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Valley of Fire is the oldest state park in Nevada, and a great place to see 3,000-year-old Indian petroglyphs and explore the red sandstone formations created during the age of the dinosaurs. Bring your camera to photograph the landscape while hiking this rocky landscape formed over 150 million years ago. The red sandstone gives off an incredible light, which makes the grey rocks nearby appear turquoise. Great place to camp while watching incredible sunrises and sunsets! Photographers will go crazy for this place, especially in spring, when a variety of wild flowers bloom. Skip the Las Vegas strip and head straight to this magical place!

Arthur Guinness, the forefather of the world-renowned family, founded the brewery on this inner city spot in 1759. It’s the city’s most visited tourist attraction, telling both the history and processes that have gone into making Ireland‘s most famous export. At the end of the tour, visitors are treated to a pint of the famed black stuff at the top-floor Gravity Bar with its panoramic views of the city’s skyline.

The Daly Waters is everything an outback pub should be: kitschy but “fair dinkum” (genuine) and in the middle of Woop Woop (the Aussie term for “the Boonies”) but still offering revitalizing grub and grog. Oh and there must be beds, considering the next one could be a few hundred miles away. This ancient watering hole, established in 1893 and named after this small town along the Explorers Way between Alice Springs and Darwin, ticks all the boxes and then some. The tap beer is delightfully cold (kept at a degree below freezing), and food offerings range from kangaroo loin and crocodile sliders to chicken shnitzel. The decor is the best part; everywhere you look there are hilarious mementos left by patrons. Are those bras over there? Yup. An Irish hurling stick? Yeeeaah. Why is that weird?

Mourjan Marina at Lusail is the perfect spot for Flyboarding. This intense water sport that mixes the feeling of flying with water, is new in Qatar and gaining more and followers every month. The rider stands on a board, with a water hose attached to a jet ski, then water is forced under pressure to a pair of special boots with jet nozzles underneath, and voila, the rider is 50 feet up in the air, doing tricks, diving or just holding on for dear life. Blue Marine (http://www.bluemarine-me.com/), the only water sports company running this operation, offers tutorials on safety, dos, don’ts and how to master the coveted Superman pose as you rise up into the air. Expect to pay QR900 for one hour or QR500 for 30 minutes of flyboarding.

Berlin prides itself on its farmers’ markets, which take place every Saturday (and sometimes during the week) all across the city and often have a wonderful atmosphere along with top-notch local produce. The Saturday Winterfeldtmarkt on Schöneberg’s Winterfeldtplatz is one of the most impressive, with more than 100 stalls that sell flowers as well as delicious food. The Saturday bio market on Prenzlauer Berg’s pretty Kollwitzplatz offers an array of local organic goods—from fruits and vegetables to chocolates and fresh pasta—as does the food market at Friedrichshain’s Boxhagener Platz. To get a taste of Turkish Berlin, head to the Landwehr Canal’s Maybachufer on Tuesday or Friday, when the local Turkish community sets up stalls there selling food, clothes, textiles, and more.

One of New York’s most iconic landmarks is also one of America’s: the Statue of Liberty, standing in the middle of New York Harbor as it has since 1885. The statue was famously a gift from France, built to a design by sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi and with structural engineering overseen by Gustave Eiffel. The statue was one of the first large-scale curtain wall structures—that is, one where weight is supported by an internal frame and not by the exterior walls. As one of New York’s most visited sights, some tickets sell out far in advance. There are two different levels of tickets: pedestal and crown. Tickets to the pedestal and especially those to the crown are often gone months in advance, so plan accordingly.

Calm waters and beach sports are the main draws of El Cuco. Don’t worry about packing a picnic: there are plenty of kiosks where vendors sell snacks and simply-prepared seafood and fish. Be sure to bring cash (small bills) as it’s hard to find an ATM and few, if any, vendors take plastic.

Jeju is known as the “Hawaii of South Korea” because of its blue waters and volcanic makeup (minus the tropical weather). One of island’s top experiences is ending the day with a solemn stroll through Jeju Stone Park, a tranquil space with conceptual rock displays inspired by local mythology and geology. The main draw is the outdoor stone sculptures and cultural village, complemented by a couple of indoor museums exhibits. Highlights include the tomb guardian children and grandfatherly, basalt “dolhareubang” figures. In olden times, the dolhareubang were considered to be gods offering both protection and fertility and were placed outside of gates for protection against demons.

An impressive 200 hectares of greenery and over 900 species of plants await at the largest greenspace in Shanghai. Classical Chinese gardens, rose gardens showcasing rare and beautiful blooms, , gorgeous lilyponds, and a pagoda (post-hike) make for a great day out in the outskirts of bustling Shanghai. There’s even a Children’s Garden/playground, trampoline included, where the little ones to burn off some energy. A tranquil waterfall lets you pause and take in the park’s natural beauty. To make the most of your visit, rent a paddle boat to meander past willow trees and small bamboo forests. A small shuttle bus also takes you through the expansive park.

Jean-Michel Cousteau and family have created an award-winning, five-star resort on the island of Vanua Levu, in Fiji. No phones, no wi-fi and no worries at this casual, luxurious resort. The thatched “bures” are private rooms and suiteswith views of the ocean or gardens. “The Villa” is the ultimate in privacy and island-style luxury with a private infinity pool, Jacuzzi tub, your own waterfall and outdoor shower. If you are familiar with the Cousteau family and the work Jean-Michel, and his father ocean conservationist and scientist Jacques Cousteau have done, you will be happy to know that the resort continues their work to preserve ocean life and teach people to co-exist with the flora and fauna of earth. Recycling, earth-friendly lighting and growing their own food for the kitchen along with ocean activities that promote learning and understanding of our world are key features. If you are a diver, you are in true paradise here. The resort provides access to the best dive sites in Fiji and the South Pacific. The Jean-Michel Cousteau Dive Centre is located just minutes away from a host of exciting dive sites. Jean-Michel Cousteau Resort’s restaurant offers a diverse cuisine, using only sustainable fish and local products. You’ll have an extraordinary ocean views from your table. If you brought the children, they can attend the complementary Bula Club at the resort. Glass-bottom boat excursions with the resort’s full-time Fijian naturalist/marine biologist Johnny Singh is a highlight. Children under the age of five have their own nanny assigned to them included in the accommodation. Website www.fijiresort.com

Witness the destruction wrought by Mt. Vesuvius nearly 2,000 year ago at the archaeological site of Pompeii. The ancient village was frozen in time beneath a blanket of hot ash during an eruption in 79 C.E. Among the ruins that have been uncovered are buildings that shed light on aspects of ancient life both grand and mundane, from the temples, the coliseum and homes with fine frescoes, to public baths, chariot-rutted streets and grain stores which now hold plaster casts of the people who perished that fateful day.

The 18-hole bayside golf course at this upscale hotel features all sorts of challenges for both novice and expert golfers, with the first hole—bounded by sand traps—offering a taste of the tough tees to come. If you start to feel tense, just take a breather and enjoy the scenery; the course is surrounded by 4,000 palm trees and plenty of water.

Easily one of the most popular outdoor attractions in Philly, Spruce Street Harbor Park was originally created as a pop-up park and quickly became a blockbuster hit with locals and visitors alike. Situated along the Delaware River waterfront just steps from Penns Landing, the park offers activities for all ages and is a fabulous place to relax (hammocks included!). In no particular order, visitors can enjoy the beer garden, food truck outposts of the renowned Franklin Fountain ice cream parlor, Federal Donuts and Garces restaurants, a bocce court, shuffle ball, kayaks, paddleboats, an arcade, and an urban beach. With so many fun activities, the park is truly fun for all, and is prettiest at night when the multi-colored lights illuminate the park and reflect on the water. Spruce Street Harbor Park is a seasonal attraction, open summer through fall (May through September, exact dates vary).

On sunny days, Parisians head for the Luxembourg Garden, built by Marie de’ Medici in 1611 and modeled after the Boboli Gardens in her native Florence. In addition to the magnificent Medici Fountain, there are more than 100 statues arranged around the garden’s 20 hectares (50 acres), which encompass both formal French and English gardens. Here you’ll find chess players, puppeteers, children sailing tiny boats on the octagonal pool and sometimes a free concert in the gazebo.

My ideal habitat is a warm day on a tropical beach. I’m also a sucker for beauty in all its most unusual forms (part of the reason I’m on the Board of Burning Man). So, when I heard about the Harbin International Ice & Snow Festival in northeast China (Manchuria meets Siberia: that just sounds frozen!), my initial reaction was, “How far would I travel and how cold would I get all in the name of experiencing an aesthetic phenomenon?” So, after 90 degree humidity in Malaysia, two planes delivered me to this cursed, desolate part of China (20 degrees below zero). Amidst the Siberian wind gusts and short days of daylight, Harbin is a revelation, a place where the light of collective aesthetic joy is experienced by 800,000 visitors annually for the Ice & Snow Festival (90% from China as this is one of the country’s top winter destinations). Oddly, I kept having Burning Man flashbacks...night being preferred over day due to the psychedelic visuals enhanced by the dark, the fact that thousands of artists (15k in Harbin) labor 15 days around the clock to create something out of nothing only to know that these beautiful structures will either melt (Harbin) or burn (Burning Man), and, finally, the sense that no picture or video can capture the sensory overload of being surrounded by spectacle. Think: “You had to be there.” Remember the spectacle of the 2008 Beijing Olympics Opening Ceremony? I heartily recommend this trek that takes place late December through February.