Where to Go in 2022

Plus, The Secret Military Fortresses Hidden in the Swiss Alps

Manage newsletters View in browser The entire world in your inbox. Hello all—   Greetings from Huntington Beach! I'm here for our next beautiful library feature—and it's going to be a controversial one. Unfortunately, I seem to have angered the weather gods because instead of the requisite California sunshine, I'm getting torrential wind and rain.    Aptly referred to as Surf City U.S.A, Huntington Beach is featured in our destination guide for travel this coming year. We placed our focus on places that you could enjoy visiting for a month or two, as travel these days is all about long getaways. We've got you covered with charming urban spots, gorgeous beach escapes, as well as countries teeming with history.   I think you'll find the list a great start for your 2022 plans!   One of my favorite stories from the past week is Chloe Berge's tale of Switzerland's once mysterious mountain fortresses built to hold the Nazis at bay.    Enjoy!   —William O'Connor, Travel Editor Where to Go in 2022 From mountain escapes to desert beaches, we've picked our favorite getaways for the coming year to spend some serious time away. The Secret Military Fortresses Hidden in the Swiss Alps These clandestine bunkers helped keep Switzerland out of WWII. Now they house everything from museums to raclette cheese. In Costa Rica, This Group Makes Sure Your Tourist Dollars Go to Real Locals All too often, the money spent by visitors to Costa Rica's Caribbean coast wouldn't make its way into the hands of local guides and workers. This group was created to fix that. When Chicago Turned Its Nose Up at Books From the Queen After the Great Fire devastated the city's libraries, the British stepped up with massive donations, even from the Queen. But one Chicago mayor saw fit to throw it all out. This Suitcase Will Make Traveling Less Stressful Scouting Report: Now is the perfect time to upgrade your roller suitcase with this one from Arlo Skye. It has plenty of room, is hard-sided, and has four wheels that aren't noisy at all. Best of all, it fits in the overhead compartment with ease.   About a year and a half ago, I decided to invest in a new suitcase. I had big plans—places to go, people to see. And then the pandemic happened and well, it ended up sitting in my closet for a year and a half. I worried that when I took it out, it would be like a time capsule, or like a fashionable dress—so last season. But I'm happy to report that my new suitcase was excellent on my latest trip, and I couldn't recommend it enough. It stood the test of time and doubled as the perfect travel companion.   If you haven't heard of Arlo Skye before, don't worry, neither had I. But it's the luggage brand you need to hear about. Much like its main competitor, Away, the brand is a DTC suitcase company—but their suitcases are better than their competitors in my opinion.   The Zipper Carry-On Max is first and foremost shockingly lightweight. It's hard sided, which I personally love because that means it can fit in the overhead bin no matter how much you stuff in it. Trust me when I say I really put this to the test. The four wheels which are extremely quiet, comes with an integrated TSA-approved combination lock that is easy to use, and a removable charger (that you should remember to remove).   The front compartment is where it's at—eliminating the need for a secondary carry-on item like a backpack. I can store my laptop, book, and headphones in this compartment with ease, and accessing them is even easier. The suitcase comes in five fun colors, so it'll be easy to know which bag is yours.   — Scouted by Daniel Modlin SHOP AT ARLO SKYE >>> "A new way to die by assisted suicide could soon be available in Switzerland. The Sarco Suicide Pod is a 3-D-printed portable coffin-like capsule with windows that can be transported to a tranquil place for a person's final moments of life." —in keeping with this week's Switzerland theme, Barbie Nadeau reports on the "suicide capsule" that could soon be available in the country. OMG I Want to Rent This House!      Florence, Italy (Vrbo): Some people dream of lounging on pristine white beaches all vacation long. Others have visions of busily exploring a new city or summiting a new peak. But those who are truly one of a kind long to spend their break from the daily grind living like a Medici. The latter crave vast grounds, epic ballrooms, and frescoes as far as the eye can see. For those with aristocratic dreams, only a holiday home like the historic Villa Le Rose in the Tuscan countryside will do. This Renaissance villa is overflowing with that coveted authenticity (by way of its 15th century heritage) and convenience (only 10 minutes from Florence), while still maintaining a regal distance in the countryside between its high-falutin' habitants (aka you!) and the city bourgeoisie.   This is a bona fide villa, which means it has plenty of rooms (seven) and bathrooms (eight) to house all of your guests (up to 14). But laying your head down in a bed that makes you feel like a principessa? That's just the icing on this many-tiered cake.   You don't have choose between an olive grove and a vineyard at Villa Le Rose—you can have them both just outside your very dapper walls. The grounds cover over 27 acres, including a lake where you can spot the local wildlife, and two famously designed and meticulously manicured gardens, the Porcinai Garden and the Cedar Garden.   Book Your Stay: Villa Le Rose, Florence, Italy, $7,900 per night   Don't miss previous OMG, I Want to Rent This House posts, which spotlight the most spectacular and unique homes that you can actually stay in.  Check out the full archives.  Travel to the World's Coolest Contemporary Mountain Houses   Building in the mountains has always been one of the more difficult feats for humankind, however it's long been a place for architectural inventiveness. Today, some of the coolest buildings around the world that incite our wanderlust are found in the mountains.   Phaidon's Living in the Mountains: Contemporary Houses in the Mountains is a close look at 17 projects around the world that best capture the unique views of mountains. Views that allow one, in the words of the editor, "to look out and be humbled by the great forces that once thrust the rock into the sky, and gain a wider perspective on our place in the world."   Some of the houses are sleek wonders of concrete with sexy pools and swanky interiors lit by giant floor-to-ceiling- windows (like the Camino a Farellones in Chile). Others, like the Lone Mountain Ranch House in New Mexico, take a simple single-story charred wood house and within transform a distant mountain range into a horizontal vista right out of a widescreen Western. There are jungle mountain houses in Brazil and vertical slat wood boxes in Europe. But whether one of the OTT houses or a simple hut in Switzerland—we'd take any of them.   Check out our previous selections for our series on gorgeous travel-related coffee table books, Just Booked. 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