THE 100 BEST AFFORDABLE VACATIONS

Travel journalists Wooldridge and Bleiberg suggest holidays for all budgets.

Did somebody say vacation? National Geographic takes readers down highways and across the friendly skies with 100 ideas for the budget-conscious traveler. Wooldridge and Bleiberg provide a collection of unique trips that will excite all personalities and many wallets. Like to shop? Drive through the world’s longest yard sale, which stretches from Michigan to Alabama. Those who enjoy yoga and meditation should head out to Shambhala Mountain Center in Colorado. Wooldridge and Bleiberg divide the trips by theme, including sections on vacations that celebrate Americana or feed travelers' "body & soul." Try a cowboy poetry reading in Elko, Nev., or a community-service trip to post-Katrina New Orleans. Readers who are expecting a nuts-and-bolts travel guide will be disappointed, as the authors do not delve deeply into their suggestions. The book should be viewed as a flip-through reference that will generate ideas for cash-strapped travelers. Most of the authors' suggestions are in the U.S., although several take travelers to more exotic locations like Belize or Puerto Rico. Rev up the car and hit the road.