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As you enter Barcelona‘s famous Mercat de Sant Josep de La Boqueria from La Rambla, one of the first stalls you encounter is Tocineria Marcos, purveyors of Iberico ham and a stunning array of other cured, cooked, and fresh meats. It’s just one of the dazzling displays of delicacies in this, the most famous of Barcelona‘s 40 or so food markets. (Another favorite, and slightly less touristed, is the beautifully remodeled Mercat de Santa Caterina, short walk away.) La Boqueria dates back to 1217; a pig market was conducted here starting in 1470; and the current metal roof was built in 1914. There’s no better place to shop for a taste of Catalan culture.

A 1,200-acre green space filled with museums, theaters, and gardens, Balboa Park is the center of art and culture in San Diego. It’s also one of the city’s most historic sites, built for the Panama–California exhibition in 1915. While the museums are definitely worth seeing, there are also a number of free attractions, including the photogenic Botanical Building, which houses more than 2,100 plants (including Venus flytraps); the Desert Garden, filled with succulents from around the world; and a sculpture court with works by Miró and Rodin. For one of the area’s best views, purchase a timed ticket to climb the California Tower in the Museum of Man. The ornate structure reopened to the public in 2015 after being closed for nearly 80 years and features a spiral staircase to the eighth floor, where you can catch a glimpse of the Cuyamaca Mountains, the Cabrillo Bridge, and even Mexico’s Coronado Islands.

Austrian painter Christiane Ritter reluctantly followed her hunter husband to Svalbard in 1933, a time when much less was known about the far north than today. Five years later, her memoir, A Woman in the Polar Night, did the same job of informing people about the realities of arctic life that Marco Polo did for the Silk Road and Mongolia. Located at the mouth of the Liefdefd Fjord, Gråhuken Mountain plays a starring role in the novel as the location for the couple’s tarpaulin-covered hut, more than 97 kilometers (60 miles) away from the next human—and the place where Ritter gradually learns to love the isolation and harsh yet inspiring environment.

This elegantly rustic 10,000-acre ranch tucked into the Santa Ynez Valley encourages you to get unplugged and get outdoors. In fact, there are no TVs or phones in the guest rooms. Instead, guests head to the barn to choose a noble steed and enjoy the 50 miles of riding trails that wind through canyons, past shaded hillsides, refreshing streams, and grazing cattle. Saddle up for the popular morning ride to enjoy a hearty cowboy breakfast featuring gigantic flapjacks at the historic Adobe Camp, which sits among giant sycamores in the nearby hills. If riding horses isn’t for you, you can fish in a spring-fed lake, hike through Deer Canyon, cycle the trails, play tennis, practice your swing at two championship golf courses, or unwind at the spa. Executive chef Anthony Endy expertly blends seasonal California cuisine with Western ranch cooking, whether guests are dining in the Ranch Room or having a meal by the pool. When you sit back in the evening with the distant sounds of the barnyard as the sun sets over the oak-studded hills, you might realize you haven’t checked your cell phone all day.

If you’re sheepish about nudity, turn back. But, if your birthday suit is your favorite thing to pack, then Orvis Hot Springs—in Ridgway, Colorado—just may be your dream Telluride spot. Here, eight al fresco pools sit in the foothills of the San Juan Mountains. Ranging from 65 to 112 degrees, the pools are naturally imbued with relaxing lithium, providing the perfect escape from the stress of daily life. After a rejuvenating soak, round out your afternoon of pampering with a visit to the sauna, or a shiatsu massage in a yurt.

Don’t blast past this easy-to-drive-by restaurant on the Seward Highway. Open since June 2017, Froth & Forage looks like an unassuming sandwich joint. And it does serve some sandwiches. But you’re not going to get, say, a ham and cheese. Nope. You’re going to get an open-faced shrimp scampi sandwich served with house-cut fries that are topped with truffle oil, garlic, and Parmesan. Oh, and the view out of the window is of Turnagain Arm and the mountains. It’s crazy beautiful. So now you see why you shouldn’t blast past? You’ll want to eat there again—and you can do that on your drive back to Anchorage.

There are plenty of places to grab a burger and a beer in the Smoky Mountains, but not many are as memorable as Local Goat. It’s one of the few restaurants in the Gatlinburg area to source local ingredients, and the kitchen’s attention to detail shows. In addition to the signature gourmet burgers, there’s also a diverse selection of entrées that range from teriyaki kebabs to shrimp and grits. It’s also the place in the area with the widest variety of beers from around Appalachia—the diversity of Local Goat’s extensive tap lineup is impressive.

There are no guarantees the Northern Lights will start dancing on the night you look skyward, but it’s so worth taking the chance. One of the great rewards for hanging out in Alaska once the dark and cold settle over the state, the Northern Lights (or if you want to be scientific about it, aurora borealis) serve up a light show that is equal parts science, magic, and art. Your best bet for catching the light show is to head away from city lights. That’s one of many reasons it’s worth making the trip to Denali National Park, open year-round. When the park’s summer crowds disappear, visitors feel as though the massive national park is an intimate personal space.

Opened in 2012, the Alpina is one of only two newly built, five-star hotels in Gstaaad in more than a century. Situated in a wealthy hilltop area in Oberbort, the hotel offers stellar views of the Bernese Alps (including the Spitzhorn and Oldenhorn) and the valley scenery of the Saanenland—as well as an impressive amount of discreet luxury. Built in traditional Swiss chalet style, the limestone-and wood-structure contains 56 rooms and suites that pair antique and artisan furnishings (wardrobes, tables, carved ceilings) with contemporary design pieces. All rooms have great views, though the higher the better; on the 5th and 6th floors, you’ll find the jaw-dropping, duplex Panorama Suite, with separate dining and working areas, and a fireplace. Furthermore, throughout the hotel’s public spaces, guests can see art by famous artists like Barbara Kruger, Tracey Emin, and Bosco Sodi.

The hotel facilities are some of the best in Switzerland, ranging from an authentically Cuban-style cigar lounge to multiple Michelin-starred restaurants. The hotel’s Six Senses spa spans a whopping 21,500 square feet and includes an 80-foot-long lap pool, while an immaculately landscaped garden, designed by French garden designer Jean Mus, brims with Alpine plants and corresponding fragrances in the summer.

Huacachina is a coastal desert located in the Ica region. It holds one of the few oases in the whole region: a blue-green lake amid huge sand dunes under a beautifully clear sky. Take a dune buggy so that you can ride all over the dunes before riding a sand board down. This is the definition of a touristic little town, and it is definitely worth a visit. You’ll find some nice hostels ands lodges where you can stay overnight right in the middle of the oasis. Huacachina Oasis is a short four-hour drive from Lima, and there are also plenty of buses that will bring you here.

Toronto’s St. Lawrence Market is crammed with 120 vendors, butcher counters, bakeries, ethnic eateries, and seafood shops. But there’s one reason why most people come here: the peameal bacon sandwich, which is dished up at the Carousel Bakery. It’s not really bacon—or at least not the bacon you usually eat—but rather tender, thicker strips of pork, cut from the loin and then rolled in peameal (like cornmeal but made from peas), and served on a kaiser roll with a swipe of mustard. It’s a porklicious treat!

Taste Fiji is all about the local bounty, drawing on the very best ingredients from the islands—breadfruit flour, unusual mountain greens, and of course abundant tropical fruits—to create delicious dishes that are addictive. The star offering on the lunch menu is caramelized Vuda pork belly with sour, spicy chili vinegar and topped with toasted sesame seeds. The modern, café-style restaurant first made its name with its fancy cakes, so leave room for dessert—they’re still the top wedding cake maker in Fiji. There’s also a gift shop where you can buy soaps, crafts, jams, and jellies, all made locally.

Haleakala, a huge and dormant shield volcano, forms more than 75 percent of Maui’s landmass. As such, it pretty much demands you ascend its slopes and peer into its crater—the island’s very soul. Legend claims the demigod Maui snared the sun here, freeing it only after it swore to inch more slowly across the sky.

The 38-mile, two-and-a-half-hour drive up Haleakala climbs from sea level to 10,023 feet through several different ecological zones. One of the most popular ways to experience the volcano remains cycling down from the summit at sunrise. Do it yourself if you’re confident, or join a guided tour (Skyline Eco-Adventures offers one that includes a zip-line ride). Once you’ve mastered the motion—and the 21 switchbacks along the road—effortless downhill freewheeling rewards you with unsurpassed views of the island. If you’d rather savor the vistas from a lofty perch, drive to the top for the sunset or book an overnight at one of the park’s wilderness cabins, accessible only by hiking trail.

Cruising through Prince Christian Sound, passengers only see one sign of human habitation against the stark landscape: the tiny Inuit village called Aappilattoq, which means “sea anemone” in the local Greenlandic Inuit language. Aappilattoq sits perched at the edge of the water with towering mountains all around, making the village virtually inaccessible by land. The cluster of colorful houses is home to around 100 people, rugged individuals who mostly fish and hunt the harsh terrain as they live isolated from the outside world (except for the occasional arrival of a boat or helicopter).

The Masungi Georeserve is a conservation area in the rain forest of Baras, Rizal, just 30 miles from Manila. The landscape is a mix of jagged limestone rock formations (the reserve’s name comes from the word masungki, which means “spiked”), lush woods, and caves. There is a unique guided nature hike through this terrain that includes rope courses, suspended bridges, steps, and hanging rest areas. Taking around three to four hours to traverse, the trail does not need any special hiking skills—but does require that you be in decent physical condition. Scaling the peaks rewards visitors with breathtaking views of the Sierra Madre mountain range on one side and the Laguna de Bay lake (the largest in the Philippines) on the other. The rest spots are spectacular: The Sapot is like a huge spiderweb you can walk on, and there’s a shelter called the Patak dangling from a hanging bridge as well as a giant hammock called the Duyan. Reaching one of these spots in the late afternoon might just reward you with a great sunset. Rain-forest weather is hot and humid, so the best time to go is during the cooler months of November to February. Advance reservations are required.