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What could an Alaska local ever discover on a voyage through the Inside Passage? Just the essence of the place he thought he knew.

Home to an ancient Roman temple, a beautiful main square and a stunning Cathedral, Vic is a Barcelona side-trip worth making. Especially since it’s only about an hour and half away from Barcelona in train.

This is the storefront to the internationally known high fashion web empire that few people – even Montrealers – know is based Montreal. SSENSE has been selling brands like Erdem, 3.1 Philip Lim, Givenchy, Chloé, Yves Saint Laurent, Valentino and dozens more élite designers for years now, bringing the world of fashion to Montreal in a way even department stores Ogilvy and Holt Renfrew haven’t been able to. In contrast to the web store, this stylish storefront on fashion avenue – where local designers Denis Gagnon, Rad Hourani and more have their boutiques – is the place to go to try some designer items on in the flesh.

You can take your rented bike and pedal down to a waiting Zipcar and get out of town. From the mountains to the coast—and everything in between—you’ll enjoy an easy break from the urban outlook, usually with an hour of driving, or less.

We love Taiwan because it fits a surprisingly exotic array of activities into a tiny area. Mountains, beaches, and cities are all connected by high-speed rail, so within hours of landing a visitor can browse the world’s finest collection of Chinese art in Taipei, bathe in rare mineral mud springs in the south, or stroll among the tea fields in Taiwan’s mountains. Convenience, culture, and low cost all contribute to our love affair with Taiwan.

Galveston is only an hour drive away from Houston, making it the perfect escape for a day or weekend trip. With over 30 miles of beaches, Victorian neighborhoods, shopping, and entertainment, Galveston is earning the reputation as the Gulf Coast’s playground. The city has experienced a tourism boom in recent years after being hit hard by Hurricane Ike in 2008. Major efforts were put into rebuilding Galveston – restoring not only its charm, but also its spirit.

November to April, snowbirds settle in and everyone soaks up Arizona’s sun. But if you want snow, just go up! After golfing or swimming down in the desert, in less than an hour you can be up in Arizona’s mountains skiing among evergreen forests. Traveling to Arizona can mean fleeing from the snow or escaping to seek solace in a quiet white landscape. Take your pick; it’s here waiting for you.

When the sun goes down, Cancun and the Riviera Maya offers a totally different kind of vibe, becoming a sexy, sleek destination where the beat goes on literally till dawn. Nightlife is big in the area, with trendy clubs such as Coco Bongo - which has clubs in both locations - offering non stop action until the wee hours of the morning

In the last two decades the shops along the narrow alleys and cobbled streets of Kazimierz have attracted a variety of artists who have set up their businesses here as the neighbouhood has become Krakow’s bohemian quarter. Visitors can now spend several hours happily browsing the shops along Ulica Jozefa. Cheder Café offers Middle Eastern snacks and is decorated in a contemporary style that is unmistakably Jewish in character and feels like a relaxed library.

A perfect day in Doha may involve a trip to the desert for the thrill of dune bashing and a swim, or a few hours shopping for traditional souvenirs at Souq Waqif, or breakfast, lunch, and dinner at three of the many fine cuisine restaurants in the city, or a visit to the Museum of Islamic Art or to the private collection of Sheikh Faisal, or a leisurely walk along the corniche, or window shopping for luxury cars at The Pearl, or a dhow dinner cruise. The options are endless.

While there are a growing number of beach resorts on St. Kitts, you can still find plenty of secluded sands around the island when you want to disappear for a few hours. Visitors can also look forward to sunbathing on the black sand of Dieppe Bay, spotting dolphins on Turtle Beach, or snorkeling over shipwrecks in White House Bay.

Istanbul has a rocking nightlife that spans both continents and all hours of the evening—and early morning. While options for wild nights are limited in the tourism precinct of Sultanahmet, the beats pick up across the Golden Horn in the Beyoğlu District with rock, alternative, and world music venues along the side streets off Istiklal Caddesi. For supper clubs and VIP style, head to Ortaköy or Kuruçeşme to party by the Bosporus.

One day is not enough for a visit to San Sebastián, but that doesn’t mean you can’t give it your best effort. Start your perfect day with breakfast on the Boulevard. Condense the city’s views into a stroll, visiting each corner by foot. After working up your appetite, grab a hard day’s meal in San Sebastián’s most famous pintxo bars, with curated tours by San Sebastián Food. Twenty-four hours is just enough time to create some unforgettable memories.

It isn’t wine or cocktails that mark happy hour for locals in Marseille but Pastis, the anise-flavored drink of choice first commercialized by Paul Ricard during the prohibition of absinthe. Ricard’s recipe and formula– star anise, licorice root; five volumes of water for one volume of Pastis - proved an instant hit back in the early 1930’s and is largely responsible for popularizing the aperitif-hour tradition in the south. Today’s experts can be found at La Maison du Pastis, a shop tucked deep in the colonnades of the Vieux Port specialized in 75 different varieties of Pastis and Absinthe. Be sure to ask for a taste before you pick up a bottle, the staff is more than happy to oblige.

Mrs Sippy is one of the most gorgeous pool clubs around. The aqua-blue saltwater pools, surrounded by white loungers and a backdrop of palm trees, make the club very Instagram-friendly. Poolside, diving boards at one, three, and five meters (3.2, 9.8, and 16.4 feet) are for the brave or silly and provide a floor show for the sunbathers. A visit to this beautiful tropical oasis comes with a Seminyak-style price tag on cocktails, so take advantage of happy hours and drink specials (in particular, Sippy Sundays, with two-for-one frozen cocktails all day long). Loungers can be reserved ahead by phone.