Jan Schroder

My needs are quite specific when it comes to a suitcase. It must be expandable, have a front zippered section large enough for my laptop, be lightweight and in any color other than black. Oh, and it has to have four wheels.

We have a really nice Tumi bag we bought years ago at Costco, but it only has two wheels. Once I had a bag with four, I couldn’t go back.

I found everything I needed in this suitcase, which weighs 5.5 pounds and cost less than $60. It comes in black, blue, grey, olive, purple and red.

– Jan Schroder, The Travel 100

While you may think of camping sites, lodges and cabins for park accommodations, some offer lodging a bit more out-of-the box. We recently stayed in a 1970s barrel cabin in Unicoi State Park in North Georgia, so named because it’s shaped like a giant barrel.

Other unique accommodations include teepees, yurts, tiny homes, treehouses and Airstreams.

The more adventurous park-goers can check out cliff camping with Kent Mountain Adventure Center in Estes Park, Colorado at the base of Rocky Mountain National Park. There you’ll spend the night on a nylon cot suspended 100 feet in the air.

For more on Unicoi State Park and our other favorite state parks, visit Barrels of Fun.

– Jan Schroder, The Travel 100