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For travelers who appreciate folk art and crafts, there are a number of towns outside Oaxaca where artisans create beautiful pieces following age-old techniques. San Bartolo Coyotepec is a small Zapotec community just eight miles from Oaxaca. It is most famous for its prized black pottery, formed by hand using techniques that are believed to date back at least 2,000 years. While you are there, take a look at the city’s remarkable Baroque church, constructed in the 18th century by Dominican friars. Continue on to San Martín Tilcajete, another Zapotec town, famous for its alebrijes, wooden carvings of fantastic, multicolored animals. Next, visit the studio of Jacopo and María Angeles, two of the most famous artists creating these colorful sculptures.

Just east of Guayacanes, this six-mile stretch of sand is a favorite of beach bums, with calm waters at one end of the cove and big waves at the other. Busier than Playa Guayacanes, Juan Dolio also offers more food and drink options, plus glass-bottom boat rides and parasailing. For an authentic slice of Dominican life, stop by on Sunday, when local families come to picnic and swim in the warm Caribbean water.

Old Town Square, founded in the 12th century, is the center of Prague. In the middle of it all, the Old Town Hall (which also houses the famous Astronomical Clock), built in 1338, still provides the best 360-degree views of the city. For a fee, visitors can climb or take an elevator to the observation deck of the nearly 230-foot tower for views of the Adam and Eve towers of Tyn Cathedral across the square, the Jan Hus monument, Prague Castle, Strahov Monastery, the National Gallery, and the winding cobblestone streets and red-roofed buildings below.

Want hot chiles? mild peppers? powder? paste? Across from the old Spanish mission in Tumacácori, you’ll find it. For decades, family-owned and family-run Santa Cruz Chili & Spice Co. has been providing flavors in Southern Arizona. There’s even a mini Western Museum...and of course, you can sample the sauces and salsas... The Santa Cruz valley, between Tucson and Nogales, is one of the oldest continually-farmed regions in the U.S.; for four thousand years, native peppers, beans, squash, cactus and corn have been cultivated, even here in the desert. Then, beginning in the 17th century, Spaniards introduced Mediterranean plants: grapes, figs, pomegranates, figs, quince...and cattle ranching. A small garden on the grounds of the Tumacácori mission across the road from the Santa Cruz Chili Co. still grows some of these heirloom crops. A visit to the mission and spice market make for a great afternoon or day trip from Tucson. Go south from Tucson on I-19 for about an hour. (Note: I-19 is marked in kilometers, not miles; quirky.) Take Exit 29, turn left, then turn north on the old highway, and you’ll see the big chile-pepper sign on the left, just before you get to Tumacácori mission National Historical Park. The store is closed on Sundays.

It had been a long wait for modern art lovers, but after a three-year closure and a $305 million renovation and expansion, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) reopened in May 2016, and was it ever worth the wait. A new 10-story addition from the renowned Norwegian design firm Snøhetta integrates seamlessly with the existing black-and-white-striped atrium tower, giving San Francisco‘s SoMa neighborhood some serious eye-candy. It’s also now the largest modern and contemporary art museum in America, with nearly triple its previous gallery space. New to the already impressive collection are selected works from the esteemed Doris and Donald Fisher Collection, featuring significant American and European artists of the 20th and 21st centuries such as Andy Warhol, Ellsworth Kelly, Alexander Calder, Georg Baselitz, Barbara Hepworth, and Henry Moore, among many others. Gifts of painting, sculpture, drawings, media arts, and architecture made to the museum since 2009 also rotate through various galleries, while the entire third floor is dedicated to the Pritzker Center for Photography. Visitors take a breather in the tranquil sculpture garden with enormous living wall, or in the fifth floor Cafe 5. Along with offering free entry to visitors 18 years old and under, SFMOMA invites you to try In Situ, the museum’s signature 150-seat lounge and restaurant, helmed by Michelin-star chef Corey Lee, with a menu of dishes culled from the recipes of some 80 chefs from around the world.

No one stays at Old Faithful Inn for the amenities: With no Wi-Fi, air conditioning, or TVs in the rooms—some don’t even have private bathrooms—all you can do is watch bison graze unperturbed by the busloads of tourists pulling up, or the namesake geyser spout. The lack of luxury doesn’t seem to deter the crowds, though, who come to sleep under the roof of the original log-and-stone building, which was completed in 1904, and launched the iconic architectural style known as National Park Service rustic, or Parkitecture. Though an east wing was added in 1914, and a west wing in 1927, the lodge remains much as tourists saw it a century ago, with its soaring, open lobby surrounding an enormous four-sided, 86-foot stone fireplace. The pre-existing Crow’s Nest that leads to the roof terrace is off-limits now, but two mezzanine-level interior balconies are coveted seating areas for unwinding with nightly piano performances. While the two wings have better views of Old Faithful and the geyser basin, you can’t beat the Old House for its historic charm.

For those of us used to seeing chicken cut into parts, wrapped in plastic, and cooling in supermarket refrigerators, a trip to a local Peruvian market is fascinating and a bit daunting. At the biggest market, San Pedro, just up the street from the Plaza de Armas, you’ll find fruits, vegetables, alpaca charqui (the Quechua source of our word jerky), pig’s heads, herbs, fruit juices, weavings, and much, much more. You’ll see a fair number of foreigners wandering here as well, so for an experience that feels more authentic, try San Blas Market or Rosaspata, both off the tourist track.

One of the iconic sights of the American Southwest, Taos Pueblo has been inhabited for at least a thousand years. The adobe architecture seems to spring, organic, from the earth at the foot of Taos Mountain. It’s a UNESCO World Heritage site, but a living community, not a museum. San Geronimo church, at the center of the pueblo, is a relative newcomer here--built in the mid-19th century to replace the Spanish mission that was destroyed in 1847, when U.S. troops bombarded it as part of a campaign to quell a rebellion. Its history has been turbulent, but the setting is beautiful, and Taos Pueblo welcomes respectful visitors today. Before exploring on your own, take the time to listen to one of its college-student docents on a brief guided walk. They’ll be telling you about their families...

Around 700 people live in the only permanent settlement in the Juan Fernández Archipelago, San Juan Bautista on Isla Robinson Crusoe. Although no longer as isolated as it was when Alexander Selkirk, the likely inspiration for Robinson Crusoe, was a castaway in the archipelago, the village is still remote. It can take up to two days to make the sea crossing from the Chilean mainland (but less than two hours by plane). While most of San Juan Bautista’s residents rely on catching crab, fish and lobsters for their incomes, tourism during the summer season is an increasingly important part of the local economy.

An Easter Monday spanking with a hand-made whip of twigs (pomlázka) may not seem like the ideal way to bring about good health and fertility, nor the best way for a boy to get eggs from the village girls, but this centuries-old tradition still lingers on in the smaller towns and villages of the Czech Republic. In the eastern region of Moravia, this is often replaced by the equally dignified dousing by cold water. Thankfully, neither option needs to be experienced to enjoy the festive atmosphere of Easter in Prague. In the Czech Republic, Easter is a nearly week long celebration. Even under the strictly non-religious days of Communism, Easter was an important celebration of springtime and its symbolic rebirth. Easter markets can be found on three of Prague´s most famous squares – Old Town Square, Wenceslas Square and the Square of the Republic. Decorated Easter eggs, hand-made wooden toys, puppets, lace and a variety of foods can be found throughout the weeks leading up to Easter Sunday. There are also cultural performances including traditional folk dancing and local choirs that are worth checking out. The markets can get crowded, particularly on Easter Weekend, but it’s still usually less packed than during peak summer months.

Just down the beach from the dreamy Rancho Pescadero hotel is Baja’s popular San Pedrito surf break. I paddled in just in time to get this dreamy shot of the clouds melting into the horizon.

About 30 minutes from Oranjestad at the southern tip of Aruba is San Nicolas, the island’s second-largest city. In 2016, it became home to Aruba’s only mural district following the now-annual Aruba Art Fair. As part of the fair, exhibiting artists created large, brightly colored paintings on more than two dozen of the city’s buildings, gracing structures with everything from multi-colored lionfish and staring flamingos to native Arubans and surreal optical illusions. Today, visitors to San Nicolas can take an organized tour to see the murals, or just wander the streets to discover them on their own.

The tiny Abbey of San Fruttuoso is nestled in a cove between Camogli and Portofino, and accessible solely by foot or boat. If you want to hike it, find the trail at the far end of Camogli, and be ready for a steep, but gorgeous, two hour hike up and over the mountain. If you would prefer a quick 15 minute boat ride, catch the boat for a few euro in the harbor of Camogli and ride to San Fruttuoso in style. The abbey itself is beautiful, but it is also nice to simply sit and have a cocktail at the beachside restaurant (look closely - their kitchen is upstairs, so they send the food down in a small wicker basket when it’s ready!).

Centrally located in the heart of the Cayo District, the award-winning San Ignacio Resort Hotel offers guests convenient access to the region’s best sights and activities. San Ignacio Resort Hotel features 24 rooms and has the distinction of being named “Hotel of the Year” in 2012 by the Belize Tourism Board. Room options include a honeymoon suite, regal rooms, deluxe balcony and garden rooms and one spa suite. The on-site restaurant features a number of tantalizing dishes and some of the best traditional food I’ve had in Belize. Check out the on-site Green Iguana Project and learn about San Ignacio Resort Hotel’s conservation efforts in Belize. Be sure to start at least one morning off by bird-watching over breakfast.

On the banks of the Macal River, at the edge of downtown San Ignacio, you’ll find a sprawling Saturday market where everything from shoes and clothing to housewares and fresh produce is for sale. Local people shop for supplies and gather to catch up on gossip at the food stalls. The market is somewhat divided between produce sellers and souvenir vendors, but as the market has grown, the separation seems to have floundered a bit. Leave enough time to wander every aisle and stall to ensure no gem is left undiscovered. Locals recommend the tacos and pupusas as the best choices for lunch, and the snow cones topped with evaporated milk for a snack. Buses also park just next to the market in a dirt lot, so transportation is not difficult if you’re coming from outside of town.