2024 Men’s Journal Travel Awards: Best Vacations, Hotels, and Luggage

We ranked the best vacations in the U.S.—including top ski resorts and golf courses—and tested the best luggage to bring you this year's travel standouts.

Consider the 2024 Men's Journal Travel Awards your one-stop shop before embarking on your next bucket-list adventure. For this year's awards, we set our sights on the United States to highlight the many hidden gems sweeping across the nation. Our well-traveled writers and editors singled out the best hotels, golf courses, and ski resorts in America, as well as tested the best new luggage, carry-ons, and indispensable travel accessories in an effort to enhance your journey, near or far.

The 2024 Men’s Journal Travel Awards are the result of months of research, first-hand product testing, and many years of collective travel experience by our team.

Below you'll find everything you need to plan a family vacation to America's greatest mountain towns, complete one of the best hikes the world over, or plan an epic bachelor party. All you need to do is figure out where to go first.

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50 Best Vacations in the U.S.

If you're stuck in the same habitual holiday rut or looking to notch your new favorite U.S. vacation spot, this ranked lineup of the 50 best vacations in U.S. is for you. It’s full of time-honored favorites and no shortage of surprising finds and hidden gems from coast to coast. Our No. 1 U.S. vacation destination pick for 2024—Ouray, CO—is a mountain adventure paradise tucked at the far end of Colorado’s Million Dollar Highway. But that’s just the beginning...

Best Luggage of 2024

Investing in a flawless new suitcase, bag, or duffel can change the whole experience of getting from point A to point B. Our list of the best luggage of 2024, headlined by Rollink Flex 360° Spinner for its impact-resistant, ultra-durable hard shell—proves there’s no end to the level of sophistication and innovation the best luggage brands provide. If it’s time to finally retire that old workhorse on noisy wheels with the moody zipper, these pieces—the best carry-on luggage, best checked luggage, best weekender bag, and more—fit the bill.

Best Carry-On Luggage of 2024

The best carry-on luggage has come quite a way since those identical rectangles with rigid wheels and rickety handles were our only choice. Here we bring you the best hardside luggage, best travel backpack, and best carry-on luggage for international travel with elevated innovation. Carl Friedrik The Carry-On X leads the pack, striking the perfect balance between stylish splurge and tough workhorse with ease. With these carry-ons in tow, you'll be hard pressed to ever check a bag again.

Best Travel Accessories of 2024

The rigors of travel are hard to shake, but the best travel accessories of 2024 boost comfort and convenience. In this select lineup, you’ll find the best melatonin, best neck pillow for travel, best eye mask, and the best travel accessory overall: Google Pixel Buds Pro noise-canceling earbuds. If you’ve forgotten just how clutch it is to have the right travel essentials on a brutally long flight, let us steward you.

Best Hotels in the U.S.

More than any single travel factor, accommodations define the trip—so it pays to choose wisely. The best hotels of 2024 cast a wide net, leading off with our top overall pick, Stein Eriksen Lodge, a spectacular, four-season hideaway in Utah's Deer Valley that offers impeccable slope-side service. The lineup also includes our favorite urban adventure hotel, remote ranch hideaway, luxury coastal resort, and more. 

Best Golf Courses in the U.S.

Some might say searching high and low for the 50 best golf courses in America (one for every state) is a tad overambitious. Check out these incredible fairways from coast to coast, and we’re sure you’ll side with us on that matter. Starting with our No. 1 golf getaway in America, California’s Pebble Beach, to 49 others for your consideration from Florida to Alaska, here are the most spectacular golf courses across the country to haul your clubs.

Best Ski Resorts in the U.S.

With nearly 500 ski areas across the U.S. at last schuss, we had our work cut out for us selecting the best ski resorts in the U.S. tailored to every type of skier—and there isn’t a job more fun than that. We deigned Telluride Ski Resort—one of the best ski resorts in Colorado—as the ultimate bucket-lister. Check out our superlative list of resorts for fresh powder, beginner-friendly slopes, and an epic après-ski scene.

How We Chose the Best Vacations and Travel Gear of 2024

Product choices were selected from hundreds of customer reviews, fellow traveler polls, and consultations with brand reps and industry experts before being put to our own tests and reviews. Our best luggage lists span an assortment of sizes and uses, while our top travel accessories cover a broad range of categories, including health, fitness, tech, and leisure.

A multitude of factors were considered for all destination selections, including geographic range, design and architecture, reputation, cost and value, overall atmosphere, and an authentic sense of place that sets each unique spot apart.

Our lead-off feature, the 50 Best Vacations in the U.S. to Explore America’s Adventure Capitals, emphasizes year-round outdoor adventure offerings, culinary distinctions, unique accommodations, and cultural attractions, among many other determinants. Overall, decisions were helmed by the wealth of experience that Men's Journal's adventure-obsessed team of editors and writers brings to its annual Travel Awards, alongside guidance from trusted travel industry experts and local outfitters.

If there’s one overriding question guiding our best U.S. vacation choices across the board, it’s this: Would we feel good sending a friend to this place? The answer had to be an emphatic, “Yes!”, to make the cut.

Why You Should Trust Us

Every year, the travel industry is saturated with a fresh stock of new products to buy and places to see. While sifting through this glut can be overwhelming, it happens to be our favorite playground. Travel and adventure have been at the core of Men’s Journal since our inception over 30 years ago. In 2024, there’s nothing our writers and editors enjoy more than culling the best travel products and vacation destinations.

Collectively, we’ve traipsed across all 50 states (a few times), and well beyond. As industry insiders, we’re tapped into the newest travel product releases every year, road testing them ourselves for dependable, first-hand reviews. For the following roundups, we consulted with travel industry pros, top outfitters, and local experts to help us select the best of the best. As a result, the Men’s Journal Travel Awards offer authoritative, trustworthy, and savvy travel intel that will steer you to the the top travel products and best vacation destinations out there.