Sport is a big part of American life, always has been and always will be and that's why a sports road trip is one of the top travel ideas that we get questions about. Whether these are teams you grew up with or a reunion of college buddies, taking a sports road trip is a great excuse to get out of town.

A few years ago I had the opportunity to go rafting in Vermont and I had a blast. Whitewater rafting is a perfect opportunity for male bonding as it requires strength, balance, wits, intelligence, and courage. Most of all, it requires teamwork and leadership or else your whole group is going to tip over or worse. The idea of becoming a rafting guide is certainly appealing when you consider they get to do something awesome every day and meet some cool people, but what does it take to become one? Are you ready to become a whitewater rafting guide?

There's a reason why people still look back at the "Wild West" in a romantic sort of way and luckily for us, the Wild West isn't completely dead... it still exists in pockets around the country like Ogden Utah.

Aviation museums house some of the coolest collections of humanity's engineering marvels - flying machines, aka airplanes, and everything that led up to the modern airplane. Aviation actually begins far before the invention of the first functioning powered airplane by the Wright brothers in 1903. It includes theoretical and experimental designs beginning with blueprints and proceeding through gliders and balloons before that. Aviation museums include these homages to the early history of man's first dreams of flight. Today, there are literally hundreds of aviation museums around the world and that means that it is very likely that there are aviation museums near you that are perfect for a father and son getaway or even just a regular guys weekend. 

Atlanta is easily one of the most interesting cities of the American South, at least for guys. The downtown area is home to more than 500,000 residents, and the larger Atlanta metro area boasts a diverse population of more than five million; this demographic pretty much guarantees that people will always find cool things to do and discover.

There are business hotels and then there are hotels with themed rooms designed for a romantic getaway. These are fun and exciting with a little bit of naughty thrown in for good measure. Especially in a time like this where you might desperately need an escape but aren't really wanting to go out and hang around with people, finding a themed hotel room near you might just be the perfect solution. The interesting thing is that while you might think this type of getaway would be only found in California, New York, or Las Vegas... the reality is that there are options all over the country, including states you might normally think of as being more conservative such as Illinois, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Ohio, and even Utah!

One of the things I absolutely love about wine today is that it is no longer a domain of snobby rich folks that think it should only be one way. Today's wine industry is incredibly vibrant with product at virtually all price points and styles that are perfect for almost every guy out there. While I can enjoy a technically excellent vintage and I know enough fundamentals to hold my own at a professional wine tasting, I'm a firm believer that above all else - wine is meant to be enjoyed. 

Cooking the perfect steak can be a challenge and even more so at home. While there are world-famous steakhouses all across the country, there's something enticing about going back to the source and enjoying a steak without the pretense you might find in cities like New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles. We did a virtual steak tour of Omaha, Nebraska recently and let me tell you - my mouth is still watering! 

When the image of cowboys and the wild west comes to mind, more often than not you think of whiskey and beer. Likewise, when you think of exploring a wine region as popular as Paso Robles, California you might think of a fantastic spa resort. I'm absolutely in love with this new property that just opened here and hoping to visit there soon. It is a 19-room hotel decorated in Western motif built from buildings once used as stables and ranch houses for real California cowboys.

There’s an off the beaten track, very special place in Florida that provides endless opportunities for every type of fishing imaginable: surfcasting; fly-fishing in saltwater and freshwater; back-bay fishing; kayak fishing and of course, deep-sea fishing.

Known as the Mormon Mecca, Salt Lake City doesn’t top many mancation destination lists — but it should! With its November through April ski season, low rates, incredible outdoor activities, and impressive whiskey joints, Salt Lake City is a solid choice for a long weekend with the crew.

This has been a tough year and frankly, my wife and I needed an opportunity to escape. My conditions were that it had to be somewhere fun, relatively close to home, have a private entrance with no elevators, and be impeccably clean. Those are clearly different conditions than I might have used when selecting a place for a quick weekend getaway in the past but these are different times. Thankfully, I was more than happy after my hosted stay at the Hideaway Santa Barbara. 

When it comes to bucket-list adventure ideas for a guys weekend, there are few more enticing than visiting the site disasters. It is a primal reminder that no matter how powerful and talented we are as men, natural forces are exponentially more so. A few years ago when I was in Ukraine I was only a few hours from being able to visit Chernobyl but simply didn't have time in the itinerary to make it happen. Hopefully one day I'll be able to visit there but here's what to expect if you do visit Chernobyl...

Buellton, California is better known as a wine destination but the more I explore, the more I discover that (unsurprisingly) motorsports and wine go hand in hand. While there are some amazing car collections on estates up and down the California coast, Jack Mendenhall's story is a bit different. Instead of being wealthy gentry, a tech billionaire, or a movie star, he was the owner of Richfield Service Station. After selling the station in the late 70's, he began life as a traveling salesman selling signs, and later began collecting them. Now his incredible collection of signs, cars, automotive artifacts and memorabilia is open to the public to enjoy.

Okay, so we know the United Kingdom is famed for its wet and windy weather, so it might not be your first choice if you're looking for warmer climes. But the sun does shine occasionally, so don't be tempted to put off a visit to the UK when you're looking for a new travel destination. 

Derek Stevens is one of the most fascinating and exciting things to happen to Las Vegas in a long time. With his downtown Las Vegas properties, The D and Golden Gate being two of my favorite resorts - you KNOW I'm excited about Circa as well. Set in the footprint of the former Las Vegas Club and spilling over into the space once housing The Girls Of Glitter Gulch and other Fremont Street icons, this property is certain to be a legend in the making.

Viking continues to be on a roll when it comes to introducing new ships and new exciting itineraries. The company has now announced that it will launch a new ship next summer for its popular Magnificent Mekong cruisetour. The vessel, currently under construction, is the 80-guest Viking Saigon℠ is scheduled to debut in August 2021, with cruise tours and the river cruise portion of the itinerary sailing between Kampong Cham, Cambodia and Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam.

When you think of a Caribbean cruise, typically it's all about relaxing on beaches and sipping fruity frozen drinks - and I enjoy that too. However, for guys looking for adventure, the Caribbean offers WAY more than that. In particular, Eastern Caribbean cruises offer a chance to play some of the best greens in the world, explore rum distilleries, and chase amazing game fish too. Of course, there's even more excitement on board the ship as you visit islands including Antigua, Barbados, St. Lucia, St. Kitts, and St. Maarten.

Conventionally you might think about hiking or using Jeep trails to go explore the history of the wild west mining boomtowns. However, Virginia City, Nevada has a bunch of bike trails that you can take to explore the history of what was once a vibrant mining town and today is one of the top places anywhere in the world to go explore an authentic wild west town that somehow manages to be family-friendly despite it's rough and tumble appearance.

For those of us who have the privilege of exploring the world, few places remain where your buddies can't say "oh yeah, I went there last year!" when you suggest a destination. The middle east though, and in particular the gulf states however, still maintain a mystique and sense of adventure that you will not be able to find in other parts of the world.