Anderson said one of the most underrated trips they've ever taken was to South Dakota in the summer of 2022, where they spent the Fourth of July camping at Custer State Park.

"We were able to get a last-minute camping spot, and it wasn't crowded," she said. "You could spend a week there because it's so beautiful, and there's so much hiking."

It was a sunny 75 degrees Fahrenheit — perfect for hiking, Anderson said. During her hikes, Anderson appreciated the park's unique geographic features.

"Custer Park is known for having these rock spires. I've never seen anything like it," she said. "You get a really good reflection of the rock formations on Sylvan Lake."

The park is also full of grasslands and wildlife, from donkeys to bison, she added.

"You can drive from Custer to Badlands National Park, and you can also stop by Mount Rushmore," Anderson said. "So you can easily make a whole road trip there."

In July 2023, Anderson explored hidden gems in eastern Idaho.

"Grand Teton National Park is really popular, but on the other side of the Tetons, the Idaho Teton Valley isn't very popular," Anderson said. "They have amazing wildflower hikes, mountains, and waterfalls."

Anderson said she also explored sand dunes nearby.

"No one was there when we went except for a few people on ATVs," she said. "But for sunset, we had the sand dunes completely to ourselves."

"Sedona, Arizona, is obviously a really popular destination, but a lot of people don't visit during the summer because it's really hot," Anderson said. But when she went in late August 2024, temperatures had cooled down a bit, and there were still no crowds.

"It would be a good destination for people who don't mind getting up early to hike and or like hiking at sunset," she said. "We hiked at sunrise and sunset to beat the heat, and we had a lot of the trails to ourselves."

Anderson recommends staying at Ambiente Sedona, an adults-only hotel, and spending the hottest hours of the day at the pool.

"In South Carolina, everybody goes to Charleston, but we went to this place called Carolina Heritage Outfitters in the Edisto River area of South Carolina," Anderson said.

Carolina Heritage Outfitters is a tour company that offers treehouse camping by canoe. Anderson told BI that her tour guide said it's a popular activity among locals.

"You canoe downstream a very easy 10 miles to a treehouse, stay overnight, and then canoe 10 miles back to the tour company," Anderson said. "That was one of the coolest things that we've done. We travel all the time, and we've never done anything like that."

Anderson said she's been to Wyoming many times.

"I think, in general, it's underrated as a state to visit for tourism. It is obviously popular because of Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Park," she said. "But you don't really hear about people going other than that."

South of the Tetons in Wyoming, the Wind River Range offers a similar experience and is far less crowded, Anderson said. For maximum privacy, Anderson recommends pitching a tent at the free campsites in the Green River Lakes area, as she did in July 2024.

"You do have to prepare because it is remote, there's no service, and we took a 20-mile dirt road to get there," she said. "But there's nobody else around. You can go swimming, and the landscapes are so beautiful."

Medicine Bow National Forest is another underrated destination in southern Wyoming.

"We went there in the summer of 2023, and they have amazing lakes and mountain peaks that made me surprised that it's not more popular," Anderson said.

"Mammoth Lakes in California is really popular during the winter because it has great skiing," Anderson said. "Fewer people go during the summer, but it's one of the best hiking destinations we've been to."

Anderson went in 2022 and hiked through mountains, swam and kayaked in the lakes, and marveled at waterfalls.

"It's like a quintessential summer experience," she said.

Shooting Star's history dates back to the 1930s when the Resor family created Snake River Ranch, now known as the largest working cattle ranch in Jackson Hole.

Shooting Star owner and operator John Resor transformed a section of the ranch into an exclusive golf course, club, and residential community. It was a $130 million project.

Roughly 22 miles from Jackson, Shooting Star is sandwiched between Snake River Ranch and Jackson Hole Resort.

When I toured the property, I thought the clubhouse looked like a luxury ranch. The expansive building overlooked the golf course and a 25-meter lap pool.

I spotted nods to the American West when I stepped inside the clubhouse. An animal skull and realistic paintings of cattle at Snake River Ranch decorated the foyer walls.

I also noticed a range of natural textures, from the wood floors and ceiling moldings to the leather seats in front of the large stone fireplace.

I'm no golfer, but it was instantly clear why Golf Digest ranked this a top 100 course in the US.

The 250-acre course looked dynamic, with aspen and evergreen trees dotting hills parted by 50 acres of water hazards, including ponds and streams. It was designed by Tom Fazio, who also designed Donald Trump's golf clubs in Westchester, New York, and Pine Hill, New Jersey.

Fazio also designed multiple courses at the exclusive Vintage Club in Indian Wells, California, where Bill Gates purchased a home for $12.5 million in 1999.

The golf course blended in so seamlessly with its surroundings that I thought it was a naturally occurring landscape, but the land was actually reformed with a design goal of making each hole unique.

According to a Shooting Star brochure, the process included moving 2 million cubic yards of dirt, planting more than 2,500 trees, and carving out 50 acres of lakes.

For a handful of PGA pros, including the golf club's director Ben Polland, Shooting Star is more than a home course — it's a day job.

According to Jackson Hole Sotheby's International Realty, most homes didn't hit the market. However, the available listings include two-acre plots of land for $15.5 million and three-bedroom, four-bathroom cabins for $11.75 million.

In the winter, Shooting Star becomes a skier's haven, and the Alpine Barn is the hub.

Inside, there were nearly 200 lockers. During ski season, the barn shows movies and serves complimentary food. A shuttle takes skiers to the nearby Jackson Hole Mountain Resort to hit the slopes, but there's also a track around the course's perimeter for a short run.

The 2,400-square-foot facility had smart cardio equipment with large screens overlooking the swimming pool and barn. A handful of workout studios offered classes like yoga and pilates.

Outside, there were also tennis and pickleball courts.

I entered one of the six treatment rooms and thought it felt serene.

Limestone and wood moldings texturized the walls. There was a fireplace, cozy seating, and two treatment beds.

Natural light poured in from the window at the back of the room. There was a gigantic stainless steel tub in front of it.

Bathing in there with a view of the course and the surrounding Tetons would be a dream.

I spotted glass jars containing toothbrushes, razors, hair ties, eye drops, and over-the-counter pain and allergy medication.

The dining room had a wood-burning fire pit inside. Out on the patio, members could dine right next to the golf course.

The property feels vast, so seeing it all planned out on one table helped me better understand the course and development.

I left with a sense of what it might be like to be a member of such an exclusive club in an epic location.

Thomas said she had the time of her life visiting Pakistan in June 2024.

"You would not believe the places I had all to myself," she said, recalling trekking glaciers and camping in solitude beneath mountains over 22,000 feet tall.

The country has many beautiful landscapes, and Thomas especially recommends hiking from Fairy Meadows to the base camp of Nanga Parbat, the ninth-tallest mountain on Earth.

She also suggests travelers head to Rakaposhi Base Camp and stay at Hapakun Campsite for glacier views. They can also drive the Karakoram Highway, one of the world's highest paved roads that's surrounded by mountain views.

If you're a thrill seeker, visit Skardu, where you can drive motorbikes, paraglide, ride horses, or go on desert safaris.

She also recommends spending a night in the mountain village of Karimabad, which offers boutique accommodations and local markets with handmade goods.

History buffs should also visit Lahore's iconic UNESCO sites, such as the Lahore Fort citadel and Badshahi Mosque.

Montenegro is Thomas's all-time favorite country. She's been to the small European country multiple times, most recently in June 2024.

"It has everything for an amazing summer vacation," she said, including "picturesque old towns and cobbled streets with alfresco dining, beautiful beaches, mountain backdrops, and underrated national parks."

Thomas said Montenegro's beaches, mountains, and architecture are similar to what you'd find in Italy, but without as many crowds. After all, the Balkan country typically receives millions fewer visitors a year.

While there, she recommends visiting the coastal town of Kotor to take a boat trip around the bay or a cable car to the alpine coaster that goes down a cliff overlooking the bay.

Travelers can also enjoy the historic architecture in the nearby town of Perast, a UNESCO World Heritage site.

While in Montenegro, Thomas also suggests visiting Sveti Stefan for a beach day and Skadar Lake for kayaking.

Just south of Montenegro, Albania is an underrated spot for relaxing beach vacations and adventurous trips.

"Not only does it have a gorgeous coastline, but the mountains are incredible," she said.

Thomas visited the country in June 2023 and hiked to waterfalls, mountain passes, and alpine rivers. She said she didn't see many other tourists during her trip.

She recommends hiking in the Alps of Albania National Park and stopping at the Albanian Riviera, a coastline with turquoise water and white-sand beaches similar to what you'd find in more crowded spots in Europe.

The country's also home to Ksamil, which some have nicknamed the "Maldives of Europe," but Thomas recommends heading a little more north to Himarë instead. Both places have beautiful beaches, but the latter is usually far less crowded.

One of Boyd's top tips for flying with kids is to start them young.

"You just have to jump out there and get your baby used to doing these flights," Boyd said. He added that flying with an infant is challenging because they can't express their needs — not to mention frequent diaper changes.

"With a toddler, it's a little easier because she's able to go to the bathroom, notice the TV, and play with toys," Boyd said.

Since she flew so much as a baby, Boyd said that as a toddler, Kynsley doesn't seem anxious when the plane takes off. Instead, she finds it fun to go faster and faster until they're soaring through the sky.

Granger said that while she and Boyd may get nervous during storms and turbulence in the air, Kynsley seems unbothered.

"She's really the cool, calm, collected person," Boyd added. "Her being calm actually helps me because I think, 'I can't be scared if my baby's not scared.'"

Granger and Boyd advise traveling with a group who can help with parenting duties.

"I always recommend traveling with family or a friend who's willing to watch the baby and let the adult be an adult," Granger said. "We had a bunch of family and friends with us on the same flight to South Africa."

Granger added that having so many loved ones around on their 15-and-a-half-hour flight to South Africa seemed to make 3-year-old Kynsley feel more comfortable on the plane, too.

"One of the big lessons we learned as a group is how to condense and pack appropriately for the trip," Boyd said, adding that they'd made the mistake of packing the wrong stroller and unnecessary car seats.

Granger advised that before checking your car seat, find out if there will be one at your destination, especially if you're renting a car. When deciding on strollers to pack, do your research to ensure they'll suit the destination.

For example, she said bringing a bulky industrial stroller on their trip to Greece was a bad idea because they had to take about 10 ferries.

"Look at the landscape. Is there cobblestone everywhere? Then you can't bring your cheap umbrella stroller because your wheels will break like ours have," Granger added.

When the family took a red-eye flight to Greece in 2023, Boyd remembers everyone around him sleeping — except for 2-year-old Kynsley.

"She stayed up the entire night until it was time to land, and I had my opportunity to get one hour of sleep," Boyd said. "She was super excited, so she wanted to play the entire time."

Granger said this often happens when she doesn't adjust Kynsley's sleep schedule the night before a flight.

"Let's say she went to bed at 7 p.m. and our flight is at 5 a.m. — she had her 8-hour rest already, so she's wide awake and ready for the day," Granger told BI. "But if she went to bed a bit later, waking her up around 5 a.m. would throw off her sleep, so she might go right back to sleep and give me a peaceful flight."

"I used to pump a lot and then bring a lot of milk through TSA, which parents should know you are allowed to do," Granger said. "It's just a rigorous process where they scan every bottle."

When traveling with milk through TSA, Granger recommends arriving at least two hours before departure for domestic flights and three hours before international flights.

If you're traveling with a toddler and no milk, she suggests arriving one and a half to two hours before domestic flights and two and a half to three hours before international flights.

"If your child is mobile or prone to meltdowns, give yourself extra buffer time for security and bathroom stops," she added.

When I asked Granger and Boyd if they'd ever missed a flight with Kynsley, they chuckled.

From long TSA stops to ill-timed diaper changes, they said they've missed multiple flights — some by two minutes and others by a full hour.

"At this point, we just laugh it off and get something to eat," Granger said. "We travel a lot, so we know there will be mishaps. We just figure it out day by day."

Maintaining a light mood after a missed flight has led to some special memories for the family of three.

"I'll never forget when we missed a flight to New York before we went to Greece," Boyd said.

As they waited for the next flight, 2-year-old Kynsley was bored, so Boyd gave her his GoPro for the first time.

"I wanted to see what she would do, and she started taking pictures and filming our experience in the airport," Boyd said. "And now she really loves cameras because of that moment. So it was actually a really good day."

In Granger's experience, other passengers are typically courteous and understanding of a sightly bothersome young child — but there's a limit.

"It is a tough time traveling with your kid, but you have to be a good neighbor still — you can't let your kid stick their arm through the middle of the seat, throw stuff, kick the seat," Boyd said. "You have to be a responsible parent and make other people comfortable as well."

Granger and Boyd's strategy is to find something else she'd be interested in doing, like walking the aisles or getting a snack box as a reward for stopping.

Boyd said that when Kynsley cries or throws a fit on an airplane, he goes through the list of things she may want or need, from food and cuddles to walking the aisles and playing with toys.

"If your child is throwing a tantrum, just be calm because no matter what, it just is what it is," Granger said. "So just relax, engage with them, and see what they need or want or how you can play with them so that maybe you could stop the tantrum."

As a toddler, Granger and Boyd give Kynsley more freedom on flights, from what she wears to how she passes the time.

Throughout long-haul flights, they ask Kynsley what she wants to do — whether it be watching a movie, playing with toys, having a snack, walking the aisles, or even using the iPad, a device they don't allow at home.

"It's really about making her comfortable, especially because, at the end of the day, she didn't ask to travel," Granger said. "She's still a toddler, but she's autonomous, and we want her to feel excited about flying rather than 'Do what I say' for 10 to 15 hours."

Granger said she also allows Kynsley to pack her own bag "full of nonsense" for flights now that she's a toddler.

"Kynsley brought her Halloween costume to South Africa in November," she said. "She actually wore it and felt like the trip was fulfilling to her — even just the journey."