One of the great thing about the winter is that it provides us with a whole heap of seasonal ways to stay active. For those of us who can't get away for all or part of the holidays, tere are still plenty of things to do such as winter walks - and if it snows, then there's snowman building, sledding, skiiang and snowboarding. And ice skating is often on offer in the bigger cities, with ice rinks set up for tourists, visitors to the city - and residents too, of course!
And then there are those among us who lke the cold weather so much that we go off and live in places where the mercury dips far below the (mild) UK winter level. Places like the Russia or the north of Canada. If you look at the weather forecast for an ordinary day like today in Anchorage, Alaska, it's immediately apparent that this is a different kind of cold - minus 8 celsius during the day and a very chilly minus 13 during the night. Brrr!
If you're looking to emigrate to a colder country, it's useful to visit there in the winter beforehand just to make sure it's not going to be too cold. Luckily in a lot of places a very low temeprature doesn't actually stop people going about everyday life - and a low temperature in a dry climate can actually be something that's not too difficult to acclimatise to.
The AXA PPP International site's guide to Russia says that the standard of health care in Russia can vary a lot from place to place. In bigger countries - that is, the ones covering the largest amount of space - this can often be the case, with better facilities being located in the bigger cities. So if you're looking for a taste of the colder countries by going to visit or live in Russia, it's worth bearing in mind.
Winter sports are highly regarded in Russia, too - woth the country offering some of th ebest skiing available.