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The Avenida da Liberdade in Lisbon is the wide avenue in the center of town. After the earthquake of 1755, the Minister Pombal designed the new Lisbon and for the main avenue, he used the Champs Elysees in Paris as his model. This is a beautiful street with small side streets lined with trees. There are many upscale stores, boutiques, and hotels lining the avenue. As you stroll along you notice an unusual feature.You look down and see the unique black and white tiles in all sorts of patterns. All of the main and side streets in Lisbon have these tiles. I am always fascinated with the complicated designs. If you are lucky, you’ll get to see workmen replacing missing tiles. It seems as though this is a daily occurrence. You don’t want to drive in Lisbon. It’s too busy and the buses, metro, elevators, and ancient trolleys are much more fun. Buy a Lisboa Card and the transportation is usually free. You can look up your choice of transportation in the booklet that you get when you make your purchase. Any information center sells the card. Information centers are indicated on maps of the city. Pick one up at the desk at your hotel. Strolling down the Avenida with it’s tiles is something that makes me feel happy. Can’t wait to go again to this beautiful, ancient, European, capital city.

Two hours from Rio de Janeiro, off the coast of Angra Dos Reis, Ilha Grande makes for a spacious retreat for two or an epic group vacation. The private island’s six-bedroom house comes with kayaks and stand-up paddleboards, plus a staff ready to whip up caipirinhas at all hours of the day.

With the June 2017 opening of Bisate Lodge, Wilderness Safaris will bring its brand of conservation-minded luxury to Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park, one of the only places in the world to see mountain gorillas in the wild. Set on 67 acres of private land, six forest villas and 12 rooms will feature Rwandan-style spherical thatched structures and handmade patterned fabrics. They’re set in an eroded volcanic cone, a natural amphitheater surrounded by a rich hagenia forest and massive stands of bamboo. Bisate is Wilderness’s biggest conservation project to date: The lodge is partnering with more than 100 area farm owners to rehabilitate gorilla habitats.

Blackbird Caye Resort is the gateway to the stunning Belize Barrier Reef, but so much more than a stopgap hitching post for scuba nerds. Stretched across two miles of palm-fringed beach on the windward side of the Turneffe Atoll, Blackbird is set against a backdrop of more than 4,000 acres of untrammeled jungle, mangrove forests, sprawling lagoons, and migratory bird habitats. Many guests come to Blackbird to get under the water and at the reef – some of the best diving sites in Belize are a short five or ten minute boat ride from Blackbird’s dock – though this isolated island paradise has plenty to offer visitors looking to stretch their land legs. 18 ocean-view cabanas, each with its own private balcony and hammock, hold dominion over the Caribbean Sea. The Poolside Bar is a great place to unwind after a hot day in the sun, while the gallant High Tide Bar, with at least two feet in the sea at any one time, offers an excellent happy hour and complimentary snacks, including island fare like lion fish fingers, ceviche, conch fritters, and fried grouper. One of the top dive resorts in the world and a postcard-perfect island paradise, Blackbird is at once home away from home, and your own secluded hideaway. Photo Finish: Nikon D800 | 24-70mm f/2.8 lens | Aperture f/7.1 | ISO-640 | Shutter 1/30 sec.

You are lucky the sun only rises and sets once a day on Hawaii—otherwise, you’d spend all of your time transfixed by the horizon. Hike to the leeward (eastern) side of any island on a clear evening and train your eye over the ocean in search of the “green flash,” an optic phenomenon in which a green sliver of light hovers in the wake of the setting sun. (On Oahu, the remote Kaena Point is a good spot to see the flash.) Sunsets on Kauai, “The Garden Island,” make the beauty of the coastal surroundings even more poignant. If you rise early and tackle the Lanikai Pillboxes trail on Oahu or summit the volcano at Haleakala National Park on Maui, you’ll experience an unforgettable morning as the sun rises over the ocean for a new day.

Upon arrival try to snag the free daily garden tour! The gardens are divided into different ecosystems/themes such as the Australian Garden, Camellia Garden, Children’s Garden, Chinese Garden, Desert Garden, Herb Garden, Japanese Garden, Jungle Garden, Lily Ponds, Palm Garden, Rose Garden, Shakespeare Garden and the Subtropical Garden. Once you’ve finished the Garden tours, you can go to the Huntington Library, which is one of the largest research libraries in the United States. This is a nice escape from the big city if you have a day to spare while in Southern California. There is also a slew of different local restaurants to choose from including some found in Old Town Pasadena which is worth its own visit!

Maybe the most stunning of the many palatial mid-19th-century commercial edifices around the Freyung section of Vienna’s Inner City, the Italianate Palais Ferstel hosts the ground-floor Café Central and its tiny outdoor terrace. Fittingly, as it is perhaps the landmark among Vienna’s old-world coffeehouses, Central is, well, central: It boasts a prime location by the Hofburg Palace, meaning it’s touristy for sure. But one look at the forest of Gothic Revival columns and vaulted ceilings in the cathedral-like interior of this former bank building, and you won’t mind if you have to wait a few minutes to be seated. Central has an extensive menu and a huge periodical collection to peruse before you head back out to tour the Inner City’s treasures.

The Riviera Maya’s most beautifully styled adventure park begins with a reception area inside a natural cave. Tours here include Latin America’s highest zip lines over the tropical forest, amphibious vehicles you drive through caves and jungles, and swimming and rafting through underground rivers. Though Xplor is a family-friendly attraction, it may be better suited to teens and adults because of the physical activity required. If you don’t have all day, book Xplor Fuego, the nighttime admission: Temperatures are cooler, torchlight adds an exotic touch, and you soar over the trees by moonlight.

Tunnel Mountain’s trailhead is located right in downtown Banff, so you’ll probably be able to set out on this hike directly from your hotel! This relatively easy trek allows you to conquer your first peak in the Canadian Rockies by climbing just 300 meters (950 feet) over 2.2 kilometers (1.4 miles). The well-maintained path switchbacks gently through a forested area before reaching a rocky, open alpine slope. Gaining the rounded summit offers spectacular views of the north ridge of Mount Rundle, downtown Banff, and a panoramic stretch of the Bow Valley. The hike should take two to three hours up and back. (Notice any tunnels along the path that may account for the name? Nope. A railroad tunnel was proposed but never built, but the moniker stuck anyway.)

Columbus Landfall National Park encompasses both the land and water on the entire west side of Grand Turk, a total of 1,280 acres of protected areas, including around 25 excellent scuba diving sites. Most of these dive sites sit along a submarine wall that drops more than 7,000 feet deep. Places such as Coral Canyon and Black Forest have stunning gardens of hard and soft corals clinging to the edge of the wall, and divers can spot everything from colorful angelfish to sleek reef sharks there. (As you may have guessed by its name, this is also believed by some to be where Christopher Columbus first landed in the New World.)

Scaling Mount Kenya, the country’s highest and the continent’s second-highest mountain, is on the bucket list of many adventurers. The jagged summit peaks, sharp cliffs, and snowcapped crags can be seen on the northern road from Nairobi when the mountain is not shrouded in clouds. Hiking this monster usually takes from three to seven days, depending on fitness levels. Of the different possible routes up, the popular Chogoria route passes through lush green pastures and by icy blue lakes, crossing dusty martian landscapes along the way. The highest point hikers can reach without specialized climbing equipment is Lenana, more than 16,000 feet above sea level.

Japan has some of the fastest, most reliable trains in the world. One measure of how much locals appreciate them is the glee in kids’ faces when a Shinkansen glides past their commuter train. Or they line up in front of the sloped nose of a parked bullet train for a photo before taking off on a trip. That excitement has naturally created a market for train souvenirs. You can find socks, shoes, even chopsticks shaped like any number of specific Shinkansen trains. Local train lines also sell their own branded train gear across Japan. The Shinkansen souvenirs are all over Tokyo Station, but a big cluster of them can be found near the underground Yaesu central exit. Leave the turnstiles, and the omiyage shop is immediately on the left.

Built in 1928 by Asia’s oldest hotel brand, the Peninsula Hong Kong is one of the most historic properties on the Kowloon Peninsula, just across Victoria Harbour from Hong Kong Island. Designed originally as an upscale accommodation for passengers riding the adjacent Kowloon-Canton railway, the Peninsula has been a fixture of Hong Kong society throughout the region’s history. It was a magnet for Hollywood stars and dignitaries, the site of Hong Kong’s surrender to Japanese forces at the start of World War II, and temporary housing for residents following the war.

In 1994, a 30-story tower was added to house 135 additional rooms and suites as well as shops, a spa, a fitness center, twin rooftop helipads, and Felix—the hotel’s 28th-floor fine-dining restaurant, designed by Philippe Starck. The entire property was renovated in 2013 to update rooms with creamy colors, polished wood, and stitched leather and introduce high-tech extras that include a bedside control panel allowing guests to adjust the room’s light, sound, and temperature without getting out from under the covers. Today, the hotel is sleek and modern, but historic relics evoke the glory days that established the Peninsula as the “Grande Dame of the Far East.”

The River Café is situated right in the middle of the huge Karura Forest, a tranquil swath of wilderness in the middle of the city. The dining area, on a large expanse of wooden deck under an open-sided canvas roof, gets extra atmospheric charm from the surrounding forest treetops and plants. The menu is varied, with a good vegetarian section as well as light bites and more indulgent meals. The French onion soup and the salads are recommended. This place gets busy on the weekends, when Nairobians stop in for brunch after church or a walk around the forest, so book in advance.

Driving up Independence Pass is a beautiful way to spend the afternoon and along the way to the top of this 12,096’ pass you can stop at highlights. For the thrill seekers, near the Grottos there is a series of waterfalls that flow into a crystal clear pool of mountain river water called the Devil’s Punch Bowl. People jump from 20 foot cliffs into borderline hypothermic cold water that takes your breath away when you hit it. Make sure you jump out far enough so you don’t hit the jutting rock bed on the way down. Some might think it is crazy but it is the ultimate adrenaline rush.