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Guadeloupe’s most famous dive spot lies off the coast of Basse-Terre, surrounding the Pigeon Islands, and is part of the Guadeloupe National Park’s protected marine assets. Named after Captain Cousteau, who pushed for the protection of this biodiverse marine site and filmed a documentary here, you can find the French explorer’s statue resting in these waters. Dive shops offering excursions to the Jacques Cousteau Marine Reserve are based along Plage de la Malendure in the coastal community of Bouillante. There are dive options whether you’re a beginner or advanced. Snorkeling is also ideal for newbies here, with shallow waters teeming with coral, turtles, and tropical fish.

To see the Panama Canal in person is to dive deeply into that nation’s history. Coming from the capital, the closest entry point is the Miraflores Visitor Center. Dedicate enough time to check out exhibitions that reveal why the waterway was built here and how the route shaped Panama’s international profile. Head outside to see how the canal works. The structure has several levels, and the third level is always crowded with visitors seeking photo ops. (There’s a restaurant on level four.) If you have time, the Agua Clara observation center on the canal’s Caribbean side offers views of newer, wider locks that opened in 2016.

Starting in 2014, this collection of historic buildings was reinvented as a gastronomic hub—helping to revitalize the city’s downtown in the process. An early 20th-century citrus packing warehouse became the Anaheim Packing House, a virtual United Nations of food: Walking through the 42,000-square-foot hall, you’ll find citrusy ceviche at Urbana, fried chicken sandwiches at Sweetbird, garden-fresh hot pot at Rolling Boil, organic curry at ADYA, and matcha shaved snow at I Am. Craft beer—quickly becoming a signature of Southern California—is in no short supply, thanks to bars like Anaheim Brewery, housed inside a 1925 mission revival building. A circa 1917 marmalade factory became the MAKE Building, where you can linger over a flight of California reds at Pali Wine Co. or a plate of pulled pork at Jav’s Barbecue. The compact district is distinctly Californian, from the succulents and air plants inside to the palm trees and olive groves of Farmers Park outside—a grassy knoll where, at any given time, you might happen upon a free yoga class, a gardening demo, or a live acoustic band playing under the sun.

In 2007, hedge fund investor Jim Manley bought a working cattle ranch on the site of a historic silver-mining claim to stake as his bigger-than-life family retreat. In 2010, he opened up the Ranch at Rock Creek, a toy-filled haven in southwest Montana’s Big Sky Country, with 13 houses with one to five bedrooms, luxurious canvas cabins for “glamping,” or a nine-room granite lodge. All are decorated by designer Jet Zarkadas and feature Oriental carpets, deep leather chairs, cow skin and woven Navajo rugs, custom duvet covers, and period Western photos and memorabilia. Despite the remote location and 5,200-foot elevation, all accommodations have landline, working Wi-Fi, and cell phone coverage; some have moose antlers, a private sauna, outdoor hot tub, and indoor copper bathtub.

Open year-round, the 10-square-mile property encompasses meadows, high country lakes, grassy ridges, and stunning vistas of the Pintler and Sapphire mountains. This self-contained adventureland offers horseback riding; heli-hiking; fly-fishing; river floating; high-tech mountain biking; rope courses; trap shooting; and archery on a 3D course using powerful hunting bows to shoot life-sized models of animals. Weekly rodeo and stagecoach rides underscore the Western theme; in winter, guests cross-country ski, ice skate, and snowshoe on-site. A kids’ club frees parents for spa time and other pursuits.

The magnificent avenue of oak trees that greets visitors at Boone Hall Plantation is, on its own, a Charleston must-see. After taking it in, guests can walk through the plantation mansion or take a driving tour of the grounds, which cover 738 acres. If the car feels too restrictive, opt instead for a garden tour, which highlights a collection of antique roses and a striking butterfly pavilion. Depending on the season, you can visit the U-Pick Fields to harvest your own strawberries or stock up on tomatoes and peaches at an adjacent farm stand. At Boone Hall’s Gullah Theater, historic reenactors recount the dark days of slavery and celebrate the African American culture that marked plantation life in centuries past. .

Designed by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, the Sydney Opera House was inspired by its dramatic setting on Bennelong Point in Sydney Harbour, a location that’s long been sacred to the native Gadigal people. While construction took 16 years, including four years to figure out the spherical solution to the icon’s soaring sails, any controversies melted away when the masterpiece was completed in 1973. The same outside-the-box thinking that built the shell-shaped sculpture seeps through its walls today in the form of boundary-pushing opera, theater, and dance as well as contemporary music and mind-opening lectures. The landmark is also home to the beloved Opera Bar and Bennelong Restaurant upstairs, where diners can eat pavlova shaped like the landmark in which they sit.

You can easily spend an entire day exploring the various attractions at this vast ocean-themed casino resort, which sits just over Nassau’s harbor bridge on Paradise Island. Purchasing a day pass to the property lets you access, for instance, its gigantic aquarium and marine habitat; shallow-water swims with sea creatures at Dolphin Cay; and a 57-hectare (141-acre) water park, which includes wave pools, swimming areas and—most famously—a six-story waterslide that plunges you into a lagoon seemingly filled with sharks (actually a glass-bottomed pool where sharks swim underneath).

This “Palace Greatly Blessed by Heaven” was once the heart of Korea. It was the power center of the Joseon dynasty (1392–1897), and was originally built in 1395—some new digs for a new dynasty. Like the Forbidden City in Beijing, the palace is a complex of buildings—a throne hall, the king’s living quarters and more—a sort of city inside a city, accented by gardens and pavilions. The Japanese flattened the place in the 1590s, and the site remained a ruin until a complete reconstruction in 1867 brought back more than 500 buildings. At the Gwanghwamun Gate, soldiers, beautifully costumed in red robes, still perform the changing of the guard. Seoul has other palaces, but this is the one to see if your time in town is limited.

The town Hjo (pronounced “yo”) on the western shore of Lake Vättern is small-town gem with many well-preserved 17th-century wooden buildings. During the Middle Ages, it played an important role as connection between the Vadstena Abbey, the motherhouse of the Bridgettine Order, on the eastern shore the lake and the people in Västergötland. In 1876, four wealthy men decided to turn Hjo into a health resort, and a bought a large piece of land on the lake. They constructed grand villas, a spa and a beautiful park surrounding the facilities. Although the spa is long gone, the buildings and the park remain, so stroll along the footpaths and breathe in some of that fresh lake air.

The Arabian Oryx Sanctuary, also known as Al-Maha Sanctuary, is the only breeding place in Qatar for the Oryx, a small antelope considered country’s national emblem – such as the symbol of the national airline, Qatar Airways, and as the mascot of the 2006 Asian Games. These creatures were once on the verge of extinction, but now the sanctuary breeds the Arabian Oryx in captivity, producing 75-100 calves each year. A visit to this sanctuary will let you appreciate these elegant, milky-white antelopes, with their curved horns, large hooves for treading across the desert, and their short, sparse fur. At this sanctuary you can also see small gazelles. The sanctuary is located on the Dukhan Highway, about a half-hour drive west of Doha. Visitors are welcome at the center if they just want to see the oryxes, but must make arrangements to visit through a tour company should they wish to explore the grounds.

We arranged a private tour of the Mekong River Delta through the Park Hyatt Saigon. We were driven from the hotel to Cai Be in a Cadillac with snacks and drinks, then escorted to our private river boat (also loaded with fresh fruit, coffee and tea, and other snacks). Our english-speaking tour guide brought us onto a small rowed boat through the smaller channels of the delta, explaining local life and the various trades of the people who live there. We saw a floating market and had lunch at Mr. Kiet’s historic house. Highly recommend spending the morning and afternoon on this tour.

The ambience alone is worth a splurge at the dining room of the Majestic Yosemite Hotel, the stopover of presidents, queens, celebrities, and moguls since it opened in 1927 (and, allegedly, one of Stanley Kubrick’s inspirations for the hotel in The Shining). The formal dining room—there’s a dress code at dinnertime—serves such Continental classics as French onion soup, duck leg confit, and rack of lamb Provençale under 34-foot, chandelier-studded ceilings. The Sunday brunch buffet is especially popular, as are the annual Renaissance-themed Christmas dinners in December. For a more casual option, the bar serves sandwiches, salads, and soups and, maybe best of all, offers outdoor tables so you can eat and enjoy a craft cocktail or glass of wine surrounded by glorious views. Note: This restaurant is open year-round.

Take the boardwalk—or the tram that runs alongside it—to reach this stunning state park, which stretches for two miles on the southern end of Fort Myers Beach. The gently lapping waters on the barrier island push ashore all manner of natural treasures from the Gulf of Mexico, making Lovers Key a magnet for shell hunters. You’ll also find a concession stand that runs kayak tours, as well as bike, canoe, kayak, paddleboard, beach chair, and umbrella rentals onsite.

Your introduction to Andaz Mayakoba begins with mangroves and a cenote, or at least an architectural tribute to these natural features of the Playa del Carmen landscape. The elegant pillars that support the towering porte cochere mimic the angled roots of the mangrove trees nearby. A tall passageway, lined with dark wood, leads to an open-sided lobby.

At the center of the lobby, aptly called El Sanctuario, a shallow circular pool reflects the sky through an opening in the ceiling above. The Andaz—which opened on the Mayakoba development in late 2016—has 214 guest rooms and suites, all in low buildings carefully placed on the delicate limestone crust of the peninsula. Some of the buildings surround pretty lagoons and offer easy access to the resort’s restaurants, Casa Amate, the fine-dining option, and Cocina Milagro, which serves three meals a day in a pavilionlike space overlooking the property’s pools.

A spa, fitness center, shop, and kids’ club are also an easy walk away. The balance of guest rooms are in a separate complex of buildings beside the beach. A clutch of umbrellas and lounge chairs on the white powdery sand before an impossibly blue sea presents a stunning picture. In the beachside portion of the resort, another pool and two casual restaurants, OllaTaco and OllaCeviche, add up to a slightly funkier vibe.

Guests are transported around the grounds by golf carts and are encouraged to use bikes parked everywhere. Lagoon boats make regular stops between the four resorts at Mayakoba, and guests are encouraged to take a daily cruise of the winding waterways with a naturalist guide. Andaz staff are young, attentive, and warm.

Colorful street-style murals, depicting animals and fish, splash across the buildings’ exterior walls. Inside the airy guest rooms, artfully tiled sections of floors and walls add fields of color and interest to an otherwise mild, sunny palette. Architect Ronald Zürcher has channeled the extraordinary local beauty—the light and darkness of the region’s beaches and jungles, the vivid pops of color of flowers and birds, the sacred hush of the cenote—and designed a gorgeous and intimate boutique resort.

I’ve been all over the California coast and Point Lobos is my favorite place to hike. We have hiked every trail in this reserve and never tire of this magical place. You can see many animals, such as sea otters, seals, elephant seals,sea lions, squirrels and deer that are often in little pockets near the trails. Most of the hikes are easy to moderate, you can make them longer by combining them or just hike smaller parts. There is a whalers cabin that has been transformed into a little museum at one end of the reserve.