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South Mumbai’s 3.5-kilometer-long (2.1-mile-long) waterfront promenade is a popular spot for walking and jogging. Flanked by palm trees and the Arabian Sea on one side and Art Deco buildings on the other, the busy road culminates at its northern end in Chowpatty Beach, famous for its bazaars, fairground rides and food stalls. The best time to walk the boulevard is at sunset, when the twinkling streetlights resemble a string of pearls, giving the promenade its nickname: the Queen’s Necklace.

Here’s your chance to ride on a hands-free Segway, where you can tour the boardwalk on a 30-ft promenade over three miles long. The Hollywood Beach Boardwalk is one of the best beachfront paths. You’ll see all kinds of restaurants, the gorgeous emerald waters of the Atlantic, and plenty of locals. You’ll pass historic hotels, volleyball courts, and shuffleboard players. You’ll hit top speed going north for a full mile. The wind hits your hair as you cruise the intracoastal waterway going south. It’s truly the best way to fly across the boardwalk.

One of Cape Town’s most picturesque corners, this small fishing harbor sees boats sail in daily with their catches (often trailed by hungry seals waiting for tidbits). Recently, however, the area has also become known for its antique stores, restaurants, and shops—one of the best collections of African curios, materials, and artwork for sale can be found at Artvark, on the edge of town. Expect to see everyone from hipsters to surfers to an old couple who’s lived here for 50 years. A seaside promenade connects Kalk Bay to the colorful beach cottages of St. James and to Surfers Corner in Muizenberg, another gem of an old-world suburb that is becoming a second Kalk Bay. Don’t miss Cucina Labia, a restaurant housed in a mansion built by an Italian who wanted to create a little Venice here.

In the funky neighborhood of Decatur is one of the country’s top rated beer bars. The old wooden doors make you think this place comes right out of the Old South, but it has a touch of Europe. Upstairs there is a bar devoted completely to Belgian beers like Boon Kriek and Blanche de Bruxelles. If you’re not familiar with many of these beers, the staff is very knowledgeable and can recommend something to your tastes. It can be difficult to find a table on a Saturday afternoon so go early. They also have a nice pub food menu with staples like fish and chips.

Sixteen apartments—plus a library and wine cellar—owned by German furniture designer Nils Holger Moormann sit at the foot of the Bavarian Alps. Inside a 17th-century estate, Moormann’s modern interiors are fashioned from brick, clay, and untreated wood. The cable car near the property leads to the Kampenwand ski area. But serious skiers should head 30 miles south to the higher-elevation Wilder Kaiser–Brixental ski resort in Austria. On the night of the full moon, snowshoe about two hours to the Riesenhütte mountain chalet for a Bavarian meal served around a campfire. From $144. 49/(0) 805-290- 4517. This appeared in the November/December 2012 issue.

On a hillside, just north of Antigua, stands this stone cross. From the top of Cerro de la Cruz (Hill of the Cross), you have sweeping views south over the city of Antigua with the magnificent Volcán de Agua, towering over the landscape. I would recommend going up to Cerro de la Cruz only after you have already spent time in Antigua. That way, when you get up to the hill and look over the city, you can try and find all the landmarks that you visited. That is what we did when were there – trying to spot the Arco de Santa Catalina, Iglesia La Merced, Parque Central, Fernando’s (our favorite place for coffee) etc.

Raman Patel knows a lot about silk. He works at Kala Niketan, a Mumbai-based fabric warehouse that started in the south of the city and now has four retail outlets plus exporting offshoots. The company supplies many local fashion designers, who make elaborate saris from the regional silks. While handwoven fabrics have been largely replaced by machine varieties in Mumbai (shown here), the store’s Juhu branch showcases the handmade specialties of other regions—from the royal flower and animal embroideries of Rajasthan to the tightly woven woolen patterns of Kashmir. Raman can tell you all about the differences. Navyug, J.V.P.D. Scheme, V.M. Road, Vile Parle, Mumbai, kalaniketangroup.com

The recreational park, located at The Westin Resort Costa Navarino, is filled with fun family-friendly things to do. The park is divided into four sections: An aquatics area, a playground, an indoor sports facility, and a game-infused restaurant. At the Aqua Park you’ll find a pool, three slides, lounge chairs and wacky sprinklers, while the playground allows children to test their physical capabilities through rope and climbing challenging. For those wanting to play sports, indoors you’ll find basketball, badminton, tennis, and volleyball. Visiting the Recreational Park’s American Diner doesn’t just mean delicious food, but also bowling, pool, video games, and a movie theater. Note: This attraction is open only to guests staying at The Westin Resort Costa Navarino or The Romanos, a Luxury Collection Resort.

Shorty’s is a throwback to an era where you hopped in your ’57 Chevy, put the kids in the back, and rolled to the drive-in for a bite to eat on a summer night. Featuring the usual selection of American hotdog and hamburger fare, Shorty’s also has selections to please the healthy side as well. There are five different salads to choose from, small plates featuring hummus and pizza bread, and larger plates that range from wood-fired P.E.I. mussels and salmon to grilled chicken sandwiches and barbecue pulled pork delights. And if that doesn’t work, you can also customize your pizza with a huge array of toppings. It may be called Shorty’s, but the menu options are anything but that.

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.

Just to the southwest of Tucson, on the San Xavier Reservation, sits the late XVIII-century Mission San Xavier del Bac, one of the finest examples of Spanish colonial architecture in the U.S. The combination of late Baroque and Moorish-inspired design is a beacon any time of the year, but on this winter day, the flooded fields worked some magic—panoramas of reflected landscapes are almost nonexistent in southern Arizona! The ‘white dove of the desert’ is the oldest intact European structure in Arizona, and it still serves as a parish church for the Tohono O’odham people.

For the most authentic Mexican food in Laguna Beach, head to Carmelita’s, where the kitchen works tirelessly to prepare each dish from scratch using as much local produce as possible. On the menu, diners will find favorites like made-to-order guacamole and fire-roasted street corn alongside traditional options like veggie-stuffed poblanos, carnitas tacos, and tampiqueña (skirt steak served atop enchiladas with guacamole). Pair it all with handcrafted margaritas in flavors like pomegranate, cilantro-cucumber, and pineapple-jalapeño and you might just find yourself planning a trip 85 miles south to the border.

The head winemaker at Eikendal in Stellenbosch, Nico Grobler has been producing award-winning wines for more than nine years. An innovator in the Western Cape wine industry, he makes mostly single varietal wines like chardonnay, using an “old world” approach that focuses on terroir to produce the fruitiest vines possible.

The whole family is welcome at Eikendal. While adults enjoy a pizza and wine pairing, children can partake in a juice tasting of their own. On a nice day, visitors can also take a 1.5-mile self-guided walk around the vineyards to learn more about the winemaking process and the farm itself.

From this 900-foot-high viewing platform—equipped with a telescope, map, and signage—you have a panoramic view of the majestic Mesopotamia Valley (“Mespo”), home to St. Vincent’s fruit, vegetable, and spice crops. A sea of green expands in every direction, bordered by the blue Caribbean far to the south and the mist-shrouded Grand Bonhomme Mountain to the north. It’s the perfect spot to soak up St. Vincent’s rich natural beauty—and to catch a cool breeze.

The Caribbean’s first long-distance hiking trail runs 115 miles south to north. Fourteen segments break Waitukubuli into manageable day hikes—important for rule-followers, as camping is tolerated but not technically legal in Dominica’s reserves and national parks. Brace for lofty peaks, precipitous valleys, and riotous tangles of rain forest vegetation on this trek, which bears the island’s original indigenous name, meaning “tall her body.” Consider hiring a local guide for expert advice on trekking the steep, corrugated landscape, which Christopher Columbus once described by simply crumpling up a ball of paper.