Photo by Aaron Job
There’s nothing like a long, brutal winter to make a Minnesotan dream of escape. It’s been a lifetime, it seems, of scraping and shoveling and waddling along icy sidewalks like a penguin, shoulders hunched, lips chapped, cursing your hardy ancestors who thought this might be a good locale to set up shop.
To make things worse, you open Instagram and see all your friends are cavorting in San Diego, Tulum, and the Turks and Caicos.
Well, Growler Nation, what are you waiting for? Get out there and join them.
This special Tourism Guide is our reminder to you that there’s a great big world out there, full of breathtaking vistas, delicious food and drink, and experiences that you’ll think warmly on the next time the polar vortex returns. To ensure you get the most out of your time away, we’re passing along a few tips and tricks to make your travel as efficient and effective as possible.
Our globe-trotting editor Ellen Burkhardt shares her suitcase packing wisdom and a checklist of must-haves for your journey. Editor-in-chief Brian Kaufenberg talks about transporting alcohol, and food editor James Norton tells you how to find the best food in a brand new city. (Hint: don’t trust Yelp!)
Bon voyage!
– John Garland, Deputy Editor of The Growler
It’ll Fit: A Master Course In Packing
Illustration by DWITT
You never need as much as you think you will when traveling. A travel pillow, your electric toothbrush and charger, that cute outfit you swear you’re going to wear that needs matching shoes: it’s all extra, and it’s all going to add up in weight and bulk.
Successful packing starts with a few considerations. Read more…
Eight Travel Must-Haves (and Two You Should Ditch)
Illustration by DWITT
It’s easy to slip into “what if” mode when packing for a trip. What if the temperature does a nose dive and I didn’t pack anything appropriate? What if I lose my cell phone? What if my luggage gets lost? While there are some things, like the weather, that you simply can’t control, there are also several safety nets you can put in place so that even the most irritating hiccup in your plans doesn’t ruin your entire trip.
The following essential travel items will not only help your brain transition from panic mode to vacation relaxation, they’ll also act as an insurance policy against some of the most common travel annoyances. Read more…
New City, Great Grub: Tracking Down The Best Eats In A Strange Place
Ronda, Spain
Having good “restaurant radar” is a wonderful thing for anyone who loves to travel and eat—it means that you can parachute into just about any new city and dine well. As a professional food writer, I’ve spent years honing my ability to guess my way into a great meal. You can leverage the same sort of approach when you travel, too—it’s just a matter of finding and prioritizing the right bits of data. Read more…
Portable Potables: Traveling With Booze
Your feet are sore, your camera card is full, and you’ve checked off all the places on your sightseeing list. Yep, you can chalk this vacation up as a grand success. But now it’s time to pack your bags again and head back to the daily grind.
Thankfully, being the wise person you are, you left plenty of room in your bag to pack away bottles of the local beer, wine, and spirits that you discovered during your travels. Before you get too ahead of yourself, though, there are a few things you need to know about flying home with booze in your bag. Read more…
