I Dream of Summer Road Tripping in Cooler Climes with Best Western

#IDreamofSummer - Where are You Dreaming of Going this Summer?
#IDreamofSummer with Best Western
#IDreamofSummer with Best Western

I dream of summer road tripping in cooler climes with Best Western. Why? Spring has sprung yet here in Southwest Florida high humidity causing frizzy-hair days and that why-did-I-shower-this-morning feeling have already kissed my unmanageable locks. The arrival of spring also means I can see the end of what’s been a very busy and intense winter season at my day job. I can breathe again and it’s time to reward myself by planning my 2014 summer vacation.

#IDreamofSummer - Where are You Dreaming of Going this Summer?
#IDreamofSummer – Where are You Dreaming of Going this Summer?

#IDreamofSummer
I’m thrilled to be partnering with Best Western International and their “I Dream of Summer” campaign (You may have seen #IDreamofSummer making the social media rounds). The Polar Vortex reared its blustery head this past winter and I know those of you up north had to deal with a wicked season. I mean, it snowed in Buffalo earlier this month (April!) and as of last week, nearly 40 percent of the Great Lakes were still frozen.

While many of you are dreaming of a spending your summer vacation in a warm destination, such as Marseille, the Dominican Republic or Rio de Janeiro , this Buffalo gal still prefers warm summer days and cool, sweater nights. Forget plopping down for a week somewhere, I enjoy a good road trip seeing, tasting and experiencing as much as I can and the quirkier the better. Sometimes I like tripping alone, after all, I am Solo Travel Girl, but once in a while I enjoy company, whether it’s one of my favorite gal pals, sisters or parents.

Planning a Visit to Chicago? Plan to See Cloud Gate.
Planning a Visit to Chicago? Plan to See Cloud Gate.

I Dream of Summer Wish List:
Here are my 2014 summer vacation dream destinations…

  • A Road Trip to Chicago, Traverse City, Mich. and Detroit – Thanks to a double whammy of illnesses, my trip to Chicago was canceled in March. I was bummed I couldn’t attend a blogging conference but was more upset with missing out in a food and culture tour of Chicago’s Little India with Spice of Life Tours and an afternoon with Chicago Pizza Tours munching on pizza. I’d love to visit Chicago this summer and take these tours then hop in a car and head over to Traverse City in Northern Michigan. Why? Because I’ve never been there and it’s a destination that keeps popping up on my radar for Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore along with cherries, wineries, distilleries and microbreweries. Afterward, I’d head down to Detroit because all those Detroit-centric car commercials and Anthony Bourdain’s visit in 2013 for “Parts Unknown” have me even more even more intrigued to visit.
  • Pennsylvania Amish Country – I barely got to know the Keystone State when growing up in New York. I’ve always been intrigued by the Amish and I’d love to tour Pennsylvania’s Dutch Country along a road trip itinerary called “Dutch Country Roads.” It’s an agricultural drive along country roads with suggestions on where to dine on authentic Amish cooking and places to stop, such as dairy farms and markets.
  • The Unclaimed Baggage Center – I’m not a shopper in the typically sense but I love thrift shopping and a bargain. The Unclaimed Baggage Center in Scottsboro, Ala., is totally in my wheelhouse because it’s where lost luggage is taken to live another life. Okay, I realize Alabama during the summer doesn’t offer cooler nights I long for but the Unclaimed Baggage Center definitely has that quirky appeal I appreciate. Now, don’t think if the airline loses your luggage it will automatically end up here. The airlines do attempt to connect passengers with their luggage but after an exhaustive search, lost luggage is purchased by Unclaimed Baggage Center. The 40,000-square-foot store was founded in 1970 and merchandise includes unclaimed baggage and freight and lost articles. I wonder how many treasures are waiting for me to be discovered!
  • Crater of Diamonds State Park – Diamonds are a girl’s best friend, right? I’d love to put my geology knowledge to work by digging for them at Crater of Diamonds State Park in Arkansas. It seems every summer I read about someone finding a perfect diamond and I’d love to have bragging rights in uncovering my own.
  • The Florida Everglades – Chances are pretty good I’ll be spending some of my summer in Everglades National Park showing my former home to my brother and niece who will be visiting from Upstate New York. Last I knew there are 43 species of mosquitoes in the Everglades but summer is a special time in the River of Grass making a July trip worth the trip. Plus, in areas such as Shark Valley and an airboat ride outside the park, mosquitoes aren’t so bad.
#IDreamofSummer in Cooler Climes
#IDreamofSummer in Cooler Climes

What’s Your “I Dream of Summer” Wish List? Share and You Could Win from Best Western
I’d love to hear what destinations are on your “I Dream of Summer” wish list and Best Western International would love to hear about it, too. Visit the Best Western Facebook page, “like” it then create your own “I Dream of Summer” list (it’s super, duper easy!) and share to enter their “Dream Summer Vacation” sweepstakes. Best Western hotel stays, Best Western Reward points and gift cards will be given away to help make your dream summer vacation a reality.

At the top of this post you’ll see what I submitted. I’d like to be someplace cool, road tripping with my camera and if I need a navigator, I’d choose my BFF from high school, AH.

Use your Instagram, Pinterest and Twitter channels to share your summer travel plans with the hashtag #IDreamofSummer. Have a question about vacation planning for the Best Western people? Use the hashtag on your social media channels! Groovy prizes to help make your summer travel dreams a reality will be given away at random to some posts and photos using #IDreamofSummer.

Note: The sweepstakes is open to residents of United States (including its territories and the District of Columbia), Canada (excluding Quebec), and the Caribbean Islands.

I’m hosting a giveaway where two readers will each win $100 in Best Western gift cards! Visit this blog post for details. Good luck!  

Stay with Best Western Twice this Spring, Earn a Travel Card
Itching to hit the road now? There’s no stopping you! Travelers enrolled in Best Western Rewards (It’s free to register! I’m a Rewards member and have been for years.) who stay two separate times this spring (April 7 – May 18, 2014) at one of the more than 4,000 Best Western brands around the world will earn a $50 Best Western travel card which can be used toward their stays this summer. Learn more on the Best Western site.

Get Social with Best Western
Connect with Best Western International through its…

Best Western International Website: www.bestwestern.com

Best Western Rewards: www.bestwesternrewards.com

You Must Be Trippin – Best Western’s Blog

Facebook.com/BestWestern

Instagram.com/bestwestern

Pinterest.com/thebestwestern

Twitter.com/thebestwestern

Are you dreaming of your summer vacation?

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Jenn

Jennifer A. Huber is an award-winning travel and outdoor blogger and writer in Southwest Florida. Originally from Buffalo, N.Y., a hiking trail led her to a career path in the tourism industry for more than 30 years. She spent a decade with a park management company in Yellowstone, Death Valley, and Everglades National Parks. She founded the travel blog, SoloTravelGirl.com with the goal of inspiring others to travel alone, not lonely. The unexpected death of her former husband in 2008 reminded her how short life is. His passing was a catalyst for sharing her experiences with the goal of inspiring and empowering others to travel solo. Jennifer holds a Travel Marketing Professional certification from the Southeast Tourism Society, is a certified food judge, member of the NASA Social community, and alum of the FBI Citizens Academy. When not traveling, she is either in the kitchen, practicing her photography skills, or road tripping with her dog, Radcliff.

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