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To get a taste of Utah’s famed canyoneering opportunities, Zebra Slot provides for a nice insight to what’s possible. The canyon itself can be a little tricky to find so check in with the BLM Visitor Center in Escalante to get a map and current conditions. Located down Hole-in-the-Rock Road south of the town of Escalante, the 5.5-mile round-trip hike starts on an easy rock and sand trail to Harris Wash (a usually dry river bed) in the canyon. Your feet (at the very least) will get wet but seeing the beautiful formations and striped layers of sedimentary rock which give the canyon its name will make you forget any discomfort.

Hidden Xaman is a trip to the post-technology future, a mysterious, underground garden in the center of the urban jungle. Once you’re in—finding it takes some poking around—craft mixologists take the Mexican liquors you know and push them to the edge. The bartenders showcase rare ingredients like cempasúchil marigold, xoconostle prickly pear, and cacao, not to mention artisanal vinegars, spooky tinctures, and kombucha teas, presented in line with all-but-inscrutable pre-Hispanic names. Electro-shamanic beats from resident and guest DJs take you back to that lost weekend in Tulum. So hip it hurts but all are welcome.

Located between the two Koreas in the Civilian Control Zone along the 38th Parallel, Dorasan station has recently awakened as though from a spell. Once only used as a showcase boasting of hopes for reunification between the divided peninsula for visitors who passed through on designated DMZ tours, the station is now the last stop on the DMZ tourist train from Seoul. Twice-daily trips from the southern capital to the border bring visitors to the doorstep of the Hermit Kingdom and finally give Dorasan station a reason for that gift shop. Next stop Pyongyang?

Looking for something really unique to bring back from your time spent in Puerto Rico? Grab a t-shirt from Uncharted Studio (or a trucker hat, a bag, some stickers...). Established in 2005, this place put custom silk screening shirts on the map for Rincon. They use 100% ringspun cotton tees for a nicer quality and feel. and their printing solvents are non-chemical, soy and citrus based. Talk about eco-minded! This is something you want to support! Your trip to Rincon is not complete without stopping here for a t-shirt!

The weavers in Teotitlan del Valle may be more renowned, but the backstrap loom weavers of Santo Tomás Jalieza are practicing the art in a way that dates back to very ancient times. The local market is set up in the main square and every day you can see weavers at work and browse the products of their labor, but Fridays are particularly busy. They sell belts, handbags, change purses, table runners and place mats at reasonable prices. This small community is located 15 miles south of Oaxaca city and can easily be combined with a day trip to Ocotlan.

When I first found this store, I was overwhelmed. This place holds so many treasures, you’ll need several trips to look through everything. Franky’s is one of the most popular thrift/vintage stores in Puerto Rico, and likely only one of a few. The proprietor provides a lot of his items as props for movies being filmed in PR—like the recent Rum Diaries movie. If you like vintage, then you’ll love shopping here. It’s on the corner of San Francisco Street, right behind the little plaza as you enter Old San Juan.

Visitors with a particular interest in the grunge scene should make a trip to West Seattle’s Easy Street Records — Eddie Vedder lives in the neighborhood and has been known to shop here. But aside from that, Easy Street is just a great local independent music store, with a wide selection of CDs and records, and knowledeable staff. The attached cafe is a diner covered in music memorabilia that serves up good, basic breakfast and lunch. And an Easy Street T-shirt, with its distinctive red star logo, makes a great gift for your favorite music lover.

“Straight ahead for 42 Miles” said the automated, slightly pitchy, woman’s voice. My road trip buddy and I looked at each other as if to check what we’d just heard. Sure enough though, the GPS was right. Straight as a die, but much, much more interesting with stops on the way to check out a coyote crossing the road, a sign marking a public phone that wasn’t there, and the remnants of some poor animal carcass that didn’t quite beat the vehicles before us.

Behold Gandria! When my Airbnb host first suggested I visit Gandria I was a little unsure, mostly because of it’s name. But boy was she right, this little village navigable exclusively by foot was so picturesque and quiet. Situated on a hill just off of the Lugano Lake this place is perfect day-trip distance from almost anywhere in Switzerland. Lugano and Gandria are only several thousand feet from the Swiss-Italian border making these towns seem like extensions of Italy. They speak Italian, serve great pizza, and even better coffee.

Since everything seems bigger in Texas, it’s no surprise that the Texas State Capitol holds the title for largest state capitol building in the union (360,000 square feet of floor space in the main building!). The building is also quite beautiful and houses some historical paintings. The inside of the capitol dome, with a lone star at the apex, is an impressive sight. Stroll the grounds to see fountains, old trees, and sculptures of historical Texas figures. The capitol grounds also offer a great view of downtown to the south and the University of Texas to the north. The Texas landmark is definitely worth a visit on a trip to Austin.

You’ll be hard pressed to find anything other than postcard-perfect scenery in the Exumas, and if you’re ambitious and up early enough, there’s a good chance that you can have Horseshoe Bay in Saddle Cay all to yourself for a few hours. A trip to a private Bahamian island isn’t out of reach for the intrepid traveler, as plenty of outfitters offer affordable tours, overnight adventures, and sightseeing cruises to these gorgeous islands.

If you’ve never been to the Marin Headlands, you MUST go! The views are stellar, but make sure you get there early (well, early enough to get there before all the tourists!) Ht up the headlands for a nice hike and view and then drive to Bar Bocci in Sausalito for lunch or dinner. You won’t be disappointed.

This family-run restaurant serves up some of the best conch fritters in the Caribbean. The relaxed vibe and plastic chairs make for an unusual place for a romantic dinner, but just add a sunset and a perfectly prepared lobster, and Cow Wreck becomes the romantic setting for any BVI beach date. Also, don’t miss the chance to try their banana daiquiri!

Throughout Luzern, so many of the buildings have crazy, wild paintings all over them. Loving it! Wish more buildings in Brisbane were like this!

The Liberty Bell, long associated with the American Revolution, actually predates the conflict. It arrived in Philadelphia in 1752 at Independence Hall, then known as the Pennsylvania State House. The bell was inscribed with a Bible verse: “Proclaim Liberty Throughout All the Land Unto All the Inhabitants thereof.” An initial crack in the bell was attributed to a test ring that occurred right after it came to the city. But popular legend has it that the bell was still rung in 1776 to officially proclaim American independence. In 1846, the Liberty Bell was cracked for good after being repaired so it could be sounded on George Washington’s birthday; it hasn’t rung since. No tickets are required to view the bell, but visitors must pass through a security screening. Photo tip: For a classic shot, snap a photo of the icon with Independence Hall in the background.