PHOTO: Christmas market in Nuremberg, Germany. Photo courtesy Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection.

To escape the blistering heat and constant humidity of the dog days of summer, I try to cool down by thinking about colder weather and wintery destinations. Today, I’m picturing myself at the Christkindlmarkt in Vienna, Austria, sipping on hot mulled wine and shopping for traditional handicrafts while enjoying the sparkling holiday lights…and I feel cooler already.

However you dream about escaping the heat, it’s an ideal time to consider a trip for your clients to one of Europe’s treasured Christmas markets with a tour operator member of the United States Tour Operators Association (USTOA). The romance of the holidays comes alive at these bustling marketplaces where old-fashioned ornaments hang, the smells of gingerbread and roasting sausages waft through the cold air, glassblowers and other artisans share their work in wooden stalls and tourists and locals alike browse for gifts.

Here is a sample of European Christmas market itineraries offered by USTOA Active Members:

Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection offers an eight-day Danube Holiday Markets on the River Beatrice that takes travelers from Budapest, Hungary, to Passau, Germany, with stops at various Christmas markets to shop for traditional wares and sample holiday treats. Along the way, guests listen to a private organ concert in Benedictine Göttweig Abbey and enjoy gingerbread-making and floral-decorating demonstrations. Available Nov. 30, Dec. 7 and Dec. 14, prices start at $2,799 per person, cruise only, based on double occupancy. Visit www.uniworld.com for more information.

Visit the holiday marketplaces, some grand and some quaint, of Vienna, Salzburg, Munich, Innsbruck, Lucerne and Vaduz on the Christmas Markets of Austria Germany and Switzerland Winter 2014/2015 tour from Trafalgar. Guests will also learn about the history and culture of each destination, enjoying such sites as Mozart’s birthplace in Salzburg, the Marienplatz in Munich and the Lion Monument in Lucerne. Available Nov. 22, 24, 26, 29, 30 and Dec. 2, 4, 6, 8, 9 and 10,, prices for this cruise start at $1,750 per person, land only. Visit www.trafalgar.com for more information.

The nine-day Classic Christmas Markets itinerary from Collette is a journey filled with holiday cheer. Travelers will collect handicrafts, handmade ornaments and toys in some of the largest and most famous Christmas markets in Europe, including those in Strasbourg, Innsbruck, Wurzburg, Munich and Nuremberg. Trip highlights include a view of the fairy tale Neuschwanstein Castle and local dining in the Bavarian alpine village of Oberammergau. Available Dec. 4 and Dec. 15, prices start at $1,599 per person, land only, based on double occupancy. Visit www.gocollette.com for more information.

Ring in the holiday season in Old World style in festive markets bursting with handmade crafts and local delicacies on Go Ahead Tour’s Christmas Markets of Germany tour. The 12-day trip starts in Berlin, with a stop at the historic outpost of Potsdam and then continues to Dresden, home of the country’s oldest Christmas market. Guests can step back in time in the medieval streets of Bamberg, and enjoy the lively markets of Nuremberg before ending in Munich. Available Dec. 4 and Dec. 3 and 10, 2015, prices start at $3,044. Visit www.goaheadtours.com for more information.

Alpine Christmas Markets (Winter 2014-15), a 10-day itinerary from Insight Vacations visits Munich, Lindau and Freiburg in Germany, Salzburg and Innsbruck in Austria, Strasbourg, France, and Zurich, Switzerland, taking guests into the realm of gingerbread, carol singers, traditional crafts and yuletide delights. Available Nov. 27, 28, 29 and 30, as well as Dec. 4, 5, 7, 11, 12 and 13, prices start at $2,150 per person, based on double occupancy. Visit www.insightvacations.com for more information.

Capture the magic of Christmas markets in France and Germany aboard Tauck’s ms Inspire during the eight-day river cruise Christmas Markets Along the Rhine-Northbound, available Nov. 30 and December 14, 2014. Guests capture the holiday spirit throughout, with a tree-trimming and decorating party on the cruise, a cookie-baking demonstration that shares the secrets of traditional treats like lebkuchen and stollen, and shopping at colorful markets in Strasbourg and Baden-Baden, among other towns. Prices for this eight-day journey start at $2,550 per person, based on double occupancy, plus airfare. Visit www.tauck.com for more information.

Stay cool this August!

For more information about tours and packaged vacations, visit www.ustoa.com. And remember that, when booking with USTOA Active Members, you also get the assurance of knowing that they are held to the highest standards in the industry with our $1 Million Travelers Assistance Program. Visit www.ustoa.com for complete details.