The 7 Best Places to Travel This August

By Mark Johanson, Men's Journal

From a gluttonous barbecue competition in the American Heartland to a hike along the world’s newest (and longest) recreational trail, here are seven ways to make your August vacation even hotter.
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Beta-test the Transcaucasian Trail through the Caucuses Mountains

Envision an epic 1,865-mile trail connecting two-dozen national parks and reserves across one of the most geographically and culturally diverse regions of the world. This is the dream behind the future Transcaucasian Trail, a first-of-its-kind long distance hiking trail through the Caucasus Mountains of Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan. Co-founded by two former Peace Corps Volunteers, the project now has a growing international team that’s gearing up to welcome everyday hikers with a series of one-off fundraising treks this August and September to beta-test new trails in Svaneti, Georgia, and Dilijan National Park, Armenia. Those with extensive backcountry experience can similarly sign up for two-week trail-building camps, or help explore and map uncharted areas of the heavily forested Caucasus Mountains in search of routes that may become part of the future trail.

Expand your waistline at the World Series of Barbecue in Kansas City

A cloud of smoke will hover above the Kansas Speedway from August 31 to September 3 as more than 600 teams from nearly a dozen countries (as far away as South Africa and Japan) gather in Kansas City, Kansas, to compete for the title of world’s best pitmaster at the 38th annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue. Visitors to the city’s signature event can stuff themselves stupid with an array of smoked meats that have been slathered in fiery sauces and slapped on buttery buns. There will also be plenty of beer, music, celebrity cook-offs, poker tournaments, carnival rides, car shows, BMX performances, and evening fireworks to keep a crowd of more than 50,000 carnivores entertained.
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Witness a rare total eclipse all across the country.

Monday, August 21, will be a day for the history books as the first total solar eclipse to touch the continental U.S. since 1979 plunges the land into darkness. A sliver of the US that will actually experience the complete eclipse, and many towns in the path are throwing eclipse events and parties in the dark. Here's our in-depth guide to the 19 places to be when the eclipse is in full swing. 

Visit Quito during the Summer of the Arts

The historic center of Quito will be shining bright this August as light artists from Ecuador and France team together to cast multimedia projections onto the facades of the city’s most emblematic buildings for the 2017 Festival of Lights (August 9-13). The event is part of Quito’s new Summer of the Arts initiative, which will see three-dozen shows staged at theaters across the city, as well as a handful of top Latin American folk musicians performing on the summit of Itchimbia Hill. Quito will also debut a new gastronomy festival, Sal Quiteña, this month (August 1-15) to showcase the city’s exotic flavors. Restaurants across town have prepared special three-course menus that highlight regional dishes like fritada and seco de chivo.

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Go bargain hunting at the world’s longest yard sale

What's a more all-American way to spend your August vacation than to take a summer road trip along the nation’s blue highways of lore, camping and shopping for knickknacks on a route billed as “the world’s longest yard sale"? From Thursday August 3 to Sunday August 6, hundreds of thousands of residents who live along a 690-mile stretch of asphalt from Michigan to Alabama will throw blankets on grass and lure bargain-hunters with everything from laptop computers to handmade furniture and taxidermy squirrels. The yard sale route follows US-127 from Addison, MI, to Chattanooga, TN, before branching off onto the scenic Lookout Mountain Parkway all the way to Gadsden, AL. Check the 127 Yard Sale website for a list of registered vendors, as well as lodging options, maps and helpful tips.

Celebrate the completion of Canada’s epic Great Trail

We can think of no better way to celebrate the 150th anniversary of our northern neighbor’s independence this year than to witness the completion of the longest recreational trail in the world. Twenty-five years in the making, The Great Trail (formerly known as the Trans Canada Trail) will finally connect Canada’s three coasts on August 26 with a major bash in Ottawa (and smaller celebrations in 200 locations across Canada) to mark the occasion. The 24,000km (14,900-mile) multi-use trail spans urban greenways, rural wilderness and crystalline waterways as it snakes from Vancouver across 13 provinces and territories all the way to Newfoundland. Along the way are myriad opportunities for cycling, hiking, paddling, snowmobiling and cross-country skiing.
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Take a cultural beach vacation in Paphos, Cyprus

Paphos is the legendary birthplace of Aphrodite (the goddess of love) and an ancient Mediterranean port that’s absolutely steeped in Greek mythology. You can explore its fabled history as the capital of Cyprus for nearly a millennium at the Paphos Archaeological Park (and its eerie Tombs of the Kings necropolis), before setting off into the aquamarine waters that lap the city’s white-sand beaches. As the European Capital of Culture in 2017 (a title it shares with Aarhus, Denmark), Paphos will be abuzz with activity this August. Expect art trails, open-air film screenings, Cypriot folk music, and much more as visitors from across Europe flock to this evocative harbor town for a healthy dose of sun, sand and culture.

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