Best “mancations”

First “chick trips” became travel industry news. Now it’s “mancations.”

Mancations are nothing really new. We used to call them fishing trips. But these days, you don’t have to sit on a lake all day for a good mancation. Manliness is many-faceted and the world is full of ways you and your buddies can meet up, catch up, hang out and be guys together. It hardly matters what you do. It’s about the bonding, buddy.

Some mancation ideas that don’t necessarily involve sleeping in the woods:

Create a sporting ritual: Some guys travel to get together for the opening game of every baseball season. Some wouldn’t miss their college alma mater homecoming game. Rituals like these can start at any time. Pick a game, any game, and make it yours.

Arizona’s Cactus League has a comprehensive web site for planning a trip to cheer your guys during spring training trip. Companies such as PrimeSport sell packages to sports events of all kinds, including the Super Bowl and other big deal games.

Play like a kid: Golf and skiing are classic mancations, but how about mountain biking or whitewater rafting? An adventure outfitter can tailor an adventure for everyone’s comfort and you can sleep in a bed that night.

Santa Fe Mountain Adventures has a menu of hiking, biking, rafting and more and can customize your gang’s adventures for a few hours, a day or longer.

Tell friends back home that you’re going mountain biking and rock climbing and then check into Red Mountain Spa, where you can do both and more with experienced local guides. Finish your days with a soak and massage.

Be urban manly: There’s nothing sissy about a city.

Maybe Chicago, the Windy City of the Big Shoulders, for beer, brats Cubs and Sox and Bears. And the Web site 10Best directs you to the city’s best sports bars.

Or Memphis, for blues, BBQ and The King, of course. The official Elvis site has Memphis music packages that include Graceland, Sun Studio, Stax museum and more.

Or Cleveland for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and chili.

And we don’t have to explain Las Vegas, just behave yourself.

Invent a quest: A goal can give direction to your travels. Choose a local specialty and seek out the best, or create a theme for the trip. Debate, argue, create a rating system, do that competitive thing men do so well.

Texas Monthly assesses the 50 best barbecue joints in Texas, so if that’s your plan, start here.

Route 66 is a road trip icon. Explore America’s mother road with the help of the Route 66 Dining & Lodging Guide – 12th Edition.

The best bar in New York City? Depends on what you’re looking for, but New York magazine has recommendations to get you started. Pace yourselves.

Sponsored list:

• Hotel offers under $99 (feed)