Eight Great Geek Vacations - The Home Church and Outer Space (Almost)

7) Silicon Valley, California

Few people consider it, but a stay in Silicon Valley can yield lots of benefits for geeks. Start with a visit to San Jose's impressive Tech Museum. Move on to such landmarks as San Francisco's spectacular new Academy of Sciences, UC Berkeley's Lawrence Hall of Science, and the underappreciated Computer History Museum in Mountain View. And don't forget to hit the famed Palo Alto garage where HP was born. (Alternatively, a trip to Bangalore--a.k.a. "The Silicon Valley of India"--could yield some inexpensive programming talent, or at least a crash course in operating a call center.)

8) Outer Space Circuit, Switzerland-Quebec-Florida

For space enthusiasts, a dream trip awaits. Start at Alpine Astrovillage Lue-Stailas in the Swiss Alps for an unforgettable amateur astrophotography experience. On the way back, stop in Laval, Quebec to attend the Cosmodome Space Camp, and then cap your space-themed vacation with a visit to Florida's Kennedy Space Center. If you can't make the Space Shuttle Endeavor's liftoff on or about July 11, try getting there for the planned launch of Space Shuttle Discovery on Aug. 18.