It's graduation time! Students of every age are donning tasseled caps and planning a walk down the aisle. College towns are especially bustling this time of year, and are also great destinations in their own right no matter what the season.

We've highlighted some of our favorite college towns from coast to coast, each of which holds its own special charms. Whether you have a prospective student in the family, or are just looking for a young, vibrant destination, we hope they inspire your next trip!

Boston, Massachusetts

Boston Travel Guide from Let's Go
The Boston area has the highest concentration of colleges in the nation, and is also a fascinating destination for history and culture seekers in its own right. For a long time, Boston was the United States. In the 19th century, some of America’s most influential doers and thinkers called Boston home, justifiably dubbing it the “Hub of the Universe.” Read more>

Santa Barbara, California

Santa Barbara Travel Guide from 10Best
Just two hours from LA, this once sleepy California town has been dubbed the "American Riviera." Its coastal beauty, year-round sun, mountainous backdrop, and Spanish/Mexican history attract wealthy residents and plenty of eager tourists. Read more>

Austin, Texas

Austin Travel Guide from Guidepal
Young and vibrant but with the old soul of a hippie, Austin is a red-hot creative hub in the middle of a state steeped in tradition. Yet the city, for all its quirks, is still thoroughly Texan - think of it as the liberal son of conservative parents, Houston and Dallas. Read more>

Providence, Rhode Island

A Taste of Providence: Sampling Rhode Island’s Quirky Cuisine
Providence, RI is a small city in a small state, which happens to boast a large number of colleges and universities. It's also well known for its culinary prowess and unique food offerings. Some of the names that pop up on menus across the state are downright puzzling, even for people from nearby states. Read more>

Berkeley, CA

Berkeley Travel Guide from NFT
The city of Berkeley, famous for its university and seismically-sensitive land, has a long history of positive community activism. And while the memory of radical ideas still permeates the air, as you get closer to the center and its many academic establishments (besides the UC, there are also the Graduate Theological Union, Vista Community College, and various vocational schools), you’re now more likely to encounter a Starbucks than a protest. Read more>

Tips for College Campus Visits

Rural vs. Urban College Campus Visits, from TravelMuse
Make time to get off campus and learn what a university town is really like, whether your visit is to a traditional college town like Ames, Iowa, in the heartland, or to the bustling streets of busy Boston on the East Coast. Read more>

With Memorial Day weekend already behind us, the rush is on to make the most of your summertime travels. Get a jump on the crowds by reading our picks for some of the best summertime getaways this year. Whether you're looking for a hopping beach scene, an invigorating hike, or a weekend city break, we've got lots of options for you.

Let's Go's Top Travel Destinations for the Summer
Let's Go has compiled a list of its Top Travel Destinations this summer. Whether you're on a tight budget, looking to splurge after a winter of Scrooge-like miserliness, or simply studying abroad for the summer, this top ten list has got you covered. Read more>

Valencia, Spain: The Perfect Summer City
Dreaming of a sunny weekend dash to Europe? This excerpt from Lonely Planet Magazine shines a light on the juiciest picks of Valencia, the Spanish city that checks all the summer city break boxes. Read more>

Have Car, Will Travel: Eight New Ideas For Summer Road Trips
We’re drawn to the idea of the unknown, the adventure, the spontaneity of just hopping in the car and driving. Besides that, it’s cheap. Of course you’ll take a road trip this summer, it goes without saying, but why not spice it up this year with some new twists on an old favorite? Read more>

Top 10 Summer Cities
From city beaches to summer arts festivals, make the most of urban life with Rough Guides' list of top ten summer cities around the globe. Read more>

The Best Summer Hikes Around The World
From spectacular Mount Massive, Colorado to storybook beautiful Cinque Terre, Italy, these are some of Tripwolf's users' favorite hikes around the world. Read more>

GoNomad's Guide to Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket
These Massachusetts islands are the jewels of the New England coast, with wonderful beaches, clean streets, friendly people and are both top notch travel experiences. They are the vacation choice of many of the rich and famous, but their charms are also easily available to the rest of us. Read more>

Check out these awesome articles with ideas for spring break vacations for travelers of all kinds. Spring break isn't just for college kids - take your family to Italy, build houses in South America, learn to surf in Hawaii... there's something for everyone!

Best of Tripfilms: On Spring Break
You don't have to be a co-ed to enjoy the rest, relaxation and partying that Spring Break trips have to offer. We've rounded up the best Spring Break destinations around the world to help you find the best spot for your next adventure. Read more>

Alternative Spring Break: Building Houses in Uruguay
As many college students took their spring break to head off to popular beach destinations, a group of 30 students chose instead to travel to Montevideo, Uruguay, and construct emergency houses for the poor. Read more>

Hotels By City's Top Ten Spring Break Destinations
This is the definitive student spring break list: from Lake Havasu to South Padre Island and everything in between, check out HotelsByCity's report on the top 10 absolute hottest spots for spring break fun...Read more>

Lonely Planet's Five Family Spring Break Ideas from Ciao Bambino
From the Amalfi Coast to Placencia, Brazil, these alternative spring break ideas are all great bets for an exciting and adventurous family vacation. Read more>

Top Spring Break Cruises for 2011
CruiseCompete makes it easy to find the perfect cruise getaway for your spring break: they've gathered all cruise specials that sail over Spring Break, ordered by sail date. Read more>

Spring Break Trips from Infohub
Experience the ultimate balance between relaxation and adventure! Study a language, learn to surf, go on a safari tour, or catch the big one on your own chartered yacht...Read more>

With some awesome extreme travel movies on the big screen lately, including Sanctum and 127 Hours, we've been thinking about our favorite extreme travel spots around the world. From shark-cage diving in South Africa to the Mount Everest Marathon in Nepal, check out some of these amazing adventures to inspire even the most cautious armchair travelers.

TravelGrove's Best Extreme Sports Holidays
While some of us like to spend our holidays relaxing on a beach or discovering cultures and peoples, for others a holiday is an excellent opportunity to pump up their adrenaline levels to insane quotas. Read more>

BootsnAll's 14 Extreme Travel Activities To Get Your Heart Pumping
Traveling is often about pushing yourself to your limits and living a little dangerously, which is why backpackers are increasingly challenging themselves to face their fears, break records, challenge their fitness and seek some thrills. Read more>

Let's Go: Tourism On The Edge
As a budget traveler, you’re probably equipped with a heavy pack, a Let’s Go travel guide, and of course, an adventurous spirit. If you’re looking to flex some muscles other than your wallet, what better way to experience a town than trying its unique extreme tourism? Read more>

Nepal.com: The Tenzing Hillary Everest Marathon
Each year in May, intrepid adventurers gather at the Qomolangma (Mount Everest) Base Camp in Nepal to participate in the Tenzing Hillary Everest Marathon, considered by many to be the ultimate international extreme sport event. Read more>

Rough Guides' Unique Travel Ideas
Here are seven unique and extreme travel ideas from around the world - ranging from activities to eating and other just plain crazy stuff - and all of which will have your friends fascinated. Read more>

Lonely Planet's Extreme Travel Stories - Dangerous and Unexplored Places
A member of Lonely Planet's Thorn Tree posted "I would love to hear stories people have about extreme travelling - going into dangerous or unexplored places." Here are the amazing responses! Read more>