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Great design is everywhere you look in Denmark—in shops, in homes, in public spaces—and the creativity of its people has long been a source of national pride. This museum, located just around the corner from Amalienborg, was founded in 1890, many decades before midcentury modern became an international sensation. It looks at the history of Danish design over the centuries, taking in everything from furniture to fashion to textiles.

The historic Crazy Mountain Inn is a great place to stop while cruising through Montana, especially if you arrive with a growling stomach. The Inn’s legendary chicken-fried steak will set you right (and put you in the mood for a 10-mile trek, or a fireside nap, depending on your constitution). The Sour Cream Lemon Pie is qually famed, though lighter breakfasts, lunches, and dinners do come out of the kitchen from time to time.

Inside the main market in Ocotlan de Morelos there is a food stall called La Cocina de Frida (“Frida’s Kitchen”), and standing behind the counter is none other than Frida Kahlo herself, or at least a reasonable facsimile. Owner Beatriz Vázquez Gómez likes to play up her resemblance to the famous Mexican artist. She greets visitors warmly and serves up excellent chiles rellenos, mole, enchiladas, and other local specialties. This is a great choice for breakfast or lunch on a day trip to Ocotlan.

Cerrillos, New Mexico was the center of the turquoise mining trade in the late 1800’s, and almost became New Mexico’s capital. The Clear Light Opera House was built to house performances by East Coast luminaries like Sarah Bernhardt. One of the ghost towns repopulated by artists along the now famous Turquoise Trail, it’s a great day trip from nearby Santa Fe. Check out the Trading Post, pet a llama, and visit artist Bill Skrip’s sculptures.

Whether you decide to buy one off the rack or get a custom-made qipao (recommended), these figure-hugging dresses are arguably the most iconic fashion piece for females around China, and sexy to boot. If you opt to visit a tailor (which I really suggest that you do!), the selection of fabrics and details will ensure you’ll be able to customize your dress to fit your body and your style. Now, that’s a great souvenir.

The Gold Coast is a legendary surfing destination, and veteran surfers make pilgrimages from all over the world to catch these waves. Playa Grande is the granddaddy of all Costa Rican surfing beaches, and it doubles as a nesting ground for leatherback sea turtles. Other popular surf spots in the area are Playas Avellanas & Negra (where the 1994 surf classic The Endless Summer II was filmed), and Tamarindo. If you’re a beginner or novice and need lessons, Point Break Surf is a great option.

The cultural heart of Wellington is right downtown on Cuba Street. Here art galleries rub shoulders with boutique cafes, and there’s more than an enough independent bookshops, thrift stores, and quirky bars to keep even the most alternative traveler sated. If you’re looking to mingle with locals and really get a feel for what makes Wellington special, look no further than Cuba Street. And if you have a hectic New Zealand itinerary, Cuba Street is a great spot to just relax and enjoy the capital.

This authentic neighborhood bar, Il Chicco di Caffè (aka Lola’s), is run by Maurizio whose Mom, Lola, cooks for a truly egalitarian mix of local artisans, staff from the nearby Gucci headquarters, students and people like me (I live next door!) at lunchtimes. The place is always packed, so be prepared to wait for satisfying pasta dishes, succulent meat mains and great seasonal veg sides. No frills here, but prices are rock bottom and there’s a cool buzz about the place.

Located on the first floor of the bustling central market, Nerbone’s food stall has been serving up steaming plates of warming nourishment to hungry market workers since 1872 and is a great place to find local color and rock-bottom prices. The specialty is lampredotto (cow’s intestines) served in a bun with bright green salsa verde, but if you can’t stomach that (sorry….), there is also pasta and roast meats. The locals stand at the bar counter to eat, but there are a few tables too.

For an exclusive experience, Navarino Collections at Navarino Dunes is a must visit. The venue features items made specifically for Navarino Collections. For example, there are clothes by brands such as Ralph Lauren featuring the Costa Navarino logo that cannot be found anywhere else. In addition, Costa Navarino has launched its own series of authentic Messinia-inspired products through the Navarino Icons company. Upon arrival in Messinia this is also a great stop as Navarino Collections doubles as an information center offering local travel advice and activity planning.

December in Stockholm is a great time to explore various Christmas markets (Julmarknader) around town. At Stortorget in Gamla stan (Old town), you’ll find the city’s most popular Christmas market where you can pick up a variety of porcelain ornaments, festive decorations, and wooden gnomes as well as dig into gingerbread cookies (pepparkakor), mulled wine (glögg), candied almonds, jams, and deli meats.

Bataplan is San Sebastián‘s best example of the classic, European, sweaty, house-music-filled disco. It is the iconic disco of the city, the one that you can bet every single San Sebastiánite has passed through at least once in their life. Bouncers do their best of keeping the crowd decently good looking. And in summer, the above ground terrace is open. It’s a great place to drink at sunset, meet people, and the crowd tends to skew a little older (think 30s and above).

The menú del día is a uniquely Spanish tradition. Who in the rest of the world has time to sit for two hours and drink wine, consume multiple courses, all in the normal workday? If you want to experience a traditional menú del día, food that is not glamorous but is nothing if not fresh and made by hand, Politena is your spot. Centrally located and very fairly priced, it’s a perfect example of a great, classic menú del día. Down to the ‘mi casa’ ambience.

Brussels has a number of African influences due to the influx of African immigrants from former Belgian colonies. A great example is the number of African restaurants in town. We ate at KoKob (pictured), an upscale, trendy Ethiopian restaurant. As is tradition in Ethiopia, we ate with our hands from a shared plate using a spongy crepe-like bread to scoop up meats and vegetables. We washed down the meal with St. Georges, a popular Ethiopian beer. Definitely a fun, unexpected experience.

Mollusk is a neighborhood surf shop that sells clothing and great boards. They carry my surfboards and handplanes [for body surfing]. They occasionally host art shows and live music. The shop is sort of like the cornerstone of the Sunset. 4500 Irving St., (415) 564-6300, mollusksurfshop.com. This story appeared in the January/February 2012 issue.