The 2019 season will be my eighth covering the Vikings, and it will take a while before anything tops my favorite slate of Vikings road games (2015, when they opened the season in San Francisco, traveled to Denver in October, went back to the Bay Area to face the Raiders in November and visited Arizona in December).

But this year's slate, with its December West Coast trips, lack of cold-weather games and enjoyable destinations, could be a highlight for those traveling to Vikings games. While Lambeau Field is a lot of fun in December, it's much more palatable early in the season, and the atmosphere should be charged up for the Packers' home opener.

The Vikings' trips Chicago and New York come in the early autumn; there's no better time of year (in my opinion) to visit either one than the fall. Arrowhead Stadium in early November could bring resplendent football weather, and it should still be warm in Dallas the following week.

BEN GOESSLING