If your budget doesn't allow for a big trip this year, or if you're just tired of the usual spots, how about indulging in a bit of time travel, instead? In most cases, the past will offer smaller crowds, fewer greenhouse gases, and more purchasing power--though finding a way to exchange your dollars for the local currency can be problematic. There are many interesting periods to choose from. I've always liked Britain when the weather is warm, and those long, flowing gowns from the 1300s are pretty, so I took my time travel vacation to 14th century England.
I like to start with a guidebook when I'm planning a trip, and The Time Traveller's Guide to Medieval England: A Handbook for Visitors to the Fourteenth Century, by Ian Mortimer, is an ideal source for information on this period. Starting with what the landscape will look like when you arrive, the book takes you through local customs, food and lodging, intercity travel, health and medicine, the law, and tourist attractions. Each section gives ample detail to help you understand the complex social structure of the time, while the presentation is straightforward and entertaining. Want to know whether to find lodging in an inn, a private home, or a monastery? The advantages and disadvantages of each are clearly described. Curious what you might be served for dinner (and what time of day that meal might be offered)? Whether you are visiting a lord or a villein, Mortimer provides information and advice that will have you fitting in like a local. (And you don't want to stand out as a stranger; most crimes are attributed to visitors and vagrants.)
The Time Traveller's Guide to Medieval England was published in Britain, so watch for spellings and meanings of current-day words that are different from ours. For example, "corn" refers to any cereal grain, and includes wheat, barley, and oats. The plant that we in the U.S. know as corn was not available in England in the 14th century, being native to the as-yet-unknown American continents.
Once you are familiar with your destination, you could stick with the armchair variety of travel by reading a novel set in the same period, such as The Doomsday Book by Connie Willis or one of Michael Jecks' mysteries. Or you could visit the Camlann Medieval Village to take part in one of their summer festivals. Or, if you are going to present-day England, you might tour one of the castles that remain from that era. If you do manage to wake up in the 14th century, you'll be glad you read The Time Traveller's Guide to Medieval England.