Summer is the season when we Americans love to travel. Whether we hit the road, board an airplane or travel on the water; this is the season that we American explore the world. While you will see Americans everywhere you travel during the summer, we also tend to like to travel to the same locations. While popular summer destinations like Hilton Head or going to London or France are great places to visit; also love traveling to less unique but not as tourist intense destinations during the summer. Not only will you not have to fight the crowds, these destinations offer you a chance to experience your summer vacation on a more personnel, local level. While the destinations I am recommending may be "hidden gems", they also highlight the best spots to be at the height of the summer season.
Capri
While most Americans traveling to Italy will stay in Rome or in Tuscany, to really experience the Mediterranean and discover what makes it so special, you need to travel to Capri, Italy's most glamorous getaway. The island of Capri is one of the most picturesque islands in the Mediterranean. With whitewashed villas shrouded in bougainvillea, cliffs reaching from the sea, and medieval alleyways winding through romantic villages, Capri's charms are unwavering. Accessible only by boat, the tiny island on the Bay of Naples, off the Amalfi Coast, attracts jet setters and glitterati, the feel of luxury is mixed with a real, down to earth vibe of the locals. The island is also home to mysterious natural wonders, like the massive rock formations of Faraglioni and Blue Grotto, an underground sea cave that continues to awe visitors with its brilliant, almost iridescent waters.
Montreal
Montreal's joie de vivre is most visible in summer, when festivals and celebrations light up the town and droves of locals and visitors take to the streets to join the fun. Eleven days of non-stop musical entertainment, otherwise known as the Festival International de Jazz de Montreal, enlivens the city annually in early July; streets get closed down and over 350 free outdoor concerts delight the ears of music aficionados. Also in July, downtown Montreal hosts the world's largest comedy festival, Just for Laughs, featuring some 1000 performances from top-name comics who are bound to keep you in stitches. Even if you happen to visit in between festivals, summer is simply a fine time to hang out at an outdoor cafe and people-watch under the warm sun.
Scandinavia
While you'd have to be a thick-skinned Viking to make it through a Scandinavian winter, happily you needn't be much more than a reveling vacationer with a good pair of sunglasses during the summer months. Scandinavia is a sizzling summer destination, where the northerly latitude of the country five some - namely, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland - translates to unending daylight hours during summer. Head out on a midnight whim to go hiking, biking, or white-water rafting in Norway's exquisite wilderness, composed of stunning fjords, majestic mountains, glistening glaciers, and serene valleys. Visit the Danish cultural capital of Copenhagen and stroll through the lovely Tivoli Gardens, or head to magnificent Stockholm, to check out traditional Swedish folk music and traditions at Skansen, where a jovial Midsummer festival (late June) is also held to celebrate the lightest night of the year. Or you may prefer to simply soak up the animated nightlife of beer gardens and street musicians that linger well into the night in Iceland's lively capital of Reykjavik. There are tons of other special summer events scheduled, as well, ranging from midnight marathons to gay pride parades to cultural events - try the Helsinki Festival (late August to early Sept.), for example, when the Finnish capital lets loose with music, theatre, dance, visual arts, film, and more before autumn comes around.
Upper Peninsula
If city-living gets too hot, pack up some marshmallows, hotdogs, and camping gear and head to the refreshing Upper Peninsula of Michigan, where majestic wildlife, unspoiled rivers, waterfalls, and dense forests abound. Blessed with some 1700 miles of shoreline along three Great Lakes - Superior, Michigan, and Huron - it should come as no surprise that fishing, canoeing, and camping are prime activities here, with moose, bears, and beavers as common companions. The region's strong Native American and French Canadian heritage are experienced everywhere as well; enclaves with names like Sault-Ste-Marie and bridges like the Mackinac harken back to the days of the earliest settlers. You'll probably feel like one of North America's earliest explorers yourself as you paddle the waterways here and set up camp in the woods.
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