Girl About the World

Whenever I convene with a group of travelers, the biggest question is usually: “Where are you headed next?” (The current answer: New Mexico.) People are always looking for the next hot destination, the next memorable experience. And with the new year just beginning, now is the perfect time to reflect on what will be big in the world of travel in 2012.

FourSeasonsMagazine.com asked Four Seasons Magazine contributors and star chefs to weigh in on what they anticipate seeing on the road in the coming year — read the story to get the scoop on gear, wellness, family travel, food, and more for the next 12 months. (You may recognize one of the contributors — *cough, cough* me — in the spa and global travel sections.)

Beachgoers wade into the waters at Huntington Beach in California.

As I look out the window, ice is raining down on a snow-white scene, the temperature below freezing long enough that I’ve had to turn the heat on — and anyone who knows me knows I try to do that as little as possible! It’s our first snow of the year, so I’m enjoying the picturesque views and winter wonderland for now, but a few more days of this and I’ll be ready to escape to the beach.

When I do get the desire to run from the snow to the sands, I’ll know where to go, thanks to this piece I did for Away.com on the best beaches for 2012. From the buoyant waters in Jordan’s Dead Sea to the quiet, under-discovered Baisha Beach in Taiwan to the rustic cabins and clam digging on Copalis Beach in Washington, these hot spots are sure to please sand-and-surf stalwarts in the coming year.

Caye Caulker, Belize

I covered my top 10 travel highlights in 2010 last year, so I thought I’d continue the tradition. It was kind of a quiet year for me on the travel front, but after four countries and nine states, here’s what wowed in the past 365 days:

1. Belize. The 10 days I spent in Belize made up what was one of my favorite solo international trips ever. I rode old U.S. school buses down bumpy dirt roads, was followed around by curious children in a remote village, stand-up paddleboarded around Caye Caulker, scrambled up rocks in a cave, spent untold hours reading in many hammocks, swam with sharks, and ate lots of delicious food.

2. Exploring the Salish Sea. Washington state is teeming with delightful communities (and I’m only slightly biased having been raised there), and I got a whirlwind tour of four of them this past fall: San Juan Island, Port Townsend,  Whidbey Island, and Camano Island. A restful night’s sleep in the couldn’t-be-cuter Dove in the Window room at Tucker House Inn, a Grown Up Grilled Cheese at Sweet Laurette Cafe & Bistro, an inside look at Penn Cove Shellfish, and a soak in my own hot tub at Camano Island Inn were just a few of the high points.

The Breakers

3. Newport Mansions in Newport, Rhode Island. I love my family, but if I could’ve chosen which one to be born into, I just may have picked the Vanderbilts. And if I could jump back in time with my new last name, I’d spend my summers at The Breakers, a 70-room “cottage” you have to see to believe. The Elms, Marble House, and Rosecliff were also quite impressive.

4. The Pacific Coast Highway. A guidebook project took me down the PCH, starting in Washington and ending in San Diego. The vistas are so stunning along the way, you almost become desensitized to having postcard-worthy shots with each passing mile. Big Sur’s hairpin turns (and the red Mustangs/giant rented motor homes that refused to pull over) will remain in my memory for years to come.

Ticket to the Market Ghost Tour

5. Market Ghost Tour, Seattle. I never watch scary movies and always plug my ears whenever someone suggests a hotel I’m staying in might be haunted, so a ghost tour normally wouldn’t be up my alley — but on this tour, you learn fascinating factoids about the Northwest’s largest city, which are suitable for skeptics and believers alike. My ghost-obsessed sister and I were both pleased with the tour, as was everyone else with us.

6. Tikal. The largest Mayan ruins site in Central America, Guatemala’s Tikal is a huge and awe-inspiring example of Classic Period architecture. Wildlife roaming the grounds, including howler monkeys, spider monkeys, and coatis, only add to the appeal of this UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Wine tasting at Coeur d'Alene Cellars

7. Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. Sunshine was in long supply during my July visit to this northern Idaho city, and I made sure to enjoy it, with a 12-mile biking jaunt on the Centennial Trail, a kayaking trip with ROW Adventures, and a boat ride to see the world’s only floating golf green. The hot stone massage, huckleberry-infused drinks, and view from my room at The Coeur d’Alene Resort made me wish I could stay another day … or 10.

8. Vancouver, British Columbia. When my credit card refused to work in the ticket machines for the metro at midnight, a nice young man paid my fare — that’s just how they roll in Canada. Unfailingly polite people, natural beauty, and a huge array of sights make this one of my favorite cities to visit. This time around, I slowly traversed the Capilano Suspension Bridge, watched the belugas swim at the Vancouver Aquarium, and let the horses lead the way on a carriage ride through Stanley Park.

Thoreau's cabin

9. Concord, Massachusetts. It’s a wonder that as a writer and someone interested in history that I’d never been to Concord before this year, given its prominence in the American Revolution and many literary connections. I felt like writing a book after seeing Louisa May Alcott’s house and staring out at Henry David Thoreau’s Walden Pond. Nathaniel Hawthorne, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Margaret Sidney also lived in this still-quaint New England town.

10. Whistler, British Columbia. After journeying to Whistler on the absolutely delightful Rocky Mountaineer train (the afternoon tea service in the Dome class is a nice touch), I was bombarded with an amazing assortment of things to do in the summer: zip-lining with WildPlay Whistler, delicious local dining at Alta Bistro, shocking the system at the beautiful outdoor Scandinave Spa, and soaring through the sky on the world’s highest-off-the-ground gondola, Peak 2 Peak.

Location: Coeur d’Alene, Idaho

The travel blogging community is a pretty cool one, and here’s but one example of how: Passports with Purpose.

This annual fundraiser began in 2008 with four Seattle bloggers, raising $7,400 in its first year for Heifer International, nearly $30,000 for a school in Cambodia in 2009, and $64,128 for a village in India in 2010. This year’s project is building two libraries in Zambia, where more than half the population is less than 16, leading to a big burden on educational institutions there. Nearly 260,000 children from 7 to 13 are not enrolled in school.

How can you help? It’s super easy. A bunch of awesome travel bloggers have rounded up travel-related prizes of all kinds, from 110,000 Hyatt Gold Passport Points (enough for five to 22 nights, depending on where you stay) to a luxury getaway on Maui to a Eurail pass to help you get around Europe to a Kindle Fire to take on the road. To be eligible for a prize, donate in $10 increments and designate which goodies you’re going for. I’ve thrown my hat in the ring for three of the offers, and although I’m sure not to win because I have absolutely no luck at these types of things, I’m happy to support the library-building efforts.

Entries close at 11:59 p.m. Pacific time on Friday, Dec. 16 (that’s tomorrow!), so check out the list now and donate if you’re so inclined.

Charlotte's of Salado is just one of the shops in Salado open during the annual Christmas Stroll.

I arrived in Salado stressed out. I was in the midst of a flurry of travel, having driven 700 miles in the few days before I arrived, shuttling every which way across Texas for a mix of business and pleasure.

But after a restful night of sleep and a day of meandering about the shops and galleries of this two-exit Central Texas town off Interstate 35 north of Austin, my frazzled state of mind seemed a lifetime away.

I’m certainly not the first to notice that Salado, founded in 1859, has something special. “Ninety percent of people choose to move here — we could’ve gone anywhere, but we chose to come here,” says Charlotte Douglass, the former — and first — mayor of Salado, which was incorporated in 2000. And although it’s lovely year-round, unarguably the best time to visit for a real taste of what the village has to offer is Christmastime.

Get recommendations on where to go and what to do, and find out what makes this small city so special during the holidays in my story for Texas Co-op Power magazine.

While in Belize recently, I participated in a program called the Toledo Ecotourism Association (TEA), which was founded in 1990 to encourage visitors to make it to the Maya, Garifuna, and Kekchi villages of southern Belize, well off the typical beaten path for travelers.

I plan to write more on my experience later (which was definitely worthwhile), but for now, I’ll give you a little tour into the village guesthouses, which is something I couldn’t find any information on before I left. I’m told that all the villages have the same guesthouse, and there are currently six villages participating in the program for overnight stays: San Jose, Santa Elena, San Antonio, Laguna, Medina Bank, and San Miguel. I was in San Jose. (Fair warning that I’m apparently a horrible videographer — this was my first attempt at it. I’ll work on it for the future!)

Inside a TEA Guesthouse from Haley Shapley on Vimeo.