While I'm not much for gossip magazines and I rarely keep track of who's dating whom, one thing I always love to do is watch the Golden Globes and the Oscars. It's like getting all of my pop culture hit in one glorious three hour block of time.

While these award shows are gloriously decked out with glam, I'd rather see stars (or up-and-coming stars) in a more natural environment. Not to mention, the tickets are notoriously difficult to come by unless you're a member of the Academy or Hollywood Foreign Press association. So where does one go? One word: Sundance.

The beauty of Sundance is it's in January, so all you travel adventurers have plenty of time to plan and save for this escapade, and planning is what it's all about when you're attending an event where the world converges on one small town in Utah.

The Sundance Film Festival website is an amazingly helpful first stop, showing all of the options available to do you for tickets, lodging, timing - everything. So first up, mark your calendar for September, when their site starts opening up with informaiton about the 2012 Festival. One thing to consider is applying to be a volunteer. It can be an awesome way to meet new people during your solo travel extravaganza, plus get out to see some of the best in independent film the year has to offer.

In planning for Sundance, there are shuttles that go back and forth between Park City and Sundance Resort. Don't plan to rent a car because there is next to no parking at Sundance, so it's critical that you take good walking shoes. You'll be spending a lot of time on your feet, especially if you're a volunteer.

How much money will you need for Sundance? Well, it depends on what kind of access that you want. Festival Passes go from $300 all the way up to $3,000, Benefits are, you don't need a ticket for any show, and you have access to all theaters and venues. Individual tickets start at just $15, so you can do Sundance any way that you want - on the cheap or up to luxury access. You'll be flying into Salt Lake City International airport, most likely, and shuttling it to where your hotel is - Park City again a likely candidate there. Check out the Sundance website and get there in 2012!