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There are hundreds of reasons we love Ireland, from the dramatic coastlines with their remote, beaches to the peat bogs, ruins and prehistoric sites dotted around the country. When you visit, you can see deer in the park, walk the cliffs, go horseback riding on the beach or tour a whiskey distillery. Visitors to Ireland will also love the cultural traditions like music sessions, storytelling and poetry, as well as lively pubs and meeting friendly Irish locals. Here are some of the country’s best highlights.

Locals take a casual attitude toward food in the Netherlands. Service is mellow if there at all, but Dutchies don’t mind. Unlike Americans, they linger over food at informal joints with high-quality food or grab street snacks like herring, fries smothered in sauce, or brodjes (sandwiches). Many Amsterdammers will claim they’ve never bought a kroquet at a FEBO, but you’ll find them in the wee hours at these coin-operated eateries.

Seoul is a vast metropolis with an efficient public transportation system. In addition to major sites like temples, museums, and palaces, the city boasts unexpected gems including nature trails and mazes of alluring backstreets.

AFAR chose a destination at random—by literally spinning a globe—and sent Vendela Vida on a spontaneous journey to St. Maarten.

Three days might just be enough time to sample the delights Zurich has to offer. Take the Polybahn up to ETH University’s terrace for its vistas overlooking the city. Explore Lake Zurich, take a swim in a riverside badi, grab a beer at Zurich’s oldest preserved pub, taste its world-famous chocolate, visit an art museum, and calorie-splurge on traditional Swiss cuisine.

Adobe streetfront: door...window...sky. Color. Much of Tucson, like most western U.S. cities, is devoted to strip malls and parking lots, but the historic core still has blocks of 19th-century Sonoran-style row houses. In the 1960s, acres and acres of the Barrio Viejo was razed, but fortunately not all of it. Today it’s a combination of gentrification and the pleasantly decrepit: attorney’s offices, student rentals, and family homes share this yard-less streetscape in a bilingual neighborhood. In reading about the history of the neighborhood, I came across this description, written back in the 1930s by Dr. James Harvey Robinson of Columbia University, who was visiting Tucson for the first time: “But this cannot be the United States of America, Tucson, Arizona! This is northern Africa - Tunis! Algiers! - or even Greece, where I have seen as here, houses built flush with the sidewalks with pink, blue, green and yellow walls, flowers climbing out of hidden patios and overall, an unbelievable blue sky. And the sweet-acrid smell in the air? Burning mesquite. Lovely! And the people - charming. But all this is the Old World, not America.” The Barrio Viejo is perfect for a bike ride. You do feel as if you’ve left reality-TV-obsessed Gringolandia...if only for a few blocks...

Lisbon is rich in art and culture. Visit palaces and the cathedral, and hear concerts in gardens and live music in bars. Enjoy art galleries and the colorful tiles at Museu Nacional do Azulejo. (Note that many Lisbon museums are free on Sundays till 2 p.m.) Art can also be found in the streets or parking lots, where the walls are covered with street art. Lisbon’s cultural offerings are many.

With everything from street food to Michelin-starred cuisine, Seoul boasts an extensive culinary scene. Be sure to sample specialties like bulgogi (barbecued meat), japchae (stir-fried noodles), and comforting soups, all served with kimchi.

Charming any time of year, Brussels’ arcades and shopping streets offer top designer boutiques, whimsical gifts, or that perfect vintage treasure. Brussels may be known for diamonds, but you can find everything here: designer fashions, trendy vintage clothes, housewares, gifts for gourmets, and so much more.

First off, you should know how to say ‘cheers’ in Polish: Twoje zdrowie! You’ll hear the toast often as you wander the medieval streets of this welcoming city. Student spots, elegant rooftop lounges, old taverns, vodka bars—drink the vodka, the local beer, or a flute of sparkling wine and practice this important Polish phrase.

Japan’s former imperial city offers awe-inspiring Shinto and Buddhist temples, beautiful gardens, streets lined with old wooden town houses, and narrow stone lanes where you might see modern-day geisha and stop at an izakaya for a meal.

Amsterdam—a mecca for design fans—is a shopper’s paradise for everyone else, too, with vintage stores, one-of-a-kind boutiques, Dutch design outlets, and pop-up shops lining the streets and canals.

Chris Walker and Morgan Hartley spent three months cycling through central Asia as part of an 18-month bike trip. Here is part one of five of their account, in which their trip is almost thwarted from the start.

A journey into Morocco’s Berber territory, where tradition and modern life meet.

The vivid flavors and colors of Puerto Rico cannot be ignored. Wander San Juan’s candy-colored streets, explore El Morro and the trails of El Junque, and linger on the inviting beaches: A weekend is just long enough to fall in love with this island.