If you’re sick of La Jolla sand and sun and looking for a change in scenery, consider Denali National Park in Alaska. Stay at a hostel just outside the park, where fellow explorers are aplenty. Believe me: You’ll appreciate the company while heading off into a wilderness filled with real-life grizzly bears and wolves by the motherload, helping ensure your trip doesn’t end like Christopher McCandless’ journey “Into the Wild.”

Think of a magical place. One where you step outside and a mango smoothie is pushed into your hand. Where a whiskey and coke comes $2 by the bucket, and counterfeit designer clothing paves the streets. You, my friend, are entering a tropical slice of college-student paradise called Thailand.