Trip Ideas

The Monteillet Fromagerie ranch, in Dayton, Wash.

A Drive Through Southeast Washington's Wine Country

These days, it’s not the wine causing all the buzz in Washington’s Walla Walla Valley. It’s the new crop of creative, farm-fresh food.

Top Stories

  • 15 of America's Favorite Regional Sweets

    There are still places where a trip to the candy store doesn't mean a Snickers or a Twix, but a souvenir worth writing home about—because you're likely to eat it before it gets there. Just in time for Valentine's Day, here are 15 of America's most storied treats.

  • 12 Hot Springs Worth Traveling For

    Before the days of high-tech spa treatments, wellness seekers headed for the hot springs—and modern-day soakers can, too. See the most stunning spots to take a dip.

  • 12 Elevators You Need to See to Believe

    Take a thrill ride on any of these 12 elevators and earn a lifetime of bragging rights.

  • Cruise Ship

    12 Top Tips from the World's Best Cruisers

    How do you choose the perfect cabin, make your own porthole, and never, ever get lost at sea? The winners of our World's Best Cruiser contest spill their time-tested cruising secrets.

  • 10 Most-Visited Caribbean Islands

    We took the 10 islands that Americans visited most last year and searched for the hidden corners, the spots that make your old standby feel new.

Road Trips

Long Weekends

  • To Go or Not to Go: 11 Places With a Bad Rap

    Mexico, Egypt, Greece…we took a look at some of the most "challenged" destinations to help you determine where the benefits outweigh the risks for travel in the New Year.

  • The Grand Canyon, 3 Ways

    You can never have enough time in the Grand Canyon—after all, it's a billion-plus years in the making. We help you get the most of your stay whether you've got a week, a weekend, or just a few hours.

See All Trip Ideas Content

Adventure

  • Maritime Canada

    Top Budget Travel Destinations for 2012

    Discounted tours, favorable exchange rates, and five-star hotels from $112: your annual guide to the year's biggest savings in the world's most appealing vacation spots!

National Parks

  • 10 Most Interesting Beaches

    Let's face it, beaches can be beautiful, but they can also be…boring. That's why we sought out sunny places with stories to tell, for more reasons to savor the location.

Family Travel

  • Danube River

    6 Best River Cruise Lines

    With bookings up over 200 percent in the past decade, river cruising has never been bigger, especially along the old-country routes of Europe. Here’s your guide to picking the right line—and river—for you.

Wine

  • Rolling slopes planted with Nebbiolo grapes at Tenuta Montanello

    Secret Hotels of Italy

    There aren’t a lot of places left in Italy that can qualify as "under the radar." At these northwestern farmhouses, you’ll not only find room at the inns, you’ll also get a taste of the old country.

Solo Travel

  • Quest for Britain's Holy Ale

    Britain's South Downs National Park has stunning views, mysterious artifacts, and literary roots. Less celebrated (but no less important): It's got terrific beer. We sent our writer on a 10-day trip to track down the perfect pint.

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Travel Tips

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Packing
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I started saving the heavy-duty plastic wrappers that sheets and curtains come in. Most have zippers or snaps, great to hold everything from toiletries to shoes to wet swimsuits. And I bet airport security must love them because they're see-through.

— Terry Schmieder
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Air Travel
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For long overnight flights, pack a dry washcloth in a Ziploc bag in your carry-on. Before landing, ask the flight attendant for a cup of hot (not boiling) water. Carefully pour the water into the Ziploc bag and then wipe your face and hands with the steaming cloth. It's like a portable sauna!

— Henrietta Scarlett Ober
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Packing
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Ziploc now makes extra-large bags with handles. They're nearly two feet by two feet, and although Ziploc advertises them as being good for storage, they're also useful for traveling. Bring one on long shopping excursions and then use it as an extra carry-on for souvenirs on the way home.

— Meredith McCulloch
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Dining
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Using restaurant.com, you can buy gift certificates good at eateries in your destination city, regularly snagging (in my experience) $25 certificates for as little as $5 to $8.The site is awesome, and it works as well for restaurant certificates in your own city and for obtaining gifts for friends.

— Derrick Tennant
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Loyalty Programs
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If you don't have enough frequent-flier miles to get to Europe, use your miles to reach a major airport in the United States and then pay for the overseas flight from there. For a trip to Ireland, my husband and I used Delta SkyMiles to get from Cincinnati to New York's JFK airport and from there took Aer Lingus to Ireland. The Aer Lingus internet special was $267 per person. A Delta flight from Cincinnati to Ireland was $1,150 for two. We saved more than $600.

— Kristin Farrell
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Technology
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Before traveling to any city, do a search on the Internet of the city name and the word "coupon" ("New Orleans coupon"). You will find many sites offering two-for-one, percentage-off, and dollar-off discounts. On a recent trip to St.Louis, we saved $100 at restaurants and attractions.

— Carolyn J. Kubacki
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Packing
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When I travel for business, I usually tack on a few extra days to do something active like hike in a nearby national park. I find that by taking two small suitcases instead of a single large one, I stay better organized and less burdened. I keep my business clothes, papers, and laptop in one bag and hiking clothes and gear in another. I leave the suitcase I'm not using at the time in the rental car and easily carry the lightweight case with the equipment and clothes I need into my hotel.

— Ellen Worthing
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Planning
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Scuba-diving vacations can get expensive. As I start planning a trip, I call one of the local PADI dive shops and ask the employees about accommodations nearby. They give me hotel connections I couldn't find on my own, and I often save enough to pay for my dives.

— Lyle Bennett
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Cruises
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It's easy to lose track of time in a windowless interior cabin. Before going to sleep, tune into the ship's bridge-camera channel for real-time videos of the front (or bow) of the boat. The screen will act like a virtual porthole, and you'll rise and shine with the sunrise.

— Martha and Ken Wiseman
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Packing
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The best carry-on bag that I've found is a gardener's tote. It has lots of pockets on the outside and room inside for a medium-size purse, yet it's small enough to sit comfortably at my feet on a bus or plane.

— Sheila Monk
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Cruises
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We like to buy shipboard souvenirs, so we try to choose a ship that's completing its run of an area--that's when merchandise is generally put on sale. Last year, for example, on a sailing in South America, all of the T-shirts, glassware, and rain jackets were 75 percent off.

— Carol Callahan
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Packing
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If you plan to travel to a less-developed country, pack an extra suitcase with hand-me-downs of all sizes. Housekeepers and other resort workers make so little money that the clothes are greatly appreciated. On your way home, you can use that empty suitcase for souvenirs.

— Rebecca Oberg
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Hotels
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When I called to book a hotel room in Budapest, I was offered a rate of $75 per night. After I told the concierge that I was looking for a room in the $35 range, he agreed to the lower price without much fuss. It sometimes pays to barter.

— Julie Jensen
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Air Travel
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I switch from street shoes to flannel-lined moccasins at the airport. It saves time at the security checkpoint, and I'm comfortable during the flight. Once I land, I switch back to my street shoes.

— John Eymann
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Technology
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Tell me I'm not alone: Almost every time I park my car at the airport, I have trouble finding it when I return. (I even reported my car stolen once after searching for hours, only to discover I was in the wrong lot!) I now use my cell phone to leave myself a message as to where I've parked my car.

— Perry Babel
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Hotels
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Even if you're staying at a standard resort hotel, take advantage of the day passes sold by many all-inclusive resorts (i.e., the right to use their facilities--such as swimming pools and beach chairs--and enjoy their meals for a day). The passes are primarily designed for cruise passengers on day trips but can be obtained by anyone for very little money. For persons staying in a less-expensive, no-frills hotel, it can give you the experience of a larger, more extensive resort for a day or two.

— Mandy Vieregg
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Photography
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I always snap photographs of scenic highway markers, park entrance signs, and the like. These informational photos are put into our album to help identify the many sites that we visited.

— Betty L. Cox
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Planning
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Before leaving on a trip, I print the names and addresses of my friends and family onto clear mailing labels. (All standard word-processing programs have preset templates for creating address labels.) Then, I take the address-label sheets with me on vacation. Since the addresses are already saved in my computer and the mailing labels are adhesive, addressing postcards has become really easy.

— Lisa Higgins
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Packing
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When traveling in the developing world, I always bring several packets of stickers to give to children. They're wonderful icebreakers.

— Linda Vogel
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Solo Travel
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When I travel to a new city, I check with the local running club to see if there are any events planned during my stay. The entry fee is usually donated to a charity, and I get great exercise, meet locals, and tour a part of the city I may not have known about.

— Kelly Christensen
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Safety
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Place a coin over the veins on the inside of your wrist (about two finger widths from the base of your palm) and secure it in place with a rubber band or ponytail holder. The gentle pressure of the coin will stimulate nerves that control nausea, just like the motion-sickness bands that are sold at drugstores.

— Connie Crusha
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Technology
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To find a reasonably priced villa or apartment to rent, try going directly to the owner through a site such as abritel.fr. (Click on the British flag for English.) I arranged to spend two weeks in an apartment in Brittany and one week in an apartment in the Loire Valley, all for a total of $800.

— Suzanne Maurice-Roberts
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Car Rentals
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Whenever I know I'll be renting a car, I pack a couple of folded paper towels and two small spray bottles--one filled with window cleaner and the other with Rain-X, a product that repels raindrops. It's hard enough driving an unfamiliar car in an unfamiliar location. At least with a clean windshield I'm able to see properly, no matter the weather.

— Ed Rainer
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Car Rentals
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I've saved lots of money using AAA. In addition to providing excellent roadside services (help with stalled cars, lost keys, etc.), most AAA chapters offer discounted tickets to Disney World and a preferred parking pass that enables you to grab specially designated spots near the entrances. It's a dollar saver, and you don't have to walk far or take the trolley in the parks!

— Judy Small
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Packing
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I always pack a Petzl Tikka Plus headlamp. It's small, weighs next to nothing, and is perfect for reading in bed at night without disturbing my husband. They're sold online and at outdoor-gear stores for about $33.

— Linda Smejkal
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Hotels
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A shoe organizer hung over the bathroom door is my solution for hotel-room clutter. The compartments are perfect for stashing everything from room keys and travel documents to toiletries and, of course, shoes. The extra storage space came in especially handy on a recent cruise, when we needed all the room we could get in our tiny cabin.

— Jane Tague
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Planning
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You can enjoy free airport-area parking by staying the night before departure at an airport hotel or motel that offers park-and-fly rates. The cost of that overnight (which usually entitles you to two weeks of parking) is much less than what you'd otherwise pay at an airport parking lot.

— Mike Saloudek
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Planning
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Before leaving for a vacation, I print out all our reservations and directions, and I create a contact sheet for emergencies. Then I gather all the papers together, punch some holes, and place them in a folder that has a middle section for three–holed papers. The side pockets hold brochures, business cards, ticket stubs, receipts, and maps that we collect along the way and want to bring home for our scrapbook.

— Sonal Gupte
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Cruises
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Most cruise lines offer certain drinks for free--juice, lemonade, iced tea, coffee, milk, tea-but you'll have to pay for soda. If you're a caffeine addict, pack a bottle or two. Unlike on a plane, you won't have to worry about paying for the added weight.

— Martha and Ken Wiseman
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Air Travel
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When you change your clocks back or forward, be sure to check the expiration date on all your frequent-flier miles. This way they're checked twice a year. We overlooked one of the many accounts in our household and lost a free ticket when the miles expired.

— Lynda Self

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