Originally published in Crave mag | March 13, 2025
Feeling the urge to refresh this spring? You’re not alone. The season of renewal is here, and with it, the perfect opportunity to revitalize your mind and body.
Research shows that nature is a powerful stress-reducer and well-being booster. Spring’s mild weather and vibrant scenery make it the ideal time to embrace these benefits. Ready to recharge? Here are 12 travel ideas to inspire your spring rejuvenation.
American Road Trip 2.0: Nothing is more rejuvenating than jumping in your car and heading out on an American road trip, and AdventureGenie is the world’s first AI-powered, end-to-end system for planning one. It offers the most immersive, innovative, and intelligent adventure travel planning tools available. Whether starting from a curated GenieTrip or creating a fully customized and personalized journey from your own ideas, AdventureGenie’s got you covered. https://adventuregenie.com/
Bentonville Biking Adventure: On this six-day family mountain biking tour of Bentonville, Arkansas, guests will have the option to explore over 140 miles of bike trails while staying in a luxurious vacation home equipped with an oasis pool, water slide, hot tub, and a fleet of bikes and tools. Escape Adventures trip leaders will prepare meals and provide itineraries based on age and skill level. Highlights include the Slaughter Pen trail system, the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Hobbs State Park, Coler Park and Bella Vista. https://escapeadventures.com/tour/bentonville-mountain-bike-tour/
Yellowstone Fly Fishing: Take an expertly guided float down the Yellowstone River on one of Flying Pig Adventures’ custom rafts while you enjoy the spectacular scenery, the abundant wildlife, and world-class fly fishing. Just outside Yellowstone Park, the upper stretches of the Yellowstone River are lightly fished, but hold large numbers of native cutthroats, rainbows, and brown trout. Private access to the river allows guides to take guests where the fish are without fighting the crowds. https://www.flyingpigrafting.com/yellowstone-fly-fishing
Darwin Discovery Tour: This adventurous 11-day journey in Ecuador combines the incredible Galapagos Islands and Amazon Rainforest. Using Scalesia Galapagos Lodge and Finch Bay Hotel as a base, guests will explore Isabela and Santa Cruz islands, and take a yacht to other nearby islands. Next, visit the Amazon, and from the comfortable Sacha Lodge, head into the jungle on expertly guided tours to discover colorful birds, fascinating reptiles, many monkeys, and an array of other wildlife. https://www.scalesialodge.com/programs/
Turkish Archaeology Cruise: On Peter Sommer Travels’ Cruising to Ephesus tour in Turkey, follow the shores of Caria and Ionia in a traditional gulet, and visit ancient cities with an archaeologist as guide. Starting in Bodrum, explore the remains of the port town of Iasos, the mountaintop sanctuary of Zeus at Labraunda, the huge Temple of Apollo at Didyma, the vast center of Miletus, the wooded setting of Priene, and magnificent Ephesus, with its expansive theater, ornate library and remarkable Terrace Houses. https://www.petersommer.com/tours/ephesus-cruise-turkey
Alaska Northern Lights: On Gondwana Ecotours’ Alaska Northern Lights Adventure, guests will get a dose of local culture by day and photograph the Aurora Borealis under the massive Alaskan sky by night. Highlights of the tour include dogsledding through snowy forests, taking curling lessons from locals, enjoying a meal with homesteaders, soaking in a geothermal hot spring, learning how to photograph the Aurora Borealis, snowshoeing on private land, having tea with a family of reindeer herders, and more. https://www.gondwanaecotours.com/adventure-tours/northern-lights-tour-fairbanks-alaska/
Machu Picchu Multisport: With Adventure Life, travel from Cusco, Peru, to the Inca citadel of Machu Picchu, enjoying active excursions and accommodations at lodges along the way. Hike to the ancient Sacsayhuaman and Q’enqo archaeological sites, kayak or paddleboard at Lake Piuray, bike from Maras to Ollantaytambo, go ziplining or horseback riding in the Sacred Valley, then ascend to and tour the Machu Picchu citadel itself. Rains typically taper off by April, before high-season arrives in June. https://www.adventure-life.com/peru/tours/18040/lodge-based-machu-picchu-multisport-adventure
Wine Country Weekend: Just north of San Francisco, the winding Russian River meets the dramatic Pacific coastline, shaping if not sheltering a world all its own. Escape Adventures offers an idyllic three-day road biking tour in this romantic landscape, quilted with a colorful patchwork of old growth redwoods, fruitful vineyards, historic towns, and beautiful gardens. https://escapeadventures.com/tour/napa-valley-weekend-road-bike-tour/
Jackson Hole Tiny House: Wyoming’s Fireside Resort offers 25 luxuriously outfitted tiny house rental units designed by Wheelhaus just a short distance from Grand Teton National Park and the Jackson Hole ski slopes, making it the perfect weekend getaway. https://www.firesidejacksonhole.com
Arizona Ranch Getaway: Visit Rancho de la Osa in Arizona for classic dude ranch activities, and Southwestern color and charm amid spring’s high-desert bloom. Try horseback riding, archery and shooting, or go hiking and birding at neighboring Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge, then enjoy fresh, hearty, and healthy meals highlighting regional cuisine, and spend the night in accommodations once visited by the likes of Zane Grey and Eleanor Roosevelt. https://www.ranchodelaosa.com/
Piedmont Wine + Hiking: The Langa and Roero regions of Piedmont are in one of the most important wine production areas in Italy and received UNESCO World Heritage status in 2014. This Tourissimo hiking tour of Piedmont takes guests to the heart of these regions, over rolling hills covered with endless vineyards, and past ancient castles and hidden hilltop hamlets. Travelers will see how connected the local people are to the land, and how they take pride in everything they produce. https://www.tourissimo.travel/piedmont-barolo-hiking
Big Sky Spring: In Big Sky, Montana, spring can bring adventures ranging from snowy to sunny. Using The Wilson Hotel as your base, ski the slopes of Lone Peak a final time in March and April, then, as the snow melts and temperatures warm in May and June, hike or bike the wildflower meadows and mountains surrounding town, go fly fishing or whitewater rafting on the famed Gallatin River, or explore the natural wonders and wildlife of Yellowstone National Park. https://thewilsonhotel.com/
Since 1992, we at Escape Adventures have been blessed to shape and lead adventure travel vacations through some of the most awe-inspiring natural destinations in the world. Each successive season, our passion for adventure grows through memorable moments with our guests. Fresh air, faith, fitness and friends are the building blocks for our ventures, the treasured experiences that keep us moving forward. For those of you who have trekked and traveled with us over the past quarter century, Heather and I express our sincerest gratitude. The memories are priceless.
