Close your eyes and picture your next vacation. Whether you’re envisioning craggy peaks or a bone-white crescent of sand, that escape comes with a litany of benefits—a boost in well-being, cognitive function, creativity, less stress, and even closer relationships. But that mountain or beach doesn’t have to be in another hemisphere.
According to a 2020 study in the journal Tourism Analysis, people who travel regularly are happier than those who don’t, and you can get that boost in well-being from a trip as short as 75 miles from home. Exploring closer to home may mean fewer travel-related stressors and none of the frantic back-to-work catchup, both factors that can dampen the restorative benefits of a getaway, reports one 2021 study from the University of Queensland. Since the average American has a mere 10 days of paid vacation, staying close to home ensures you won’t waste an extra minute in transit.
Ahead, seven destinations that feel worlds away—despite being close to home.
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With its hulking glaciers, hemlock-blanketed hills, and bays where orcas hunt and eagles soar languidly overhead, Alaska feels worlds away. But getting there is surprisingly breezy, particularly for West Coasters—it’s just a two-and-a-half-hour flight from Seattle to Juneau.
On Lindblad Expeditions’ six-day Wild Escapes, travelers can explore a wide breadth of Alaskan wilderness aboard the 62-guest National Geographic Sea Lion and National Geographic Sea Bird. Opt for the Juneau to Ketchikan route to see LeConte Bay, where icebergs come in an array of blues to rival Picasso; Wrangell, where you’ll delve deep into the history and culture of the indigenous Tlingit clan; and Misty Fjords National Monument, the physical embodiment of the word “cinematic.”
Or try the Sitka to Juneau itinerary, on which you’ll get the chance to spot brown bears on Chichagof Island, kayak the calm outer waters of Glacier Bay, and raft down the churning Chilkat River.
Just a five-hour flight from Boston you’ll find yourself in the otherworldly “land of fire and ice”—a moniker that isn’t the slightest bit hyperbolic given Iceland’s density of spitting volcanoes and riverine glacial floes.
On the new Fire & Ice: An 8-Day Sail Around Iceland, travelers aboard the National Geographic Explorer will encounter the island’s singular natural wonders, from remote waterfalls and dramatic fjords to forest-filled canyons and an ethereal glacier lagoon. In Borgarfjarðarhöfn, often called the ‘puffin capital of Iceland,’ walk along boardwalks for up close views of these charismatic seabirds and in Siglufjörður, delve into the history of a herring-fishing boomtown.
Or venture a little deeper with the 10-day Circumnavigation of Iceland voyage, which takes travelers to the furthermost reaches of the island, from the quaint isle of Flatey, to the famed puffin colonies of Bakkageroi, to Surtsey, one of Iceland's youngest islands, which emerged from the sea after a volcanic eruption in 1963.
Get your fix of the tropics without the long-haul flight on an expedition around the Caribbean’s most fascinating isles. On the new Caribbean Sea Chronicles: The Panama Canal to Antigua, Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic guests will go beyond chaise-studded beaches into the wild heart of the islands.
The journey begins with a transit of the Panama Canal, giving visitors a firsthand experience of one of the greatest world-changing infrastructure projects in human history. From there, travelers will spend just over two weeks spotting sea turtles and flamingos in Bonaire, paddleboarding the reefs of Dominica, and hearing the fascinating stories of the forward-thinking Guna people off the Panamanian coast.
For a more romantic form of transporation, opt for eight days of exploring aboard Sea Cloud, a majestic four-masted sailing ship that looks plucked from a Turner painting. Travelers will roam from Barbados to Dominica to Bequia to St. Lucia, among others, all under sail, with stops along the way to take in the wildlife, explore unspoiled corners of the islands, and get to know the rich history of this part of the world.
Scattered through the waters that abut Seattle, the San Juan Islands are home to remote wilderness that feels like the ends of the earth—and they’re the first stop on the eight-day Exploring British Columbia and the San Juan Islands adventure. Paddle along where pine forest meets the sea, or hike inland for views of the inky blue ocean beyond.
Across the border, the stately provincial capital of Victoria has lush English-style gardens, baroque architecture, and sailboats bobbing in the harbor. After crossing the Johnstone Strait, it’s on to Alert Bay to learn about the cultural heritage of the Kwakwaka’wakw people. The trip winds down in Vancouver, but not before a final dose of wilderness: Hikes and kayak excursions in Desolation Sound, a wide expanse of deep water framed by lush temperate rainforest and the snow-capped Coast Mountains.
Costa Rica’s lush landscape is one of the easiest to reach for American travelers at just under three hours from Miami. So in no time flat you can find yourself within reach of toucans, monkeys, and tropical rainforests.
On Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic’s Costa Rica and the Panama Canal itinerary, travelers can spend just over a week getting to know some of the greatest natural and man-made marvels on the globe.
Start your journey in Puerto Caldera, then venture to Corcovado National Park on the Osa Peninsula, one of the most biodiverse parks on the planet, where you can plunge into waterfall basins and listen to the calls of capuchin monkeys and scarlet macaws overhead. Take Zodiacs into the blue-green waters of Golfo Dulce and watch for rare birds flitting amid the canopy, snorkel in the UNESCO-listed bays surrounding Isla Coiba, and transit the many locks of the Panama Canal, a wonder of engineering, which comes aglow after sunset.
The southernmost tip of the Baja Peninsula is too often pigeonholed as a beach-resort hotspot, but those intrepid enough to look beyond the swim-up bars and breakfast buffets of Los Cabos will find themselves rewarded with one of the globe’s great marine paradises.
Along the way, you’ll find opportunities to snorkel among sea lions, get up-close with newborn whale calves on a panga boat, or trek along coastal desert trails spotting spiny-tailed iguanas and towering giant cardon cacti.
Just north of the border, the Maritimes and Newfoundland are a bastion of rich Acadian-influenced culture and endless seascapes. Visit the fishing community of Saint-Pierre, a sliver of French territory on the Canadian coast, and wander the wild, windswept Îles de la Madeleine. At Gros Morne National Park, a UNESCO heritage site, millions of years of erosion and uplift have exposed ancient portions of the Earth’s crust and mantle, making this one of the best places to get an in-person understanding of tectonics. Another UNESCO site awaits on Newfoundland, where remnants of an 11th-century Viking settlement, along with recreations of early sod houses, give a window into what life was like when the first Europeans arrived in North America.
