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Cancún’s best-known mall offers travelers an easy-to-reach location in the heart of the Hotel Zone. Known to locals simply as Plaza La Isla, this outdoor shopping center is a lovely spot to beat the heat thanks to its Venetian frippery (think winding canals), playful fountains, and ice cream parlors. The Marina area, with a restaurant row overlooking Nichupté Lagoon, is a top photo op. Reached via the designer shops in the Fashion Harbor section, it faces west and is ideal for catching the sun setting over the water.

Some say that The Chapel of the Holy Cross is located in the heart of a vortex. Others regard it as a place of contemplation and spirituality. The Chapel itself was actually built by a devout student of Frank Lloyd Wright named Marguerite Brunswig Staude in 1956. Staude wanted to create a lasting tribute to her religious beliefs, and was so taken with the beauty of Sedona that she began work on the Chapel. Nestled between massive red boulders, the Chapel is a must see in Sedona. And, if you look carefully enough in the red rocks next, you can still see an Rx carved into the rock as a tribute to Marguerite’s father, a pharmacist.

My uncle and I stood with my tripod on the lakeshore behind our houseboat, trying desperately to capture the massive red rock wall before us. It was one of my first lessons in night photography, and it wasn’t going great: there just wasn’t enough light despite the starry starry sky. I tried over and over, different shutter speeds, using spotlights, nothing worked...too dark. On my last try, I set the shutter speed to a few minutes, as the shutter opened, all of a sudden a houseboat from the next cove over set off fireworks. Their fireworks lit up the entire night sky, and shone their glorious light right on my rock face, resulting in this image.

Valley of Fire is the oldest state park in Nevada, and a great place to see 3,000-year-old Indian petroglyphs and explore the red sandstone formations created during the age of the dinosaurs. Bring your camera to photograph the landscape while hiking this rocky landscape formed over 150 million years ago. The red sandstone gives off an incredible light, which makes the grey rocks nearby appear turquoise. Great place to camp while watching incredible sunrises and sunsets! Photographers will go crazy for this place, especially in spring, when a variety of wild flowers bloom. Skip the Las Vegas strip and head straight to this magical place!

Already a popular day trip, this jade-colored waterway rocketed to fame as the site of Calypso’s house in Pirates of the Caribbean. Hire a guide and colorful rowboat—most seat up to eight passengers—for the one-mile excursion upstream and watch for crayfish and young barracudas in the brackish river, which is lined by mangroves with mighty buttress roots. Don’t miss the fruit drinks and Dynamite rum punch at Cobra’s Bush Bar, the trip’s turnaround point.

Swoops of smooth, scarlet earth overlook Dominica’s northeast coast near Calibishie. At Point Baptiste, a mile-long coral reef protects the seashore, creating a calm lagoon. Farther down the coast, however, the Atlantic erodes and slaps waves high onto the dramatic headland. If you visit Point Baptiste Beach, know that a caretaker sometimes requests a donation from foreigners. Still, it’s a small price to pay for exploring this spectacular landscape of black sand, red rock, and splendid mountain views, which are especially beautiful at dusk.

This open-air, oceanside Creole restaurant snuggles behind a grocery store in Calibishie, a bijou town where locals, expats, and tourists mingle. While the short ribs steal the spotlight, there are also Caribbean favorites like yam, fried plantains, and goat curry. Top any dish with local hot sauce made from Scotch bonnet peppers (available for sale in the adjacent bodega). The gazebo offers stunning views of the water and Red Rocks, but avoid it on windy days when the sea spray kicks up.

A few minutes from the shops, galleries, and restaurants of Sedona, but tucked away along the banks of quiet-flowing Oak Creek, L’Auberge de Sedona is one of the Southwest’s most romantic hideaways. It has red-rock views, as every accommodation in Sedona must, but its French-country-inn style, in the land of adobe architecture, and its leafy, creekside location, are what define it. Through a series of chefs, its restaurant, Cress on Oak Creek, has maintained a stellar reputation, in no small part because of the romance of dining at a table that in some cases is practically in Oak Creek. And the spa, L’Apothecary, with at least one seasonally offered treatment requiring guests to wade in up to their ankles, draws much of its essence from the creek, too. Extensive renovations done in 2011 included the redesign of the 58 rooms and cottages, and the addition of 29 more, many with fireplaces, private decks, and—because romance matters—outdoor cedar-lined showers. Still there, and still popular, are the early morning duck feedings and the nighttime telescope sessions with a professional astronomer.

Anyone taking diligent notes on Portland decor is sure to notice similarities in design from location to location beyond a love for taxidermy. Much of that Rose City decorating style emanates from Schoolhouse Electric. Located in a 115-year-old redbrick warehouse and factory building in an industrial part of the city’s West Side, Schoolhouse Electric sells everything from perfect reproductions of 1960s-era IBM clocks to more vintage sconces and analogue clocks than you can shake a stick at. The store’s Ristretto Roasters coffee bar provides a caffeine boost when your energy for curated doorknobs reaches its limit.

Just 30 miles from the southern gate of Zion National Park, Quail Creek State Park surrounds a 600-acre reservoir that boasts some of the warmest waters in Utah. Its consistently mild climate draws year-round tourists and day-trippers eager to boat, fish, and swim in the clear blue water. The park is also home to a spacious campground, which proves a popular alternative for Zion visitors who want to stay in a red-rock-desert setting.

“I’ve never seen so much red – except at a French brothel,” a fellow guest said to me as we rode the elevator together. She was right. From the moment you enter the lobby, the Rouge lives up to its colorful name with its red quartz tile, red lamps, and the Red Hot Room (for meetings). You’ll find crimson headboards and velvet drapes in each room -- although there’s plenty of zebra print, too. One of eight Kimpton hotels in Washington, DC, Rouge is certainly the rosiest. Stylish and eclectic in that Kimpton fashion, my street-facing room was both comfy and oversized – and convenient. It’s just three blocks to DuPont Circle and then only a bit further to Rock Creek Park (great for jogging, biking, or just walking). The White House is five blocks away and Whole Foods Market just two. For the athletically minded (like me), the good news is that each room has a yoga mat in the closet and nearly all are large enough to do a complete Vinyasa flow. The less good news: the small fitness room in the basement is dreary (but for $5 you can get a pass to the local “Y,” which has every amenity, including a 25-meter pool). The Rouge’s guests are as idiosyncratic as its décor. Families, business warriors, and hipsters seem to be the main human food groups –converging for the hotel’s wine hour from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. and at then, again, breakfast. If eclectic’s your thing, the Rouge is your place. Leave the rose-colored glasses at home – you won’t need them here.

I could have spent days at Camden Market! There’s loads to see and something for everyone. My favourite find from Camden is an awesome nautical style rockabilly dress (which I saved £10 on :). I also ate the most epic burrito of my life in Camden. It was heavenly.

Broadway Oyster Bar wears many hats. First and foremost, it’s an oyster bar, serving bivalves in a variety of fashions, from raw and char-grilled to fried and Rockefeller style. It’s also a solid bar, where a lot of folks come to party both before and after Cardinals games. Finally, it’s one of the finest music venues in St. Louis—or at least the most fun—with live shows twice a day, save for Fridays when one act plays the whole night. Expect local and national bands, plus a lot of New Orleans artists, playing anything from bluegrass to rock and reggae. Between all the eating, drinking, and music, take some time to learn the history of BOB. It’s housed in a building from the 1840s—one of the oldest in the city that’s still in use—that has served as a boardinghouse, Chinese laundry, record store, and bordello over the years. Naturally, it’s said to be haunted.

After the Grand Ole Opry left the Ryman Auditorium, country legend Roy Acuff said the redbrick building with its Gothic arches and stained glass windows might as well be torn down. The Ryman had been home to performances and broadcasts since the 1940s, but it was in poor condition and lacked air-conditioning and proper dressing rooms. Fortunately, its legacy as “The Mother Church of Country Music” prevailed and, after years of sitting practically empty, the auditorium was renovated and began hosting shows once again. Originally built as a church, the grand hall has spectacular acoustics and a lingering magic in its pews from all those years spent witnessing country music history. A trip here is practically obligatory when visiting the Music City.

Up for a long day at the museums near South Kensington? Resist going into a smelly-ale pub to fuel up on energy for the more quaint and charming Fernandez & Wells. It feels indie, even though there are several locations throughout the city. Have a coffee or a tea or a sandwich stuffed with goat cheese, chorizo and rocket all from local farmer’s markets. They serve quality food in a homey atmosphere.