I would love to tell you about the decadent and exotic trips I have planned this year. But my only travel plans are as follows--a trip to Seattle this weekend for the food blogger conference and two 3-day wedding weekends, one in Portland, Oregon and the other outside of Denver. Not exactly Paris, London, Barcelona, if you know what I mean. If last year was the year of the "staycation" I'm pretty sure this year will be the year of armchair travel for many people.
When it comes to salivating over future destinations, I've got a great book to recommend, Frommer's 500 Places for Food & Wine Lovers. This is a compilation, with highlights from various guides chosen by none other than Holly Hughes, a name you may recognize as editor from the annual Best Food Writing series.
Now the cover of the book features an "Outstanding in the Field" dinner. Not exactly the most accessible type of travel experience since dinners generally sell out months in advance and start at about $150 per head, but getting past the cover, what I like about the book is that destinations run the gamut from once-in-a-lifetime experiences like Crystal Food & Wine Festivals aboard luxury cruise ships to deep dish pizza in Chicago. In other words, something for everybody. The book covers shops, restaurants, cooking schools, festivals, tours, markets, wineries, you name it.
You could take this book on a road trip, but I suspect it will be the perfect book for your next trip to the sofa. Snuggle up and read about where to get Burgoo stew in Kentucky, a famous food emporium in Milan, or the malt whisky trail in Scotland. It's the virtual vacation that won't cost you a dime, once you've paid for the book, of course.
I'm giving away two copies of the Frommer's 500 Places for Food & Wine Lovers. Simply leave a comment with your suggestion of a favorite place for a food or wine lover, the more detail the better! While the book is primarily focused on the US there are recommendations from all over the world so don't limit your suggestions to just domestic ones. One entry per person. You must be a US resident or have a US mailing address to win. Winners will be chosen at random and while you must fill out your email address in the comment submission form, it will not be visible to anyone other than me. Good luck!
CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED, CONGRATULATIONS TO STEPHANIE AND ALLISON WHO EACH WON A BOOK