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Near the southwestern edge of Snow Canyon State Park is this wellness-oriented resort, a sprawling 55-acre property filled with fragrant mesquite trees, black lava gardens, and 106 rooms and villas. Stays here can be as low-key as a swim under the desert sun in one of two outdoor pools or an exfoliating red clay treatment at the renowned Sagestone Spa & Salon, but most visitors come for the full range of adventure offerings, from hiking and kayaking to sunset rappelling and horseback riding deep in red rock country. While the “consciously-planned entrée portions” at the hotel’s Canyon Breeze restaurant are all 500 calories or less—with most well under—dishes like grilled grass-fed strip loin steak with cheesy potato au gratin will leave you feeling anything but deprived. As of 2017, the resort is easier than ever to get to, thanks to new daily flights by United Express from Los Angeles to St. George.

Rent a car or hop an ALSA bus from Barcelona‘s Estació Nord to Berga for a 45 minute hike up Queralt Mountain from Berga’s Plaça de Sant Pere. Besides getting a healthy dose of fresh air and some light exercise, you’ll take in some of the best views Catalonia has to offer: clusters of terra-cotta roofs in the valleys, green mountains towering above it all.

The country’s third-largest city, and the largest in central Vietnam, Da Nang has become one of the country’s key ports thanks to its location on both the coast and the Han River estuary. The city itself is a typical bustling Vietnamese metropolis with relentless scooter traffic, but a number of attractions make visiting worthwhile. The town’s Dragon Bridge opened in 2013, but what makes it special is that every weekend evening the steel-arch dragon that forms a part of the structure spits out real fire from its head (the bridge is closed to traffic at the time, allowing crowds to see the spectacle up close). The Marble Mountains—five hills that seem to have just sprouted up in the south of the city—are an arresting sight. The Son Tra peninsula, with a marquee attraction known as Monkey Mountain, offers some good hiking and excellent sea and city views; you’ll also find the 220-feet-tall, gleaming-white Goddess of Mercy statue here. The sandy stretch east of the city center (given the nickname China Beach by American soldiers during the war) is crowded with restaurants, bars, and some seaside hotels.

A UNESCO World Heritage site in a mountain valley about 40 miles west of Da Nang, My Son is a vestige of the Champa kingdom, a culture that was heavily shaped by Hindu beliefs and practices. Built between the 4th and 14th centuries, the temples pay homage to the god Shiva, though the deity is often referred to here by different names. While some of the shrines are partially restored, and others overgrown with greenery or showing their age (many were destroyed by American bombing during the Vietnam War), the sheer scope of the ruins are proof of the reach of Hinduism and the lofty ambitions of the Cham kings.

The Jungfrau is one of the main summits of the Bernese Alps, located between the southern canton of Bern and the northern canton of Valais, halfway between Interlaken and Fiesch. It’s the perfect place for the quintessential Swiss experience. The cows are actually moving their heads just to hear the bells ring. So many people take pictures of them, they must feel like movie stars. :)

The Peak 2 Peak Gondola that connects Whistler and Blackcomb mountains was considered a glitzy and expensive PR move when it opened in 2007. Today the 1.9-mile span, the longest unsupported span in the world, ferries hikers, bikers, and of course, skiers and snowboarders to the slopes they seek. Best of all, the Peak 2 Peak provides access to alpine wilderness usually reserved exclusively for the athletically inclined. (This is the adventure I take my 83-year-old mother on in Whistler, and she is blown away, as is her 8-year-old grandson.) Flying through the air, 1,431 feet up with hardly a support tower in sight, is a thrill. The 11-minute ride soars above snow walls, wildflower meadows, Fitzsimmons Creek, and several trails down, around, and behind the Whistler peaks.

Huayna Picchu is the landmark peak at Machu Picchu from which the classic, shot-from-above postcard photos are typically taken. While the views are spectacular, of course, the trail is not easy, studded with precarious, sometimes uneven stone steps, and often directly flanked by sheer drop-offs (thus probably out of the question for anyone with a fear of heights). While most hike to the top and back, you can also go up and around to the other side, with a visit to the Temple of the Moon/Great Cavern along the way. Admittance to Huayna Picchu is limited and sells out two or three months in advance; pay for your entrance as part of your Machu Picchu admission.

When I told friends I was going to Papua New Guinea eyebrows were raised; when I mentioned I was staying with a Highlands tribe, jaws dropped. I flew into Tari, a small dusty town with a small dusty airstrip and there I got my first sight of the Huli wigmen. The tribe’s Fortune Teller, traditionally dressed with “arse grass” covering his behind, an ornamental wig made of his own hair, and a cassowary quill through his nose, was in complete contrast to the plane that he’d come to meet. The following day I began my time with the tribe itself and was lucky enough to meet this Wigman preparing for a sing sing – a traditional celebratory dance. I sat down beside him as he prepared his face: an ‘undercoat’ of oily white, then a clay ochre base and finally earthly red highlights. Using hand signals he demonstrated what he was going to do next, before picking up a broken mirror and carefully applying the final strokes. He may not have fully realised how brilliant he looked in the afternoon Sun, but for me, watching him go through this ritual was more inspiring than the dance itself.

This is where everyone stops to smell the roses in the Rose City. Celebrating its centennial in 2017, the International Rose Test Garden is the nation’s oldest continually operating rose test garden (where varieties are evaluated for characteristics such as disease resistance, bloom size, and fragrance). Originally conceived as a way to preserve different varieties of European roses from the destruction of World War I, the garden today contains 10,000 plants across 4.5 acres in Washington Park. Best of all, it’s completely free, whether you want to compare green thumbs with professionals or take in the views of Mount Hood while breathing in the perfumed air.

Stillwater is a longtime favorite in Launceston for its location on the Tamar River in a lovingly restored 1830s flour mill. Original beams, polished timber floors, and water views set the scene for seasonal dishes such as whiskey-cured Huon salmon; slow-roasted Flinders Island rack of lamb (flavored like ocean salt from the sea-swept grasses the lamb eat); and Cape Grim steak (which hails from the capital of clean air). The same owners run Black Cow Bistro a few blocks up the road, which is doing more incredible things with Cape Grim cuts. Save room for the sweet basil panna cotta with strawberries and breadcrumbs. You can hike it off at Cradle Mountain tomorrow.

At the top of Little Cottonwood Canyon, above the town of Sandy, Utah, the Alta Resort offers 2,200 skiable acres and an average of more than 550 inches of snowfall a year. While the steep slopes of the Wasatch mountains draw expert skiers, there is plenty of terrain for intermediate skiers and a number of programs within the ski school to get beginners and first-timers out and enjoying themselves. As for families, even those with little ones as young as two months old, day care is available all day long and into the early evening through Alta Children’s Center, and on Fridays and Saturdays until 6:30 p.m. with its Après-Ski Care. To get tykes skiing and on the slopes, Alta partners with the ski school.

Take a riverboat up the Wailua—which translates as the “river of the great sacred spirit"—fed by the Mount Waialeale shield volcano, one of the wettest spots on the planet. Seven temples once stood along Hawaii’s longest and only navigable freshwater passage. Today, the remains of four are still visible, alongside petroglyphs and rocks where the island’s alii (royalty) would give birth. Stretch your legs at the stunning Fern Grotto: Verdant plants blanket the roof of the volcanic-rock cave there. Smith’s offers 80-minute tours there on open-air boats, which include the songs and stories of ancient Hawai’I, plus a bonus hula lesson (smithskauai.com).

Located in Shibuya City, aka the Silicon Valley of Tokyo, Cerulean Tower Tokyu Hotel is a laid-back lodging close to Meiji Jingu Shrine and Tokyo Tower. Western and Japanese aesthetics mix in simple, unfussy guest rooms with calming colors and marble bathrooms; some have unobstructed views of Mount Fuji in the distance. You can find your moment of Zen in the stone garden in front of the lobby, the handiwork of celebrated landscape architect Shunmyo Masuno, or at the indoor pool. Quirky amenities include a traditional Noh theater and perhaps the only in-hotel dental salon, in case you need a touch-up teeth whitening.

Rising from the corner of Park City’s Main and Heber streets, the six-story, 33-suite Main & SKY blends a modern loft vibe with traditional ski-lodge service. Concrete, steel, and glass define the building and interior design, from the fireplace in the lobby to the elevator whisking beautiful people to their rooms. The hotel’s state-of-the-art lofts are unique to Park City, and the one-, two-, and three-bedroom suites feature floor-to-ceiling windows, full kitchens, living rooms with fireplaces and private decks with hot tubs. Sliding wall panels open to the master bathroom, the centerpiece of which is a soaking tub filled by a ceiling-mounted faucet.

When in Bora Bora, Tahitian pearls are a girl’s best friend. Often known as “black pearls,” they actually come in all sorts of colors, including black, blue, green, and pink. Even though the pearls aren’t produced in this island’s lagoon—most come from the Tuamotu or Gambier archipelago—many of the highest quality ones are sent to Bora Bora to be sold on the tourist market. The best deals are found on the main island at small boutiques, which often mount them into their own unique designs. Spend a day touring the island in search of your dream pendant or earrings; and if you really want to splurge, go for a full strand.