Straight Trippin’: 7 Epic Vacations You Need to Take This Summer
You already know how to travel, right? Head somewhere sunny in the winter, then hit up a lakeside retreat when things get humid. Rinse, repeat. Those are noble pursuits, to be certain, but this summer, why not make a pilgrimage to less predictable destinations — places with not-usually explored things to do. We’re not talking about discovering a new country, or anything. But, want to get really into amateur kayaking? Or wash down wild Swedish boar with monk-brewed Belgian beer? You’d be crazy not to.
1. The Boverie Liège
Belgium
May 5 onwards
With all due respect to San Fran’s MOMA and the Frank Gehry-designed Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, if you’re travelling for art, you’re going Belgique. Though the concrete-draped Liège feels hard- scrabble at first, it’s undergoing a Pretty Woman-level makeover. Thanks to architect Santiago Calavatra, you’ll arrive in a train station that looks like a New Order album cover, before heading to the main event: the 32,000-square-foot Boverie Museum, located on an island in the middle of the city. The Louvre loaned Renoir, Monet, and Van Gogh works to the gallery, meaning you can gorge on fine art before gorging on liégeoise gravy-slathered boulettes, boudin sausages, and the monk-brewed Val-Dieu beer. Live well, friends, or die trying.
2. La Cité du Vin
Bordeaux, France
June 1 onwards
As if we needed another reason to visit Bordeaux. It’s an indisputable destination for the wine-obsessed — who wouldn’t love getting a purple grin from 1855-classified blends? — and, now, the French port city is getting its own perfect pairing: Le Cité du Vin, a museum-cum-architectural wonder dedicated to the mighty grape. Here, a $116 million glass-and-metal temple perches over the Garonne, a reminder that Bordeaux is the king of les vins. Exhibitions, tastings, and seminars are planned all summer, and once you’re done drinking, follow the line of local chefs to wherever they’re headed — or to Le Chapon Fin, who’ve been doing butter-infused decadence the right way since 1825.
3. Euro Cup
France
June 10-July 10
With 24 nations vying for soccer supremacy at the 2016 Euro Cup, France won’t be lacking in action. Or storylines. Can young Spanish striker Paco Alcácer carry the defending champs? Can the French win on home soil? Are the Germans as good at futbol as they are at making precision-milled aluminum goods? Good questions, to be sure, but we’re equally enamored with Euro 16’s 10 host cities. Make sure to get back to Saint-Denis for the footy finals, but explore the Flemish-tinged Lille, the industrial-chic St-Étienne and the riverside bustle of Lyon in the meantime. After all, there’s a reason why Goethe-loving undergrads adore les Gaulois.
4. The British Open
South Ayrshire, Scotland
July 10-17
In South Ayrshire, Scotland, a land of craggy shorelines and windswept grasslands, you’ll find the world’s best golf tourney, all centred around the hyper-exclusive Royal Troon golf club. Its Old Course is the stuff of links legend, and we aren’t exaggerating — The Open’s been held there eight times, and if you’re lucky, you’ll be able to squeeze in a few rounds. Under-25s will be allowed to camp onsite, but this isn’t Bonnaroo — skip the sleeping bag and snag one of the 32 rooms at the adjacent Lochgreen House Hotel, with views of the Ayrshire Coast, the Isle of Arran, and, of course, a golf course that’d put your local 18 holes to shame.
5. Fuji Rock
Yuzuwa, Japan
July 22-24
Looking for Coachella’s stacked lineup, minus the sun’s-out-guns-out set? Join the club. Instead, take a 100-kilometre bullet train ride from Tokyo to Fuji Rock, otherwise known as Asia’s best music festival, where, over three days, the likes of Disclosure, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Beck play in the shadow of towering Mt. Fuji. Skip the grubby campsite for the stately 140-year-old Fujiya Hotel, an old-world gem that warrants a full day of exploration in itself. Next: head back to Tokyo, which has more Michelin-star restos than Paris, and check out Nihonryori RyuGin, where prodigy chef Seiji Yamamoto makes Japanese cuisine that will change your life.
6. The Summer Olympics
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Aug. 5-21
Neither the Zika virus nor a faltering economy can stop the Greatest Show on Earth (a title we can officially remove from the Ringling Bros. now that they’ve ditched the elephants). That’s why we’re focusing our wanderlust on the granite peaks and aqua waters of Rio, the home of the 2016 Summer Olympics. Sure, this isn’t exactly thinking outside of the box, travel-wise, but there are still plenty of reasons this trip will be unique. Usain Bolt and Michael Phelps are widely expected to hang up the lycra after the Games, for starters. But the best reason to head to Brazil is to witness the transformation of the Barra da Tijuca from hipster ’hood to international obsession. It’s worth staying close: the $10-billion Olympic Park, kitesurfing at Barra Beach, and grilled meat-slinging churrasqueiras are a cab ride apart.
7. Daniel Berlin
Skåne-Tranås, Sweden
May onwards
Any number of restaurants promise farm-to-table ingredients, but few deliver it like Daniel Berlin, a young chef who’s already the stuff of Swedish legend. While he learned his trade in Malmö, he rose to the top of Nordic gastronomy by running a tiny eatery in an even tinier place — Skåne-Tranås, a 300-person village in the wilds of the Österlen region. Why visit now? He forages nearly all of his food from his three-acre plot, and during the warmer months, his menu swells to 20-plus courses. He hunts his own game, then lovingly surrounds it with wild vegetables. Berlin — whose family will often greet visitors — is insistent that guests stay at the nearby Logi Gamlegård, and if you’re nice enough, he’ll drive you there himself. That’s service.
