The heart of winter is the ideal time to start planning that summer vacation. Thinking of going abroad this summer? According to , the cheapest international flights go on sale 171 days before departure鈥攎eaning if you want to tavel in June or July, now is your time to buy. Staying Stateside? Summer wilderness permits are just becoming available, race registration times are closing in, and tickets for those wild summer festivals will soon go on sale. The deals and deadlines you should be taking seriously right now? Just this way.

Don鈥檛 Stop Carving Lines鈥擯lan a June Ski Trip to Chile

Like to ski? You can still carve lines in summer, so long as you go south鈥攁nd Chile鈥檚 got some great runs. As of last year, Chile no longer charges a $160 for American tourists. Which means you should pack your skis and head south in June, when the country’s slopes open and airfares fall (as low as $530 roundtrip from Miami, or $1,000 from JFK on LAN, Chile’s national airline; lan.com). Most travelers head to , about 100 miles from Santiago鈥攁 smart option considering that the resort just announced a price freeze on 2015 packages. But experts looking for an affordable bucket list adventure should consider a multi-day cat skiing trip at , two hours from Santiago in the shadow of Mount Aconcogua. You’ll have access 2,000 above-tree-line acres, guaranteeing fresh lines in wide open bowls. The average run here has 2,500 feet of vertical drop, so think of it as heli-grade powder skiing for half the price. runs all-inclusive trips, from the pickup in Santiago to lodging and meals ($1,275 per person for two days and two nights, including most meals and all avalanche equipment). Add it all up, and this might be the year to check 鈥渟ub-Equatorial powder binge鈥� off your bucket list.

Finally Book That European Vacation

The Euro is weak鈥攁nd forecasted to stay that way at least through the end of the year. Plus, new long-haul flights from budget carriers such as and are lowering fares across the board. So why not take advantage and road-trip across 鈥攚est Ireland鈥檚 answer to the Pacific Coast Highway? Or head to Zermatt, Switzerland, to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the first ascent of the legendary Matterhorn. Music, food and cultural festivals are planned, plus they鈥檙e reopening the famed , the first lodge to open at the foot of the mountain. And a word to the wise: The major now offer the best deals months in advance. , for its part, starts to sell its passes six months out. The trick here is to reserve your seats early鈥攅ven if you have your pass, some trains still , which you can begin to make three months in advance. Book your pass now鈥攁nd check out the 鈥攁nd get to mapping your route for a May or June trip (avoid the more crowded July peak if possible).

Reserve Those Wilderness and Backcountry Permits

Looking to go off the grid (or close to it)? Now鈥檚 the time when many wilderness areas release their spring and summer permits. Yellowstone National Park on January 1, while will take reservations for all entry points starting January 28. takes written permit requests four months from your start date, though trips three months out or less must be booked in person (note:听 and other national parks is a totally different animal, with its own set of policies and reservation windows, so plan accordingly鈥攊.e., a year out or more). Finally, a note to those interested in : In addition to a climbing pass, you鈥檒l need a wilderness permit in order to pitch your tent. Mt. Rainier鈥檚 go on sale March 15.

Enter a Race Worth Traveling for鈥擸ou Can鈥檛 Lose

Registration for the (11/1) is open through February 15. Or, if cycling is more your speed, sign up for the giant, touring, cycle party across Iowa that is (7/19鈥�25) by February 15.

Party Smart: Buy Your Festival Tickets

If (8/30鈥�9/7) is your thing, tickets go on sale February 18. If not, try indie music fest , held Memorial Day weekend at the Gorge Amphitheatre in Washington鈥檚 Columbia River Valley. The lineup and tickets will be available sometime in February. And don鈥檛 forget in New Orleans, tickets are already up for the taking.

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Few establishments in Aspen, Colorado have witnessed more change than , built 125 years ago in a grand brick building on Main Street to house mining barons and their entourages. Post-silver boom, the hotel survived Aspen鈥檚 multiple costume changes鈥攆rom near-ghost town in the Depression to counterculture mecca (with great skiing) in the 1960s and 鈥�70s to today鈥檚 iteration as a sort of snowy Beverly Hills (with great skiing and snowboarding).

Over the years, the Main Street institution has hosted VIPs of all stripes, including heads of state, movie stars, and the generally very rich and very beautiful. Though he fell into none of these categories, the late was arguably the Jerome鈥檚 most notable patron. After purchasing a ranch outside of town in 1967, the drug-Hoovering writer made the hotel his unofficial clubhouse. Legend has it that he once duct-taped a young Bill Murray to a chair and threw him in the pool. We鈥檙e sorry we missed that.听

The Jerome mellowed in the 鈥�80s, grew tired in the 鈥�90s, and eventually received a top-to-bottom renovation in December 2012. The recent facelift has revitalized the property, making it once again one of the finest places to stay and play in the West. Highlights include the d茅cor鈥攁 blend of contemporary, traditional European, and 19th-century Americana鈥攁nd Thompson鈥檚 beloved J-Bar, which retained the original wood bar-top.

When you鈥檙e away from your suite or the snow, grab a bite at Prospect, the hotel鈥檚 answer to an upscale American bistro (a place that鈥檒l serve you an IPA and octopus). Or treat yourself to a hot stone message at the in-house spa, if you’re not busy at one of the world-class ski resorts out the front door.

The Details: Rooms from $350/night.

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in the French Alps is skiing鈥檚 answer to the big-and-tall store. At an elevation of 7,500 feet, it鈥檚 the highest resort in Europe and one of the main stations in Les Trois Vall茅es鈥攖he largest linked ski area in the world, with nearly 400 miles of trails. If you鈥檝e ever considered cheating on American snow for a week or two, you might as well do it on a cirque surrounded by powder fields as far as the eye can see.

The area has come a long way since the 鈥�70s, when Brutalist-style apartment buildings popped up to accommodate pioneering residents. The concrete boxes have since given way to stylish, modern hotels such as , which has 72 rooms, 16 suites, and a design sense that could be described as 鈥渁lpine lodge and Williamsburg loft had a baby鈥� (the arty deer head sculptures in the lounge should tell you all you need to know).

After a day of conquering (or being conquered by) the slopes, grab some sun and a cup of mulled wine on the hotel鈥檚 south-facing terrace. Or head straight to the onsite restaurant for pumpkin soup with truffle cream and other bistro bites. Stick around long enough and the dining room becomes an after-hours club with music and cocktails. Though if you鈥檙e anything like us, you鈥檒l head back to your room and fall asleep watching the Mac Mini TV (each accommodation has one). After all, you鈥檝e got more vertical to explore tomorrow.

The details: Rooms start at $370/night. The nearest airports are in Chamb茅ry, Lyon and Geneva.

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We won鈥檛 sugarcoat it: resort in Barnard, Vermont is expensive鈥攁s in empty-your-bank-account-because-you-only-live-once expensive. But travel is for dreamers, right? And Twin Farms, set on an idyllic 300-acre plot in the rolling Green Mountains, is pretty damn dreamy.

Originally a working farm, the property was later purchased by Nobel-winning novelist Sinclair Lewis, who used it as a second home and party house at the end of the roaring twenties. The compound lives on as an art- and design-minded playground.

The accommodations include 10 cottages and 10 suites, the latter divided between the main house, the lodge and a farmhouse designed by renowned architect Peter Bohlin. Bohlin also designed our favorite structure at Twin Farms, a contemporary two-bedroom cottage named the “Aviary” (pictured below). Unlike the surrounding buildings, which have a rustic New England aesthetic, Bohlin鈥檚 950-square-foot cottage is a boxy, wood-and-glass wonder decked out with mid-century furnishings and a stone hot tub next to a fireplace.

The Twin Farms experience is all-inclusive and customizable, meaning you can make your trip relaxing (kick back in Japanese-style soaking tubs; grab a massage) or more adventurous (fly-fish and kayak in the warm months, hit one of the lodge鈥檚 six private ski hills come winter). You can also build menus around your culinary preferences and request guides for any of the onsite activities. In short, Twin Farms is the private, wooded escape of your (caviar) dreams.听

The Details: (from $1,450/night) vary and are based on double-occupancy. They include all meals and beverages as well as the use of onsite equipment and facilities. Children under 16 are allowed only during designated family weeks.

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When it comes to natural beauty, New Zealand doesn’t do nuance. Its greens and blues border on neon and its mountains plunge into the sea with all the subtlety of an elephant stepping into a bathtub. What better place to see these visual fireworks than , located minutes from Queenstown on New Zealand’s South Island?听

This edge-of-the-world hideout overlooks the Z-shaped Lake Wakatipu and the spectacular Southern Alps range. The four main-lodge suites and eight standalone cottages pull off the neat trick of feeling cabin-y yet contemporary thanks to the austere, almost Scandinavian aesthetic that permeates the property.听

Each accommodation has a private porch, a fireplace, a walk-in closet, and a bathroom with an oversized soaking tub. Larger groups might consider the 5,000-square-foot “Owner’s Lodge,” which boasts four bedrooms and a hot tub on the main balcony for ogling those vistas. Other bells and whistles onsite include a spa and infinity pool.听

It’s currently springtime in New Zealand, which means your outdoor adventures will range from horseback riding to hiking to kayaking on the nearby Dart River. Or take a heli-tour of Milford Sound and Doubtful Sound, and take in even more sea-to-sky drama: rainforests, waterfalls, secret inlets, and snowcapped peaks. After a day in the wild, head back to the restaurant at the lodge and toast your good fortune.听

The Details: Nightly rates through November 2014 start at $475 for a double lodge room.

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By now you鈥檝e heard of Marfa, the tiny arts-leaning town in west Texas known for its large collection of Donald Judd sculptures and the allegedly paranormal light show that occurs each night on the outskirts of town. But the high-desert outpost is more than the sum of its quirks. It鈥檚 also an underrated outdoor escape, with miles of great hiking and biking trails.

During your desert hiatus, take shelter at , a campground/roadside motel that rents teepees, canvas tents, and refurbished vintage trailers. A recently added yurt comes tricked-out with wood floors, a queen bed, writing desk, and a gorgeous front porch for stargazing.

Amenities include the lobby house, where you check in, log on (it鈥檚 the only building onsite with Wi-Fi), and grab a beer in the lounge. There鈥檚 also a bathhouse, communal outdoor kitchen, wood-fired hot tubs, and bikes for rent.

More than just a hip home base, though, El Cosmico serves as a community gathering place, hosting year-round events such as the recent Trans-Pecos arts festival and an in February, 2015.

The Details: Room rates vary depending on accommodation type. The reviewed yurt goes for $110/night, Sunday to Thursday and $120/night on Friday and Saturday.

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There are mountain views, and then there are mountain views of the Dolomites.听 in northern Italy’s South Tyrol province owns the latter. The resort looks out on the grand mountain range lining the horizon, so you can either stare and relax in your luxury accommodations听or step out and begin your adventure.

But first you have to get here, which is no cakewalk. The resort sits at an altitude of nearly 5,000 feet and is accessible only by cable car, which you board in the tiny village of Lana. The second thing you notice upon arrival (after those vistas!) is Vigilius’ elegant, wooden architecture. Conceived by Milan-based firm , the horizontal structure flows inconspicuously into the alpine surroundings. In fact, much of the resort was constructed with waste wood from the nearby larch forest.听

The guestrooms have a similar modern alpine aesthetic, with clean lines, blonde wood accents and soul-stirring glimpses of the mountains. Onsite dining options range from the white tableclothed Restaurant 1500 to the more casual Parlour Ida, which serves rustic Italian dishes and is warmed by a 100-year-old tiled stove.

Beyond seasonal eats and ace accommodations, Vigilius offers a spa with spring water pools as well as a fitness program that includes guided hikes and mountain bike rides, archery lessons, and, come winter, toboggan rides. Because what would a simple-but-swank mountain resort be without a toboggan ride?

The Details: vary from around $350 to $440 per night.

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When I lived in Seattle, it seemed everyone had a story about , located atop Snoqualmie Falls some 30 miles east of the city. For some, it was an over-the-top wedding venue. For others, it was an upscale home base for a weekend of hiking, fly fishing, and escaping the city. The only common thread was that the guests always wanted to go back.听

I have a few stories of my own, and to say I vouch for the place is an understatement. I sometimes dream about it鈥攚hich could be attributed to the fact that it appeared in David Lynch鈥檚 hallucinatory TV series Twin Peaks, but likely has more to do with that dramatic setting. You could throw a Holiday Inn Express on those falls and people would flock to it.听

Lucky for you, Salish is a special-occasion lodge done in a typically understated Northwest style. The 84 guest rooms have a warm, contemporary aesthetic, with jetted tubs, featherbeds, and a fireplace. Crack open your windows at night, and the falls become a giant white-noise machine to lull you to sleep. 听

The spa at Salish is a major draw for world-weary Seattleites (read: overworked Microsoft execs), who come for the therapeutic soaking pools and stay for the chemical-free skin treatments and heated river rock massages. As a bonus, aromatherapy is built into the spa experience thanks to cedar walls and a subtle eucalyptus scent that permeates the monastic setting.

When you鈥檙e good and unwound, head to The Dining Room for perfectly executed Northwest cuisine like the pan-seared wild king salmon with celery root, sweet corn velout茅, gnocchi and peaches roasted with honey harvested from Salish鈥檚 in-house apiary. 听

So start planning (and, if I鈥檓 being honest, saving for) your own Salish story. It鈥檚 sure to be a memorable one. 听 听

The Details: Rooms start at $189, though check .听

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Our elevator speech for the Cornwall region of southwest England would start with its world-class coastal hiking, move next to its surprising surf breaks, and conclude with the .

Resting atop a seaside crag on the Atlantic, the property鈥檚 minimal aesthetic blends well into the surrounding landscape thanks to its green rooftop (planted with sea thrift), and curved lines that mimic Cornwall鈥檚 cliffs and coves.听

Each of the 37 rooms boasts an ocean view, a private outdoor space (either a balcony or garden terrace), and a vibrant color palette that serves as a welcome contrast to the Scarlet鈥檚 stark exterior.

Gourmets, meanwhile, will applaud chef Tom Hunter鈥檚 culinary remixes of classic Cornish cuisine鈥攖hink deep-fried veal with tarragon mayo. In addition to the top-notch restaurant, guests will dig the restorative spa (which includes a plush, futuristic-pod relaxation room), an outdoor pool filtered by live reeds (the way nature intended), and log-fired hot tubs on the beach.听

Okay, that elevator speech went a little long, but you get the gist: Scarlet or bust, people.

The Details: The Scarlet Hotel is located in western Cornwall in the village of Mawgan Porth. . Heads up, parents: This is a kid-free establishment, so leave the young’uns behind and relax for a week.

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More than a decade removed from the revolution that ousted its corrupt president and six years after the Russo-Georgian War, the tiny nation of Georgia is becoming a tourist draw鈥攖hanks in part to new accommodations such as . This remote alpine lodge, located just outside of a Russia-occupied territory showcases the Caucasus Mountains in its backyard, making it an under-the-radar happy place for hikers, climbers and heliskiers.

Named for a 19th-century Georgian poet, the 156-room mountain retreat does have a lyrical quality about it, with rustic-chic rooms blending wood and industrial flourishes and an a la carte restaurant whose menu sings with seasonal dishes.

Yet for an outfit whose architecture and interior design are decidedly contemporary, Hotel Kazbegi doesn’t take itself too seriously, as evidenced by the Soviet-era movie posters that plaster the walls of the spacious lounge.

Amenities range from an indoor swimming pool with mountain views to a huge outdoor sundeck to an onsite casino (here at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, they love their gambling). Add a hyper-attentive staff and a fleet of mountain bikes available for rental, and is it any wonder we’ve got Georgia on our mind?

The Details: Rooms Hotel Kazbegi is located in northern Georgia, about 90 miles north of the capital of Tbilisi. Rooms range from $140 to $160.

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