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The spirit of the late Gabriel García Márquez—one of Colombia’s most beloved cultural figures, and certainly its most beloved writer—lives on in Colombia, and is felt palpably in Cartagena. Though the Nobel Prize–winning author lived in Mexico City for many years, he had a home in Cartagena, and it was one of the cities that inspired his novels and the magical-realist style in which they were written. A walking tour focuses on the city’s influence on the work of Gabo (to use his affectionate nickname), with a smart narrative recounting historical, cultural and literary references.

Let the Urubamba River set your course during a thrilling rafting adventure along the Ollantaytambo rapids, available through the Belmond. The river helped form what is now the Sacred Valley, and along the way you’ll not only sense its power, but also get a feel for some less visited corners of the region it created. You’ll pass towering eucalyptus trees and the ruins of Inca terraces and more as you make your way down river, ending with a picnic lunch before returning to the hotel by car. Photo by Rod Waddington/Flickr.

The most enviable address in Waikiki, the beachfront Halekulani is all about restrained elegance and pitch-perfect service. The hotel dates back a century, though it was entirely rebuilt in the 1980s—and the room decor—fifty shades of white and plantation shutters framing the turquoise sea—complements the scene outside. The beach itself is small and usually mobbed, but the pool is a dream—a giant oval big enough for laps, and quiet enough (few kids here) for a long doze under your chaise’s umbrella. The grassy courtyards and seaside restaurants are just as improbably serene; some might say stuffy, but for others, the reliably hushed atmosphere is a welcome tonic to the hubbub of Waikiki, just outside the Halekulani’s marbled entrance.

There aren’t too many opportunities in the Caribbean to ride on horseback to a cave. In Los Haitises National Park, located three hours west of the resorts of Punta Cana, Fun Fun (pronounced “Foon Foon”) Cave is officially known as the largest cave in the Caribbean. Though the cave itself is in the National Park, access to the land goes across a private ranch and requires a guided tour. While the nearly three-hour drive from the resorts of Punta Cana is a lengthy, bumpy, journey into the interior, the scenes from the window provide an authentic glimpse into rural Dominican life. Sugar cane sways, schoolchildren wave, and mangoes drip from the trees. Upon reaching the ranch where you begin the tour you are shimmied into a jumpsuit and saddled onto your horse. A 45-minute ride through the shaded forest brings you to the edge of the National Park. From here it’s another 30 minute walk through sun-swallowing trees until you reach the entrance of Fun Fun Cave. Sliding into a harness and climbing gear, entering the cave requires a 50 ft. repel into a tiny hole which can barely fit your shoulders. Once at the bottom, it’s a one hour slog through the depths of the darkness before reaching the other exit. Inside the cave, stalactites and stalagmites pepper the areas which fall in the beam of your flashlight, and at some areas you are forced to swim through the soothing, subterranean waters. Here, a lone rope helps guide visitors through the hidden recesses of the cave.

Superlatives reign at this massive Palm Beach resort. Among the outsize offerings? The biggest casino in Aruba, with more than 500 slot machines and 26 gaming tables, as well as the island’s largest spa. Its 414 accommodations aren’t lacking for space either: Each room has a walk-in closet, double-sink bathroom, and private balcony; the highest-end suites are so palatial their balconies alone measure up to a sprawling 500 square feet—with ocean views to sweeten the deal. When you’re not playing roulette or indulging in a moisturizing coconut-milk wrap, kick back in one of the beachside palapas, or practice your breaststroke in the free-form pool, complete with cascading waterfalls and a volleyball net (a serene adults-only pool features a swim-up bar if that’s more your speed). In keeping with the more-is-more theme, guests are spoiled for choice with seven on-site restaurants, bars, and cafés, including a Ruth’s Chris Steak House, where the 500-degree plates ensure another best—the hottest meal in town.

Maison Collard’s claim to fame is a cookie so hard they have to print a warning on it. Legend has it, during the great siege of 1466, the people of Dinant were starving and had only two things at their disposal: flour and honey. They made these into dough and baked it. Later, they began to stamp patterns into the hard dough, with brassware found in their kitchens. In reality, there is little historical evidence to support the existence of the couque before the 18th century. Throughout the period, couques were decorated with depictions of important historic events. Although the tough dough is no longer kneaded by hand, the cookies are still pressed into hand-carved pear wood moulds. Popular shapes include animals, fruits, and scenes of Dinant. Nowadays, sugar and spices are also frequently added to the mix. Couques sold these days must be labeled with a warning advising people not to bite into the hard cookie. Instead, you are advised to dunk it in a beverage, to soften it, or break off a small piece and suck it. In fact, couques are traditionally given to babies to suck on while they are teething. More Information: http://cheeseweb.eu/2013/08/flamiche-couques-de-dinant-foodie-favourites-wallonia-belgium/

Nuzzled up against the Arizona border about 100 miles west of Four Corners are some 30 square miles of the most iconic scenery in the American West. Monument Valley is one of those places that you’ll recognize as soon as you see it, even if you’ve never been there before, as dozens of movies, TV shows, and even video games have used the area as a setting. It’s made up of mesas both small and large reaching up from the valley floor, some rising as high as 1,000 feet into the sky. Part of the Navajo Reservation, the area charges a $20-per-vehicle entrance fee to drive the dirt-road loop. Once in, however, you can also enjoy a number of hikes, or hire a guide for a horseback tour.

For much of its history, the western edges of Manhattan neighborhoods like the West Village and Chelsea consisted of small manufacturing buildings and warehouses that served the piers on the Hudson River. Over time, those factories were replaced with residential developments, and shipping largely moved out to Brooklyn and New Jersey. What remained, however, was an abandoned light-rail line, located above street level. After 10 years of lobbying the city, state, and federal governments, the first section of the High Line park opened in 2009. It now extends for 1.45 miles, from Gansevoort Street in the south to 34th Street at its other end. An innovative design by James Corner Field Operations uses native species to preserve some of the feeling the old rail line had when it was overgrown with weeds. It has quickly become one of New York’s most popular attractions, both with residents and visitors who stroll the length of it, as well as a model for other cities attempting to find new uses for old infrastructure.

Now based at several branded boutiques (including outposts in Roma, downtown, and posh Lomas de Chapultepec), and with a growing presence in some of the city’s smartest specialty shops, Mexican designer Carla Fernández has come into her own as a fashion force whose geometric cuts and mastery of color lead to clothes for men and women that are as bold as anything on Manhattan and Tokyo runways—yet always come alive with irrepressible Latin verve. Often inspired by indigenous palettes and textiles, the overall feel is edgy and today; and while the fit can be loose, even enigmatic, there’s a sexy something going on that has nothing to do with exposure or flaunt.

In 1946, Picasso worked from a studio in the Château Grimaldi of Antibes, creating 23 paintings and 44 illustrations that he gifted to the town. Later, 78 pieces that he designed for the Madoura pottery studios in Vallauris were added to the collection and the château became the world’s first Picasso museum. The nearby Archaeology Museum is housed in a historic fort and explores Antibes’s origin as the ancient Greek town Antipolis.

The Taj Mahal is referred to as “the jewel of Muslim art in India,” by UNESCO in its listing on the World Heritage Site registry. The Mughal ruler Shah Jahan had the truly magnificent white marble mausoleum built in 1632–1648, in memory of his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal. For its construction, artisans from all over the empire, Central Asia, Iran, were summoned and the final result of their stonework, calligraphy, carvings, gardening, woodwork, and soaring domes remains one of the universally admired masterpieces of world heritage. Allot ample time to tour the site—besides the mausoleum, there is a mosque, a guest house, cloisters, courtyards, gates, and vast gardens. In addition to being stunningly beautiful from afar, the iconic site is evocatively romantic and up-close, the intricate details in its architecture, ornamentation, and history, are revealed.

Royal Street is to antiques and fine art what Bourbon Street is to booze. This elegant urban thoroughfare is not only home to some of the best examples of the city’s early-19th-century Creole town houses, but is also loaded with high-end antiques retailers. These feature mostly ornate 18th- and 19th-century European sculptures and paintings, early furniture, chandeliers, and dinnerware used by the upper crust. Most of the inventory has a decidedly Continental air to it. Among the better-known shops are Waldhorn and Adler (343 Royal St.); Ida Manheim Antiques (409 Royal St.), run by the same family since 1919; and haute-upscale M.S. Rau (630 Royal St.), with its warren of hidden back rooms open only to serious customers.

Perched between South Atlantic beaches and lagoons and the massive sand dunes of the Namib Desert, the town of Swakopmund reflects a Bavarian-meets-African heritage in its buildings, cuisine and language. (It was the main harbor of German South West Africa, which lasted from 1884 until 1915, when South Africa took over the administration of the area.) Learn about the history of the town at the Swakopmund Museum, with exhibits on native flora and fauna, historical objects and archaeological relics, and the ethnology of the Namibian people and their cultures. The architecturally striking Kristall Galerie showcases Namibia’s mining history and includes the world’s largest quartz crystal cluster, a gem garden and a studio and shop for fine jewelry and precious stones.

The enormous, elegant Empress Place Building is a landmark colonial government-office structure that overlooks the Singapore River in the central business district. Since the early 2000s, it’s been home to the Asian Civilisations Museum (ACM), considered one of the finest institutions in Asia. Its collection of Buddhist statues, textiles, porcelain, and other treasures represents more than 5,000 years of history in China, Southeast Asia, the Indian subcontinent, and the Islamic world.

Tucked away in the heart of downtown Seoul is the quaint Insadong district, where a Korea of yore comes to life in the form of traditional artists and musicians, shops selling Korean crafts and souvenirs, and street performers dressed in native costumes. This is the place to go if you’re set on buying the wooden masks, paper lanterns, and tea sets that the country is famous for. Two other stores also stand out from the crowd in Insadong: Gounjae Handcraft can be smelled before you even enter the door. This handmade soap shop, in the small brick courtyard of Ssamji Gil Center, offers sumptuously scented soaps, lotions, and bath products in scents like avocado, ginger, and almond. I love the tiny, traditional mask-shaped soaps that make inexpensive and lightweight souvenirs. The Ee Gee boutique is a veritable treasure chest bursting with glimmering necklaces, bracelets, and other one-of-a-kind baubles–it’s located on Insadong’s main drag.