How far will you travel for a meal? A walk down the block, a subway ride, or a drive over to the next city? How about a plane ride over a number of continents? Royal Mail Hotel and Restaurant in Dunkeld, Australia may just be that place. This rural town is approximately 3.5 hours west of Melbourne. Located at the foot of Mount Sturgeon, Royal Mail is destination dining at its best. The kitchen is helmed by Dan Hunter, a chef that earned his marks in some of Spain’s most prominent restaurants. Since 2007 Hunter has brought his Spanish influence to the menu while sourcing many of its ingredients locally from their own gardens. It helps that this remote location can accommodate overnight guests, either in the hotel or apartments within the gardens. Watch this video and be inspired.

Travel is essential to our well being, it opens our eyes and leads us to new discoveries and experiences. As we start the new year, we hope that traveling more is on your list of things to do in 2010. The farther the better, the more foreign the better, it’s what breaks us out of our routine.

The photo above is of the Saugerties Lighthouse, we’ve written about it in the past. One of the few lighthouses in the United States that offers guests to stay over. About 2 hours north of Manhattan, it’s the perfect weekend road trip. Simply perfect if it weren’t for the difficulties of reserving a room. 2010 is nearly booked with only a few days remaining, including two for this month. Which leads us to our second suggestion for the new year, be spontaneous. Book the room, rent a car, and drive. We think you will enjoy it.

Gilt Groupe brought affordable prices on luxury goods to refined shoppers on a budget and has proven itself to be highly successful in a downturn economy. They’re hoping to do the same with Jetsetter, a new site that beta launched last week focused around the travel industry. Jetsetter will offer reduction in prices on hotels, cruises, and other travel packages. All the offerings are selected by a group of industry writers and experts resulting in a certain level of distinction. Really want to be on a boat? Set sail on a Seabourn Yacht at over 50% less than the original cost. Or how about palace living at the Hotel Negresco in Nice, France? Feel like a zillionaire without having to be one. There is a catch, the prices only last two days or until dates are sold out. Jetsetter is currently accepting memberships.

You know that feeling after a trip, you’re blue and not really ready for your daily routine, well that’s how we feel about now. We spent the last week and a half out in the west meeting great people, eating, and exploring. From San Francisco to Seattle, we racked up over 1500 miles on our rental car. Cities in-between included Live Oak California where we attended a ranch wedding, the Red Wood National Forest where we found Endor, and Portland, Oregon where we gorged ourselves on food from the slow to the fast. Some photos and highlights from the trip after the jump.

While doing some research on Portland and Seattle, I came across a site called Vintage Seattle. A blog devoted to the documentation of the “Emerald City’s past,” through postcards, city archives, and personal submissions. Though the Space Needle gets its fair share of coverage the interest lies in the mundane, everything from hospital buildings to a liquor store photo from 1971. There’s something intriguing about the ordinary, especially if it is coming from the past. Best of all, the photos are all in high-res.

Indagare interviews the founder of Explora, Pedro Ibanez. Though the site is subscription based, new users may preview the article.