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Few venture this far east in Jamaica, but those who do will find one of the most authentic sides of the island, and the most secluded of getaways. A charming fishing village about thirty minutes past Port Antonio, Long Bay is as peaceful and scenic as it gets, with just a handful of affordable, casual guesthouses perched atop dramatic cliffs and overlooking a long stretch of deserted beach. No frills here, just nature and culture. The fresh ocean air, the roadside fresh seafood shacks and friendly locals will have you staying longer than you planned. Be sure to drive along the coastal highway and head as far as Manchioneal, another stunning fishing village that feels thousands of miles away from the touristy side of Jamaica.

The village of Roslindale is filled with unlikely gems. Joanne Rossman Design is at the top of that list. Billed as a Purveyor of the Unnecessary & the Irresistible, it’s a destination filled with treasures you never knew you couldn’t live without. Charming artwork, wonderful cookbooks, scented natural soaps, divine fragrances and a collection of vintage accents for your home, each deserving of their own special place. Make sure not to miss the designers own handmade slippers, scarves and throws. Each is one of a kind, and created from the extensive selection of antique trims, fabrics and buttons that Joanne has culled over the years from all corners of the globe. The neighborhood has a slew of good restaurants, so it’s easy to spend an afternoon perusing the area.

If you have time, you could travel nearly two hours south of the capital into wine country to dine at the outstanding Miguel Torres restaurant near Curicó, part of this Spanish winery’s headquarters--or you could dine at their outpost in the upscale area known as El Golf. The focus is on blending seasonal Chilean ingredients to showcase their ample portfolio of wines with small plates and tasting glasses rather a full meal. For any meal, be sure to kick off with their pink sparkler, Santa Digna Estelado made from the traditional “país” grape. The winery supports many small, organic producers to make their wines and this is just one example. Salud! Isidora Goyenechea 2874, Las Condes Phone: 56 (2) 2245 7338 Photo: Miguel Torres Chile

Every October, wine-lovers in Brussels rejoice because they know the MegaVino expo is coming. For one full weekend, the Brussels expo centre plays host to over 300 exhibitors presenting wines from around the world. Exhibitors are organised by region and at the 2012 edition, wines from 32 different countries were available to taste and purchase. For the cost of your 10-euro admission, you receive a tasting glass and a catalogue of available wines (so you can be sure to track your favourites). It’s the perfect environment to discover new wine regions and new domains from your old favourite regions. And, being Belgium, of course there is great food available, so you can enjoy a meal between tastings.

Seoul’s City Hall is a swooping mass of glass and steel tucked snugly into the heart of the city at Seoul Plaza. This modern architectural marvel stands out starkly behind the small stone building of the Seoul Metropolitan Library—the building that previously served as city hall since Korea’s liberation from Japan in 1945. The man responsible for the design, Kerl Yoo, has commented that the building is supposed to represent Korean traditions as well as embrace the future. Not sure how exactly the newfangled monstrosity is traditional in any way, but it’s worth taking a stroll around the two structures to see the glaring contrast between old and new. Get there via the City Hall subway station.

Take advantage of southwest Florida’s beautiful weather and landscape by playing a round of golf at Coral Oakes Golf course. This 18-hole, Arthur Hills–designed, championship course includes large TifEagle greens, contoured fairways, eight lakes, and 37 bunkers. The course includes one of the largest practice facilities in the area, featuring a driving range with both grass and artificial turf, a chipping area and putting green. After the game, head to Knickers Pub for sandwiches, snacks, entrees and beer. Be sure to stop into the retail store and pro shop onsite with all the latest golf gear. For beginners, Coral Oaks has PGA professionals on staff to teach golf schools, clinics, and private lessons.

Being a guy from the Jersey Shore (which has nothing to do with that television show!), I love the sea front. The seaside resort of De Panne in Belgium is a place worth visiting. Sure, Belgium is usually rainy and cold but there are hot sunny days too, so it is advisable to hit the coast and check out De Panne. Its a typical Belgian seaside resort with lots of cafes and restaurants and a very big sandy beach. What I like about De Panne is the old style mobile cabanas, which were once popular along the Jersey Shore going back a century. The town was also the home of Belgium’s King Albert during WWI, since it was the only area that was not occupied by the Germans.

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.

I have dreams about the family style BBQ from the Salt Lick, it’s that good. Located beneath the oak trees in a sprawling space in Driftwood, Texas, it is the perfect place to gather with friends and family and celebrate all things Texan. On the weekends, there’ll be live music to entertain you or dance to during the wait for your table and you’ll want to bring your own alcoholic drinks if you agree that a Shiner Bock beer is a must to wash down all that meat. All you can eat ‘Family Style’ is $19.95 per person and make sure that you bring cash, they don’t accept credit cards. Thankfully for me, they’re now shipping their goods worldwide!

The food truck revolution is coming to Brussels and a great introduction is Keep On Toasting. Keep On Toasting travels around Brussels, serving up gourmet toasties, toasted sandwiches inspired by the traditional croque monsieur. These are far from your Mom’s grilled cheese sandwiches though. Owner and chef, Jean Baptiste Nyssen, creates four new sandwiches a week. He hand picks the best local and organic ingredients he can find. Pictured here is his Croq-British - A perfect breakfast sandwich, containing chopped up boiled egg, lardons (bacon), green beans and Stilton cheese. His veggie goat-cheese and lentil sandwich blew my mind and with inspirations from the Alps to India, there is sure to be a sandwich for you.

On a rainy summer night (thunder! lightening!), we had very low expectations of getting a table at Balthazar’s Keuken—mostly because something I read said that it was hard to get in. But there was a table, right in the back by the open kitchen, waiting for us. (The photo is of our view of the kitchen.) They serve a fixed menu. First course was a platter of appetizers, including paprika-y sobressada on bread with fried sage, beautifully anchovy-laden fried artichokes, shrimp in sage butter, and smoked mussels. For the second course we had a choice of fish (they called it red bass, not sure what that is but it was great) or meat (veal in a hearty sauce). And dessert was fresh strawberries with mascarpone laced with ginger.

The Heladería de Lares, a 45-year-old family business, sells about 50 unusual flavors of ice cream up in the mountains. Salvador Berreto, known to the locals as Yinyo, founded the shop to commemorate the Grito de Lares, a battle for freedom that had taken place exactly one century before. Yinyo started with corn, a flavor at the heart of the Puerto Rican diet and the current bestseller. Other flavors are cod, coquito (the Puerto Rican version of eggnog), and rice and beans. Fortunately, you can taste two flavors before deciding what to buy, and the ice cream is cheap, so you can stock up. Every weekend, people form what locals like to call lines, but are really boisterous blobs extending half a block down from the shop’s entrance. While eating, people skim through newspaper clips about when Denise Quiñones, a girl from Lares, won a Miss Universe pageant, or study photos of the 1945 Fuego de la Candelaria (a fire in Lares). After reading about the history behind Lares’s anthem and running their hands over the guiro (a musical instrument played by scraping its serrated surface), people often wander outside to the Plaza de la Revolucion. Here, on a typical Sunday, artisans sell paintings of the three magi (the Puerto Ricans’ second Santa) and of flamboyanes (the national trees with orange flowers). If you have doubts as to whether it’s worth it, just ask Bill Clinton and his daughter Chelsea. In 2008, Clinton forced $100 into the hands of Yinyo’s son for a mango ice cream.

Nestled at the base of the Valley of the Ten Peaks, Moraine Lake boasts turquoise waters that change color throughout the day as sunlight refracts off the minuscule particles of glacier-ground rock suspended within. Though it has a B-list rating compared to Lake Louise’s A-list status, this spot is arguably the more spectacular of the two. It’s located a little less than nine miles from the hamlet of Lake Louise. When you arrive, you can hike up to the Rockpile (clearly visible at the front of the lake) for the best vantage point, or spend a day exploring one of the neighboring valleys.

Be forewarned: The parking lot often fills up by 10 a.m., so go early.

The Caribbean is a destination for all types of travelers—scuba divers, sailors, sunbathers—but when you want a dash of European party to season your vacation, head to St. Barth’s, often called the St. Tropez of the Caribbean. Around St. Barth’s the language is French, the currency is Euro, and the elixir of choice is pink. And nowhere does it flow more freely than at Nikki Beach, a club/restaurant on St Jean Beach where I found myself “stranded” when a friend’s flight was delayed. I blame this day on the rosé. After all, St. Tropez is in Provence, the world’s largest producer of the pink wine. And much like her sister beach club in France, Nikki Beach St. Barth’s uncorks the party at 11am and is packed in by noon with jet-setters. Bikini clad guests sun-tanned on the croissant-shaped beach and six pack abs strutted from the turquoise waters à la a James Bond film. Star sightings, I hear, are de rigueur but my eyes were on this group of about 10 men and women from New York. The magnums of rosé, hoisted on shoulders like summoned heros, arrived at their table every 15 minutes, and by 2pm, so had I. By 3pm we were ON the table. The thumping music from the DJ had us leaping to our feet at every song, and to quench our thirst—more rosé. The joie de vivre was as intoxicating as the wine. By 7pm, closing time at Nikki Beach, I was back in my hotel room, sleeping off the sun and my first day in St. Barth’s. I blame the rosé. No, actually, I thank the rosé.

After hopping off a boat off the coast of San Cristobal Island, you enter the freezing water of the Kicker Rock channel (or Leon Dormido). Above you Blue-Footed Boobies perch on the rock, while Frigate birds fly in the clear blue sky. Underneath you an aquatic world awaits, filled with playful Sea Lions, Razor Surgeon Fish, Parrotfish, Sea Turtles, and if you’re lucky you might even spot some (or 40) White-Tipped Sharks...Don’t worry, the locals swear the sharks are vegetarians!