One week

Photo: Take in the stunning scenic views of the Canadian Rockies with a luxurious train trip from Seattle to Banff. Contributed by Rocky Mountaineer

Let someone else handle the driving by hopping aboard this luxurious passenger train. Leave from Seattle, and settle back in your seat or in the glass-domed viewing car to enjoy the extraordinary views passing outside the windows. A six-night, five-day journey hugs the coast of Washington before heading to the Canadian Rockies, stopping in Vancouver and Lake Louise and ending in Banff. Along the way, passengers are pampered with breakfasts and lunch on the train and comfortable overnight hotel accommodations. There’s plenty of time to stop and explore or take in the stunning scenery. In addition to the Coastal Passage, the Rocky Mountaineer company runs trains on longer trips that include more destinations.
Rocky Mountaineer, 1755 Cottrell St., Vancouver, Canada. 1-877-460-3200, rockymountaineer.com, @rmountaineer.

Photo: Passengers on ferries arriving at Mackinac Island are greeted by the colorful marina and Victorian homes on the hills above. Contributed by Mackinac Island Tourism

Flying to this island destination means catching a flight into Detroit, connecting to Pellston, then boarding a prop jet for the final 7-minute leg of the journey. Or settle in for a 15-hour car ride straight up I-75 to Mackinac City and catch a passenger ferry. Either way, it’s worth the trip to experience Mackinac, an island with 8 miles of shoreline where life harks back to the late 1800s. The most obvious sign of the island’s ties to the past is the absence of cars; feet, bikes, horses and carriages are the only modes of transport. The island’s crown jewel is the 1887 Grand Hotel, a sprawling, white-columned resort that provided the scenic backdrop to the 1980 film “Somewhere in Time.” The property has 390 individually decorated rooms and a 660-foot front porch touted as the longest on the planet. It also features several dining options, golf courses, a spa, gift shops, hair salons and a range of activities for all ages (286 Grand Ave., Mackinac Island. 1-800-334-7263, grandhotel.com). Mackinac Island State Park covers more than 80 percent of the island, and visitors will find it easy to access water sports, from canoeing to sailing. Fishing and cruising excursions are available, as are bike and carriage rentals. History buffs can explore the region’s contributions to the American Revolution and the War of 1812 at Fort Mackinac and Fort Holmes. A downtown district houses a variety of shops, art and antique galleries, museums and restaurants.

Mackinac Island Tourism Bureau, 7274 Main St., Mackinac Island. 906-847-3783, mackinacisland.org, @mackinacisle.

Photo: For decades, the Tromsø harbor has been the launching pad for Arctic exploration teams. Contributed by T. Opdyke III

This city on the northern tip of Norway, 217 miles above the Arctic Circle, is known as the gateway to that frozen region. For those staying on the mainland, the city of about 72,000 residents boasts as its leading attraction an excellent viewing location for the Northern Lights. Since the late 1980s, a festival of arts and music centered around the lights has drawn crowds at the end of January.

During the summer days of the midnight sun, boat excursions take visitors out to see the colorful skies as well as the local marine life. In the winter, when the daylight dwindles to a precious few hours, you can ride over the snow-covered countryside in a sled pulled by reindeer — a traditional mode of transportation for the Sami, the indigenous people who have long lived on the edge of the Arctic. Explore their culture and contributions at Tromsø University Museum (Lars Thørings veg 10, Tromsø. 47 77 64 50 00, uit.no/om/enhet/tmu/tmu). The holiday season also brings the outdoor Yule markets, where locals and visitors can check off their gift lists, then enjoy cocoa and a hot-from-the-griddle pancake drizzled in fruit compote.

The Arctic Cathedral (Hans Nilsens vei 41, Tromsdalen. ishavskatedralen.no/en/the-arctic-cathedral), built in 1965, resembles massive sheets of ice and is notable for its 1,500-square-foot stained glass window. Another architectural wonder is Polaria, the town’s Arctic museum, which was designed to resemble ice floes (Hjalmar Johansensgate 12, Tromsø. polaria.no/home). Head back outside and catch a cable car that soars 1,380 feet to the top of Mount Fløya, where the views of the Lyngen Alps and Mount Tromsdaltind are superb.

Innovation Norway, 655 Third Avenue, New York. 212-885-9700, visitnorway.com, @VisitnorwayUSA.

Photo: The single-lane road that circles the island of Barra takes drivers past white-washed cottages, sandy beaches and green pasturelands. Contributed by T. Opdyke III

Looking for a destination well off the beaten path? The Outer Hebrides, also known as the Western Isles, are just the place. Take a ferry from Oban on the Scottish mainland or hop a prop jet from Glasgow and start a tour in Barra, a tiny spit of land 8 miles wide, with one circular road (so no worries about driving on the left side).

Drivers and cyclists pour off the ferries and head over the causeway to Vatersay, where high dunes, palm trees, crystal-clear water and white sandy beaches may shout “Caribbean,” but thanks to the Gulf Stream, they exist in this corner of Scotland. North of Barra, head to South Uist, where local historians can point out the places where Bonnie Prince Charlie launched a campaign to claim the British throne in 1745.

The largest island at the northern end is Lewis, where the city of Stornoway is lined with Victorian homes and shops filled with jewelry and crafts created by local artisans. Lewis is also home to the isles’ only whiskey plant, the 200-year-old Abhainn Dearg Distillery (Carnish, Isle of Lewis. 44-1851-672429, abhainndearg.co.uk).

Bird watchers will want to cruise over to St. Kilda, a World Heritage site known for its avian wildlife and soaring sea cliffs. Across the isles, visitors will find whitewashed cottages, quaint farms, archaeological digs, dark moors and locals who speak in their native Gaelic.

Visit Scotland Visitor Center, 26 Cromwell St., Stornoway, Isle of Lewis, Outer Hebrides. visitouterhebrides.co.uk, @OuterHebs.

Photo: Castillo de San Marcos, the Spanish fortress, was built in the late 17th century in St. Augustine. Contributed by St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra & The Beaches Visitors and Convention Bureau

Long before there was a high-speed interstate system, folks traveled from the northern tip of Maine to Key West, Fla., along Route 1 (historicrouteone.com). The 2,369-mile stretch still offers drivers (and cyclists) the chance to go slower than 55 and get an up-close look at life in 13 states. Close to home, adventurers can pick up a considerable stretch of the Southern portion of the route by starting in the historic seaside town of St. Augustine, Fla., and heading north to the big city of Jacksonville, where the road veers away from the coast and crosses marshes and former plantation lands en route to Waycross, Baxley, Santa Claus, Swainsboro and Augusta in Georgia. In South Carolina, the route meanders into Aiken, Lexington, Columbia and Camden, some of the state’s most charming and historic towns. Continue into North Carolina, where it leads to Raleigh and Henderson. Along the way, travelers will find quaint inns, home-cooking restaurants that specialize in local flavors and a mix of Colonial and Civil War sites. Total mileage between Jacksonville and Henderson is about 535 miles. And don’t worry about being too far off the beaten path: In most areas, Route 1 parallels or shares the same lanes as other major thoroughfares.