Consider renting a houseboat to see a bit of Europe and to stretch your budget. We did and had a great time exploring the Venetian lagoon.

Dogs add excitement to winter adventures in Maine. The Telemark Inn offers sled dog outings, mushing packages, snowshoe excursions and skijoring. The country lodge, located in Western Maine on the edge of the White Mountain National Forest, serves as the base for New England Dog Sledding.

Our favorite time to visit Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, is winter. After all, the worst thing about Yellowstone National Park is the summer crowds and the best things are the wildlife and the geothermal features. In winter the former are gone and the latter remain.

Do naked travelers have more fun? Apparently, they do, say its devotees. When you take your clothes off, they say, you also shed your psychological baggage. That’s why one of the biggest groups of new converts to frolicking au naturel aren’t svelte twentysomethings, but women 45 and older.

A former railroad headquarters, Roanoke, the largest city in Virginia’s southwest, moves with a new energy. Surrounded by the Blue Ridge Mountains, Roanoke offers a weekend getaway that combines interesting shopping and good food.

Whenever we explore an urban destination, we typically purchase a city pass. For one fee these cards provide access to many attractions. In Europe, the cards come in handy because most cover transportation on public buses and subways.

When an airport closes due to a widespread storm, knowing what to do to salvage your trip is essential. As a result of a blizzard along most of the East Coast one winter, we found ourselves at a Florida airport on a Sunday morning, amid the crowds and confusion, with a ticket and no flight home.

Open year-round, Wintergreen gains fame for offering the Mid-Atlantic’s best skiing. Located on nearly 11,000 acres in the Blue Ridge Mountains and in the valley of Wintergreen, VA, the property offers skiing, snowboarding, tubing and ice skating plus extensive children’s programs and a spa.

Looking for a winter sport that won’t break your budget and probably not your bones, but still moves you through the winter woods? Then go cross-country Nordic) skiing. Safer, easier to learn, and less expensive than downhill Alpine) skiing, cross-country is also a great deal of fun.

In winter, Jackson Hole, Wyoming, offers mountains of ski trails plus such memorable off-the-slopes outings as dog sledding, hot springs soaks and wildlife safaris. The town of Jackson is also the gateway to the majestic Grand Teton National Park and to Yellowstone National Park.