One long weekend and two agonizing breakups prompted my friend, Jamie, and I to go on a vacation therapy getaway. Much like retail therapy, which I'm also a huge fan of, vacation therapy aims to drown your sorrows in worldly comforts. However, our pitiful decisions for the weekend leave my travel expertise up for debate. Let's just blame that on the heartache that ensued.

Since our final destination was a good 10-hour drive from San Francisco, we decided to stay the night somewhere in the middle. Our choice: Weed, Calif. A stone's throw from Mt. Shasta National Forest, this area of upstate California is known for its scenic beauty and outdoor pursuits...something that I can do without.

You know how every traveler has that confession that makes people look at him or her sideways? Their “I thought Paris was overrated” or “I went to China and didn’t see the Great Wall” or even “I’m terrified of flying”? Mine is, I’m not much a beach person. Even when I’m so lucky as to find myself on one of world’s best beaches, I become more preoccupied with sun poisoning, sharks, and sand in the pants than with soothing waves.

So one of my favorite types of discoveries is the beach destination for non-beach lovers. And I don’t know how it took me so long to “discover” Cape Cod, because it’s the perfect place to visit if you’re looking for a picturesque beach town with much, much more to offer.

As Chelsea Clinton’s wedding guests descend (reportedly) on Rhinebeck, New York, today, the small Hudson River Valley town is banking on a big tourism boost. But the valley is more than a wedding destination and more than a quick getaway from New York City: it’s a truly stunning part of the country, as pretty as New England and as friendly as the Midwest.

As the area’s biggest fan, I thought I’d round up my favorite places and ways to spend a day upstate:

Rhinebeck
Visit (or check into) one of the 430+ Rhinebeck sites listed on the National Register of Historic Places; see an air show at the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome; and hit the local wine trails. Visit in September for the fabulous Hudson Valley Wine and Food Fest.

Please join us in welcoming guest author Joel Frey, one of the Travelocity Roaming Gnome’s most trusted publicists.

Call me a sucker for good PR.  Over  the years, I've read a handful of glowing travel stories on Marfa, Texas, a town of a 2,121 people about 200 miles southeast of my home in El Paso. Most of these reviews first focused on the "Mystery Lights," followed by a summation of the artist Donald Judd's ties to the area and wrapped up with a few paragraphs on a revival which has seen an influx of galleries, restaurants and renovations spring life into an otherwise a dusty ranching town. Inspired by The New York Times, my wife and I recently spent a weekend there.

We here in San Francisco always groan a little when visitors rent a car. After all, Fog City is one of the few destinations in the U.S. where it's not necessary to have a car to see the sights. Why pay all that money just to leave the rental in the hotel's parking garage?

Often in the U.S. when we think about "car-free destinations," we think of big cities like New York City, Boston, and San Francisco. But what should you do if you want to go car-free and get away from the hubbub of urban life? I now have an answer for you: visit Santa Barbara.

Please join us in welcoming Jennifer Baggett to The Window Seat. She is the co-writer of the blog The Lost Girls and the new travel memoir of the same name.

Whenever I tell people that I spent an entire year of my twenties backpacking around the world with two friends, fellow Lost Girls Amanda and Holly, one of the questions I’m most often asked (after “Wow, and you three are still speaking?”) is “What was your favorite place?”

After two visits to New Zealand, I am very familiar with travelers' number-one question: just how long does it take to get there? The answer: about 18 hours’ flight time from the U.S. East Coast, or three in-air viewings of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. But here’s why Down Under is worth the long haul: once you land in New Zealand—no matter where you touch down—some of the world’s most varied and striking landscapes are a stone’s throw away. In fact, you can visit half a dozen pristine national parks in the time it took you to fly from New York to New Zealand; big on beauty and small on space, New Zealand’s geography favors travelers tight on time. Plus, all Kiwi national parks welcome visitors with free entry and hospitable overnight huts.

Last week, we celebrated Earth Week on the blog. Pamela Wolff, the Director of Strategic Alliances and Industry Partnerships for the Motorcoach Council, reached out to share the environmental benefits of traveling by motorcoach.

Today she's stopping by our blog to answer a few questions about motorcoach travel and how to go green on the road.

1)    What’s the environmental impact of traveling by motorcoach?

Motorcoach travel is the most environmentally friendly form of transportation available, the greenest way to travel in North America.  Motorcoaches currently provide over 206 passenger miles per gallon of fuel compared to 92 passenger MPG for commuter rail, 44 passenger MPG for domestic air carrier, and 27 MPG for single passenger automobiles.  Each motorcoach has the potential to take 55 cars from the road reducing congestion, saving fuel, and cutting emissions.

Hey Steve,

It's been a while since we talked. First up, I just wanted to say thanks again for my MacBook and my iPhone. They have completely revolutionized how I travel, which is well documented here and here and here.

There are travelers out there who firmly believe that gadget-free is the only way to go globetrotting, but don't worry. The Gadget Guru is always trying to win hearts and minds to the ways technology can enhance a travel experience.

Which leads me to my reason for writing. Do you have a moment to chat? Steve, Steve, Steve. I had Wednesday, January 27th marked on my iPhone calendar as Tablet Day! No one was more excited than me about TABLET DAY!!!

I don't play chess. You could call me uncultured, but I probably wouldn't hear you. I'd be too busy stabbing at a flashing, beeping, handheld touch-screen trying to save the president from exploding skeletons. And let's be honest--most of your fellow airline passengers will be doing the same this season.

But what if you don't have the latest Megafastatron3000 gaming system in hand when you step into the airport? Are you doomed to manipulate magnetic rooks across a tiny chess board? Are you stuck shoving backgammon stones down endless rows of triangles? Nope! Because I'm about to lay down the travel game suggestions, 2009-style.