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In the city’s once-gritty fishermen’s quarter, a group of activist chefs is reviving—and reinventing—traditional cuisine.

“One of the biggest parks in Barcelona, Parc de la Cuitadella is situated near the port and for years was one of the city’s only green spaces. Today it is home to a zoo, a lake, a lovely fountain, as well as a few museums. This is also the home of the Catalan Parliament, which is housed in a beautiful early 18th-century building.” —Primavera music founder Pablo Soler on the El Bron neighborhood. Read more about his local’s take on Barcelona.

Three days will give you a taste of Siem Reap and its archaeological sites with time for a handful of other engaging experiences. Spend the first day focused on the star sights at Angkor Archaeological Park, like Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom, home to Bayon and Ta Prohm. On day two venture out to lesser visited temple ruins such as Koh Ker and Beng Mealea. On day three, do a cooking class and walking tour or floating village cruise. Spend your evenings seeing cultural shows, shopping and dining.

Located in the northwest corner of France, the provinces of Alsace and Lorraine are at once proudly French and slightly German. Here, you’ll find traditionally French attractions like soaring cathedrals, manicured parks, and art nouveau mansions, but you’ll also encounter half-timbered houses, historic breweries, and lots and lots of sauerkraut. Visit cities like Metz, Nancy, Strasbourg, and Colmar and you may find yourself wondering what country you’re in, or ride a bike over the Pont de l’Europe and see both France and Germany in one day.

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.

This shop offers a wide variety of high-quality handicrafts from all over Oaxaca. You’ll find a room devoted to woolen rugs, one to woodcarvings, and several to ceramics. On my most recent visit, I couldn’t resist picking up a “Catrina,” one of the female skeletons associated with Day of the Dead festivities, as well as some decorative cut paper.

Tucked in a lush canyon perfumed with the smell of eucalyptus, Rancho Valencia Resort & Spa is one of the San Diego area’s most sublime getaways. Even if you’re not staying there, you can experience the magic by dining at the property’s signature restaurant, Veladora. Its hacienda-inspired dining room, with wrought-iron chandeliers and a Damien Hirst original, is a fine setting for enjoying dishes like a Chino Farm corn soup with vanilla popcorn and Alaskan king crab or a Brandt beef tomahawk steak for two served with duck-fat potato fondant, marinated ramps, and heirloom carrots. A deep wine cellar means an impressive selection of wines by the glass, from a chablis 1er Cru to an Andrew Rich pinot noir from the Willamette Valley.

Since 1974, Starr Interiors has showcased a handsome array of Zapotec Indian (Indians of the Oaxaca Valley in Mexico) weavings, which the owner hand-selects. Expect a great selection of gifts from coasters, place mats, wood carvings, Oaxacan Masks, hammocks and hand crafted sterling silver.

“It’s not even a town or a village, don’t call it that; it’s more of a pit-stop, really.” Solitaire, Namibia, the pit-stop Moose McGregor calls home, contains nothing more than a general store, a small lodge, his bakery, and the only gas station for many, many miles. This makes Solitaire an inevitable pit-stop for travelers driving to Sossusvlei from Swakopmund or Windhoek. Sadly, Moose passed away in early 2012. His legendary apple strudel lives on. Solitaire worth a visit even if your vehicle has a full tank.

The beautiful “suburb” of Genoa, Nervi boasts a lovely series of green parks (something Genoa lacks overall) and a well-tended passeggiata path that runs directly along the rocky shore. Especially popular with families on the weekend, the path is easily accessible from the Nervi train station (a 10-minute ride from Brignole Station in central Genoa). Spend the day escaping the bustle of central Genoa by walking along the shore, enjoying the museums tucked into centuries-old palaces in the parks, and having dinner at a small fish restaurant along the coast.

You probably had no idea that the world’s largest meteorite is located in Namibia. It was discovered in Grootfontein in the early 1920’s, by a farmer while plowing his field. Much to his surprise, he came upon a massive 66-ton hunk of iron and nickel on his property. Now, it’s a Namibian National Monument. The small visitor center has some educational merits and the walk to the site is very well landscaped with a variety of indigenous trees and plants (with placards so you can learn their names).

Seattle’s largest public park sits on a sea bluff that’s high enough to pierce the city’s infamous fog, revealing gorgeous views of the Cascade and Olympic mountain ranges. Wander its 11 miles (18 km) of paths through forest groves, meadows fringing coastal cliffs, and active sand dunes on the protected tidal beaches. Once a military installation, the area now serves as an open space and wildlife sanctuary. Stop into the Daybreak Star Center, which celebrates American Indian culture and hosts the city’s powwow in mid-July. Around 25 drum groups and 500 dancers converge here for the event, along with close to 10,000 spectators.

It’s a two-hour drive from Mombasa along open roads that parallel the coast to reach Kilifi Creek, a giant estuary of cerulean blue that spills out into the Indian Ocean. As you cross the majestic Kilifi Bridge, you’ll notice a few yachts cruising along the calm waters below and a handful of elegant villas scattered along the creek’s banks. After the chaos of the cities, the scene is delightfully calm. Were this spot of geographical beauty in Europe or America, it would be teeming with tourists, hotels, restaurant chains, and tacky bars by now. Not in Kenya and not in Kilifi. With its beautiful coastline, a smattering of creekside restaurants, and a few opportunities for sunset dhow-boat cruises, there’s little to do besides relax in this sleepy costal town.

While in the Algarve last Summer, we decided to look for unusual beaches. We got a good map in Lagos where we were staying. The map listed beaches on the wild western coast of Portugal. We decided to go to Praia do Amado ( Amado Beach). There were not many Americans in this area so we considered these beaches as new tourist sites for us. This is another of those rocky beaches with immense cliffs. Amado Beach is a long curved beach with huge rollers that the surfers from many countries enjoy. Hikers love the long path to the beach and cliffs. Many of us scrambled along the path and onto the rocks with cameras taking all kinds of photos. On the road before the beach, there is a really good restaurant. This is such a breathtaking spot. I hope we return.

One of the few remaining tidal wetlands on the southern California coast, Batiquitos Lagoon in Carlsbad is full of hiking trails and a beautiful lagoon. Bird watchers will love trying to spot the 185 bird species, which naturalists can take in unique flora like pickleweed, lemonadeberry, and iceplant.