The first thing we do for any trip is figure out airfare, negotiating between cheap prices, number of layovers, and reasonable departure/arrival times. We are pretty friggin’ budget-minded, so have done the most extreme flights (ie: sleeping overnight in airports for early early early morning flights, endured multiple 8-hour layovers just trying to get from A to B). HOWEVER, if you’re going somewhere far away and exotic, you can’t really get away from really really long-haul flights.

Baja California's Guadalupe Valley isn't exactly a secret, but it's still the most underrated wine region in the world. We've been down about a dozen times now, visiting around 20 of the more than 100 wineries in the area -- and everything keeps getting better. The combination of unparalleled food, wine, ambience, architecture, and views play perfectly off of each other in a frontier like setting peppered with

Taos Ski Village is a 30 minute drive into the dramatic Sangre De Grado Mountains from the artistic pueblo of Taos. The drive alone is worth making the trip here, but ski village life is the real draw. We came up here to catch a free concert by the band Tea Leaf Green, and had to hop on a gondola (also free) up the mountain from the base of the resort. I dropped about $5 on 2 PBR pints, including tip. Best Ski Resort Trip Ever.