If you could go anywhere in the world, where would it be?
That's what we asked our followers on Twitter and Facebook and the frequent travelers we interviewed on the streets of New York City. Their answers spanned the globe--from the beaches of Brazil to a South African safari to the Canadian Rockies.
For Sarah Jenks-Daly, wanderlust was inspired by a classic movie; she tweeted that "ever since seeing Indiana Jones, I've wanted to visit the historic sites of Petra." We researched how she might follow Indy's footsteps through Jordan's famous archaeological site, recommending she start early to avoid the heat--and sharing our favorite local tour guide.
Read on for more tips on planning a dream trip, plus the places that are on T+L editors' bucket lists.
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Berlin
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“If money was no object, I’d hit up every U.S. National Park, A–Z.” —Jean Elliott Boyer, via FacebookThe obvious favorites are Yellowstone and the Grand Canyon—but we suggest starting with more under-the-radar parks. Here, our top three.Sequoia National Park, in California, has all of Yosemite’s High Sierra grandeur—soaring mountains; steep canyons; wildflower-covered foothills—and only a fraction of its crowds. Highlights include the 275-foot-tall General Sherman tree (the world’s biggest living thing) and overnights at the Sequoia High Sierra Camp (open June through Sept.), a luxe, hike-inonly tented camp.Our favorite way to experience Texas’s Big Bend National Park is on a gourmet rafting trip with Far Flung Outdoor Center (three days from $875). Look up at Santa Elena Canyon’s 1,500-foot walls as you travel down the Rio Grande by day, then fill up on rack of lamb or fish at the campsite before nightly stargazing sessions.Join Austin Adventures (six days from $2,998 per person, double) on a one-week multisport exploration of Montana’s Glacier National Park—one of the Lower 48’s largest intact ecosystems. It’s not uncommon to spot grizzlies, mountain goats, wolves, elks, and moose as you hike to alpine lakes, bike across the Continental Divide, and more.
Photo: Peter Granser/laif
“If money was no object, I’d hit up every U.S. National Park, A–Z.” —Jean Elliott Boyer, via FacebookThe obvious favorites are Yellowstone and the Grand Canyon—but we suggest starting with more under-the-radar parks. Here, our top three.Sequoia National Park, in California, has all of Yosemite’s High Sierra grandeur—soaring mountains; steep canyons; wildflower-covered foothills—and only a fraction of its crowds. Highlights include the 275-foot-tall General Sherman tree (the world’s biggest living thing) and overnights at the Sequoia High Sierra Camp (open June through Sept.), a luxe, hike-inonly tented camp.Our favorite way to experience Texas’s Big Bend National Park is on a gourmet rafting trip with Far Flung Outdoor Center (three days from $875). Look up at Santa Elena Canyon’s 1,500-foot walls as you travel down the Rio Grande by day, then fill up on rack of lamb or fish at the campsite before nightly stargazing sessions.Join Austin Adventures (six days from $2,998 per person, double) on a one-week multisport exploration of Montana’s Glacier National Park—one of the Lower 48’s largest intact ecosystems. It’s not uncommon to spot grizzlies, mountain goats, wolves, elks, and moose as you hike to alpine lakes, bike across the Continental Divide, and more.
Photo: Peter Granser/laif
St. Lucia
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“My husband and I would relax by our in-room pool with a view of the Piton mountains, and then enjoy a couples massage.” —Jen Christiansen, via FacebookAt the Piton-facing Jade Mountain, all but five of the 29 open-air suites come with private infinity pools. (You’ll have to tear yourself away to make it to the beach.) As for that massage: we suggest the neighboring Sugar Beach, a Viceroy Resort, where the Rainforest Spa has seven tree-house treatment rooms.
Photo: C J Walker Photography
“My husband and I would relax by our in-room pool with a view of the Piton mountains, and then enjoy a couples massage.” —Jen Christiansen, via FacebookAt the Piton-facing Jade Mountain, all but five of the 29 open-air suites come with private infinity pools. (You’ll have to tear yourself away to make it to the beach.) As for that massage: we suggest the neighboring Sugar Beach, a Viceroy Resort, where the Rainforest Spa has seven tree-house treatment rooms.
Photo: C J Walker Photography
Argentina + Chile
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“I could really get into a #SouthAmerican #food tour.” —@IMJPROWe’ve narrowed it down to two culinary capitals. Here’s how to tackle them, one meal at a time.Buenos Aires: In Monserrat, Gonzalo Aramburu puts a “Nueva Cocina” spin on traditional dishes such as gnocchi soufflé and suckling pig at Aramburu Bis, while Sucre Restaurant Bar & Grill reflects chef Fernando Trocca’s global sensibility (think risotto with Black Angus osso buco).Santiago, Chile:Boragó is the top table in a city that’s just beginning to celebrate its culinary roots. Chef Rodolfo Guzman turns native ingredients—shellfish, mushrooms, herbs, and highland flowers—into edible bonsai. 99 is young, radical, and market-fresh. Don’t miss the wild-boar caldo if it pops up on the three-course lunch menu.
Photo: Javier Pierini
“I could really get into a #SouthAmerican #food tour.” —@IMJPROWe’ve narrowed it down to two culinary capitals. Here’s how to tackle them, one meal at a time.Buenos Aires: In Monserrat, Gonzalo Aramburu puts a “Nueva Cocina” spin on traditional dishes such as gnocchi soufflé and suckling pig at Aramburu Bis, while Sucre Restaurant Bar & Grill reflects chef Fernando Trocca’s global sensibility (think risotto with Black Angus osso buco).Santiago, Chile:Boragó is the top table in a city that’s just beginning to celebrate its culinary roots. Chef Rodolfo Guzman turns native ingredients—shellfish, mushrooms, herbs, and highland flowers—into edible bonsai. 99 is young, radical, and market-fresh. Don’t miss the wild-boar caldo if it pops up on the three-course lunch menu.
Photo: Javier Pierini
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Petra, Jordan
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“Ever since seeing Indiana Jones, I’ve wanted to visit the historic sites of Petra.” —@sarahjenksdalyYou should follow Indy’s footsteps through the slot canyon, or siq, that leads to the Treasury building, hewn by hand from a sandstone cliff. But there are many worthwhile sites, including cave dwellings and a massive colonnaded Monastery that sits atop the highest peak (it’s a steep hike, so hire a horse or donkey). Our tips: start early to avoid the afternoon heat; use a guide, who can explain Petra’s architecture and mysterious history (we love Mahmoud Ahmed); and stay at the Mövenpick Resort Petra, with a pool and prime location just outside the entrance.
Photo: Getty Images/Lonely Planet Images
“Ever since seeing Indiana Jones, I’ve wanted to visit the historic sites of Petra.” —@sarahjenksdalyYou should follow Indy’s footsteps through the slot canyon, or siq, that leads to the Treasury building, hewn by hand from a sandstone cliff. But there are many worthwhile sites, including cave dwellings and a massive colonnaded Monastery that sits atop the highest peak (it’s a steep hike, so hire a horse or donkey). Our tips: start early to avoid the afternoon heat; use a guide, who can explain Petra’s architecture and mysterious history (we love Mahmoud Ahmed); and stay at the Mövenpick Resort Petra, with a pool and prime location just outside the entrance.
Photo: Getty Images/Lonely Planet Images
Paris
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"It's the ideal city for romance. I'd love to visit museums and eat amazing food." —Angela Harry, 47, Patient-Care TechnicianThe city’s smaller museums are quieter, and much more romantic. A short walk from the Jardin du Luxembourg, Musée Maillol is a love letter to the artist Aristide Maillol founded by his muse, Dina Vierny; you’ll also see works by Henri Matisse and Paul Gauguin. The gardens of the Musée Rodin are intimate and peaceful—and right next door to Alain Passard’s L’Arpège, which offers a poetic and refined twist on farm-to-table eating. And the Jacquemart-André Museum—set in a 19th-century mansion—has works by everyone from Botticelli to Boucher.
Photo: Sivan Askayo
"It's the ideal city for romance. I'd love to visit museums and eat amazing food." —Angela Harry, 47, Patient-Care TechnicianThe city’s smaller museums are quieter, and much more romantic. A short walk from the Jardin du Luxembourg, Musée Maillol is a love letter to the artist Aristide Maillol founded by his muse, Dina Vierny; you’ll also see works by Henri Matisse and Paul Gauguin. The gardens of the Musée Rodin are intimate and peaceful—and right next door to Alain Passard’s L’Arpège, which offers a poetic and refined twist on farm-to-table eating. And the Jacquemart-André Museum—set in a 19th-century mansion—has works by everyone from Botticelli to Boucher.
Photo: Sivan Askayo
T+L Editor's Pick: Japan
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“First, skiing Nagano’s Hakuba Happo-one on slopes once graced by the likes of Picabo Street. In Tokyo, I’d indulge my food fantasy on an izakaya crawl that includes Maru (81-3/6418- 5572). Kyoto would be my last stop, for a tour of the Imperial Palace and nights in a restored Iori Machiya town house.” —David Alexander Arnold, Photo Editor
Photo: Jon Hicks/Corbis
“First, skiing Nagano’s Hakuba Happo-one on slopes once graced by the likes of Picabo Street. In Tokyo, I’d indulge my food fantasy on an izakaya crawl that includes Maru (81-3/6418- 5572). Kyoto would be my last stop, for a tour of the Imperial Palace and nights in a restored Iori Machiya town house.” —David Alexander Arnold, Photo Editor
Photo: Jon Hicks/Corbis
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National Parks
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“If money was no object, I’d hit up every U.S. National Park, A–Z.” —Jean Elliott Boyer, via FacebookThe obvious favorites are Yellowstone and the Grand Canyon—but we suggest starting with more under-the-radar parks. Here, our top three.Sequoia National Park, in California, has all of Yosemite’s High Sierra grandeur—soaring mountains; steep canyons; wildflower-covered foothills—and only a fraction of its crowds. Highlights include the 275-foot-tall General Sherman tree (the world’s biggest living thing) and overnights at the Sequoia High Sierra Camp (open June through Sept.), a luxe, hike-inonly tented camp.Our favorite way to experience Texas’s Big Bend National Park is on a gourmet rafting trip with Far Flung Outdoor Center (three days from $875). Look up at Santa Elena Canyon’s 1,500-foot walls as you travel down the Rio Grande by day, then fill up on rack of lamb or fish at the campsite before nightly stargazing sessions.Join Austin Adventures (six days from $2,998 per person, double) on a one-week multisport exploration of Montana’s Glacier National Park—one of the Lower 48’s largest intact ecosystems. It’s not uncommon to spot grizzlies, mountain goats, wolves, elks, and moose as you hike to alpine lakes, bike across the Continental Divide, and more.
Photo: Peter Granser/laif
“If money was no object, I’d hit up every U.S. National Park, A–Z.” —Jean Elliott Boyer, via FacebookThe obvious favorites are Yellowstone and the Grand Canyon—but we suggest starting with more under-the-radar parks. Here, our top three.Sequoia National Park, in California, has all of Yosemite’s High Sierra grandeur—soaring mountains; steep canyons; wildflower-covered foothills—and only a fraction of its crowds. Highlights include the 275-foot-tall General Sherman tree (the world’s biggest living thing) and overnights at the Sequoia High Sierra Camp (open June through Sept.), a luxe, hike-inonly tented camp.Our favorite way to experience Texas’s Big Bend National Park is on a gourmet rafting trip with Far Flung Outdoor Center (three days from $875). Look up at Santa Elena Canyon’s 1,500-foot walls as you travel down the Rio Grande by day, then fill up on rack of lamb or fish at the campsite before nightly stargazing sessions.Join Austin Adventures (six days from $2,998 per person, double) on a one-week multisport exploration of Montana’s Glacier National Park—one of the Lower 48’s largest intact ecosystems. It’s not uncommon to spot grizzlies, mountain goats, wolves, elks, and moose as you hike to alpine lakes, bike across the Continental Divide, and more.
Photo: Peter Granser/laif
--Travel + Leisure Staff
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