When I want to get away from it all, these are the places I dream about
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We spend days getting push notifications about trade wars and stock market plunges. If we aren't fretting about our 401(k) plans or the latest climate disaster, then there's more bad news about another Disney live-action remake (Why, Disney? Why?). Back in the 1980s, folks could escape their daily troubles by filling a bathtub with bubbles and pleading, 'Calgon, take me away.'
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These days, we need something stronger than Calgon. Sometimes, a physical getaway that involves leaving a cellular coverage area helps, and I have ideas. Even if my suggestions don't get your travel bug chirping, think about the beauty of occasionally getting away. If it's just for an afternoon, that works, too.
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West Mountain Wildlife Sanctuary, Plainfield, Mass.
Sometimes hiking trails sound like a good place to escape into nature, but then you find yourself backpack-to-backpack with others who had the same plan. An easy fix is to go west, as in Western Massachusetts, where the trails tend to be less cluttered. The West Mountain Wildlife Sanctuary in Plainfield is 1,800 acres of wilderness with an easy-to-navigate 2-mile trail.
, Prospect Street. 413-584-3009, westsanctuaries@massaudubon.org
Inside the elaborate Saint-Benoît-du-Lac Abbey in Saint-Benoît-du-Lac, Quebec.
Christopher Muther/Globe Staff
Eastern Townships, Quebec
A shed on the Westman Islands of Iceland.
Westman Islands, Iceland
If you're seeking solitude, there's plenty of places to find it in Iceland. Outside of Reykjavik and away from the tourist-laden Golden Circle, you can go hours, or longer, without encountering another soul. My preferred place to escape in Iceland is the
AMC Maine Woods International Dark Sky Park
By definition, dark sky reserves are devoid of people, otherwise light pollution would get in the way of stargazing. The AMC Maine Woods International Dark Sky Park is the first and only in New England, and on a clear night it feels as if the galaxy is at your fingertips. AMC has three lodges where you can stay to enjoy the more than 75,000 acres of largely uninhabited forest in central Maine. Just try getting a decent cell signal here.
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Cherry trees in bloom at VanDusen Botanical Garden in Vancouver.
Christopher Muther/Globe Staff
VanDusen Botanical Garden, Vancouver
You don't need to be a botanist to see why the 55-acre
5151 Oak St. 604-257-8463,
I didn't think much about the herd of horses drinking from a pond in the Magallanes region of Chile until I looked down and saw this horse's perfect reflection in the water.
Christopher Muther
Torres del Paine National Park, Chile
A view of the mountains in Torres del Paine National Park in Magallanes, Chile, as seen from the Hotel Rio Serrano.
One of the best decisions I've ever made while traveling was skipping a famous guided hike in
Cats loiter near an Adirondack chair, ready to sit with an available human at the Lanai Cat Sanctuary in Hawaii.
Christopher Muther
Lanai
,
Hawaii
Lanai is the smallest of Maui County's populated islands, with a population of just over 3,000. It has one small airport, but most visitors arrive by ferry, and because many of its attractions can only be reached by dirt roads (there are no traffic lights), it tends to keep many Hawaii tourists away. What it does have is a 40-acre cat sanctuary where more than 700 cats live in paradise. The refuge is vital for protecting the local bird population, but it's also the happiest place on earth for visitors who can spend time with the cats. It's easy to forget about the world when you have some of the sweetest creatures on the planet vying for time to sit on your lap.
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Christopher Muther can be reached at
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