I had toyed with the idea of taking my vacation in the worst part of the mid winter January or February and go to a warmer climate instead but I read somewhere in a magazine article that it might not be such a good idea to do this as the blues kick in twice fold when they return because of the sudden change of climate and added to that the cost of the break which isn't going to be particularly cheap.
May I share the experience of a good friend: do all of the above because you never know which piece will be THE key piece till afterwards, or which ones "Life" will take out of your plan.
My friend adopted the "Vacay Hawaii" approach (he had the bucks). Not only did it help him, he found that looking forward to it as the darkness closed in kept him working his program so he could be ready to GO. Then to combat the letdown on his return he worked on maintain his tan. :~)
About half of our parish Snowbirds to Florida every winter. They leave this dark climate at dates reflecting their resources as well as how early their SAD gets to them. None of them have mentioned the rebound effect. The cycle of prep is probably why it works so well for them; you can think about how to apply that to a vacay schedule-- as you think ahead about your next vacay dates (and as the darkness increases daily).