Travel
Archive
Cuba. Where travelers lounge on picturesque beaches, swirl mojitos, dance til sunrise, and cruise back to their hotels in ’57 T-birds. Travelers, yes. But Americans, no. Until 2011, these indulgences were long off limits to U.S. citizens due to a Bay of Pigs–era trade embargo. But despite the Obama Administration…
There's nothing more American than hitting the open road with the windows down, the music up, and a cooler full of beer in the backseat (you know, for later). Sure, the game has changed a little—smartphones have all but rendered guidebooks and crumpled maps obsolete—but one essential question remains: where to go? Look no further. We hand-picked the ten best, most adventure-packed road trips in the country.
A Southern Colorado loop where you can rough it in a yurt and throw one back in Durango.
Besides vampires, maybe, who doesn’t like celebrating on the longest day of sunlight of the year? Anywhere in the Northern Hemisphere that beer is sold and friends can be found pretty much suffices as a party venue. However, if you want a once-in-a-lifetime summer solstice experience on June 21, these…
This Olympic Peninsula loop in Washington is a water-lover's dream—take your pick of waterfalls, rivers, beaches, and lakes. And don't forget the seafood.
Take it to Alaska's Kenai Peninsula and find some of the best fishing, paddling, and moonshine-sampling of your life.
This road trip from New Orleans to Florida featuring lazy days feasting on the freshest seafood, sandy camping, and pristine paddling.
Hit up Best Towns 2014 winner Duluth, Minnesota, then hike and bike your way to Michigan's renowned shores.
It's a lonely road from Las Cruces, New Mexico, through West Texas, but very much worth it. Just a few reasons why: surreal white sand dunes, a massive network of caves, and mountain biking trails all to yourself.
Drive the Big Island loop in Hawaii—and make time for long hiking or paddling trips, plus awe-inspiring face time with volcanoes, manta rays, and starry skies.
Five stunning national parks await beyond North America's 49th parallel. But beware: you'll face shifting ice, mercurial weather, and polar bears if you take this path less traveled.
Start in the Grand Canyon and wander up to Moab, Utah, with some moonlit camping and excellent mountain biking along the way.
The route from Jackson, Wyoming, to Glacier National Park, Montana packs in five national parks and plenty of watering holes.
Everyone has heard of the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone and Yosemite—and for good reason. These national parks are American treasures. But their red ravines, spewing geysers, and endless valleys attract countless visitors, especially come summer. If you want a dose of natural beauty sans crazy crowds, plan a trip to one…
We put together a bracket of our 64 favorite towns in the country. See how your pick stacked up.
The Land Of is an entirely independent production that follows a group of surfers on a journey through Thailand as they gain new perspectives on travel that extend far beyond simply riding waves. In chapter one we find Joel Fitzgerald and Chrystal Jameson Fitzgerald in Phang Nga visiting the…
Unless your idea of a great pre-flight drink involves an ersatz Irish pub or a sports bar with 18 light beers on tap, then you likely agree that America’s airport bars tend to be serviceable at best. Not that there’s anything wrong with slamming a Coors before takeoff, but a…
The winners of the $10,000 Outside Adventure Grant have set off on a journey of a lifetime—a 2500-mile hitching odyssey across China on the ancient Silk Road.
What’s better than ice cream? It’s not a purely rhetorical question. The answer? Grown-up ice cream, spiked with wine, beer, and spirits. As the summer heat cranks to high, head to one of these regional ice cream spots for a shot of cool, creamy delight. Cayuga Lake Creamery Interlaken, New…
National parks are America's greatest recreational asset. Now an overdue movement will make them even better.
To best appreciate the fruit of the vine, you have to go to the source. And if the source happens to be the eastern foothills of the Andes in Mendoza, Argentina, all the better. This high-altitude terroir produces rich flavors, but the environs are also ripe for exploration by bike,…
A behind the scenes look at the 2014 GoPro Mountain Games. …
Australia's Greater Blue Mountains offer an unforgettable view just four hours from Sydney
It used to be that people would go on vacation to relax, drink cocktails from coconut shells, and sit by the beach with a trashy paperback. But more and more now, people are shelling out big bucks to travel to posh resorts and get their butts kicked exercising…
We’ll start by stating the obvious: with the 2014 FIFA World Cup about a week away, now is not really the best time to book your trip to Brazil so you can brag afterward about seeing soccer’s big dance in person. But you already know that—and you…
These images, from some of Outside's favorite photographers, will make you want to pack your bags and get lost in adventure.
A travel edit that may cause you to pack your bags. This beautiful look at both the rural and urban environments in Vietnam comes from Menassier Gabriel with mg image. …
Pounding out miles on stoplight-strewn streets and past convenience stores quickly loses its luster. Whether you’re commuting or training, here are ten urban trails in the U.S. that offer scenic views and traffic-free paths to keep your run enjoyable. Atlanta Beltline Georgia’s Beltline cinches its…
These images, from some of Outside's favorite photographers, will make you want to pack your bags and get lost in adventure.
Dream all you want about your adventure bucket list, but isn't it better to get right out there and start ticking off boxes? Let these trips be your inspiration—or your exact blueprint.
If you’ve topped out on talking about a wine’s terroir and session ales, it’s time to tackle the next alcohol trend that’s gaining volume: craft distilling. The desire for authentic, handmade goods drove the craft-beer bonanza. Now the same ethic is sparking passions for locally made spirits such as gin,…
After 20 days and more than one million votes since the start of our 2014 Best Towns Tournament, we're finally down to the final four. With less than two weeks left, we take a minute to weigh in on what makes each of the finalists so special.
Travel to the best slopes of Switzerland in style—a newly crowdfunded sleep-in bus will take you there
Ah, the age-old dilemma of falling in love with a stray dog and deciding to take it home when you’re vacationing in some exotic place. No, airlines don’t offer dog rescue discounts, but there is a low-cost option for getting a dog home specifically from Puerto Rico—you’re within American territory…
Nature versus concrete at its best. Filmmaker Joanny Causse traveled for two years to collect the footage in Country of Contrasts. From hours and hours of video, Causse was able to illustrate one of his favorite things about the U.S.; its stark contrasts. …
Rail trails are the ultimate in reusing and recycling. Converted from former railroad corridors, these multi-use paths carve gentle grades through cities and the countryside, making them family-friendly routes for hiking and biking. To date, there are more than 1,800 rail trails open nationwide, covering more than 21,000 miles. “They…
What do you do when you leave work in the evening? If you’re Alastair Humphreys. you head out on a “microadventure.” The 2012 National Geographic Adventurer of the Year paid a visit to Kammok and joined the staff for a night under the…
Incredible timelapse video of photographer John Shellington’s road trip through the Western United States. A collection of images from 2 months in New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming. Montana, Idaho, Utah, Arizona, Nevada, California, and Alberta, Canada.
From long flights to backpacking treks, one of the ugly universal truths of travel is a condition known as stanky bottom. Toilet paper is no match for this. In fact, it often exacerbates the problem, causing chafing and other issues. When stanky bottom strikes—and strike it will—you’re going to need…
You should be vigilant about Ebola if you’re traveling to West Africa, just as you should take precautions with more common threats such as crime, malaria, and crazy drivers. It’s all part of safe and healthy traveling. But don’t worry excessively about it. Below are some tips for minimizing the…
According to AVP Pro and Olympian April Ross
Yes, there’s a strong chance your credit card with the old-fashioned magnetic strip won’t work at most cash registers in Europe. American banks and retailers are woefully behind in security technology, and consumers are suffering for it. The recent hacking of ATM and credit information for tens of millions of…
Fly Fishing for Bonefish in the BahamasBy Will Rice
If you’re looking for the seclusion of a private beach with the affordability of a state park, but want to do more than kick off your flip-flops and sunbathe, these are the five Florida beaches for you.
Coasteering is a combination of rock climbing, swimming, and optional cliff jumping. As you’ve probably guessed from the term, this sport, which got its start in Wales, takes place on a coastline. It has allure for those looking for an adrenaline rush—and some exercise—in a beautiful environment. One…
The deep-dish pizza might get all the love, but there's plenty to keep you active in the windy city. Here's our guide to the best of it.
Though tourism is El Salvador’s fastest-growing industry, its long history of gang violence and civil unrest has put it on the State Department’s travel warning list. Its capital, San Salvador, has one of the highest murder rates in Latin America, due primarily to bloody wars carried out…
Digital devices store every detail of our lives—from business transactions and grocery lists to messages, both sweet and unsavory, meant only for our partners. Though Americans, in all their Fourth Amendment bravado, might consider themselves immune to unreasonable search and seizure of their devices, they have few rights to digital…
Like any real estate choice, camping is all about location, location, location. Camping on a portaledge—a deployable, hanging-tent system—gives rock climbers locations worth bragging about: unimpeded views, no noisy neighbors, and everything from egress to big-wall climbs. In the U.S., there’s no better place for a suspension sleeping system than…
The good news is that a rapidly growing number of cities across the country are becoming more bike-commuter friendly because of rising gas prices, growing alarm over global warming, and Americans’ desire to stay fit. In fact, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, biking to work has…
“I was the first athlete to intentionally move here to train.”
Part 3 of a stunning collection of timelapses from Martin Heck and Timestorm Films shot across New Zealand over four months. The crew traveled to iconic places like Tongariro National Park, Taranaki National Park, Lake Tekapo, Canterburry High Country, Lake Wakatipu and Skipper Canyon to capture the…
There are roughly 200 natural history museums across the U.S., not including the big daddies in New York and D.C. Some are barely bigger than a schoolroom, while others are sprawling, multimillion-dollar palaces that house some of the country’s most precious natural artifacts. The five below are among the finest—for…
Ravaged by historic flooding, the European nation is struggling through crisis. But behind the destruction is a gem of a country well worth a second look.
The answer is yes, you can use your other half—your iPhone—abroad. But here are a few tips for making sure you have money for something other than international roaming. First, call your carrier and inquire about their particular packages for out-of-country travel. For instance, AT&T will charge…
I could care less about luggage-sorting robots or Facebook kiosks. But high-tech bells and whistles that actually elevate my hotel stay? Yes, please. Be sure to book the following forward-looking lodgings whose amenities go well beyond the usual gimmickry. Stanford Court San Francisco Hotel | (Ted…
The great brew houses and burger joints scattered across the country are always highlighted in road trip guides. But chocolate chip cookies, those gooey symbols of all that is wholesome and right about America, always seem to get the shaft. Not today. The cookies from these eight bake shops scattered…