What We’re Reading: The Best Places to Go in 2013

Find out which destinations should be on your radar this year in our weekly roundup of travel news and stories.

How to Pick the Perfect Suitcase

Budget Travel‘s guide to selecting the perfect suitcase includes recommendations for various personality types: neat freaks, multitaskers, fashion plates. But we like the list because it features some refreshingly affordable bag suggestions. Suitcases range in reasonable price from $99 to $290. Which bag matches your disposition? See the story here.

New Website Fights Jet Lag

NBCNews.com reports that a new website could help solve the world’s jet lag problem. According to NBCNews.com, “Using research that precisely identified when to seek or avoid light to shift the body clock, [the creator of the site] developed an algorithm that he hopes is more user-friendly for fliers who don’t want to do all the calculations themselves.” Here’s how it works: You type in your itinerary, and the hours you normally go to sleep and wake up. Then the site spits out a special jet lag plan for you to follow on your trip.

I typed in my stats for a trip to Amsterdam I’m taking in a few weeks. The site told me to avoid light most mornings and to try to get a lot of light in the evenings. (This will be somewhat difficult, as I’ll be visiting Europe in the dead of winter.) The site also advised me to drink plenty of liquids and eat fruit. Duly noted.

The Best Places to Go in 2013

The New York Times released its list of The 46 Best Places to Go in 2013, including the de rigueur must-visit destinations—Paris, Amsterdam, Rio, Hawaii—as well as less-traveled locales like Mongolia, Accra, and Lens, France. The destinations are mostly chosen because they have something new and noteworthy going on in the coming year. Amsterdam, for example, will be celebrating the 400th anniversary of its canals, and a handful of important local museums are reopening after extensive renovations. (That’s why we chose it as one of our Destinations to Watch in 2013.)

Do you agree with The Times‘ list? Where are you traveling in 2013?