lovingly planned)

Day 1 – Budapest (arrival early morning)
St. Stephen’s Basilica, Christmas market, Parliament, Danube views, and a Danube night cruise.

Day 2 – Budapest
Buda Castle, Matthias Church, Fisherman’s Bastion, Hospital in the Rock, Chain Bridge, and Vörösmarty Christmas Market.

Day 3 – Budapest
Heroes’ Square, City Park, Vajdahunyad Castle, and Parliament at sunset.
Then: night train to Zurich in a sleeper cabin (very “European romance” until you try to sleep).

Day 4 – Zurich → Zermatt
Arrive Zurich morning, train onward to Zermatt. Explore the village and the Mürini hike point.

Day 5 – Zermatt
Gornergrat train day. Big views, big cold, big happiness.

Day 6 – Zermatt → Montreux
Mürini early morning. Train to Montreux. Montreux Christmas Market.

Day 7 – Montreux (Christmas, quiet day)
Slow day. Warm drinks. Strolling thru Montreux beautiful promenade and old town.

Day 8 – Day trip to Bern
Switzerland’s capital with a UNESCO-listed Old Town, the right mix of history + pretty streets without feeling hectic. It’s also an easy win logistically from Montreux: about 1h30–2h by train

Day 9 – Montreux → Les Gets
Chillon Castle early morning. Then train + bus to Les Gets.

Day 10–16 – Les Gets
Ski week in the North Alps with my sister’s family. The highlight reel: snow, laughter, tired legs, hot chocolate.

Day 17 – Les Gets → Geneva → Amsterdam
Drive to Geneva, see the city and fly to Amsterdam.

Day 18 – Day trip: Delft + The Hague

Day 19 – Amsterdam + Utrecht
Van Gogh Museum + day trip to Utrecht.

Day 20 – Zaanse Schans + Zaandam

Day 21 – Fly home

Before we get into the actual trip—the snow, the chaos, and the parts that went off-script—here’s how we stitched the logistics together.

The logistics (a.k.a. the part that secretly decides whether a trip feels smooth or chaotic)

1) Airlines
We flew out of Jakarta with Qatar Airways. I’ve always tried to stick with Qatar whenever possible, mostly because I like collecting my miles in one place (and it’s finally paying off—I’m Gold now).

So even though we’re flying economy on a family holiday, I still get a few very real perks: lounge access for myself and one more person, fast track for security, and the ability to board in the business class / privilege club line—which, when you’re traveling with kids and bags, feels like cheating in the best way.

And then there’s the little “Gold member” moment on the plane: once we’re seated, the stewardess usually greets me, asks what I want for my meal, and tells me to contact her if I need anything during the flight. It’s a small detail, but it sets the tone for the trip—like okay, we’re doing this properly.

2) Trains
From Budapest → Zermatt → Montreux → Les Gets, we mostly traveled by train—which sounds romantic until you remember suitcases, transfers, and the universal sport of dragging luggage up stairs.

The big one: we took the night train from Budapest to Zurich, and booked a sleeper compartment for three people. Worth it. You arrive in Switzerland feeling slightly more human than you would after a budget flight at dawn.

European trains are… not one consistent experience. They vary a lot from country to country, and honestly my favorite is still Swiss trains. They’re family-friendly, and the stations are designed in a way that makes you feel like someone actually thought about people traveling with luggage: most have ramps down and up, so you don’t end up queuing forever for elevators while wrestling suitcases.

For bookings, I went direct with each train company instead of using an aggregator:

• Night train Budapest → Zurich: booked through www.nightjet.com
• Swiss trains: www.sbb.ch/en
• France trains: www.sncf-connect.com
• Netherlands international trains: www.nsinternational.com

One tip I learned (again): when you book international trains, you sometimes can choose to book through either country’s platform—but not always, and pricing/availability can differ. So I always check both before deciding.

Also: be careful with child tickets. I almost made a mistake with Alyssa. When I booked the train from Montreux to Cluses via SBB, I assumed she didn’t need a ticket because we have the Swiss Family Card, which lets children 17 and below travel free with parents.

Then I realized (just in time) during our transit in Annemasse: it’s already French territory, meaning the Swiss Family Card no longer applies. So I needed to purchase a separate ticket for Alyssa from Annemasse → Cluses. Very “this is why travel is never just vibes.”

3) Accommodation
My accommodation strategy is basically the same as my airline strategy: loyalty first. We try to book hotels with the Accor group whenever we can, so I can accumulate points. And the best part is that Accor is linked to Qatar, so when I book Accor, I also earn Qatar points. It’s like stacking rewards in a way that feels oddly satisfying.

So we stayed at Accor hotels in:

• Budapest
• Geneva airport
• Amsterdam

In Zermatt, we stayed at Hotel Alpenblick, booked through www.zermatt.swiss/en.

In Montreux, we stayed in an Airbnb—specifically because we wanted an apartment with a kitchen and a washing machine + dryer. I’m not really a fan of Swiss restaurants, and after one week of traveling, laundry stops being optional.

In Les Gets, we stayed in an apartment booked through www.booking.lesgets.com.

I’m generally a big Airbnb person—so whenever we’re not doing Accor, I default to the Airbnb app. But in ski resorts like Zermatt and Les Gets, Airbnb can be surprisingly limited (not much choice), and honestly it’s often better to book direct through the local accommodation platform. In places like that, local sites usually have more inventory and it just feels more… tailored to how those towns actually operate.

The reality (aka: winter said “plot twist”)

Here’s the part nobody puts on the itinerary: stuff happens, even on holiday.

First Crisis, Fabio arrived in Budapest on time (his flight is scheduled to land in the afternoon), but his suitcase didn’t. Apparently Schiphol had a massive system issue that day, and a lot of passengers landed in their destinations without their luggage. Very “welcome to Europe,” except not in the cute Christmas-market way.

I was so glad I’d bought him a new sweater, a fleece jacket, and a set of pajamas beforehand—at least he could survive the first night without having to rotate the same airport outfit like it was a capsule wardrobe challenge. But yes, it derailed our Day 2 itinerary, because instead of sightseeing, we had to do the very unglamorous activity of shopping for emergency clothes.

I made a strategic decision: shop in Budapest, not Zermatt—because if the suitcase didn’t show up on time, I wasn’t about to enter a Swiss store and walk out financially humbled. Better to solve the problem while prices were still… normal. And thankfully, by Day 3 (our last day in Budapest), Fabio’s suitcase was found and delivered to our hotel. Crisis contained. Trip back on track.

The next crisis, The Netherlands (again)—who basically hasn’t done serious snow in years—decided to snow for days, like it suddenly remembered it’s allowed to be winter. The infrastructure was not emotionally prepared. Chaos arrived early and confidently.

Our Geneva → Schiphol flight got cancelled, and the next three days of flights were already fully booked. Rebooking and hoping for the best felt like gambling, and I was not about to lose to weather twice. Eurostar and the “fast train” options were also booked out, so we pivoted into Plan C: improvise and pretend this was always the plan.

So we took the long way: train via Germany to Enschede, then onward to Amsterdam—because priority #1 was getting Fabio back to Enschede that weekend. He had an exam on Monday, and exams do not care about snow aesthetics.

So yes—our Netherlands itinerary got wrecked:

• we arrived a day late,
• then NS trains stopped operating two days after,
• and we ended up mostly stuck in Amsterdam.

But honestly? Not the worst place to be stuck.

The funniest part is: for our last two winter trips, we barely saw snow. This time I built the itinerary fully hoping to catch the proper kind—snow that falls from the sky—in Zermatt and Bern. And of course, the universe delivered… in the Netherlands, where it wasn’t supposed to snow at all.

This was my fourth visit to Amsterdam, yet it felt like a brand-new city. Snow changes everything. Same canals, totally different mood.

And on our last day, the snow finally stopped. Our flight was one of the lucky few that wasn’t cancelled. We escaped Schiphol, made the connection, and landed back in home sweet home: Jakarta.

Lessons learned (winter travel edition)

1. Peak-season winter travel has real risk. This is the first time it happened to us—so yes, I got humbled.
2. Flights are fast… but not always reliable in winter. Trains can be slower but often more dependable when weather disrupts airports.
3. Non-refundable hotels = less flexibility. I booked everything non-refundable, which made it harder to adjust when plans changed.
4. Always pack one full set of winter gear in your carry-on. Not just “a shirt and underwear”—I mean something you can wear immediately when you land: a warm top layer, thermals, socks, and basic essentials. Because if your luggage decides to take its own holiday (hi, Fabio’s suitcase), you still need to survive Day 1 like a functioning human.
5. If I could redo it: I would’ve broken the 16-hour train journey (Geneva → Amsterdam) with a one-night stop in Cologne or Münster to reduce exhaustion.
6. Stay near the airport (or easy access) the night before flying. I originally wanted to stay in Utrecht—if we had, we would’ve paid a painful Uber fee to the airport during disruptions.

Still—zero regrets.

Because now, the Schiphol drama and train chaos have upgraded themselves into a story we’ll laugh about for years. And honestly, that’s part of the magic: the trip you planned is never the exact trip you get… but sometimes the detours are what make it memorable.