Here in the Northeast U.S., some people are distressed that summer weather is over, and it's overwhelmingly cooler. I, as always, say bring it on! I'm wearing pants! Long pants! I turned off the AC! I'm sleeping with the windows open! Sure, we had those crazy cool days back in May, but that feels like 47 years ago. This is fall. Autumnal. Pumpkin spice all the things.

There is no doubt in my mind that 2020 will go down in history as being the year of the camping vacation (well, amongst other historic events). Even more than a vacation rental, camping – whether with a tent, trailer or RV – is the ultimate social distancing vacation. With that said, I’m sure I’m not alone in noticing that every single camp site in Oregon was booked solid through the summer and would continue to do so if it weren’t for the wildfires. So what to do? Luckily, there’s been a proliferation of companies offering alternatives to camp sites that are a lot of fun. Take Harvest Hosts, for example. For a very reasonable annual fee, you can camp at as many member wineries, breweries and farms as you want. Be prepared to wake up in the middle of a flock of sheep (or eschew the farm for the winery) and enjoy country life at its most romantic. The expectation is that you’ll do some shopping at the farm store or the winery, but that doesn’t sound like too much of a hardship – fresh goat’s cheese, anyone?

Though we often go abroad to capture a sense of an older way of life and unique culture, it’s good to remember how diverse this country can be and how many distinct regions the U.S. has. The Lowcountry of South Carolina and Sea Islands of South Carolina, Georgia and Florida contain a great deal of history among the people, food and architecture. The mention of Charleston or Savannah conjures up images of Spanish moss hanging from ancient oaks, the roots of the U.S. and some of the best meals you could ever hope to have. Venture farther south to Amelia Island and St. Augustine in Florida, and you reach back to even before the founding.

How do, friends. I'm back on the couch and flipping through my myriad streaming services to bring you the highlights of wine-related media. Last weekend I watched Wine Country on Netflix in the US with my best friend from high school, Constant Reader A.

Our favorite hotels and resorts to send our travelers to are the ones we trust will take good care of them throughout their stay. Nowadays that means not just anticipating needs and providing great service and amenities, it means keeping them safe. As we’ve been rediscovering America throughout the summer and into the fall, we’ve made note of some properties that are doing just that. It’s another way to take extra special care of guests and ensure their vacations are stress-free. While we eagerly anticipate the return of international travel to far-flung destinations, we’re making our way around the USA in the meantime.

Another day, another privileged person typing at her computer in her safe WFH setup, complaining about stuff they can't do because of a pandemic that's killed over 869,000 people worldwide. Sorry. Not the perky content you were hoping for? My bad.

We’ve been working on our Wanderlists for months, plotting out where we’ll go first as borders reopen. By now, we have quite the long list of the places we miss the most and can’t wait to see again. We know we're not alone. People are itching to get back out there. Given the high demand and reduced capacity for our favorite places, the time is now to start getting your plans in place for the holiday season and beyond.

Hey folks, I needed to take a little break this week, and turn my attention again to the world of wine media. If you’ve ever wanted to learn more about New Zealand wines, check out Thirsty Work, with two seasons on Amazon Prime in the U.S. It’s hosted by Yvonne Lorkin, a wine reviewer and columnist. She’s friendly and peppy without being too annoyingly perky. And she loves wine and great food!

The list of countries we can visit is slowly but surely expanding. But it’s not as simple as booking a plane ticket and showing up. Good thing for you, you have a travel advisor who is constantly staying on top of the latest opening and requirements.

It's an almost Pavlovian response. Let the evening temps dip down into the 60s, I start sleeping with the windows open and think, Hmmmm, maybe a red would be nice! I dug into the cellar and found one of the "anything other than France, Spain or Italy" wines I bought earlier in the spring, 2017 Argatia Haroula Red, from Macedonia.

Not even a pandemic can stop us from discovering the one-of-a-kind experiences you’ve come to expect from the journeys we plan. Sadly, we won’t be in Las Vegas this year for our annual catch-up with friends old and new showing us the latest the world has to offer. But we will be participating in the first virtual Virtuoso Travel Week, soaking up all the new creative ways our partners have devised to put the world at your fingertips while keeping you safe in a socially distanced world.

I'm writing this from the air-conditioned comfort of my home office, which after this week puts me in a pretty significant minority. Tropical Storm Isaias, which began as a hurricane, caused significant damage all the way up the U.S. East Coast, from the Carolinas up into Massachusetts. Colleagues were left without power for days. Friends in Princeton got their power back, but no Internet, so no working from home cause of the 'Rona. And great news, the NOAA warns that this year's hurricane season will be "extremely active", with 19-25 named storms.

As advisors, we’ve always focused on helping our travelers make the most of their experiences. Delivering the most value possible and providing peace of mind is what luxury means to us. In the current climate, the new luxury is health and safety. Largay Travel president Amanda Klimak spoke as part of our Travel Dreaming series with representatives from the airline, hotel and cruise sectors to discuss how they’re working to ensure safety when we send our clients into their care. Whenever you’re ready to travel, we want to send you out as well prepared and protected as possible.

I first met Schuyler when he was 15 years old and I had been dating his dad for about a year. Stu had explained to me that Schuyler has Asperger’s, which is a form of high functioning autism, but I really had no idea what to expect – of course I've seen Rain Man like everyone else, but from what Stu told me about Schuyler I knew that I shouldn’t expect a Raymond-type character. When we met I was pleasantly surprised when Schuyler shook my hand, made eye contact and we had a good conversation over lunch. This kid was supposed to have challenges? As I got to know him better, I began to understand what some of them were and how unhappy they could make him.

There are limited resources out there on how to plan a trip to the Axalp air show, so for anyone who’s interested, here’s a rundown on what to keep in mind during planning, and what it’s like once you’re actually there. The air show seems to take place pretty reliably on the Wednesday and Thursday of the second week in October. The Interlaken tourism page is already announcing the 2018 event for October 10 and 11. You can also find information on the Swiss Air Force website.

With our knees in tatters and our waists a little slimmer – grilled cheese sandwiches notwithstanding – we had one more day left on our trip, and were determined not to climb another mountain. However, before arriving at our hotel on the beautiful lake Tegernsee, we had one more stop to make.

And now we come to the true highlight of our trip to Europe, which we planned everything else around – the Swiss Air Force’s annual air power demonstration, known as the “Axalp Fliegerschiessen”. This being Switzerland, there is no convenient way to see this. At the very least, you have to take a ski lift up about 1,000 feet and then hike for 1.5 hours; if you stayed down in the valley, add a bus ride to that as well. Then do the same in reverse in the evening. Having said all that – we loved it!

In possession of our new M2, we sped off (with much engine roaring) to Zurich, which is a scenic three-and-a-half hour drive from Munich. The best route runs along Lake Constance, which is worth at least a stop to admire the scenery. For a very short time, you actually find yourself driving through Austria too, so beware – you need to buy a vignette, and the border area is swarming with cops just waiting to pull you over if you aren’t displaying one.

Back in October this year, Stu and I went on what has to qualify as one of our best vacations ever: We picked up our new BMW M2 in Munich, drove it to Switzerland, hiked up some pretty serious mountains to see the ultimate air show, and relaxed a little by the shores of Lake Tegernsee. It. Was. Epic.

One of the simplest ways to ensure a great vacation is having all the proper documentation. Everybody knows you need a passport to travel internationally, but several countries also require U.S. citizens to have visas to enter. For residents of certain states, it’s domestic travel that might get a lot more complicated in the coming year, thanks to varying degrees of compliance with the REAL ID Act. The last thing you want to do is show up at the airport and be surprised to learn you don’t have what you need. You can always buy a toothbrush if you forgot yours, but if you don’t have the proper identification, you’re in real trouble.