Passport

Got the travel bug but not the airline budget? Load up the car, and check out these car-close destinations.

Callaway Gardens, a Southern Appalachian Resort in Pine Mountain, Ga., reminds me of the 1960s resorts where American children blossomed into teenagers, like Baby and Johnny in Dirty Dancing. With its luscious, tree-covered hills, log cabins, colorful gardens, butterfly house and many waterways, it’s no wonder. As a matter of fact, I ran into several adults there who remember their first feelings of puppy love in a row boat on Mountain Creek Lake in Pine Mountain or while bicycling along one of the many resort trails.

Go Walkabout

Australia offers a trove of vacation adventures!

“Going walkabout,” a phrase termed by the Australian Aboriginals, means “to reconnect with the land and the traditional way of life.” Going walkabout for us Westerners may mean to take a time-out to recharge and rebalance our lives ... in other words, take a vacation. So let’s talk about a walkabout, Australian style.

Feel like a break but don’t know where to go? Wave goodbye to winter, and party like never before ... incognito!
    While it’s traditionally known as Carnival, many call the European celebration the fifth season of the year. The gist of most European carnivals is that you hide behind a mask and dare your girlfriends to let their hair down. Then you dance through the streets with strangers, drink a lot and have the time of your life. Think of it as a looooooong version of Mardi Gras.

Do you ever get so busy that you neglect your inner creative goddess? Is she screaming to be freed? If your creative side needs a vacation, try spending a couple of days at an arts and crafts workshop. Here are some top picks:

Need a romatic weekend away? Stroll hand-in-hand along wooded trails that open up to spectacular overviews. After your private, hour-long, in-room massage, end the evening with a four-course dinner at the main lodge or enjoy an after-meal game of darts, billiards or table tennis at the Gristmill Hall. “Where?” you ask. The Inn at Evins Mill, of course!

From bargain to posh, London markets have it all.

Shopping in London is tops! But once you’re through with Oxford Street, Piccadilly Circus and Harrod’s, turn your sights to the many markets coloring the streets of typically gray London. 

Sure Labor Day weekend is generally reserved for family cookouts, but why not shake it up a bit? Grab a girlfriend or two, and take a road trip to New Orleans via Memphis.

DAY ONE — Saturday (drive time: four hours)

Nary a woman doesn’t love a vacation free of dietary restrictions. Top that with the potential to actually lose weight on a trip, and you have the formula for a fabulous time away. Bike tours, ladies. Biking through beautiful countryside while spending time with your girlfriends and a glass of wine? That’s a vacation! I recommend choosing a destination rich in tradition, history and gourmet treasures. Here are a few suggestions to get you started.

Europe, Baby!