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This three-mile stretch of white sand is the only public beach at the gated Puntacana Resort & Club. Even so, non-guests can only reach the beach after dining at the resort’s oceanfront Playa Blanca Restaurant. It’s worth it, though, as the calm turquoise water is ideal for swimming, kayaking, and catamaran sailing. A mesh barrier keeps seaweed out of the swimming and beach areas, ensuring pristine water and sand as far as the eye can see.

Technically, the marine iguana isn’t a salt spitter, it’s a salt snorter. Adapted to sea life, the marine iguana dives for seaweed and algae, then basks in the sun to increase it’s body temperature. During this time, the excess salt is filtered through a nasal gland; it’s not uncommon to walk among a large group of iguanas and have them snort salt all over your shoes. At first it’s a bit unnerving to walk among a million tiny dinosaurs as they lay about catching rays, but it doesn’t take long for the spectacular scenery of Punta Espinoza and Fernandina to overwhelm any lingering sense of trepidation.

I may have an unhealthy fascination with the blue-footed booby; I’m speaking to someone about it. An iconic emblem of the Galapagos Islands, the booby is everywhere, and it’s much larger than I anticipated. It hops about with one foot in the air as a way to attract a mate, it dives out of the air with all the wanton fury of a dog fighter, and it sings a merry tune for anyone willing to listen. The booby’s days are busy, and it deserves a nap now and then. You can spot the booby just about everywhere out here. Santiago Island makes for an especially striking backdrop.

The Citadel National Historic Site is one of the most important and iconic preservation areas in Canada, and a must-see on any visit to the East Coast — but seeing it like this is an extra-special adventure. Hours of Operation: May 7 - June 30 – 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. July & August – 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. Sept. 1 - Oct. 31 – 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. The grounds of the Halifax Citadel remain open for visitation year round; during the Nov. 1-May 6 period visitors are invited to wander the inside of the fort, including the ramparts (closed if snow covered), and can imagine what the fort would have been like back in 1869. The noon gun fires daily. Vision Air Services provides spectacular aerial tours of Halifax and the surrounding areas out of Robert L. Stanfield International Airport. Packages begin at $148/hr per person.

A visit to John Watling’s Distillery offers both a tour of a historic estate in downtown Nassau and the opportunity to sample locally made John Watling’s rum. The distillery, the only locally owned one on the island, is housed in the Buena Vista Estate, which began construction in 1789. The estate grounds encompass tropical gardens and a 200-year-old water well. Visitors can also take a free tour of the museum and distillery, where you can see the aged white oak barrels filled with rum. Finish the tour with a cocktail from the on-site Red Turtle Tavern, or pick a bottle of John Watling’s rum from the store.

Possibly the most important and influential publishers of graphic novels in the last 20 years, Drawn & Quarterly has a must-visit shop in the cool Mile End neighborhood. It sells work from the extensive D&Q catalog (which includes Joe Sacco, Lynda Barry, and Adrian Tomine) and from other publishers. Check out 184 Rue Beaubien by local graphic artist Cyril Doisneau.

Admit it. Come on. You saw butter museum in the title and you giggled. Then you made a promise to yourself to visit this place the next time you’re in Ireland. I don’t blame you. I did the same thing. This may very well be the most boring museum in the entire world, but it’s boring in a great way - you’ll laugh and chuckle and poke your travel companion in the ribs as you tour through this place, as you sit through the excruciating 30-minute informational butter videos, as you churn, baby, churn! It’s all in good fun, and the museum is housed in a beautiful building in Old Cork, so it’s worth checking out on those merits alone. And you know you want to tell your friends you visited the Butter Museum in Ireland. You know you do.

It was raining when we arrived in Donostia-San Sebastian, but the skies cleared on our second day, and we rode the funicular railway up Mount Igueldo to take in the view back on the city, La Concha Bay, and the empty beach. The “low” travel season had just begun, and the strange little children’s amusement park on the mountaintop had shuttered up for the fall and winter, adding just the right disorienting touch of weird desolation to the Basque country panorama.

Getting off the beaten track in Burma is sometimes easy. Other times, it’s not. A host of factors conspire to keep tourists on the straight and narrow path; touts, tour operators, and the government want to point you towards places where you have to pay a fee on top of another fee on top of another fee just to ride in a horse and buggy around a tiny island while trinket pedlars swarm you at every stop (I’m using a loose example here). That’s not my idea of a good time, and that’s exactly why I deign to make my own itinerary everywhere I go. I decided against visiting a well-known tourist trap of an island south of Mandalay in favor of visiting a neat little rural village nearby. No touts, no louts, and no other visitors - just me, my travel companion, my camera, and a host of amazing Burmese farmers. I don’t need another reason to get off the track.

I’ll tell you that I wasn’t nervous when I came face-to-face with this big toothy fella, but that would probably be a fib. In reality, coming up on big marine life on your second ever PADI dive is nerve-wracking, thrilling, and just plain amazing. I was focusing mostly on my new underwater skills – like how not to scream when encountering a lounging barracuda – when I met this fella, but I’m still happy that I came away with a single frame from our meet-up. Douglas Caye is another in the long list of world-class dive sites surrounding the Turneffe Atoll. Our crew from the Blackbird Caye Resort spent about an hour in the deep as part of our PADI scuba training, and as such we barely scratched the surface on what this unique location has to offer. Breathtaking stuff. Photo Finish: Nikon 1AW1 | 11-27.5mm f/3.5-5.6 lens | Aperture f/5.6 | ISO-500 | Shutter 1/30 sec.

Though the airport and city highlights are all a quick drive away, the Fairmont feels like a true getaway thanks to its setting on Palm Jumeirah island. There, surrounded by views of the Arabian Gulf and Dubai Marina, you’ll find 381 guest rooms and suites, each with warm, contemporary-Arabic décor, marble soaking tubs, Le Labo bath products, Nespresso machines, and furnished balconies. Many of the rooms are designed to be connected to form their own locked-off section, making the hotel ideal for family travel. Also great for groups is the wealth of amenities, starting with the 10 restaurants and lounges featuring everything from authentic Indian, Korean, and Taiwanese fare to Brazilian churrascaria and American burgers and shakes. A Kid’s Club, four pools, beachfront loungers, a health club, and a Willow Stream Spa help keep everyone entertained, as do off-property activities like water sports, speed boat rides, and golf at three nearby clubs.

I’m on the fringe of a perfectly manicured polo field, flanked by the jagged steeples of the Calchaquí Valley mountains. Gaúchos speed lithe steeds up and down the green, while postcard-perfect vines, row upon row, pull my eyes toward the not-too-distant sand dunes. I’m gobsmacked by my surroundings, and furrow an eyebrow as a thought occurs to me: I’ve been exploring Grace Cafayate and the La Estancia de Cafayate property for a little more than 24 hours, and haven’t once thought about leaving the property. I can say with confidence that this is the first time this has happened to me. This idyllic parcel of land has exactly what I want in an escape: epic natural grandeur; peace and quiet; luxurious accommodations; five-star dining; a polo field and the largest golf course in South America; and wine. Bottomless barrels of wine.

The 34,400-square-foot Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre engages visitors on many levels. Socially, it is the first joint cultural project between two separate native nations in North America. The center is also a stunning architectural addition to the community. The design of the concrete, cedar, and fir structure melds the longhouse of the coastal Squamish people with the traditional Lil’wat pit house. Permanent displays of carvings, dugouts, and implements used by the coastal fishermen and hunters are supplemented by temporary exhibitions, including a presentation about Canada’s infamous residential schools. The SLCC also anchors one of Whistler’s most exciting new projects, the Cultural Connector—a path that links six local arts institutions—which is another indication of Whistler’s rising status as a fine arts destination.

The whole province of Quebec takes its agriculture very seriously, and consequently you can find some incredibly fresh, tasty products. The vendors at Atwater Market are passionate about what they sell, and they are more than happy to talk all things food. From sweet and tangy strawberries to ice wines, cheeses, and maple creations, the Atwater Market leaves very few unimpressed. A true staple of the Montreal culinary scene, this is a must for all foodies.

Malapascua, a tiny island in the Visayan Sea north of Cebu, is well-known for its thresher-shark cleaning station, where divers gather daily to see these beautiful creatures ascend from below to be cleaned by fish before returning to deeper waters. Reef sharks can be seen here, too. What fewer visitors know, however, is that behind the strip of resorts that line Bounty Beach is a traditional village. There are quaint shops and restaurants as well as a large church, and the people are wonderfully friendly and inviting. It’s a great peek into real Filipino island life, meaning Malapascua is a worthwhile stop even if you aren’t interested in the sharks.