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The system of canals and chinampas (cultivated artificial islands fashioned from the area’s swampy soils) that has survived in the far-south neighborhood known as Xochilmilco once stretched all the way to the Centro. To this day, the community is known for its plant nurseries and vegetable gardens. These ancient landscapes now contribute to what has become one of the most singular pleasure gardens in the world, where visitors hire “gondoliers” to propel boats known as trajineras as they sail these channels in the company of floating mariachis and food vendors, partying teens, and extended families out for a picnic lunch. Since a tour is usually a four-hour-plus investment (it flies by), ask your oarsman to take you to Xochimilco’s more-rural precincts, where you’ll enjoy marvelous quiet, far from the madding crowd, in the company of cranes, curs, and picturesque cornfields.

Playa del Carmen’s 10th Avenue runs parallel to the city’s famous 5th Avenue but has a more low-key vibe, a relief when you tire of crowds, malls, and big-name brands. This bustling one-way street does allow cars, but it’s also lined by a sidewalk and a nice restricted-lane bike path. And despite the central location just a block from the town’s most touristy area, the storefronts here are largely locally owned restaurants, ranging from cheap taco joints and Mexican bars to eclectic gourmet cuisine and smoothie stands, as well as various convenience stores, pharmacies, banks, and small hotels.

You might encounter this evolving collection of apparel, accessories, and furniture “popping up” here and there. Owner Linda Hamilton, interior designer, fashion stylist, and entrepreneur, has spent years traveling the world on a quest for exciting and authentic apparel and accessories. You can find her Nomad Chic collection at boutique hotels and other locations and events across the United States and Mexico. Perhaps in a fabulous hotel lobby, poolside, or in her Moroccan tent filled to the brim with extraordinary apparel, jewelry, and accessories. She has created a unique mobile shopping experience. Nomad Chic’s carefully curated merchandise is a combination of unique and limited-edition creations by a host of international designers (which you will not find in other stores) along with Linda’s own apparel, jewelry, and accessories collection. Nomad Chic has been known to appear at the white building, Juarez (@ Hidalgo), Todos Santos, B.C.S., Mexico.

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...

Cajones are the small shallow canyons on the Chame River, favored by nature lovers and thrill-seekers alike. The canyon’s walls are eroded in places in delineated strata that reveal the Isthmus of Panama’s geologic history. You can hike or rappel along the canyon, or swim, float, or tube down the river, through eight pristine pools that invite general splashing about. To get there, drive the Pan-American Highway west from the capital, then merge onto the Bejuco-Sorá road. Los Cajones is twenty minutes away by 4x4 (you can park at the entrance and, for a small fee, take a shuttle service). There are no facilities inside the park at all, so come prepared with food and water.

Shakespeare said it best: “If music be the food of love, play on.” He’d be impressed by the dining options in San Miguel that foster romance through live music. Mama Mía hosts music on several stages in its sprawling complex. For great jazz served with a Caesar salad prepared tableside, diners pop into Tío Lucas. Ask owner Max for a prime spot. The place may be jammed primarily with Canadians and Americans, but its lineup still elevates San Miguel to one of Mexico’s best jazz towns.

From the 16th to the 19th century, drovers were the men responsible for leading cattle out of the rugged Highlands to the markets in nearby towns and cities. Today, they serve as the inspiration for the Drovers Inn, a hotel and pub just north of Loch Lomond. Nestled near the banks of the River Falloch, the property offers a rustic setting for filling meals, frosty pints, and drams of malt whisky. Come for bar-food favorites like steak-and-Guinness pie, fish-and-chips, and venison casserole, and stay for the live musical acts that play every weekend. As the inn has been in operation for some 300 years, tales of various hauntings are part of its appeal.

With an outdoor patio just steps from the water, this favorite restaurant on Fort Myers Beach pairs drinks and food with dolphin sightings. The menu caters to tourists from up north—abundant during snowbird season—with dishes like lobster rolls, but also includes Florida favorites like grouper and crab cakes. Of course, the cocktails have a universal appeal and are best enjoyed while watching the sun set over the beautiful beach.

Kiyomizu-dera on Mount Otowa is one of the most famous temples in Japan, a place that appears in every sequence of Japanese travel photos. The landscape is all cherry trees and forest; it is among Kyoto‘s loveliest spots. The current structure dates to 1633 and is one of 33 temples on a pilgrimage circuit in the Kansai region dedicated to Kannon, the Buddhist goddess of mercy. The circuit runs from the south of Wakayama north to the Sea of Japan. You’ll see pilgrims carrying nokyo-cho—books stamped to record the visit—and monks busily inscribing in calligraphy. The temple, set against a steep hill and constructed on huge pilings, is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Once-abandoned railway sheds have been repurposed to create an open-air outlet mall in Palermo, one of the city’s buzziest neighborhoods. Clothes are expensive in Argentina so don’t expect rock-bottom prices, but you’ll appreciate discounts on local brands like Las Pepas. In addition to clothing retailers, there are several food carts, plus pop-up restaurants, here and there beneath a redbrick viaduct that supports the General San Martín commuter train. Large flowerbeds and the trains’ overhead comings and goings make Distrito Arcos a pretty spot for snacks or browsing the racks.

The Blue Lagoon geothermal spa is one of Iceland’s most visited attractions, and its Lava restaurant has become a big part of making the experience memorable. Set into a lava rock face, the restaurant offers stellar views over the lagoon and serves international food created by Ingi Þórarinn Friðriksson and his team of experienced chefs in a modern, refined environment. The menu features traditional Icelandic dishes such as arctic char, lobster, and slow-cooked lamb, all updated with modern techniques and ingredients. There are also vegetarian dishes and an array of tasty desserts, set menus at lunchtime, and special menus for kids. The drinks list is impressively broad, with a good selection of cocktails and fine European wines should you want to make an evening of it.

Part of keeping Austin weird means you might end up eating a five-star meal in an old gas station and laundromat. The 10-foot paintings of speakers aren’t the only things that blow your mind. The food is delicious—especially the fried olives and pimento cheese to start. Brick chicken is a crispy and juicy specialty of the house, and anytime you throw a burger on challah we’re in. Don’t forget to pick up a six-pack of beer from the bodega that shares a parking lot: It offers a great selection and is open late!

The Waldorf Astoria Los Cabos Pedregal is a majestic resort that sits at the spot where the Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Cortéz meet. All 119 rooms have an ocean view, complete with binoculars for whale-watching, as well as a private plunge pool, a fireplace, a rain shower, and a welcome bottle of Clase Azul tequila. Decorative accents include tasteful local art, such as hand-embroidered pillows, ceramic sculptures, and hand-forged metal light fixtures. On the service side, every guest is assigned a round-the-clock personal concierge. The relatively small number of rooms keeps the vibe intimate and creates a sense of privacy throughout the property.

Run by well-known chef Jeff Balfour, Southerleigh brings cross-cultural cuisine to the bustling Pearl Brewery complex. Here, the seasonal menu ranges from crispy fried half-chicken with coffee-crusted bacon and thyme red-eye gravy to Gulf red snapper with charred tomato sauce piquant and pickled fennel salad. Housed in a historic building that was once Pearl’s Brewhouse, Southerleigh also references its past with an on-site brewery and nearly two dozen beers on tap.

The Homer Spit is home to, for the most part, summer-only businesses that cater to tourists, fishermen, and weekend adventurers aplenty. So there’s long been an emphasis on fried halibut and other related goodies. The Spit’s food cred took a serious bump up when La Baleine opened. Though the restaurant has a seriously casual beach-town vibe, the food is not your everyday sandy-feet fare. Emphasizing organic and local ingredients, chef Mandy Dixon—who grew up in the kitchens of her parents’ Alaska lodges (Within the Wild)—serves up elegant but generous dishes, including salmon bowls with brown rice and roasted root vegetables and miso-marinated sablefish. The breakfasts are hearty enough to take you through a full day of paddling the bay.