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The largest zoological park in Asia, the Taipei Zoo is an extremely well curated assemblage of animals from around the world, specializing in Asian wildlife. As with many zoos, the most popular attraction are the giant panda bears, their cute and slow-moving style always a hit with kids. But there’s a lot more to see than just pandas. One of the park’s highlights is the Formosan animal area: a look at animals endemic to Taiwan. The zoo is always busy but is extremely popular on the weekends, so plan a mid-week visit if possible.

Located about five miles west of Falls Church, America’s only national park to the performing arts continues to host world-class performances of every genre since its creation in 1971. With an average of over 90 concerts from May to September, area residents and visitors are blessed to see the biggest names in music grace the stage of the 6,800-seat indoor/outdoor Filene Center. In addition, Wolf Trap holds indoor concerts at the nearby Barns, as well as educational programs and special events such as the International Children’s Festival and the yearly Holiday Sing-A-Long.

The walls are adorned with colorful masks and wall murals. The displays include rustic kitchen utensils and chunky hand-crafted jewelry. A trip to the Pune Tribal Museum opens up a window into the vibrant cultures of the tribes that live in the state of Maharashtra. This isn’t the biggest museum in Pune (the Raja Dinkar Kelkar Museum has a huge collection of artifacts from the region), but each tribe—such as the Warli, Bhil, Gond, Koli, and Kolam, to name but a few—represents a unique cultural and socio-economic heritage, and that is what makes the Tribal Museum such an interesting visit.

It’s difficult to pin down what exactly Star Provisions is. Is it a cafe run by award-winning team Anne Quatrano and Clifford Harrison? Is it an upscale grocery store where you can buy artisan meats and cheeses found in restaurants like Abbatoir and Bacchanalia? Is it a home goods store selling beautiful pieces of kitchenware? The answer is all of the above. And while the restaurant is delicious (try the prosciutto, sweet butter, and parmesan baguette!), the store is often overlooked in all the foodie mayhem. The glassware, serving utensils, and other items are sure to add unique touches to your home.

If you’re visiting Nicaragua, you shouldn’t miss Matagalpa - a beautiful, mountainous, cool area where you can hike around the Selva Negra nature reserve and take coffee or cocoa tours. The Selva Negra also has an on-site restaurant with an outdoor deck overlooking a small lake, perfect for bird-watching. You can sit outside during your meal and enjoy the view, or take a walk around the lake to the special “birdwatching patch” to commune with some local geese.

A short detour on the road to Ba Na, the waterfall at Suoi Mo has some clear swimming holes. It gets busy at the weekends, but during the week it remains an attractive spot -- if you can ignore the litter,

Umm Bab Family beach, is located 80 miles west of Doha. Umm Bab Beach is part of a vast natural reserve called Alreem natural reserve. The beach is also known as “Palm Tree Beach” because of the small cluster of palms at the end of the road alongside the small pier. The beach is ideal for camping with young ones because it has its own fenced beach area for families, toilets and kids’ playground, the water is shallow and the beach is very private, without being off the beaten path. To get there, drive west on Salwa road for about 60 miles until you see the sign for Umm Bab. You’ll have to drive north into the town and then south to the beach. N25 12.401 E50 46.067

The true nature of old Bangkok can’t be sampled at its busy malls and modern shopping districts, but in enclaves such as this timeless thoroughfare in Chinatown. A narrow pedestrian lane, Trok Issaranuphap links two of the area’s main streets, Yaowarat Road and Charoen Krung Road, with Sampeng Lane, another pedestrian-only street filled with small department stores. It’s a portal to the traditional side of the city, especially for those who want to sample street food, as it is filled with stalls and vendors purveying tasty Chinese/Thai snacks and meals such as roast pork and duck and dumplings. The alley’s wet market is a great place to purchase fruit and vegetables. Other attractions include traditional-medicine shops, fortune tellers, and stalls selling assorted bric-a-brac.

Maui Beach is a rare white sand beach in Tahiti. It can get very crowded on weekends, but is peaceful during weekdays. It located right on the road but has shallow swimming, making it perfect for kids, as well as deeper spots for adults and some DIY snorkeling off the reef.

Tucked away off a dusty road in a suburb of Nairobi, the Tin Roof Café at the Souk is a gorgeous little place with floral cushions, spindly garden chairs, tin pots of wildflowers, and mismatched pictures on the walls. The shelves are filled with books and board games, and large blackboards list the delicious array of food and drink on offer, from Ottolenghi-style salads to sandwiches, wraps, smoothies, and juices galore. Explore a bit further inside to find a bookstore, a housewares shop, and a jewelry shop. Lost your velvet bathrobe? Don’t worry—they sell them here. The café’s offbeat charm has proven so popular that a second location opened on Langata Road.

Home to warehouses and bustling trolley stops in the 1920s and ’30s (with the warehouses becoming artists’ studios and storage facilities in the ’70s), these few blocks in South Dallas’s Oak Cliff neighborhood were designated a National Historic Landmark in 199O—right around the time the area was experiencing a decline. In the new millennium, however, there’s been a revival: Today the area’s brick buildings and charming former homes hold over 60 independent shops, restaurants, bars, cafés, and galleries. Grab a coffee or glass of wine and browse the tomes at the Wild Detectives bookstore, shop for furniture and local artwork at Neighborhood, and find unique gifts and design items at Bishop Street Market and We Are 1976. Foodies also flock to top spots like Hattie’s for Southern low-country–inspired fare; the much-acclaimed (and often hard to reserve) Lucia for Italian fine dining; Eno’s Pizza Tavern for thin-crust pies; Tillman’s Roadhouse for Texas- and Southwest-flavored favorites; and the legendary Lockhart Smokehouse for pit BBQ. Save room for artisan sweets from Dude, Sweet Chocolate (which has garnered national acclaim) and a slice of fresh-from-the-oven pie from Emporium, where the menu changes seasonally. With the area now firmly enjoying “features on travel TV shows” status, and private residences still lining the side streets, parking here can be tricky—especially on the weekends, or during a festival or one of the regular wine, art, or jazz nights.

Stroll along the designated foot and biking path from Flåm to Otternes, which follows the rugged coastline of granite cliffs overlooking the dramatic fjord. Near the end of the four-kilometer route, the trail intersects with the steep road that leads up to Otternes Farm—a satisfying pit stop on a scenic journey.

Before reaching this incredible castle, you will be astounded by the beautiful pastures and lakes along the roadside. Lambs occasionally trot across allowing a great opportunity for photos. Upon reaching Kylemore, you will enter through a quaint cafe for lattes, tea and delicious pastries. The tour begins walking through this enormous castle turned legendary private school that was originally owned by Mitchell Henry who built it for his wife. After taking in the luxuriousness of the manicured walls and decorations, you can then walk to the little cathedral. The cathedral is just as impressive as the castle. The pillars inside are made up of five different types of marble. Following the cathedral, you can choose to walk to the walled Victoria gardens or take the shuttle that runs to and fro the castle. The gardens have several green houses and a vast amount of exotic plants that dazzle the eyes and invigorate the nose! Here you can sit down for a coffee or tea and simply enjoy the man-made beauty that has lasted over a century. There are also several nature walks to allow more time for one to take in Ireland’s beauty. This is a fascinating place to admire historic architecture and learn about the love story that started it all!

With its pristine beaches, emerald lagoons, and wildlife-filled jungles, Manuel Antonio National Park is considered one of the world’s most beautiful natural wonders. There’s no better place from which to explore it than the five-star Arenas del Mar, an 11-acre hotel and reserve that’s set atop rain-forested cliffs overlooking the Pacific and delivers just the right amount of luxury within walking distance of the park. (Just don’t be surprised to cross paths with the occasional monkey, sloth, crab, or iguana.) The rooms on the upper level have ocean views and feature hot tubs on large terraces; beachfront rooms are a particularly good choice for families with children thanks to easy access to the lower pool and the casual Playitas Restaurant. But the resort is also an unexpected culinary beacon, serving sustainable dock-to-dish seafood caught by local fisherman that morning and certified gluten-free options alongside traditional Costa Rican specialties.

This atmospheric all-inclusive resort opened in 1986 on the white sands of Little Cayman’s Preston Bay and consists of eleven rooms in wood and stone cottages, some of which are oceanfront. Guests, mainly advanced divers and repeat visitors, come for healthy corals, diverse marine life, and the hospitality. Since 2015, owner and manager Susan Howard has carried forward the legacy of her mother and the original owner of Pirates Point Resort, Gladys Howard, by fostering an “Island Home Away From Home” vibe. In addition to complimentary bicycle rentals and island-wide conservation efforts, Howard opens up her home on Friday nights for a champagne and sushi cocktail reception.

The resort operates on a safari schedule with wake up and breakfast bells, daily and untimed dives at numerous sites, and hearty lunches upon return to the lodge around 3pm. The hotel sea front view is lovely, with hammocks strung on the white sand beach and easy, protected swimming and snorkeling within the barrier reef.