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A favorite cultural activity of mine is to visit bookstores wherever I go. Even if I can’t understand the language, I can usually get a sense for the themes of the most popular books. Luckily, the massive bookstore Eslite has a great English-language section in addition to the hundreds of shelves devoted to books in Chinese. What I enjoyed most was browsing through the travel section, especially the American travel area, to see exactly what the popular perceptions are of traveling to the United States. If you get hungry, there’s also a cafe and some great gift items to take home as keepsakes.

Gialova Lagoon is a birder’s paradise, home to over 270 species on account of its shallow waters and abundance of fish and plants. It’s Greece‘s southernmost major wetland and the only place in Europe where you can see the African chameleon. The lagoon is part of the Natura 2000 network, a group of ecological important protected areas in the European Union. Between September and May is the best time to visit Gialova Lagoon, as fall and spring are migration periods and winter is great for spotting eagles, herons, and bitterns. For a guided experience on foot or by bike, Navarino Outdoors offers a variety of Gialova Lagoon tours.

Located in the chic, affluent area of Vitacura near Nueva Costanera, Europeo delivers a flawless fine dining experience in Santiago. The menu, overseen by executive chef Francisco Mandiola, incorporates European technique with seasonal ingredients. The dishes are perfectly seasoned and delicate. Try the spring tasting menu with dishes like tender spring vegetables with burrata cheese, or the unusual flavor combination of corn and octopus, all paired with top wines. The ambience is formal and they also put on a fabulous “executive” lunch that is very good price/quality ratio. Alonso de Cordova 2417 (between Vitacura and Nueva Costanera), Vitacura Phone: 56 (2) 2208 3603 Photo coutresy of Europeo Restaurant

If you’re looking for a place reminiscent of the smoke-filled cafés of bohemian Paris, look no further than Cafe Cinema. Sitting alongside a popular tourist route in Hackescher Markt, the small, hole-in-the-wall cafe attracts both tourists and locals. In the evenings it’s a great spot for a beer and interesting conversations, and the daytime sees visitors working quietly and enjoying coffee. In summertime, the alleyway nearby has picnic tables, which make a great spot for people watching. The alternative atmosphere can be hard to find in Berlin Mitte, and this is one of the coolest spots in the area.

Located about five miles west of Falls Church, America’s only national park to the performing arts continues to host world-class performances of every genre since its creation in 1971. With an average of over 90 concerts from May to September, area residents and visitors are blessed to see the biggest names in music grace the stage of the 6,800-seat indoor/outdoor Filene Center. In addition, Wolf Trap holds indoor concerts at the nearby Barns, as well as educational programs and special events such as the International Children’s Festival and the yearly Holiday Sing-A-Long.

Throughout the American Civil War (1861-1865), the Northern Virginia area, including Falls Church was a hotbed of activity—espionage, divided loyalties, battles, skirmishes, armed incursions, troop movements, encampments, fortifications, hospitals, guerrilla warfare—by both the Union (Northern) and Confederate (Southern) sides. The Virginia Civil War Trails Program highlights some of the lesser-known but very interesting stories and anecdotes Virginia has to offer. Historical markers at various locations give visitors the opportunity to explore the Virginia back roads, learning some history while driving and walking through some beautiful landscapes. Printable trail maps are available on the Civil War Trails website.

Occupying the site of a former café, husband and wife Larry and Erica Hoffman opened their second bar in Falls Church in June 2012 (the other being Galaxy Hut in Arlington). Adorned with its illuminated ‘space-age’ sign in the front window and cool retro robot art inside, patrons can enjoy an extensive beer menu with 24 rotating craft beers on tap, many from local area brewers. If you’re unsure of what beers to try, the bartenders (or even Larry and Erica) are quick to assist and will allow you to sample. Pair your beer with their lovely selection of grilled-cheese sandwiches and crisp tater tots.

For those of us looking to dress well on a budget, Rag-O-Rama brings together the best of vintage and “pre-loved” clothing and accessories. When visiting their newest Sandy Springs location, keep an eye out for hidden designer finds like Coach scarves and Christian Louboutin shoes as well as the more funky like studded bras and colorful Dr. Martens. You can also sell your own clothes there for some extra travel cash or store credit. Shoppers are rewarded for bringing their own bags or by declining plastic and are given a “token” to donate to an area charity.

Tucked away in the Belgian province of West Flanders is the small town (about 20,000 residents) of Poperinge, almost touching the French border. I went there to visit the Hop Museum and the area produces around 80% of Belgium’s hop crop. If you’re a beer lover, then you know this is a fact: no hops = no beer. Every September the town holds the annual Hop Festival to celebrate the harvest, just has they have done (celebrating hops, that is) for centuries. An interesting fact: Poperinge also the home to Belgium’s very first astronaut - Dirk Frimout.

You know how they say that Montreal is a happy mixture of North America and Europe? Well, if there’s one place in the city that’s truly unique, and not influenced by any other colony, it’s Plateau Mont-Royal. Located just a few minutes north of downtown, this neighborhood is lively, colorful, and somewhat eclectic. Here young families, hipsters, and fancy folk mingle together in harmony. In this iconic area you will find everything you need—from French bistros, typical French-Canadian brunch joints, clothing stores, and fine groceries. Nothing is expensive as such, but restraint is in order, because absolutely everything is enthralling!

This is one of the most hectic and lively courtyards in Berlin. Located in Mitte, it is named after the Hackeschen Market, which is across the street. As in many of Berlin’s courtyards, the building complex around it consists of offices, businesses, factories, and apartment buildings. In this specific one sits a well-known movie theater, which makes it even busier. As this was the first courtyard and quite successful, today there are eight other courtyards between Rosenthal and the Sophienstraße. All around the courtyards, you’ll find numerous bars, restaurants, and clubs. The area has become one of the coolest places to go at night.

If you’re visiting Nicaragua, you shouldn’t miss Matagalpa - a beautiful, mountainous, cool area where you can hike around the Selva Negra nature reserve and take coffee or cocoa tours. The Selva Negra also has an on-site restaurant with an outdoor deck overlooking a small lake, perfect for bird-watching. You can sit outside during your meal and enjoy the view, or take a walk around the lake to the special “birdwatching patch” to commune with some local geese.

Petroglyphs are always worth a stop. About 40 minutes north of Globe, on US 60/AZ 77, as the highway winds down through its hairpin curves to the bottom of the Salt River Canyon, stop at ‘Hieroglyphic Point.’ (It’ll be on your left.) This pull-off overlooking the river divides the San Carlos Apache Nation to the south from the White Mountain Apaches to the north. Keep your eyes open for the darker boulders strewn about: they’re covered with pre-columbian petroglyphs dating to centuries before the Apache ever called this area home...

Joshua Tree in the Mojave Desert is as weird as the shapes of the trees that make it up. While beautiful in its sparse vastness, it is no surprise that alien enthusiasts have taken to the area. For a taste of this, try a rejuvenating soundbath at George Van Tassel’s Integratron which was originally built on top of a “magnetic vortex” as a time machine. If you find yourself with time to kill before or after a soundbath, drive to Giant Rock, the self-proclaimed “largest boulder in the world”. While walking around the poorly graffitied boulder, watch out for motorcross riders that appear out of the dust like ghosts.

The little town of Baie-St.-Paul has been a haven along the north shore of the St. Lawrence since the 1670’s, when the French began settling here. Today, just a couple of hours from Québec city by car, it’s an artist’s colony full of charming galleries and restaurants. I hadn’t been here in over a decade when I brought my wife here for her first visit. The dramatic Charlevoix region (the rolling landscape northeast of Québec city) was one of her favorite areas, and we spent an afternoon here, reveling in the cool green, soaking up the contrast from home in Arizona...