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Easter Island is a strange, remote, and magical place. After a full day of wandering around this tiny island, we were fortunate enough to witness an absolutely breathtaking sunset over the Pacific. The “beach” here is made up of pitch black volcanic stone. I found it to be utterly fascinating.

The New York-themed souvenirs sold around Times Square or along Fifth Avenue tend to be terribly kitschy, cheaply made, and overpriced. For a more lasting, sophisticated reminder of your time in New York, browse the selection at the gift shop of The New York Public Library. Located inside the Schwarzman Building (the one that sits on the east side of Bryant Park, flanked by two lions), the shop has a range of gifts for people of all ages, many of which are a nod to New York’s literary history. You can buy library lion bookends, vintage NYPL-stamped handbags, NYC-themed children’s books, postcards, and much more.

The 162 year old restaurant, one of the firsts in downtown Porto. Still ran by the Dourado family, it is the place to try one of the most exquisite sandwiches in Porto: Terylene sandwich. A double decked sandwich with roasted pork loin and smoked ham, taking over 24h to be prepared. Yes, you read me right, over a day! The pork loin is marinated in wine, garlic, onions, tomatoes, rosemary, oregano, chili peppers and a hint of magic for over 20 hours. Afterwards it will be roasted in a wood oven for over 3 hours… It is then served in a double sided bread bun, with pork loin in the lower level and smoked ham in the upper level. Porto’s own version of Slow Food. Have it with a glass of red sparkling wine from Bairrada and you’ll see why I love this sandwich so much!

Michoacan can claim only a small stretch of Pacific coastline in comparison with neighboring states, but what it has is lovely and blessedly lacking in tourist overdevelopment. Playa Maruata is the most beautiful of Michoacan’s beaches and the perfect place to get away from it all. Actually three beaches nestled between mountains and coves, the easternmost stretch of sand is perfect for snorkeling and wading and sunbathing. The beaches are located next to a small village where you can find a grocery store and a tiny restaurant or two. You can camp on the beach for a small fee, or you can spend the night in a rustic cabin for a bit more. If comfort is important to you, you can splurge on a room at the Centro Ecoturistico Maruata, situated on a hillside above the coast.

After a hard day of chorten circling and monastery mayhem, there’s nothing like a cellar temperature beer and some fresh, hot fries to drive out the demons of the day’s travels. We found ourselves in this remote corner of Eastern Bhutan, actually all of Eastern Bhutan is remote, with our stop for the night at the Karmaling. It had to be good with “karma” in its namesake. Of course, there was no power in Trashyangtse the afternoon we arrived, typical, and a town without electricity that is normally pretty quiet, is really quiet. The propane was still working at the hotel and the fries were hand-cut and served with a homemade ketchup. The place was really quite comfortable and the owner, very accommodating. The town is home to Chorten Kora, a stupa style normally found in Nepal; revered here and well preserved. The Himalayan south slope seems close enough to touch with the river Kulong cutting through the valley and picking up speed. There is the Rodungla trek west to Tangmachhu with its twelve thousand foot pass, but we couldn’t find anyone to talk with that had done it. A short day hike up out of the valley was enough of a persuader to send us back to town with a sense of having done enough. The Karmaling is a sweet spot at the end of the road north. The road east leads to Arunachal Pradesh, India and the birthplace of the sixth Dalai Lama. We couldn’t talk our guides into sneaking us into India for a quick visit; instead sending us south with the mountains in the rear view.

Taiwanese-style shaved ice desserts (known as “bao-bing” in Chinese) consist of large bowls of finely shaved ice topped with a variety of sweets, including condensed milk, beans, jellies, and fresh fruit. For fifteen years, Ice Monster was a tiny open storefront hawking mango shaved ice on Taipei’s famous foodie destination, Yongkang Street. Its recent move to the trendy East District includes a thorough re-branding as well as a creative expansion of their menu. Although Ice Monster’s mango shaved ice is still a must-order, non-traditionalists will enjoy digging into their new innovative creations like taro and red-bean milk “avalanches”, or sampling a few of their handmade popsicles. My personal favorite is a tribute to Taipei’s most famous drink: a “deconstructed boba milk tea” made with milk tea shaved ice and served with tapioca “bubbles” on the side. 886/(0)2-8771-3263

Sometimes Caribbean travel is about more than just a cold drink and a beach. It takes driving as far as possible (only about 40 minutes) from the tourists on the east side of the island in Nassau to find this moving piece of art, appropriately titled, “Sacred Space.” Located only a few hundred yards from the ruins of old slave quarters, and just above where the slave ships used to dock, these faceless carvings silently stare back across the ocean toward Africa. Trees that typically erode the coastline were cut down to create these powerful pillars that are still rooted in the ground.

March 5th, 2008 If you want steeps you go to Jackson Hole, right on the other side of the mountains. But routinely, as the storms moved toward the east, they dump even more on this side of the range. There isn’t a whole lot of difficult terrain, but as you can see here, its around if you look for it. I look for it... to avoid it. haha. As a solid Blue Square, sometimes Black Diamond skier, Grand Targhee offers a good amount of terrain and probably a chance to ski in the knee-deep.

While many area hotels offer a subtle interpretation of Southwestern design (adobe walls, kiva fireplaces, local art), there’s nothing understated about the Inn at the Five Graces. The inn is a showcase for designers Ira and Sylvia Seret’s far-flung finds: Navajo bedspreads, Uzbek and Pakistani rugs and tapestries, iron and woodwork from Mexico, Peru, and India. It’s the epitome of East-meets-West. First opened in 1996 as Serets’ 1001 Nights, the hotel is located on one of the country’s oldest inhabited streets and is comprised of 17th- and 18th-century adobe buildings connected by a maze of courtyards. In 2002, the inn was renamed to reflect Afghan and Tibetan artifacts in its collection and the eastern idea of the five graces (sight, sound, touch, smell, and taste). In 2009, it became a Relais & Chateau property.

When Berlin was divided, Checkpoint Charlie was the most famous of the border crossings between the eastern and western halves of the city. It was here that Allied soldiers registered before crossing over into the Soviet-controlled sectors. Thanks to its appearances in Cold War thrillers from Bond movies to John Le Carré novels, it has become a symbol of that era in the city’s, and world’s, history. A small museum nearby includes a replica of the guardhouse that once stood here.

In the Napa Valley—and in Yountville, in particular—most hotels err on the side of sophisticated luxury. Which makes the North Block Hotel’s quirky style such a breath of fresh air. With the look of a Mediterranean town’s cobbled street, complete with lemon trees and hand-painted tiles, one of Napa’s few modern boutique hotels also displays quirky pieces like The Big Book of Boobs in its lobby. It’s hard to pass through the lobby without having a friendly concierge hand you a glass of bubbly, and the umbrella-shaded “sidewalk” tables seem like places you’d actually while away the hours over bottles of good wine with good friends. The trendy restaurant channels a midcentury Italian cool that’s more Fellini than Michelangelo, unlike most Napa wineries’ inclinations, and the fact that it doesn’t have a Michelin star is actually a vote in its favor in sometimes stuffy, star-saturated Yountville. Of course, the spa is still as luxuriously pampering as any in wine country, and the understated rooms are as decked out with designer amenities as they ought to be—and you might actually be having enough fun to enjoy them.

Housed in Hangar 1 at what used to be Lowry Air Force Base on the east side of Denver, the Wings Over the Rockies Museum devotes more than 182,000 square feet to everything flying-related, including space vehicles, historical military uniforms, modern and classic aircraft, and flight simulators. In addition to exhibition space, the museum offers an extensive calendar of special events like its Cine-Talk Series (which shows films that feature flying or space travel), the weekly Little Wings Club, Cockpit Demo Day, regular workshops and lectures, and a hugely popular annual Holidays at the Hangar.

A short ferry-ride from Playa del Carmen, Isla Cozumel is a diver’s paradise. And while diving and snorkeling might be the main attraction here, the island and its town San Miguel de Cozumel offer a lot of land- and sand-based activities for the traveler as well. San Miguel de Cozumel’s main plaza is a peaceful spot to people watch, shop, and dine. Even though this town sees thousands of tourists a year and shiploads of cruise-goers dock here daily, it has managed to keep its charm and warmth. For some scrumptious grub, check out Kinta, a block or so off the main plaza on Avenida 5-- it offers up fresh seafood and traditional Mexican cuisine. The western side of the island is built up with beach clubs, where for a small fee you can enjoy their beaches and facilities-- Isla de la Pasión is one of these and boasts a gorgeous beach. The eastern side of the island is wilder and the surf too dangerous for swimming in most places, with the exception of Playa Chen Río. When you get tired of the beach, put on your Indiana Jones hat and travel inland to a minor Maya ruin, San Gervasio, which the ancient Maya dedicated to Ixchel, the goddess of fertility. Of course, this island was built around diving and you’ll see why once you hit the clear, turquoise waters and behold their technicolor reefs. Santa Rosa Wall and Palancar are two of the best dive spots. Dive shops abound for equipment rental, tours, and even certification lessons.

Built in a former auto garage in Nashville’s Gulch neighborhood, this five-room boutique hotel replaces industrial vibes with low-key sophistication: The whitewashed rooms—some with loft-style living spaces—feature high ceilings, custom furniture, and high-end amenities like Sferra linens and Turkish cotton robes, and the subway-tiled baths gleam with vintage taps.

There is no front desk, but guests receive a passcode for the entry keypad before arrival, and a concierge service is always on call. Have some down time? A comfortable sitting area is set up with board games and a large sideboard stocked with complimentary refreshments and coffee throughout the day, which makes the 404 the perfect spot for urban explorers who like to come and go as they please. But don’t miss dinner at the 404 Kitchen. Housed in a shipping container and accessed through another keycode doorway, it’s one of the city’s top restaurants.

Walt Disney World’s four remarkable theme parks are part of nearly 104 square kilometers (40 square miles) filled with entertainment. Magic Kingdom is home to the iconic Cinderella Castle and has six themed sections. At EPCOT, guests take a trip around the globe and into the future via exhibits, rides and events. Disney’s Hollywood Studios is a working film, television and radio studio lot that features attractions based on favorite Disney characters. Adventures with real animals await guests at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. The resort is approximately 90 minutes from Port Canaveral.