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Ready to get an early start on your summer travel? Some of the world's tastiest food festivals are happening over the next few weeks in some of the world's most beautiful spots. Pack a bag, and an appetite. EXPO MILANO Milan, Italy, is hosting this world's fair event from May through October. The theme is Feeding the Planet. You can sample food from 20 regions of Italy, not to mention more than 100 nations. Top chefs are doing demonstrations, top architects have designed stunning pavilions, and there are cultural events all day and night, including a brand-new show by Cirque du Soleil. And don't miss the expo's mascot, Foody, designed by Disney. STAY: Milan Hilton, from around $120. (The exchange rate with the euro gets you a bargain.) NATIONAL CHERRY FESTIVAL Traverse City, in northern Michigan, is a beautiful place to visit any time of year, but when the cherry harvest is in, it's heaven on the lakeshore beaches. From July 3 through 11, a half-million people will visit the festival. Of course there's a parade and a pancake breakfast with cherry syrup, preserves, and pie. But there's also an amazing air show, "Blues, Brews, and BBQ" and on the Fourth of July... the Cherry Pit Spit Contest. STAY: Great Wolf Lodge, from $180. GILROY GARLIC FESTIVAL Four words: Free. Garlic. Ice. Cream. A day trip from San Francisco, the "World's Greatest Summer Food Festival" celebrates Gilroy's aromatic crop July 24 through 26. The Bay Area has some serious foodies, and they flock to Gilroy each summer to sample the garlicky concoctions on the festival's Gourmet Alley (with its "flame ups" by its famous "pyro chefs") and a bunch of cook-offs and demonstrations. STAY: Hotel Del Sol, San Francisco, from $120.

Hop in the passenger's seat on the ultimate road trip! We're posting real-time dispatches as Budget Travel's Photo Editor, Whitney Tressel, journeys across the country using tips from locals as her guide. Prepare for beautiful beaches and parks, amazing local cuisine, and one-of-a-kind experiences you only get when you talk to the real Americans who make this country great. Is it over already? After two weeks chock-full of unique towns, local eats, and activities from two-stepping to peacock-spotting, Whitney's cross-country road trip came to a close. But not before she pumped the brakes in order to settle into Georgia's slow southern pace, eventually winging her way up to South Carolina, to see the sun set quite literally on her trip. Dusk in Savannah. As the sun melted like hot butter over the horizon, over the rooftop of Whitney's hotel, she plotted her morning journey to Clary's Cafe for breakfast, on the recommendation of a local she met back in Tallahassee. Once there, a plate of perfect eggs florentine, two bright-yellow paprika-sprinkled hills, cozied up with a generous bowl of grits, materialized in front of Whitney. A side of homemade corned beef hash? Why not? Whitney hopscotched among Savannah's 22 lush, grassy squares to iconic Forsyth Park, draped in the Spanish moss that's inseparable from the idea of Savannah as a city. Trivia: The historic park was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, the same landscape architect who designed New York City's Central Park. After capturing the trees and fountains on camera and doing some serious people-watching and music-listening—musicians constantly play in the park—Whitney took her time meandering along the river, stopping at Savannah's Candy Kitchen for a candy-dipped apple crisscrossed with ribbons of white and dark chocolate to bite into as she took in the water views. Pre-dinner candy aside, this is the south: There's always more room for home cookin'. The Olde Pink House restaurant has a much-deserved reputation for its classic dishes, including "southern sushi," smoked shrimp and grits rolled in coconut-crusted nori, and a side of "hoppin' john," black-eyed peas and rice that Whitney spooned up like it was her last meal on the road. But not so fast: One last southern state loomed on the horizon as Whitney zoomed up I-17. Folly Beach, South Carolina, grabbed her attention immediately with its classic Atlantic Coast vibe: locals fishing, eating ice cream, playing volleyball, dipping their toes in the surf, and lolling about on the sand. Come dinnertime, Whitney bellied up to the Folly Beach Crab Shack and ordered up a dish of crab balls with with rémoulade for less than 10 bucks, then set out for the best place to watch the sunset, according to a couple fishing on the pier.As Whitney watched the horizon shift from orange to pink to navy from a boat marina between Folly Beach and Charleston, she let her mind drift back to the start of her trip, her thoughts running backward across the country, up and down the south's peaks and valleys, past its ocean vistas, along the open road, accompanied only by her camera, now full of freeze-framed vistas, natural beauty, and the faces of new friends. Whitney's Final Travel Tip: Don't hesitate to travel alone. The act of traveling with others is irrefutably awesome, but embarking on a solo journey births new and different experiences that, quite honestly, couldn't happen if you weren't by yourself, surrounded by everything unfamiliar. Previously:#BTRoadTrip: Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to Tallahassee, Florida#BTRoadTrip: Del Rio, Texas, to Baton Rouge, Louisiana#BTRoadTrip: Tucson to Del Rio, Texas#BTRoadTrip: San Diego to Tucson#BTRoadTrip: Los Angeles to San Diego

This article was written by Nicole Rupersburg and originally appeared on Fox News Travel. There’s nothing more American than a ride on a roller coaster, and the U.S. has some of the best in the world. American engineers are constantly designing more interactive and hair-raising experiences: The Kingda Ka at Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey offers the world’s highest and biggest drop, and Full Throttle at Six Flags Magic Mountain in California has the world’s biggest loop. But it's no secret that Americans have a need for speed, and that's as evident in our roller coasters as it is anywhere else. Strap yourself in and secure all loose items: These are the 10 fastest roller coasters in the U.S.  10. Xcelerator, 82 mph Knott's Berry Farm, Buena Park, Calif. With a 1950s Grease and greaser theme, Xcelerator looks way more innocent than it is. Using a hydraulic launch to rocket you from zero to 82 mph in 2.3 seconds, this rockin' coaster shoots you straight into the air and back down again at a 90-degree angle for one minute and two whole seconds of pure adrenaline. 9. Goliath, 85 mph Six Flags Magic Mountain, Valencia, Calif. This hypercoaster features a 255-foot drop into an underground tunnel, which you will take at 85 mph, followed by another drop of 185 feet. During this 3-minute ride through ancient ruins, you'll experience weightlessness as well as a g-force of 4.5 g. The ride is closed while awaiting a new lift chain, but you can keep yourself occupied until it reopens with the new Twisted Colossus wood-steel hybrid coaster opening this spring. 8. Phantom's Revenge, 85 mph Kennywood, West Mifflin, Pa. This modest amusement park in Pittsburgh's burbs has a wicked surprise in store for you: Phantom's Revenge, a 1-minute and 45-second ride that features a 232-foot drop and a top speed of 85 mph. It might be "America's Favorite Traditional Amusement Park" since 1898, but Kennywood is definitely keeping up with the times. 7. Titan, 85 mph Six Flags Over Texas, Arlington, TexasNot just a hypercoaster, but a hyper twisted coaster, Titan drops you 255 feet, then twists you through not one but two mind-warping 540-degree spirals, then continues through banked turns at 85 mph on the 5,312-foot track, for a grand total of 3 minutes and 20 seconds. 6. Intimidator 305, 90 mph Kings Dominion, Doswell, Va.We have now crossed the 90 mph threshold with Intimidator 305. This one-ups the ante not by a little, but by a lot: Not only does it reach a top speed of 90 mph, but it also has a 300-foot drop at an 85-degree angle. 5. Millennium Force, 93 mph Cedar Point, Sandusky, OhioThis coaster is so huge, it created a whole new coaster category: the giga-coaster. This 300-foot, 93 mph monster gets you up its first hill quickly with an elevator cable lift system, then drops you down at an 80-degree angle. And that's just the beginning of this 2-minute thrill ride. 4. Fury 325, 95 mph Carowinds, Charlotte, N.C.The brand-new Fury 325 is the world's tallest and fastest giga-coaster. Taller than the Statue of Liberty, this "hornet's nest of rebellion" is 325 feet tall, goes 95 miles per hour and has a staggering length of 6,602 feet. That adds up to a ride time of 3 minutes and 25 seconds. 3. Superman: Escape from Krypton, 100 mph Six Flags Magic Mountain, Valencia, Calif.Maybe not quite faster than a speeding bullet but still pretty damn fast, Superman: Escape from Krypton shoots you from 0 to 100 mph in seven seconds flat, straight up 415 feet in the air at a perfect 90-degree angle—backwards. After experiencing weightlessness for 6.5 seconds, you plummet down at 92 mph. You don't have to be the Man of Steel, but you'll certainly want a stomach of steel for this one. 2. Top Thrill Dragster, 120 mph Cedar Point, Sandusky, OhioGet ready to have your face peeled off and don't forget to re-collect your innards on your way out. Top Thrill Dragster, one of only two strata coasters in the world, features a hydraulic launch that shoots you through the time-space continuum from a dead stop to 120 mph in four seconds, straight up into the sky 420 feet and twisting straight back down again. It will be the worst/best 17 seconds of your life. 1. Kingda Ka, 128 mph Six Flags Great Adventure, Jackson, N.J.Better bring a change of underwear for this one. Kingda Ka, the other stratacoaster, is the tallest, fastest, most insane roller coaster in North America, as well as the world's tallest and second-fastest. (The 149 mph Formula Rossa in the United Arab Emirates is the world’s champ.) The King, also using a hydraulic launch, shoots riders out at 128 mph in 3.5 seconds to a height of 456 feet at a 90-degree angle, and back down in a 270-degree spiral, followed by a 129-foot camel hump hill, presumably to allow your brain time to register what just happened before you return to the platform. Honorable mention: Goliath, 72 mph Six Flags Great American, Gurnee, Ill.At a top speed of 72 mph, Goliath at Six Flags Great American is no match for the top 10, but it does have the distinction of being the world's tallest, fastest and steepest wooden roller coaster. And that definitely deserves mention. More from Fox News Travel: Children now dictate where they want to go travel All-you-can-fly Surf Air: Is private jet travel finally worth it? Harmful bacteria may be lurking in your single-serve coffee machine Marijuana-infused coffee pods hit store shelves