Travel new and now: BYO crockpot to ski; cocktail conference; 365 day tour to 34 countries

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Skiing in Michigan: Byo crockpot

Lots of skiers pack sandwiches and snacks to fuel a day on the slopes. But at one Michigan ski resort, skiers can now bring their own crockpots and let their meal cook indoors while they enjoy the day outdoors.

Pete Meyer, spokesman for Caberfae Peaks, says the lodge’s entire lower level is dedicated to “those packing their own lunches and for those bringing crockpots.”

Caberfae is located about 45 minutes from Traverse City.

Other winter destinations and activities in Michigan include Mount Bohemia, which has among the longest runs, highest vertical and deepest snow in the Midwest, averaging 273 inches a year; ice-climbing at frozen waterfalls; winter surfing for those brave enough to face the Great Lakes in winter, with swells up to 27 feet on Lake Superior or Lake Michigan; and snowmobiling on 6,500 miles of trails and across 11,000 frozen inland lakes.

Cocktail conference in San Antonio

Aficionados of cocktail culture may want to head to San Antonio, Texas, in January for an entire conference devoted to cocktails.

The fifth annual San Antonio Cocktail Conference, a four-day festival that benefits five children’s charities, is attended by consumers as well as industry professionals.

It’s set for Jan. 14-17, bringing mixologists, chefs and consumers together for tastings, seminars, concerts, parties and other events around the city. Sample events include sessions on “The Business of the Bar,” “Herbal Remedies” and “Flavours of Mexico.”

The conference was founded by Mark Bohanan, chef and owner of Bohanan’s Prime Steaks and Seafood restaurant in San Antonio, and the late Sasha Petraske, a New Yorker who helped revive cocktail culture. This year’s conference will be dedicated to Petraske, who died at age 42 last August.

Details at http://www.sanantoniococktailconference.com.

A 365-day tour to 34 countries for $75,000

For $75,000, you can spend an entire year travelling and visit 34 countries on five different continents.

Intrepid Travel is offering the trip starting in Bangkok on Feb. 3, ending one year later in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

The itinerary also includes Antarctica, Belize, Bolivia, Botswana, Cambodia, Canada, Chile, China, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Jordan, Kenya, Malawi, Mexico, Morocco, Namibia, Nepal, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, South Africa, Tanzania, Vietnam, the United States, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

The price covers 204 breakfasts, 139 lunches and 140 dinners. Modes of transportation will include Jeep, camel, rickshaw, bus, train, plane, ship and taxi. Accommodations will range from camps in the bush and desert to hostels, hotels, cruise ships, bungalows and overnight sleeper trains.

Destinations and excursions include the pyramids of Egypt, the Great Wall of China, and an African safari.

Details at http://www.intrepidtravel.com/365-day-adventure . Travelers who can’t spend the year travelling may also book individual portions of the trip.