Autumn is fast approaching, and with cool breezes and changing leaves come some of the year's most enticing travel opportunities. The beauty of autumn travel is that there are so many possibilities right outside your door, or a short drive away, allowing endless options for a quick, cheap and spontaneous fall getaway.  Here we've brought you some inspiring ideas for fall festivals and autumn travel, both near and far. Enjoy!

Oktoberfest 2010 – Where to Find Your Tracht
The rallying cry that begins Oktoberfest rings loud and clear. You’re surrounded by throngs of men and women of all ages rowdy to celebrate the historical German event. Maybe your glass is full and your spirit brimming, but you’re still not going to fit in wearing jeans and a tee. Get your Dirndl on...Read more>

Top 5 Autumn Festivals
From Day of the Dead in Mexico to Diwali in India, autumn ushers in some of the most intense festivals around the globe.  There are beer festivals, wine festivals, food festivals, music and arts festivals and many others. So clear your schedule and check out some of the amazing festivals on this list. Read more>

Sardinia: Serene in Autumn
Check out this far-flung destination in fall, the off-season, and you may be pleasantly surprised by the slower pace, lack of tourists, and syunning scenery.  "As the plane approached the island, I was pleasantly surprised to look down and see the sun was beating down on a magnificent coastline lined in threads of turquoise and green..." Read more>

The First-Timer’s Guide to Hot Air Balloon Festivals in the U.S
If you always imagined the only excitement at a hot air balloon festival meant rousting the kids at the crack of dawn and an aching neck from staring skyward for hours, think again. Big balloon festivals offer everything from the traditional morning mass ascension to competitive balloon challenges to evening balloon “glows.  Read more>

Fall Festivals of Bhutan
There is no better time to visit Bhutan than during the Tsechu Festivals. The annual celebrations around Bhutan are marked by incredible colors and exhilarating festivity. The adventure begins before your plane even touches down... Read more>

Swiss Food and Wine Festivals
At Fribourg's bénichon, an elaborate thanksgiving meal, diners are treated to a special mustard concocted only for this particular feast. In the Ticino area, entire towns are given to celebrating chestnuts... Read more>

Mid-Autumn Festival, Kuala Lumpur
Lantern processions are organized throughout the city during the Mid-Autumn Festival. Public parks, city squares and market places are decorated with beautiful embellishments. Lights of various colors and hues are used to decorate the city... Read more>

One of the greatest pleasures of travel is sampling local cuisine - both high and low end - and then reminiscing about amazing meals for years afterward. Everyone has their favorite travel food memory and their favorite local cuisine that they swear outshines all others. Enjoy these articles we've found that sample some of the most delicious and unique foods around the globe.

The Best Food & Where You Had It
Check out this great message board on Bootsnall.com, where users share their best meal and where they had it. Pig roast in Hawaii, pizza in Sarajevo, or home cooking in Mom's kitchen... everyone has a strong opinion on this subject! Read more>

New Orleans Cuisune
New Orleans is famous for having some of the best food in the world. Whether you're sampling beignets and coffee at the famous Cafe Du Monde, or digging into crawfish etouffe at one of the many Cajun joints around town, you won't be disappointed in the food you'll find in the Crescent City. Read more>

The Best Food in France
French cooking is universally renowned and downright delicious. The preparation and consumption of food are integral to French daily life, but while world-famous chefs and their three-star restaurants are a valued Parisian institution, you don’t have to pay their prices for excellent cuisine, either classic or adventurous. Read more>

The Foodhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy: Siberia
Porcini Mushroom picking in Siberia is something you definitely want to try one day. This amazing experience involves driving through the beautiful remote forests of Siberia in an ancient Russian off-road van, finding & collecting hundreds of pounds of mushrooms, drinking vodka, and of course cooking them! Read more>

New York's Best Food Cultures
With over 8 million people in New York, you’d expect some great chow and some culinary diversity – and that’s exactly what you get. New York manages to bring dishes from all over the world and make them their own. Read more>

The Best Vietnamese Restaurants
Most Vietnamese restaurants have menus featuring plenty of fish and seafood because of the country’s close relationship with the sea. Vietnamese cuisine is particularly aromatic and delicately flavored thanks to a liberal use of herbs. Check out this great guide to Vietnamese cuisine from north to south and everything in between. Read more>

Eating Bilbao: A Celebration of Basque Cuisine
Food is a central part of Basque life. Bilbao is home to some innovative upscale restaurants pushing the creative limits of international fine dining, but they all rest upon a foundation of superior local products, historic recipes, and Basque traditions. Read more>

Howard Hillman's Guide to Japanese Cuisine
Japanese cooks are legendary for the beauty of their dishes. Though more complex cuisines exist, none comes close to matching Japan's culinary aesthetics. Take a look at this guide to authentic Japanese cuisine from food writer Howard Hillman. Read more>

Street food: a staple of the budget traveler, the globe-trotting gourmand, and the on-the-go local. Sometimes the very best way to get a sense of the culture while traveling is to belly up to the nearest street food vendor and indulge in some local delicacies. But just be aware of what you're getting into: fried scorpion on a stick may be your idea of a tempting mid-afternoon snack, or a nightmare in the making!

Most Lip-Smacking Street Food
From Portuguese chorizo in Goa to Indian dosas in New York City, this roundup covers the most delicious - and sometimes unexpected - street delicacies you might find while traveling the world. Read more 

Horrors of Chinese Street Food
We've heard it said before that in China they eat everything from scorpions to starfish. It makes sense; they’ve got almost a billion and a half people to feed. But really, we never believed there would be a market for such obscurities until actually seeing it with our own eyes... Read more

Culinary Delights of Bangkok
In this video, John and Cara check out the street food on Bangkok's famous Khao San Road. John samples one of the exotic crunchy critters from one of the many bug carts that ply the city's streets... Read more 

Vienna Street Food 
Pizza vendors and burger stalls are almost non-existent in Vienna. The truly traditional Viennese snack is the sausage. The sausage stands or Wurselstands are to be found literally on every street corner of the city. The Wurstelstand has a mind-boggling array of sausages... Read more

6 Places to Find Great Street Food
Though you can certainly fill up on your share of ’safe’ options like New York hot dogs, Parisian crepes or Italian pizza, there are so many other adventurous locations with yummy street food to discover all over the world... Read more

Seattle's Pike Place Market
Since its first day of business in 1907, when 10,000 visitors overwhelmed vendors, the Pike Place Market in Seattle has drawn tourists and residents alike to its outdoor stalls and vintage arcades, and Pike Place Fish Market... Read more 

Vietnamese Street Food
From hawkers with cauldrons of soup hanging from shoulder poles, to push carts, market stalls and makeshift "street kitchens", Vietnam's street food is unsurpassed.  Check out this great article, complete with a basic language guide to make sure you know what you're getting... Read more

 

Looking for something to occupy all that free time you'll have in the New Year? Check out DK Travel's guide to What to Do When in 2010.