I love a good trip: love the planning, the anticipation, the new experiences, different perspectives, glimpses of different styles and ways of living. When I don't have a good trip brewing, I love to travel vicariously. Here are my latest picks for some good journeys from the comfort of your own computer chair.

-Basic French: Carol is the proprietor of Basic French, a great shop in Red Hook, NY (and online, too!) of everyday French things. (I've never been there but had a great experience ordering from her...she even sent a handwritten note along.) A couple of years ago, she spent the summer in France with her daughters. I loved her stories about their time there + only wish she would take up the blog again. Still, like a favorite book, I like to look in and re-read now and then.

-Palazzo to Do: Suzy has purchased a 200+-year-old Italian home in the south of Italy. It's great fun to check in on her ideas and progress. She's living one of my alternate realities, where if I could live multiple lives I would be adventurous and live abroad. Plus, she has great ideas and links about home design + decor in general.

-Happy Campers: One visit to this site and you will be hooked. It's a combination camping site (for the British Isles), blog, and wonderful seasonal ideas. Beware: you will want to book a flight right away.

-See the World with Your Kids: I have this fantasy of taking a year off, buying five "around the world" tickets (did you know you can do that?) and seeing the world together. In fact, when it looked like we were going to sell our house but not have a house to move into, I seriously considered it (notice I said "I" seriously considered it...Greg just humored me and laughed). After all, two of my kids are the youngest in their class so missing a year of school wouldn't be that bad, right? This is a great site with ideas and advice for real travel adventures with kids.

-Matt and his crazy dance: Have you seen the videos of the guy doing a funny Elaine-from-Seinfeld kind of dance, in locations all over the world? Well, he's off again and blogging about his adventures.

Well, bon voyage, fellow armchair travelers!