WATCH: Wild Animals in Africa See Themselves in the Mirror and Freak Out!

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.

If you're a fan of viral internet memes, you are going to love Delta Air Lines' new safety video, dubbed "the Internetest safety video on the Internet." What makes it so internety? The video, which began airing on Delta aircraft yesterday, features cameos from beloved Internet stars including Double Rainbow guy, Keyboard Cat, a Screaming Goat, and many more. Spot 'em all below! Fun travel fact: Delta also gives props to one of its own viral stars in the video—popular redheaded flight attendant Deltalina (pictured above), who gained a cult following after her appearances in Delta's safety videos beginning in 2008.

We've got family travel on the brain, the theme for our May/June digital edition of Budget Travel magazine (now available on BudgetTravel.com, in the Apple App Store, on Google Play, and for Nook and Kindle). To get into the spirit of things, we asked several of our staff members to share when they were first bitten by the "travel bug." Here's what they said: "The moment I stepped off the ferry in Martha's Vineyard as a boy. A whole new world just a road trip away from the Bronx." —Robert Firpo-Cappiello, Executive Editor "When I was 15, I saved up all my babysitting money so I could fly to visit my uncle on the East Coast and see New York City for the first time." —Jamie Beckman, Senior Editor "My first flight at age four. I've been told I cried because we had to land!" —Kaeli Conforti, Digital Editor "I've been traveling since before I can remember! I was only one when I took my first plane ride to San Diego." —Jennifer O'Brien, Marketing Manager "My first family vacation, when my parents let us kids smuggle 11 live hermit crabs into my mom's purse coming home from the Bahamas." —Whitney Tressel, Photo Editor "I think I came into the world this way. I've always been a wanderer." —Elaine Alimonti, President, Publisher "In my early 20s, when my sister became a flight attendant and I used her buddy passes for quick last-minute trips."—Cathy Allendorf, Director of Digital Media "My parents definitely instilled a wanderlust. We drove all over the United States, and the minute I was making enough money, I got a passport and spent a month in Europe." —Jeannea Spence, Southeast Advertising Manager "I went to the Florida Keys for my senior high school spring break. I loved the sense of freedom in a tropical climate." —Chad Harter, Lead Developer Now it's your turn: We want to know, when were you first bitten by the "travel bug"? Tell us about it below!

I love cooking for my family. I especially love introducing them to dishes and flavors that I've encountered in my travels. And when I walk into my kitchen intent on dishing up something fresh and Italian, my first question is often "What would Elizabeth cook?" Elizabeth Minchilli, a Budget Travel contributor and author of the best-selling apps Eat Rome, Eat Florence, and Eat Venice, has published an incredible memoir, Eating Rome: Living the Good Life in the Eternal City (St. Martin's Press, 2015), that absolutely breathes its subject. Having known Elizabeth for years, I fully expected the book to deliver delightful, sometimes surprising recipes and locals-only intel on restaurants. It sure does. What I didn't expect, and what makes Eating Rome essential for Budget Travelers, is Elizabeth's insight and anecdotes about everyday life in Rome. One example that particularly struck me: If you lived in Rome, meeting your friends for coffee after dropping the kids at school would not be a once-in-a-while "me time" experience. You might very well do it every morning. Eating Rome will also show you how to order that morning coffee like a local; usher you into the world of unspoken rules and customs you need to know when shopping at markets, ordering gelato, or simply asking what's on the day's menu; and deliver recipes that let you live a little more like a Roman not only on vacation but every day. Your turn: Tell us what you're reading now by tagging #BTReads on social media! Or let us know below in the comments.