Not to sound too over-the-top, but as we started to write up the introduction to this Trip Pick, our heart sank a little and a tear came to our eye. No, it's not that Bangkok is a sad place - on the contrary! Rather, we suddenly had an overwhelming feeling of deep longing for the place. 

Two years ago in September, we found ourselves in the metropolis - and in Southeast Asia - for the very first time. And for the very first time in our New York-centric lives, we were in a city that actually felt bigger than Gotham. 

We were intimidated! Nay - damn near overwhelmed. Suddenly we understood what every small-town American must feel on their first trip to NYC. Crossing Bangkok's busy six-laned streets with their plentiful traffic and lack of crosswalks made us shudder. And the sprawling skyscrapers never seemed to end. The heat, too, felt oppressive after leaving the East Coast's crisp autumn weather. And within moments of leaving our seedy $35/night hotel after check-in (we were starting a long trip, and trying to stay quite on budget), we swear we saw someone defecating on a busy sidestreet. What the hell were we doing in Bangkok....

Group Director Event Engagement, Drillteam Marketing

Dream getaway: It changes by the day but I'm currently fantasizing about a cross-country road trip with my best friends and desperately trying to make that a reality. I feel like I'm somewhat well-traveled, yet I've still never seen the Grand Canyon, Mt. Rushmore, or driven Rte 66. It might be cliche, but nothing sounds better to me right now than driving across America with my friends, singing bad pop songs at the top of our lungs. In my wildest dreams I imagine this trip to be a cross between Aerosmith's Crazy video and Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (Part One - Part II sucked!).

Favorite short jaunt: Woodstock is definitely a favorite. Go up for Levon Helm's Midnight Ramble, spend some time walking around the town, then check out Big Pink where The Band + Dylan recorded The Basement Tapes on your way home. 

Travel pet peeve: I sat in a row with this dude on a flight last week who ate an entire box of Ritz Crackers, then proceeded to tear the box up into tiny little pieces and place them all on the seat in between us. So I guess “freaks on a plane” is my travel pet peeve.

Favorite airline: I’ll go with the obvious – Virgin America and Jetblue because I will unabashedly admit that I love TV! I have vowed to only travel airlines with TV from now on!  

Packing style: I always pack a few of the most inappropriate things ever, because you "never know." Like 4-inch stilettos on my last trip to Oxford, MS to visit the future in-laws on their farm, where I didn't get out of jeans or mud boots once...

We use tons of online tools to find the most competitive travel deals on the Internet. Then we hand pick the very best specials for our favorite people: New Yorkers. 

Below we bring you an overview of all the specials we found. Our jauntsetter favorite is the Parisian Apartment Swap from Craigslist. Read on for why we think it sounds très charmant, or click through for details on how to book each and every deal.

Please note: all our flights are roundtrip, nonstop and all-fees-included, and all hotels are extremely well-reviewed by multiple sources, including the unforgiving masses on Tripadvisor.

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