At the start of each year, as we ponder where to go next, a good question to ask is: Where is the U.S. dollar currently strongest?
Exchange rate is, of course, only one factor that determines the cost of a trip. Other factors include airfare, the length of the tourist season at your destination (the shorter the season, the higher the prices), whether the destination attracts more business travelers or vacationers (business-travel hubs are more expensive), how many hotels your destination has (since that determines the amount of hotel competition, which determines rates), and so on. The cost of traveling in a destination (and doing what travelers do there) can be very different from the cost of living in that destination (and doing what residents do there). Still, exchange rates are helpful indicators of how much you’ll spend when you are indeed doing those things that locals do—eating where they eat, shopping where they shop, taking public transit, and so on.
All you Europhiles should know that, at this moment, one U.S. dollar is worth .84 euros —the same exchange rate as three years ago. Sadly, the days of the U.S. dollar equating to .93 euros (2016 and 2017) seem to be gone for now. So where in the world is the U.S. dollar stronger than it was three years ago? Here are nine appealing travel ideas for you:
Argentina
Argentina has been a fabulous value ever since the peso slid a whopping 30% back in 2015. Besides bargains, what else awaits you there? Read our Insider’s Guides to Buenos Aires and Mendoza wine country to find out.
Jan 2015: US $1 = 8.57 pesos
Jan 2018: US $1 = 18.66 pesos
Azerbaijan
The U.S. dollar and the Azerbaijani manat were at parity until December 2015, when the manat took a huge hit. Since then the U.S. dollar has bought twice as much as before. If you’re interested in an Azerbaijani adventure—and you should be—contact me because I’m interested too and have been investigating Azerbaijan trip-planning specialists to see who deserves a spot on The WOW List.
Jan 2015: US $1 = .78 manat
Jan 2018: US $1 = 1.70 manat
Mexico
The U.S. dollar is near a 10-year high against the Mexican peso. Learn what’s unspoiled and up-and-coming in our Insider’s Guides to Mexico City, Puerto Vallarta, and the Riviera Maya.
Jan 2015: US $1 = 14.58 pesos
Jan 2018: US $1 = 19.10 pesos
Brazil
Five to ten years ago, travel to and in Brazil was prohibitively expensive for most travelers; today it’s a whole other story. Learn what you’ll find there in our Insider’s Guides to the glamorous side of Rio de Janeiro, the charming seaside village of Trancoso, the otherworldly Brazilian Amazon, and, for the ultimate extravaganza, Five-Star Brazil: Best Things to See and Do.
Jan 2015: US $1 = 2.62 real
Jan 2018: US $1 = 3.21 real
Colombia
Now is the moment to explore Colombia—while it’s still relatively under-the-radar and undeveloped. Here are reasons to go to Colombia pronto.
Jan 2015: $1 = 2,434 pesos
Jan 2018: $1 = 2,941 pesos
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom isn’t the bargain it was right after Brexit in 2016, when the pound hit a 31-year-old against the U.S. dollar—and, make no mistake, London is always an expensive city—but the U.K. is still a better deal now than it was for decades. Read our Insider’s Guide to London, as well as my son Charlie’s Do’s and Don’t for Your Trip to London, which he wrote in 2016 right after I jumped on the post-Brexit values and booked our family vacation there.
Jan 2015: $1 = .66 pounds
Jan 2018: $1 = .74 pounds
Malaysia
Malaysia was a better deal last year (when one U.S. dollar was worth 4.46 ringgit), but your dollar can still stretch far. Here’s what awaits you in Malaysia (and islands nearby).
Jan 2015: $1 = 3.57 ringgit
Jan 2018: $1 = 3.97 ringgit
Jan 2015: $1 = 11.44 rand
Jan 2018: $1 = 12.37 rand
Canada
Canada may not be the steal it was two years ago—when one U.S. dollar equated to 1.44 Canadian—but the greenback still goes far, especially if you remember the days when it was at parity with the loonie. To better appreciate the range of delights in Canada, read our Insider’s Guides to British Colombia and Newfoundland. In 2015 I jumped on the amazing exchange rate and rushed my family to British Columbia for our summer vacation. You can read about a few of our adventures in We Had the Best Family Trip in Whistler and We Never Put on Skis and I Can’t Believe We Did This: Mountain Climbing in Whistler.
Jan 2015: $1 = 1.20 Canadian dollars
Jan 2018: $1 = 1.25 Canadian dollars
At the start of each new year, as I plot out my travels for the year ahead, I like to look at the new routes and flights being launched. That’s not just because airlines sometimes offer special fares on introductory routes. It’s because these added flights indicate which places are growing in popularity and thus are best visited sooner rather than later (when they could get overrun).
It’s not at all surprising to see airlines adding routes in 2018 to destinations that have skyrocketed in popularity, such as Iceland (which in the past few years has gone from blissfully empty to teeming with tour buses), Portugal (a hot spot, thanks to a buzzing architecture-and-design scene, stylish new hotels, and exciting new food and wine experiences) and Hawaii (which is currently so in-demand that top hotels are already almost sold out for the 2018 Christmas-New Year holiday). Personally, I’m most excited about the new non-stop from New York to the Azores, the sunny Atlantic islands off Portugal that will soon be reachable from JFK in only six hours.
These are the new flights, all from major U.S. hubs, that excite me the most:
Atlanta to Lisbon, Portugal, on Delta, starting May 24.
Chicago (O’Hare) to Venice, Italy, on American Airlines, starting May 4.
Chicago (O’Hare) to Vancouver, Canada, on American Airlines, starting May 4.
Chicago (O’Hare) to Calgary, Canada, on American Airlines, starting June 7.
Dallas to Reykjavik, Iceland, on American Airlines, starting June 7.
Houston to Sydney, Australia, on United, starting January 18.
Los Angeles (LAX) to Kona, on Hawaiian Airlines, starting March 12.
Los Angeles (Long Beach) to Honolulu, on Hawaiian Airlines, starting June 1.
Los Angeles (LAX) to Paris (CDG), on Delta, starting June 16.
Los Angeles (LAX) to Amsterdam, on Delta, starting June 16.
Los Angeles (LAX) to Shanghai, on Delta, starting July 2.
New York (Newark) to Porto, Portugal, on United, starting May 4.
New York (Newark) to Reykjavik, Iceland, on United, starting May 23.
New York (JFK) to the Azores (Ponta Delgada), Portugal, on Delta, starting May 24.
New York (JFK) to Nairobi, Kenya, on Kenya Airways, starting October 28.
Philadelphia to Dublin, on Aer Lingus, starting March 25.
Philadelphia to Budapest, on American Airlines, starting May 4.
Philadelphia to Prague, on American Airlines, starting May 4.
San Francisco (Oakland) to Kauai, on Hawaiian Airlines, starting April 12.
San Francisco (SFO) to Madrid, on Iberia Airlines, starting April 25.
San Francisco (SFO to Zurich, Switzerland, on United, starting June 7.
San Francisco (SFO) to Tahiti, on United, starting October 30.
Seattle to Paris (CDG), on Air France, starting March 25.
Seattle to Dublin, on Aer Lingus, starting May 18.
Washington, D.C. (Dulles) to Edinburgh, Scotland, on United, starting May 23.
Washington, D.C. (Dulles) to Hong Kong, on Cathay Pacific, starting September 15.
ALSO: Southwest Airlines has promised to start flying to Hawaii in 2018 from multiple U.S. hubs, but has not yet revealed where or when. Hurry up, Southwest. Travelers need those extra flights!
If I had to choose just one way to see the world, it’d be from a hiking trail. But I’m no hearty Appalachian Trail thru-hiker—in fact, I’ve never carried more than a day’s worth of gear on my back, and I haven’t the faintest idea how to splint a broken ankle. And yet, I’ve seen some of the world’s most stunning wilderness areas on foot, from New Zealand’s Milford Track to Europe’s Tour du Mont Blanc, and from Peru’s Sacred Valley to Tanzania’s Mount Kilimanjaro. The one thing these trips all had in common? A great guide. Sometimes I’ve joined a group, other times I’ve hired a private guide to take me where I wanted to go. Here’s my advice (based on hundreds of miles’ worth of trail data) on the pros and cons of each:
Many of Patagonia’s upscale hotels are all-inclusive, which means you have to hike on their activity schedule as part of a small group—that is, unless you bring your own private guide. Photo: Brook Wilkinson
You should hire a private guide if:
You prize ultimate flexibility in each day’s plan. When I traveled in Patagonia with a private guide earlier this year (see Is Patagonia Right for You?), I opted to hike the very same route two days in a row. Why? Because on the first day a trail closure just short of the summit had prevented us from reaching the climax. No group hiking trip would have made that decision, but it was exactly how I wanted to spend my time.
You want to set your own pace. If you deviate far from the typical hiking speed in either direction, you’ll appreciate the ability to walk as slowly or as fast as you desire. It’s the smart choice too: Forcing yourself to slow down can be almost as tiring as hiking beyond your means, since it doesn’t allow your body to drop into its normal rhythm. This is also an important factor to consider if you want to stop frequently to take photos, or to search for wildlife.
You want to choose exactly which hikes you do. Group trips follow a predetermined route (sometimes with last-minute adjustments, of course, due to weather or other factors). If you book a private guide, you can work with him or her to select the trails that most precisely line up with your ability level and interests.
You care a great deal about your accommodations and where you eat. Group hiking trips frequent neither the smallest, most atmospheric hotels, nor the most luxurious, five-star properties. If you want to have control over where you sleep, book a private trip. Similarly, meals on group trips are typically taken together at restaurants predetermined by the guide or tour operator; if you want to eat alone and choose where you dine, you’re also better off going private.
A guide carried a blistered hiker piggyback over a stream crossing on our group trip along the Tour de Mont Blanc trail. Photo: Brook Wilkinson
You should join a group hiking trip if:
You’re working within a constrained budget. Simply put, private guides are expensive. Amortize that guide’s cost over half a dozen travelers, and the same trip becomes a lot more affordable.
You enjoy meeting other travelers. Hiking trips tend to attract groups of friendly people who share a love for the outdoors but arrive there via a variety of backgrounds. I’ve met some fascinating characters on the trail, from the Chinese immigrant who now owns a successful teashop in Washington, D.C., to the Vietnam vet on his first trip to Europe.
You need a little motivation. The camaraderie of a band of strangers chugging up a mountain can also help you tackle a challenging hike; if you thrive in the setting of a group exercise class, you’ll also probably perform better on the trail when there are others encouraging you along.
You need to please a variety of ability levels. If you hire one private guide, it forces your companions to hike together. Say you’re bringing along your marathoner sister and your slightly-out-of-shape dad: a group trip that operates with two guides, who can spread out along the trail and keep everyone headed in the right direction, is more likely to leave everybody satisfied.
Italy is a perennial favorite destination among our travelers, who generally prefer to get around by road (instead of train), so they can explore the charming villages in between the big cities. They then find themselves weighing the pros and cons of renting a car vs. hiring a driver. The rules and logistics of driving in Italy can be unfamiliar, even to the most seasoned traveler. So, if you’re planning to rent a car and set out on the autostrada, make sure to heed this advice,
Tolls
Italy has a system called Telepass, which allows drivers to pay tolls electronically via a transponder placed on their windshield (similar to the E-ZPass and FasTrak systems used in parts of the U.S.). Until recently, you had to have an Italian bank account to sign up for Telepass, but Europcar is now offering the option of renting a transponder along with your vehicle. This saves you from waiting in long lines at the tollbooths, and the tolls are automatically charged to your credit card; the rental fee is 35 euros, or about U.S. $40.
Traffic
Traffic has gotten extremely heavy in many parts of Italy—particularly the Amalfi Coast, where there is only one road and it may take two hours to accomplish what should be a 25- to 30-minute drive. You can avoid the headaches on the road by taking a ferry (check here for schedules), though even then it’s wise to book online in advance. When you must drive, try to do so at lunchtime, when the traffic might be lighter.
City Rules
Many Italian cities now limit the vehicles allowed into their historic centers; these areas are known as the ZTL, or zona a traffico limitato. Only those with resident permits or official licenses are allowed inside; all others risk being fined. The signs are small, inconspicuous and in Italian of course. Sometimes there is also a traffic light near the sign. If it’s red, the ZTL is in effect; green means you’re free to drive into the city center. If you are stopped by the carabinieri, politely explain the situation (perhaps you’re trying to get to your hotel) and they might let you pass—or they might send you back to park outside the ZTL. If your rental car is caught on camera illegally inside the ZTL, the fine can show up on your credit card bill even 12 to 18 months after the fact.
Parking
Italy’s beautiful hill towns weren’t designed with automobile parking in mind. Most of these towns—and certainly the ones that do any kind of tourist trade—have a parking area outside their walls. Be prepared to walk a moderate distance (usually uphill) from this lot to the town itself. Don’t expect to drive right up and park in front of the clock tower in Montepulciano. These lots, and most parking spots in urban areas, are not free. Find the kiosk or ticket booth where you can insert coins or bills—rarely credit cards—and purchase your time, then leave the receipt on your dashboard.
Keeping track of currency exchange rates is a necessity when traveling. Thankfully, there are many apps for that task, so we don’t have to spend too much of our time doing the research (I like Easy CurrencyConverter; leave your favorite in the comments below). But while it’s helpful to know the rough exchange for your home currency, the actual conversion rate varies from bank to bank, credit card to credit card, and even local merchant to local merchant.
As a result, when you’re overseas and you use a credit card, you’ll often see that the payment machine asks whether you want to pay with U.S. dollars or the local currency. Which one should you choose, and why?
Overseas credit card machines offer currency options. Which should you choose? Photo: Lindsay Lambert Day
First: Use the right credit card.
Having a credit card that’s ideal for travelers is your first line of defense against currency pitfalls: The good ones waive all foreign-purchase fees. “When you make purchases abroad, you should be using a card that doesn’t add foreign transaction fees to your bill (which can be as much as 3%),” says credit card expert Gary Leff, of View From the Wing. “All cards are going to convert foreign currency to your home currency, and you’ll get the prevailing rate. Some cards, though, will charge you a fee on top of the conversion rate to do it.”
Second: Pay in local currency.
“When a merchant outside the U.S. asks whether you want to be charged in U.S. dollars or your local currency, always say local currency,” advises Gary. “That’s because [the merchant is] going to hit you with their own conversion rate (likely unfavorable, but certainly not as good as the one you will get from your card company). And then, if your credit card hits you with foreign transaction fees, they’re going to charge those fees anyway, even if you paid in U.S. dollars, because it’s a foreign-made transaction.”
The final word:
“There is almost never any benefit to being charged by a merchant in your home currency,” Gary says. “You are best off having your credit-card-issuing bank do it at their rate. And you want to make sure you’re paying with a card that doesn’t charge you for the privilege of making purchases abroad.”
Using the right credit card is a smart way to maximize your travel booking power, and there are several that we recommend every traveler have in his or her arsenal. Some cards come with sign-up bonuses, others offer the potential to earn valuable points you can trade for hotel stays and flights, and others reward you with cash back.
We regularly update our Best Credit Cards for Travelers list, and every time we do, we are gently reminded by our Canadian readers that our advice is very useful…unless you live in Canada. That’s because Canadians can’t apply for a U.S. credit card unless they have a U.S. bank account and a U.S. address. In the interest of serving all of you globetrotters who reside in Canada, we reached out to our old friend and miles-and-points expert Gary Leff, who writes View from the Wing and founded BookYourAward.com.
“The Canadian card market isn’t quite as lucrative or competitive as the U.S. market,” Gary explained. “And it’s also somewhat in flux, because Air Canada is going to be ending its relationship with Aeroplan (the frequent-flier program that it spun off) and starting its own new program. As a result the value of accumulated unused Aeroplan miles is likely to fall. As a result my three favorite Canadian cards are American Express products.”
Here are Gary’s picks for the best credit cards for Canadian travelers:
• Starwood American Express: This has been a go-to in the U.S. for me for 16 years and is pretty similar in Canada.
• Gold Rewards: This one earns Membership Rewards points, which transfer to a variety of airline mileage programs (different programs than the U.S. cards have access to).
If you have any questions (for us or Gary), let us know in the comments below. And be sure to follow Gary on ViewFromtheWing.com for the latest insider info and explanations of the world of miles and points.
One of the biggest mistakes I see travelers make, over and over, is to unnecessarily cancel a trip or rule out a country because they’ve misconstrued a U.S. State Department travel advisory. A Travel Alert does not mean don’t go. And sometimes that’s true for Travel Warnings too. Right now there are Travel Warnings for 45 countries, ranging from war zones that should be avoided (e.g., Syria) to places that millions of people travel to safely every year for blissful relaxation (e.g., Mexico).
Last week, the U.S. State Department updated its Travel Warning for Mexico. According to State Department officials, this was a routine update. Still, the info that crime has increased in 2017 in areas including the states of Quintana Roo (where Cancun, Tulum, and Playa del Carmen are) and Baja California Sur (where Los Cabos is) is making the travel news rounds.
The reality is that most of the conflicts have been between rival criminal organizations and have not involved travelers. The Travel Warning acknowledges this, stating: “There is no evidence that criminal organizations have targeted U.S. citizens based on their nationality. Resort areas and tourist destinations in Mexico generally do not see the level of drug-related violence and crime that are reported in the border region or in areas along major trafficking routes.”
At Journey Mexico, the trip-planning company run by Zach Rabinor, the Trusted Travel Expert for Mexico on my WOW List, the staff has offered an in-depth explanation based on their first-hand, on-the-ground experience. They write, “It is important to note that, again, these conflicts and any related violence have not and are not targeting holiday travelers. There has been no violence against tourists within hotels or resorts or traveling to or from any of the main tourist attractions in the area.” They also remind travelers that “Many areas of Mexico, such as the popular state of Yucatan and city of Merida, and throughout the Central Highlands in destinations such as San Miguel de Allende and Mexico City, have no travel warnings at all.”
Yes, you should be careful, but you should also keep these warnings in perspective.
Most countries are a lot like the one where you live: safer in some parts, unsafe in others. Just because Mexico has dangerous parts (e.g., border areas), it doesn’t mean you should avoid others that are hundreds of miles away. I took my own staff to Playa del Carmen in January of this year to host a summit with my WOW List travel specialists from all over the world, and we all felt safe the entire time. Would you avoid Beverly Hills because of terrorist shootings in San Bernardino (which is only an hour away)?
This video will help you quickly understand and act upon travel advisories. I shot it last year when I was in another country for which there is a Travel Warning but which tens of thousands of tourists visit safely each year. Can you guess where? Here’s a clue:
Wendy and a new friend.
Transparency disclosure: Our sponsor, MedjetAssist, provided the financial support that made it possible to bring you these travel tips.
A forest of lenga trees in the foreground, Argentina's Mount Fitz Roy peeking out from the background.
A view of Mount Fitz Roy from the trail.
The Laguna de los Tres is fed by glaciers on the slopes of Mount Fitz Roy.
An iceberg dwarfs a sightseeing boat on Lago Argentino.
The approach to Estancia Cristina, via Lago Argentino.
The view of the mountains from Estancia Cristina's dining room, in Argentine Patagonia.
A bevy of delicious salads are just a taste of the daily lunch spread at Estancia Cristina.
The main entrance to Hotel Las Torres Patagonia, inside Chile's Torres del Paine National Park
The Patagonia picnic that was hauled ten miles up a trail in a backpack for us to enjoy. Unfortunately, the viewpoint to the Paine Towers was closed—but the other hikers sure looked enviously at our spread.
Room with a view at Hotel Rio Serrano, just outside Torres del Paine National Park.
A view of Torres del Paine's crystalline lakes from the French Valley.
I’ve hiked all over the world, from New Zealand’s Milford Track to Kilimanjaro to the Tour de Mont Blanc. When it comes to traversing dirt paths on foot, you might even call me a connoisseur. And so it was no small thing when, on my first day in Patagonia and between forkfuls from a heaping salad, I declared the hike I’d just completed to be the best I’d ever seen.
Twenty-four hours later, I found myself reconsidering. Chowing down on tourist town-quality pizza, I had to admit that that day’s hike now topped my list. Such are the delightful difficulties you’ll suffer through in Patagonia: deciding which trail—each with its own collection of showstopper views toward the sharp granite peaks that are Patagonia’s trademark—is your favorite. There’s a reason that Patagonia ends up on so many greatest-hits travel lists: Rising up from an otherwise scrubby wasteland, these mountains are as beautiful, and as captivating, as any others on the planet.
Putting together the perfect trip to Patagonia on your own can feel overwhelming, though, given the vastness of the region. That’s why I called on Trusted Travel Expert Tom Damon, who crafted an itinerary that included stunning hikes, gaucho-chic lodges, and an introduction to the glaciers that carved this incomparable landscape.
We receive at least a dozen Patagonia trip inquiries at Ask Wendy every month. For those of you considering such an adventure, here are answers and advice:
How much it will cost:
Patagonia, like many far-flung corners of the world, can be surprisingly expensive, particularly when compared with other parts of South America. There are a few reasons for this: First, the region is extremely remote, making it costly to bring in provisions—everything from fuel to food to cleaning supplies. Our picnic lunches, for instance, traveled 75 miles from the town nearest Chile’s national park (many ingredients surely traveled much farther than that, though the caterer made smart use of plums from her own trees, wild-growing rhubarb, and other local produce). Second, the season is short, so businesses that cater to tourists—which are most of them—have to earn a year’s income in just a few months. Third, the population is sparse, so there is high demand for the relatively few local guides who combine the hiking prowess, charisma, and knowledge of local history and geology that are all required to do the job right. There are some certifiably luxurious lodges in Chilean Patagonia, but most command high prices not for their expertly trained staff or high-design rooms (many, in fact, feel downright generic). A five-star hotel in Argentine Patagonia probably wouldn’t earn that rating in the Pyrenees. What you’re paying for is proximity to awe-inspiring mountains. For a WOW-caliber trip, be prepared to spend $1,500 or more per day (for two travelers), depending on what time of year you travel and which accommodations you choose.
How many days you’ll need:
Patagonia ignores political boundaries, encompassing the southern portions of both Argentina and Chile. (According to my Chilean guide, he and many of his neighbors feel more kinship toward Argentine Patagonians than they do toward the citizens of northern Chile.) And while the tourist centers of southern Patagonia are just over 100 miles apart as the condor flies, that condor would be swooping over mountains and ice fields; driving between Argentina’s Los Glaciares National Park and Chile’s Torres del Paine National Park takes at least five hours, with an additional 30 minutes or more allotted for the border-crossing rigmarole. Transit time to Patagonia from the east coast of the U.S. is a day and a half—two full days from the west coast—and that assumes you don’t want to explore Buenos Aires or Santiago (which you should, if you haven’t been to those cities before). So a two-week trip leaves you just enough time to knock off all of Patagonia’s marquee hikes, with a few days’ cushion should the notoriously fickle weather force you to rejigger your itinerary on the fly.
How fit you’ll need to be:
The most famous trails in southern Patagonia are 8- to 12-mile round-trips that climb gradually at first, then with a short, steep ascent to the base of a granite peak, where a milky turquoise or jade green lake is fed by glacial runoff. I saw everyone from teens in cutoffs and Converse to trekkers with 30-pound packs complete these hikes. Since the peaks above are smooth and nearly vertical, only technical climbers can go any farther. All trails start close to sea level, so you never have to deal with the effects of altitude—unlike famous routes through the Andes, Alps, and Himalayas that leave you gasping for oxygen. Make no mistake, you’ll have wanted to do some training at home, but you needn’t have the lungs of a marathoner or the legs of a power lifter to achieve hiking nirvana.
Why you might want your own mountain guide:
Many of the fanciest hotels in and around Chile’s Torres del Paine National Park operate on an all-inclusive basis, bundling accommodations, meals, and daily activities led by their in-house guides. This means you’re beholden to their schedule, and that you’ll be hiking as part of a small group. (The one exception is the Awasi, which gives each party of travelers its own private guide). If it’s important to you to hike at your own speed, to choose which trail you want to do on any given day, or simply to have privacy, you’ll need to stay somewhere that allows you to bring your own guide. That’s the tack I chose: I divided my time in Chile between the Hotel Las Torres Patagonia, where you can hike straight from your door, and the Rio Serrano, which offers a gobsmacking, panoramic view of the mountains from just outside the park’s boundaries. Having my own guide allowed me to move faster than a group could, and to repeat a hike when we hadn’t been able to reach the top due to a trail closure. Economically, it’s a toss-up: Hiring a private guide and staying in four-star properties is roughly equivalent in price to booking an all-inclusive experience at a five-star place.
What else there is to do:
On the Argentine side of southern Patagonia, the town of El Chalten was incorporated just over 30 years ago and has the feel of a place still not sure of its measurements and without a sense of permanence; the streets are wide, but most are dirt and gravel. I came across one house in town made from a shipping container, another from the trailer of a big rig. The most interesting regional history you’ll find on the Argentine side is out at the remote Estancia Cristina—now within the national park and accessible only by boat—where a pair of English pioneers set up a sheep farm in 1914. In their old shearing shed, you can browse their hand-built farming equipment and the ham radio they used to stay connected to the outside world. Hotel Las Torres Patagonia, on the Chilean side, does have a small but good information center with a few panels that talk about the indigenous people who once called this harsh landscape home. Our guide also brought us to some little-known rock art in Torres del Paine National Park, at the end of a trail so seldom used that grass has grown over it. So don’t come to Patagonia looking for culture.
How to pack:
While it’s technically summer when the vast majority of visitors arrive in Patagonia, temperatures rarely crack the 70s, and the weather can turn on a dime, bringing rain (or snow) at just about any time of year. So you’ll need to pack for several seasons’ worth of weather. The region’s wind is infamous; I didn’t fully believe the stories I’d heard until I had to hold a staggered, wide-legged stance just to stay upright through one major gale. (Locals track the weather via a website called Windguru, which shows hour-by-hour changes in wind speed, gusts, and direction.) I chose to travel in March, when the wind is less troublesome than during the height of summer—and the crowds thinner.
Got other questions about Patagonia? Ask me in the comments below.
Disclosure: Tom Damon provided a press rate for this writer’s trip to Patagonia. In keeping with WendyPerrin.com standard practice, there was no request for coverage, nor was anything promised. You can read our sponsored travel agreement with Tom here.
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What sort of traveler uses The WOW List? You might assume it’s travelers who can’t plan their own trips, but you’d be wrong. It’s people who have planned so many trips so well that they have an exhaustive grasp of just how much you miss out on when you don’t utilize the best local expertise and connections—and a deep appreciation of just how much time and effort such meticulous planning takes.
Jeff Bernfield, for instance. He’s a physician from the Chicago area who has used Wendy’s recommended Trusted Travel Experts (TTEs) more than anyone else—a whopping 15 times. With his wife, and sometimes with the rest of his family, he’s been all over the globe on trips arranged by these destination specialists, including Italy, Africa, England, Japan, Costa Rica, the Galapagos Islands, Norway, even Disney World. As you’d expect, he’s got a lot of tips to share when it comes to collaborating with travel specialists. So, in a phone call after a trip to Florence, Italy (where Wendy surprised him with a WOW Moment loyalty reward), we asked Dr. Bernfield to share his advice for how to get the best trip possible.
You’re more than capable of arranging your own travel. Why do you use The WOW List?
I could plan each trip myself—I’m a voracious researcher—but it’s so much easier to let one of these experts plan the whole thing for you and not worry about what could go wrong and what you’d do if something went wrong. I never ever have to worry because, even if something might go wrong, they fix it. They always fix it. It doesn’t happen very often, but it’s like having an insurance policy.
How do you choose which travel specialist to use for each trip?
What I usually do, I email Wendy. Wendy knows me by now, so I tell her where we’re going, and she’ll recommend the right one for me.
Do you read the reviews posted about each travel specialist on WendyPerrin.com?
I read all of the TTE’s reviews on Wendy’s site before contacting that TTE. I want to find out what that travel expert has planned and whether they’ve done something special—like, say, getting a traveler into Downton Abbey. I’ve never been able to get that; my wife is an obsessed Downtown Abbey fan but I couldn’t pull it off. My point is: If I read something in a review, that might tip my hand.
What’s most important to you in a travel planner?
I’m pretty big on communication and being accessible. Some Trusted Travel Experts are just incredible and if you shoot them an email, you get a response in ten minutes.
Do you prefer email or phone?
I definitely like the phone call. I always like to talk to somebody and know who I’m dealing with before I do business with them. And I like to have a back-and-forth discussion. I’m not the kind of person who says give me an itinerary for Southeast Asia and then I just do that itinerary. That’s not my nature. I like to pick people’s brains. I ask them: Why are you recommending this over this? I do a lot of reading, so maybe I’m on somebody’s dartboard somewhere [Laughs], but I like to have discussions about the itinerary.
In that first phone call, what should a traveler tell the Trusted Travel Expert?
I’ll tell them from the start what I’m looking for, and I’ll ask what are some of the things you offer, and then I’ll listen. I also ask about private experiences, since we like to dig into the culture and history. I always tell the TTEs: Let’s do something different, something that other people won’t do, don’t know to do. When we planned our trip to Japan, the Trusted Travel Expert sent us a list of 20 private experiences and told me to pick from them. I picked them all. I’m not saying everyone can or should do that, but I think if you like doing things different, that’s one of the advantages of having these experts plan your itinerary. So you’re not just going to the Louvre, not just doing the things any travelers can do; you’re going to someone’s home, taking a cooking lesson, taking a samurai sword lesson, meeting a priest at a high temple. In Italy we got to go to a dairy farm and see how they make Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. If you like doing different cultural experiences, there are a lot of assets that people on Wendy’s list have that I would try to find out about.
What are some of the questions travelers should ask?
I start with: What do you offer that’s different from the average tourist things? What cultural experiences can you access? Example: My wife is a picky eater. It so happens that she loves pizza, but in northern Italy pizza is not as common as in southern Italy. I told our Italy travel specialist, Maria, that my wife loves pizza, and would it be possible to take a pizza-making lesson? At first she said, “Huh, I don’t know, pizza’s not that popular in northern Italy.” But she called me back a couple hours later and she said, “I got it!” She had arranged for us to meet a chef who would give us a pizza lesson. I asked the question, I didn’t know what kind of answer I would get, but if you have something specific in mind, ask for it—because even if they don’t normally do it, unless you ask for something impossible, they’re going to try really hard to accommodate your request. That’s important.
What else is important to communicate to your Trusted Travel Expert?
You have to know what you are and what you want. We don’t like beaches. We don’t like to sit around and do nothing. Some travel specialists will schedule you starting at 11am, but we get up at 7am. So you need to know what you want and ask the questions. Then we can figure out if they can handle my needs. It’s like anything else: You talk to somebody. Some are easier to talk to, more communicative, have an easy-going personality—but you figure that out quickly. That’s why a phone call is so important.
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Mistake #1: Assuming you’re safer in the United States
By staying home, you don’t eliminate risk. You simply exchange one set of risks for another. Most of the cities we live in are statistically more dangerous than most of the places we visit overseas. If you think Europe is dicey, consider that from 2000 to 2014, there were 23 mass shootings in Europe, with 203 deaths; compare that with 133 mass shootings in the U.S., leaving 487 dead, during that same period. In fact, the United States leads the world in mass shootings. As for terrorism, from 2001 to 2013, the number of people killed in the U.S. because of domestic acts of terrorism was 3,030; the number of U.S. citizens killed overseas by terrorism during that same time period was 350.
Mistake #2: Thinking the most dangerous places to go are where the most recent terrorist attacks have occurred
In 2015 people cancelled trips to Paris the same way they canceled trips to Bali after the bombings there in 2002, and to New York City after the September 11 attacks. Historically, though, high-profile terror attacks tend not to recur soon afterward in the same spot. That’s because places that have been attacked beef up security measures to such a degree that, for at least a year or two, they are unlikely to be attacked again. Also, terrorists want to surprise us by attacking new, unexpected places.
Mistake #3: Anticipating you’ll be worried throughout a trip
I’ve noticed that people expect to worry during a trip more than they actually end up worrying. As it turns out, that’s human nature. Psychologists will tell you that people typically overestimate how emotional they will be. Once they’re in the actual situation, there are dozens of interesting and demanding immediate circumstances that occupy their attention—circumstances that they didn’t factor in ahead of time. Similarly, once travelers get to their destination, they become so preoccupied with sightseeing, shopping, and other activities that they forget they were supposed to be worried.
Mistake #4: Painting an entire country with the same brush
State Department country-specific advisories single out certain locations within countries as trouble spots. That doesn’t mean the whole country is dangerous. Just because parts of Mexico near the borders are dangerous, that doesn’t mean you should avoid the Riviera Maya or Cabo San Lucas. Would you avoid Beverly Hills because of shootings in San Bernardino? Foreigners considering a trip to the U.S. would, but you probably wouldn’t.
Mistake #5: Not seizing the moment
Many Americans often respond to terror attacks in Europe by sticking to resort locales in the United States, Hawaii, and the Caribbean. (Which only drives prices up in those places.) But many’s the time I’ve been in a destination shortly after a crisis (Egypt, Istanbul, Lebanon, Mumbai, Syria, Fiji, New York City…)—and I’ve found a heady combination of few tourists and locals very happy to see travelers and in an unusually hospitable frame of mind. These trips count among the most rewarding of my life; it would have been a real shame to have missed them.
But if you’re looking for other ideas, right now might be a good moment for much of Latin America. If you’re seeking a vacation spot that’s warm, affordable, and relatively near the U.S., and for which there are no country-specific State Department Travel Warnings or Alerts, you might consider Costa Rica, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Panama, or Peru.
As for Europe, even if you’re nervous about big cities such as Paris and London, don’t rule out smaller ones such as Dublin, Edinburgh, Florence, Lisbon, Salzburg, Ljubliana, Prague … or islands such as Malta and Sicily.
Figuring out how to stay connected while you’re traveling abroad is always kind of stressful. Will there be Wi-Fi? Will it be safe? If I have to rely on roaming data, how much will I use and what will it cost? Sure, you can arrange for some sort of international plan with your home carrier before you leave, but it’s never cheap and it’s never simple.
To alleviate that problem, Switzerland Tourism has partnered with Travelers Wifi to offer a very handy little solution, the Travelers Wifi hot spot, which provides 4G/LTE service for up to ten devices at a time with no data limits. The hot spot is small, thin and light; I’d compare it to a stack of ten credit cards and weighs 75g, which is less than a deck of cards.
The Travelers Wifi hot spot fits in your hand and weighs 2.6 ounces. Photo: Billie Cohen
For me, it was a no brainer to rent one and test it out. I work while I travel, so having uninterrupted Internet access for both my phone and my laptop was invaluable. Plus, with this, I never have to be on shared public Wi-Fi. I’m able to pull out my laptop on any train, at any coffee shop, in any hotel room or Airbnb, and work not only with a strong Wi-Fi connection, but on a private, secure one for which only I have the password.
You can rent the hot spot for however long you’re going to be in the country (it works only in Switzerland), and the cost is between $6 to $8 per day (the per diem cost gets cheaper as the rental period increases). If this sounds like a lot, consider two things:
First, you can connect up to ten devices on your network and it will not slow down the signal. If you’re a family or a couple traveling together, that alone makes it a good deal. For business travelers or remote workers, the value is even more obvious.
Second, you will be surprised how much you will use your devices, particularly a phone or tablet, once you don’t have to worry about racking up data charges. I found a million productive uses for my phone that both enhanced and eased my travel experience and that I know I wouldn’t have dared to use if data charges were an issue. I downloaded local train and bus apps to check schedules and buy tickets; I streamed audio guides for scenic drives and museums; I looked up unfamiliar foods on menus and in markets; I learned how to say “gluten-free” in three languages; I was able to use Google Maps discreetly instead of unfolding giant paper maps in the middle of the street; I was able to use Google Translate to hold quality conversations with my German-speaking Airbnb host (about her family, her camping vacation, and our mutual appreciation of Swiss architects); I was able to pull up videos of a Ticino-based artist as my B&B owner offered an impromptu local art lesson; I streamed Netflix shows in French and German to get a feel for the language (and, okay, I also watched reruns of Gilmore Girls); I edited stories, emailed with Wendy, and did other WendyPerrin.com work on my laptop a few hours every day; I used Wi-Fi calling to conduct interviews, hold meetings, and talk to my mom on Mother’s Day; and, of course, I posted a ton of photos on social media and a few stories on my blog.
I checked with the Travelers Wifi service, and I’ve been using about 1.4G per day, across my phone and my laptop. See how much you can eat up when you’re not careful? And I definitely wasn’t—which was incredibly freeing. So how much would I be paying for this without Travelers Wifi?
My regular phone service is Google Project Fi, which has a pretty good international coverage plan to begin with. It’s $10 per gigabyte no matter where in the world I am; there’s no additional fee (or throttling of speed) if I use that gig of data in Cambodia or at home in New York. I’m happy with the service, but even with that decent rate, if I’d been using all that data here in Switzerland, I would still be paying a little more than $10 per day. I’m here for 29 days, so that would’ve been $290. The Travelers Wifi for 29 days cost me $209. The savings are comparable for shorter trips, and the value goes up the more people you’re traveling with.
In efficient Swiss fashion, pick-up and drop-off of the Travelers Wifi is simple: You can book it ahead of time online and then pick it up at convenient spots including Zurich airport, your hotel, one of 1,500 post offices, or any Swiss address. Or you can rent one once you arrive, like I did, at Zurich airport, or at the tourism offices located in the Zurich, Bern, and Geneva main train stations. To return it, just drop it in any Swiss mailbox with the provided packaging, or bring it to a post office or one of the rental locations.
I don’t know why every tourism board isn’t partnering with a local provider to do something like this. But maybe some will be soon. In June, Travelers Wifi will launch a European product that will cover 40 countries and can be ordered and returned to anywhere in Europe. There’s no info available on the pricing or locations for that one yet, but I’m looking forward to taking a long European vacation to test it out.
Switzerland is an increasingly popular destination for our readers—so much so that I’m spending a few weeks traveling the country to get to know it better and to test different Switzerland travel specialists for potential inclusion on The WOW List in the future. Each Switzerland specialist has different strengths and offers different insider experiences, so if you’re looking for a WOW trip to Switzerland, click over to Ask Wendy to get her recommendation for the right trip designer for your needs. In the meantime, to whet your appetite, here are key things you need to see, taste, and know about traveling in Switzerland—beyond the usual and expected draws (though those are pretty good too).
Zurich confectionary Sprüngli has its own branded version of the colorful almond-flour sandwich cookies. They’re called Luxemburgerli, and they are a little smaller and lighter than classic macarons. Sample the always-available flavors including raspberry, hazelnut, champagne, caramel, and chocolate, but don’t miss the seasonal Luxemburgerli. May’s specials were mango and strawberry-rhubarb.
Wear thick-soled shoes even if you don’t plan on hiking.
The old town areas of Swiss cities, like this one in Locarno, are charming—but the uneven stone surfaces can be tough on your feet. Photo: Billie Cohen
You might think you only need solid footwear if you’re going to be trekking in the mountains, but the cobblestone streets of an old town (and every Swiss city has one) will quickly lead to tired, painful feet if you’re wearing thin sneakers or sandals.
The famed panoramic Glacier Express and Bernina Express live up to their reputation as gorgeous scenic experiences but, honestly, a lot of the regular train rides throughout the country offer equally stunning views. Switzerland Tourism sells a few varieties of train passes to make system-wide travel easier and more economical (you can purchase consecutive-day or flex passes for 3, 4, 8, or 15 days). Since I’m here for about a month, I chose the half-fare travel card; it gave me discounted tickets on long-distance, panoramic trains and local transportation, including buses, trams, and many scenic cable cars and even some local taxi services. I also tested an eight-consecutive-day, first-class Swiss Travel pass, courtesy of Switzerland Tourism, to see what that kind of freedom feels like and to experience first class. The Travel Pass covers all of the above, plus gives you free admission to more than 500 museums and attractions. There is plenty of info on myswitzerland.com to find the right one for your trip.
Second class is really nice.
On the Glacier Express, first-class seats (the red) are a bit roomier than the blue second-class section, and there are fewer seats in each car. But second class is still quite comfortable, even on regular trains. Photo: Billie Cohen
When traveling on trains or buying your Travel Pass, you’ll have a choice between first and second class. As you’d expect, first class is more spacious, the seats are bigger, the tables are bigger, and there are fewer people in each car, but second class is really nice too. This is no coach vs. business class dichotomy here—second class is very comfortable and the seats are roomy. In many cars, if I was sitting in a foursome (two seats facing another two seats with a little table between), I had enough room to keep my roller bag at my feet without crowding the person opposite me. I also found outlets in several second-class cars during my travels. Where I really appreciated first class was on my seven-hour Glacier Express trip. Since I was on that train for so long, it felt luxurious to have room to stretch out, a big table so I could spread out my maps and my laptop, and a less-crowded car.
But trains are not the most scenic way to travel.
That is not to say Switzerland’s trains are not spectacular. They absolutely are. I’ve criss-crossed the country on long-distance routes, inter-city expresses, regional connections, the famed panoramic Glacier Express, and even a 125-year-old cog railway that chugged to the summit of Monte Generoso at 1,704 meters. And I loved every second of every ride. Whether you travel first or second class, trains are comfortable, roomy, clean, and even the most basic local carriages have big windows. So I am not saying you should skip train travel. If you don’t travel by train in Switzerland, you are missing out. But I really shocked myself to find that after a month in this country, my personal favorite way to see it is by bus. Granted, it is slower, but that’s why I prefer it. Buses can also go where trains can’t. (Renting a car and driving introduces complications such as navigating scary roads, not being able to gawk at the scenery and drive at the same time, and not being able to have a local beer or glass of wine with your meal.) I rode the most amazing route in the Ticino region to see the famed Church of San Giovanni Battista in Mogno, by Swiss architect Mario Botta. We started out winding through charming tiny villages (where our driver knew everyone who waved to him from the streets because he’s been driving this route for 28 years) and then graduated to a series of steep hairpin turns that led up a mountain with sheer cliffs on one side and eye-popping views of the valley. I also really enjoyed the fact that we drove through many towns and villages. Yes, this meant a slower ride with more stops, but it also meant I had the chance to see where people lived and get a better sense of how the various villages are connected.
Long-distance routes like this one are run by the PostBus company, which, as its name implies, got its start as a service for delivering mail. It’s still part of the Swiss postal system, but it’s grown into a far-reaching, easy-to-use, and affordable public transportation network that’s also covered by the Swiss Travel Passes. You’ll recognize it by its bright yellow buses. The app even offers downloadable audio guides that point out sights and history along some of the routes.
Don’t miss the toilets on the trains.
The bathrooms on Swiss trains are much cleaner and more whimsical than you’d expect. Most of them have some kind of funny wallpaper to make you feel like you’re anywhere but in a train toilet. Photo: Billie Cohen
For one thing, this is practical advice, since bathrooms at train stations often cost a franc, while the toilets on the trains themselves are free. For another, the train toilets (look for the WC sign) are not only clean, they’re adorable. Yeah, I know, that’s not a word anyone would normally use to describe a bathroom, but just look at this picture! Most of the WCs on inter-city routes have whimsical wallpaper that’ll make you feel like you’re somewhere else: a homey powder room, in an under-the-sea submarine looking out a fake porthole, in an airplane flying through the clouds— and I never saw the same design twice. When the bathrooms are this nice, you know trains are a valued, respected, and well-maintained mode of transportation.
Don’t be a hero; take your Dramamine.
One unfortunate consequence of all those beautiful Swiss mountains: very, very, very sharp turns to get up them. Photo: Billie Cohen
The roads in the mountains can be very sinuous—ideal for causing discomfort to those of us who suffer from motion sickness. Even some of the trains rock side to side and may take some windy routes. And then there’s the buses, which can navigate even more serpentine roads and do a lot more stopping and starting. Also keep in mind that all modes of transportation here have front- and back-facing seats, and you may not always get your first choice, so you’ll have that additional trigger to worry about. So do yourself a favor and don’t try to tough it out. You’ll end up feeling too sick to look out the window; take whatever aid helps you feel better. If it makes you tired, you can always pep up with a coffee and a piece of chocolate!
There are gems of modern architecture, but some of them are hidden.
Mario Botta has several structures around Switzerland that are worth visiting. In addition to the San Giovanni Battista church, there’s La Chiesa Santa Maria degli Angeli at Monte Teramo and the Fiore di Pietra at the top of Monte Generoso (both in the Ticino region). Pritzker Prize-winning Peter Zumthor is another Swiss architect worth seeking out. In addition to the Therme Vals (in Vals), he designed a shelter for Roman archeological finds in Chur, Switzerland’s oldest city. That one is way off the main streets; although it’s not widely publicized, you can ask for a key at the tourist information center to access it. If you make the effort, you’ll be rewarded. I had the place entirely to myself when I visited, and I loved the contrast between the way the open-air structure incorporates light and shadow, which are always changing from minute to minute, and the ancient artifacts, which haven’t changed in 2,000 years. Another architectural gem that’s not obvious from the street is in Zurich: Santiago Calatrava’s law library at the University of Zurich is inside another building, so unless you know it’s there, you won’t notice it. The library is free and open to the public and worth the trip. There are so many other gems of modern architecture throughout Switzerland, so be sure to seek them out: the last building Le Corbusier ever designed is in Zurich; creations by Zaha Hadid, Frank Gehry and other starchitects are gathered at the Vitra Campus outside Basel; and Renzo Piano designed the undulating Zentrum Paul Klee in Bern.
It’s very easy to accommodate food allergies and preferences here.
I’m a vegetarian with many food issues, none of which were a problem here. Not only does everyone understand “vegetarian” and “vegan,” but I saw many menus that noted those options as well as gluten-free offerings. In grocery stores, packages mark these things too. Some stores have separate gluten-free sections. And I love to visit grocery stores. The two main ones you’ll see around Switzerland are Coop and Migros; the larger locations have inexpensive buffet-style restaurants and sections of housewares and even clothing.
Try all the Swiss cheese. There’s more than you think.
There a so many kinds of cheeses to taste in Switzerland, try them all. This selection is from the Appenzeller dairy. Photo: Billie Cohen
There are myriad varieties of cheese here beyond the familiar hole-pocked slices we picture when someone says Swiss cheese: There’s Emmental, Gruyère, Appenzeller, and many that are local to each region. Be sure to try them all and seek out opportunities to see it made. In Appenzell, I visited the Appenzeller show dairy and tasted several varieties. You can also visit the Gruyère factory and Emmentaler show dairy, and a well-connected Switzerland travel specialist can arrange more personal cheese experiences
There’s a rosti for every region and you should taste them all.
If you want to get very basic about it, rosti is just a big hash brown. But that’s really oversimplifying it. When done well, a big fat plate of browned and crispy rosti is exactly what your belly needs after a day of touring or hiking or shopping or whatever it is you did that day. What’s cool is that different regions in German Switzerland have their signature versions: In Appenzell, the rosti is served with a fried egg and Appenzeller cheese. The Bern version has bacon. Ask about it and try them all.
There are also regional desserts. Try those too.
Every region of Switzerland has specialty desserts. This biberli, a gingerbread cookie filled with nut cream, is popular in Appenzell. Photo: Billie Cohen
Keep your eye open for cakes, cookies, and treats in each area you visit. In Zurich and Appenzell, you’ll see a lot of small round mini cakes called biberli, which are soft gingerbread on the outside and filled with a nut cream. In Chur, I was introduced to Bündner Nusstorte (Bündner indicates it’s from the Canton of Graubünden, of which Chur is the capital), which is more like a walnut pie. Birnenbrot, also from Graubünden translates to pear bread. It’s a log of pear filling wrapped in a thin pastry.
Even the grocery stores sell good chocolate.
Every grocery store sells a large selection of chocolate at very affordable prices—and it’s good. Photo: Billie Cohen
You will likely want to try the fancy and famous chocolatiers of Switzerland, including Sprüngli in Zurich, Merz in Chur, and my favorite, Chocolat Stella in Bellinzona. And, of course, you should—they’re famous for a reason. But the quality of Swiss chocolate is so high that, as a rule, even the bars you buy in regular grocery stores are delicious. You’ll find large selections including Lindt aplenty, as well as Maison Callier and in-house lines. And whereas bite-size pralines from an upscale shop can cost 1.50 francs, standard chocolate bars are 100g (about twice the size of an American bar) and usually not more than two to three Swiss francs. The Migros grocery store’s house-brand milk chocolate bar is at the inexpensive end, and even that is creamier and more indulgent than any 80-cent chocolate bar has a right to be. Ask a local for his or her favorite brand, and you’ll get a different recommendation every time.
There are villages in the Ticino region where people still live without electricity—by choice.
The valleys of Switzerland’s southern Ticino region are dotted with ancient stone villages still in use today. Photo: Billie Cohen
The Ticino region of southern Switzerland is a varied landscape of steep cliffs and verdant valleys. And in those valleys, you can drive right up to—and walk respectfully through—miniscule villages of stone houses that date back hundreds of years. In the Valle Bavona outside the city of Locarno, for example, some families spend their summers in rustic homes, eschewing electricity and modern plumbing in exchange for being surrounded by nature. You can visit these on your own, but a local guide who knows the area, the history, the context, and some of the residents, will make a big difference since there are no signs to give you info on what you’re looking at, how the houses were built, or what daily life here is like. For example, my guide Anna, who still spends summer weekends in a mountain home in the area, shared anecdotes about residents she knew personally and how they handle basic tasks like laundry and gardening, as well as insider stories such as why the locals here chose to refuse electricity (it had to do with taxes in the 1970s), and how those who live in high-up mountain crevices get their supplies (hint: look for ground-level posts topped with orange balls, they mark the beginning of pulley wires that ascend to the heights). Anna also led me through an off-road trail dotted with ancient cave grottos still in use by today’s residents—I never would have found that on my own, or even known to look.
How is it that summer sneaks up on us every year? It was just winter, and then all of a sudden the warm weather is upon us and we’re scrambling to plan some quick-and-easy summer getaways. The good news is it’s never too late. Here are eight ideas for short, fun road trips and big-city escapes that work just as well for families as for solo travelers.
Find Your Inner Writer
You’ll have plenty of time this summer to spend reading on the beach (we hope!) but for now, get your book fix by road tripping through our nation’s literary past in New England. Wendy, who majored in History and Literature at Harvard, has designed this two-day itinerary, starting and ending in Boston, that takes you through Louisa May Alcott, Emily Dickinson, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Herman Melville, Henry David Thoreau, and Edith Wharton country.
Find Your Inner Food Critic
Put your GPS and your stomach to good use on a road trip focused on your favorite regional foods. For a Southern barbecue and soul food feast, for example, you could start with hickory-smoked ribs in Blue Ridge, Georgia, and continue sampling the country’s best barbecue on this itinerary through Nashville all the way to Kansas City. Or rate lobster rolls along the Northeastern coast, from Captain Scott’s Lobster Dock in New London, Connecticut, to Red’s Eats in Wiscasset, Maine. Find a few lauded spots with the TripAdvisor or LocalEats apps and you’re good to go. Of course, you could also just eat your way through the nearest State Fair.
See Spectacular Coastline
Drive Route 1 to Black Sands Beach on the Lost Coast in Humboldt, CA. Photo: Visit California
“One of my all-time favorite adventures along the northern California coast is to drive the one-lane, unpaved road off Route 1, just west of Leggett, to Sinkyone Wilderness State Park,” says Sheri Doyle, an expert planner of California road trips. “It’s a white-knuckle trip that will have you praying you won’t meet anyone coming the other way, and you’ll need a four-wheel-drive vehicle to do it, but the reward at the end—a black-sand beach out in the middle of nowhere—is fantastic. If that’s too daunting, the drive to the ‘Lost Coast’—the stretch of coastline from Ferndale to the Avenue of the Giants, just south of Eureka—is paved and not quite as difficult, but also leads to fantastic beach views that you’ll share with more cows than people.”
Discover Geological Wonders
Utah’s Highway 12, which runs alongside the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument, is a spectacular drive, but few take the time to do it.
Mississippi River runs through Minneapolis. Photo: Billie Cohen
America’s Great River Road runs along the Mississippi, all the way from Canada to the Gulf Coast, passing through country dotted with historic villages, wineries, wildlife, and sweeping vistas. Wendy recommends this two- to three-day itinerary that takes you along the Minnesota/Wisconsin border, starting in Minneapolis and ending in Madison, Wisconsin.
Pursue Your Passion
Pumpkins, petrified trees, yo-yos, balls of twine—the world’s largest anything is worth a stop, just for the sheer goofiness of it. Photo: Flickr/Loozrboy
Remember that you don’t need a bucket-list destination to make a road trip memorable. Just think of something you love and string together a few spots related to it. Are your kids die-hard baseball fans? Plan a route that connects minor-league stadiums. Do you swoon over lighthouses? Maine and North Carolina are just two states for you. If botanical gardens are more your thing, set your course for the Southwest and the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. Or go all-out quirky and seek out three of the world’s largest anything—apps such as Roadside America and Along the Way will help you track them down.
See How It’s Made
The Jelly Belly factory has a free sampling station where you can try three choices of jellybeans. Photo: Tim Baker
Many candy, ice cream, and food companies offer kid-friendly tours of their facilities—but you definitely don’t need to be a kid to enjoy them. In most cases you’ll get to see some behind-the-scenes manufacturing, learn about the company and the product, and (best part) get to taste the final product. Hershey’s Chocolate World in Pennsylvania and Ben & Jerry’s in Vermont are pretty well-known, but you can find more unusual ones like Tabasco Pepper Sauce in Louisiana and the Celestial Seasonings Tea factory in Colorado. Wendy’s husband, Tim, took the boys to the Jelly Belly jellybeans factory in California one year.
Find Peace in a Big City
Try something different in New York City: a picnic near the city’s only remaining light house, known as the Little Red Lighthouse, at the foot of the George Washington Bridge. Photo: Malcolm Pinckney, NYC Parks
You won’t be the only person thinking about hitting a big city on a summer weekend, but that doesn’t mean you can’t avoid the crowds. Washington, D.C. is beautiful in the spring, before the summer heat and humidity roll in. While everyone else is piling into the various Smithsonian museums, head away from the Mall to Dumbarton Oaks, an eclectic museum with gardens tucked away in a residential neighborhood, a mile and a half from the closest Metro stop. Owned by Harvard, the former mansion features world-class pre-Columbian and Byzantine art and artifacts, impressive architecture designed by Philip Johnson, and a beautiful 27-acre garden and park. It’s rarely crowded, and as a bonus, it’s a short stroll away from an outstanding small museum, Tudor Place, as well as the Georgetown commercial district. In New York, leave the sunbathing hordes of Central Park behind and instead spend the weekend exploring the city’s other parks. Plan a picnic in Fort Washington Park, near the city’s only remaining beacon Jeffrey’s Hook Light House (also known as the Little Red Lighthouse) at the foot of the George Washington Bridge. Or head to Brooklyn’s Prospect Park, to climb Lookout Hill, the highest point in Brooklyn with views of the second park designed by Olmsted & Vaux (famous for creating Manhattan’s Central Park; legend has it they said Prospect was the design they liked better).
The U.S. park system is a national treasure that many parents want to share with their kids. But when you’re beholden to the school calendar, you’re forced to visit these parks at their busiest times of year: summer, spring break, Memorial Day, Labor Day, and other school holidays. Thus there are crowds. But there are also strategies for avoiding them. I’ve tested out many of these tricks at numerous national parks over the years, most recently when I took my son to Yosemite for spring break. Here’s what I’ve found works best:
A quiet moment of reflection on busy Mirror Lake. Photo: Ryan Damm
Use the right park entrance.
Many parks have entrances that are less busy than others. In Yosemite, for instance, far fewer people approach from the east (a route that is open only in summer) than from the west. Be strategic about which entrance you use.
Choose inside-the-park accommodations.
The entry gates are often the worst choke points in a national park; we spent an hour in the car inching our way toward Yosemite’s Arch Rock entrance on a Sunday afternoon in April. You’ll pay a premium for accommodations inside any national park—and you’ll have to plan far in advance, as many hotels and campsites book up as soon as space becomes available—but you’ll save a ton of time by only having to enter the park once.
Zeke focuses at a mosaic workshop put on by the Yosemite Conservancy. Photo: Ryan Damm
Hit the iconic sights well before 9 am.
Time after time, I’ve found that even the most popular spots are nearly empty if you arrive before 9am—and ideally earlier. I know it’s difficult to get kids out the door at the crack of dawn, but prep as much as you can the night before, and consider offering an incentive if everyone’s ready on time (an afternoon ice cream?). If there are iconic sights on your hit list—Bridalveil Falls in Yosemite, Old Faithful in Yellowstone, Inspiration Point in Bryce Canyon—make a beeline to those first. By the time the crowds have descended later in the morning, you’ll be off exploring less trodden trails.
Explore in the evenings too.
Evening is less crowded than midday and can be transcendent. I once took a stroll into Bryce Canyon’s amphitheater by the light of the full moon, and it was magical. Moreover, I saw only two other people on what’s usually a busy trail in daytime.
Avoid mealtime mobs by having picnics far from commercial areas.
After the entrance gate, the largest crowd we dealt with in Yosemite was at the Village Store, a grocery and souvenir shop in Yosemite Village. I’m glad my son has a memento to remember the trip—and he loved the mosaic-making workshop that he took at the Yosemite Art Center next door. But I’m even happier that we were able to avoid Yosemite Village’s mealtime crowds by packing a picnic each day—something we were able to do because we’d booked a vacation home rental in Yosemite West, a community that is technically outside Yosemite but on the park side of the fee gates.
The guide dangled the promise of “a rock we can walk through” to push my five-year-old along the trail. Here, we make the tight squeeze. Photo: Ryan Damm
Hire a naturalist guide to get you truly off the beaten path.
Our guide took us on quieter trails that were alternatives to the ones we would have chosen on our own, and he made suggestions for how to spend the rest of our time in the park. He also opened my son’s eyes to this new place in a way I couldn’t have, explaining everything from the strange phenomenon of frazil ice to the culinary techniques of the Ahwahneechee people who once populated the region. If you’re seeking a superlative national-parks itinerary and travel arrangements, complete with the most knowledgeable and engaging guides, we know who to recommend: Just write to Ask Wendy.
Choose dirt over pavement.
Many park visitors barely leave their vehicles, doing so only long enough to snap a photo and move on to the next marquee sight. When the roads are jammed, find a place—any place—to leave your car and hit the trails. No matter where you are, the farther you walk, the fewer people you’ll see. And it’s a national park, after all, so it’s virtually guaranteed to be scenic.
Our Yosemite guide shows Zeke the bedrock mortars made by Native Americans to prepare acorns and other foods perhaps 1,000 years ago. Photo: Ryan Damm
Interview park rangers.
When there are multiple ways to get to a popular spot, ask a park ranger which option is the least crowded. For instance, there are several different routes to Mirror Lake in Yosemite Valley. Our guide took us on a trail where we passed only a few other hikers, plus two school groups gathered in a glade; by contrast, the paved path that we returned on felt like a double-wide city sidewalk on a busy afternoon.
