We've Found the 9 Best Places to Go on Holiday in January

Don't be put off by this Canary Island's '80s nickname of "Lanza-grotty" — there's much more to this Spanish island than Brits abroad seeking cheap Winter sun.

There are lots of luxury properties around the coast, cultural gems in the capital Arrecife, and otherworldly volcanic terrains in this Unesco biosphere reserve. Lanzarote has 300 volcanic cones and breathtaking scenery in Timanfaya National Park, plus beaches for surfing and resorts for cocktails.

Average highest temperatures are 20 degrees with an average of seven hours of sunshine per day. It takes just over four hours to fly from the UK to Lanzarote (with plenty of low-cost flight options), and there's no time difference.

Sydney is well worth flying to the other side of the world for, with its iconic landmarks, like the Sydney Opera House, Bondi Beach, and Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Down in the southeast of Australia in New South Wales, Sydney is in full summertime swing in January (the hottest month), with average high temperatures of 27 degrees and eight hours of sunshine a day. It's humid too.

Sydney is 11 hours ahead of the UK, and it takes at least 21.5 hours to get there with one stopover, but you could make this a two-centre trip, with a stopover somewhere like Singapore, Hong Kong, or Dubai.

Tignes is one of the most reliable European ski resorts for good snow at this time of year (and even into Summer, for that matter). It's made up of a few purpose-built resorts at different altitudes and is very much about being snow-sure rather than being a quaint chalet village.

What it offers is affordable, excellent quality Winter sports for every level of skier and snowboarder, from beginners' pistes to a world-class snow park.

To visit Tignes, you'll typically fly into Geneva in Switzerland, which takes around 1 hour 40 minutes, with an on-land transfer of three hours after that, but you can also fly to Chambery, Lyon, or Grenoble. Tignes is one hour ahead of the UK.

If you want it hot, hot, hot, then Singapore is the place. Although January is the coolest month, it's still 30 degrees, and humidity levels average at 85 percent. However, bear in mind it's also monsoon season, when afternoons and early evenings can experience continuous heavy rainfall — adding up to 246 mm in the course of the month.

If you don't mind a downpour, then you'll be rewarded with a jaw-dropping, high-rise urban landscape with a multicultural population.

It takes about 13 hours to fly direct from the UK and is eight hours ahead.

The Alta Ski Area in Utah is considered to have some of the USA's best snow, so if you're serious about your Winter sports, then you'll be impressed by the cloud-like powder.

It's just for skiers as boarders are banned (one of just three areas in the US that outright bans snowboarders) and is all about the snow, the history, and the lodges — no fancy nightclubs or boutiques here.

You can fly to Salt Lake City from the UK in around 13 hours (usually with at least one connection), then it's a 45-minute transfer. Utah is seven hours behind the UK.