New Mexico at $183 RT

New Mexico just might be my favorite US state. The scenery, the food, the culture, the adobe, the art — it really is the Land of Enchantment!

You'll be touching down in Albuquerque, which makes for a pretty good New Mexican homebase. Grab some Indigenous food at the Indian Pueblo Kitchen, shop for souvenirs around Old Town, and then head to Nob Hill for a surprisingly competitive cocktail scene (I'm partial to The Copper Lounge, personally).

Winter in ABQ is pretty mild, but hop that tram up the Sandia mountains, and it's like you're in another region entirely. You can ski fresh snow in the morning, and then come back down to enjoy a 60º afternoon.

And definitely make time for the trip up to Santa Fe. The whole state is packed with worthwhile stops (White Sands? Badlands? A 1,000-year-old neighborhood?) but Santa Fe is right on Albuquerque's doorstep with a train between them, so there's really no excuse :-)