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One of the most convivial Garifuna dining spots in Hopkins is run by the entrepreneurial Tina, born and raised in the village. Sample local dishes, such as the breakfast fry jacks, and Tina’s Garifuna hudut—snapper simmered in a seasoned coconut stew, with a side of mashed plantain. You’ll also find a variety of surprising daily specials, including curries and lobster cooked several ways, and small bites like quesadillas. Locals come in and out all day. There are Friday evening Garifuna drumming sessions in the open-air thatched restaurant.

Austrian painter Christiane Ritter reluctantly followed her hunter husband to Svalbard in 1933, a time when much less was known about the far north than today. Five years later, her memoir, A Woman in the Polar Night, did the same job of informing people about the realities of arctic life that Marco Polo did for the Silk Road and Mongolia. Located at the mouth of the Liefdefd Fjord, Gråhuken Mountain plays a starring role in the novel as the location for the couple’s tarpaulin-covered hut, more than 97 kilometers (60 miles) away from the next human—and the place where Ritter gradually learns to love the isolation and harsh yet inspiring environment.

Pack your bikini and a bottle of cold Ticinese rosé and head to the campanile-spiked hills above Locarno. In Switzerland’s sunny and steep-sloped Italian-speaking Canton Ticino, locals and visitors alike love a bracing dip in the cool mountain water—and there’s no better place to witness this than at the historic Ponte dei Salti (Jumping Bridge), a double-arched bridge across the Verzasca River where bronzed young Ticinese plunge into the river’s lustrous emerald depths. From the city of Locarno, the intense hike to the ancient Roman relic hugs the Verzasca River and passes through chestnut groves, vineyards, fragrant pine forests, and the iconic Contra (or Verzasca) Dam where scenes from the James Bond thriller GoldenEye were shot. If your time is limited, take the 45-minute PostBus to the bridge (included with a Swiss Travel Pass) and walk down. Or take the bus all the way to the end of the road in the Alpine village of Sonogno, where a jade-colored waterfall pool, the river’s source, awaits.

Once a separate town, the leafy colonial neighborhood known as Coyoacán has long been absorbed into the city at large, but retains a separate, old-fashioned air that’s impossible to resist. Restaurants and ice cream parlors (plus some venerable, divey cantinas) cluster around the quarter’s two central plazas that fill daily with strolling families, bootblacks, balloon sellers, and organ grinders. Feeling noshy? Locals swear by the esquites (stewed and seasoned corn kernels) on offer at a street stall next to the Sanborns store, right on Plaza del Centenario. A walk down Calle Francisco Sosa takes you past some of the city’s most valuable (often colonial-era) residences and ends at adorable Plaza Santa Catarina, with its petite parish church and a handful of friendly watering holes when it’s time for a drink or a snack.

From the outside, the Royal Ontario Museum appears to have been struck by a mineral formation from outer space. When the original building was overhauled by starchitect Daniel Libeskind, many locals were dismayed by the new addition, called the Michael Lee-Chin Crystal, but most have come around to its angular charms. Visitors to this museum of world cultures and natural history can work their way through galleries showcasing Chinese sculptures, Canada’s First Nations artifacts and crafts, dinosaur skeletons, and Byzantine artwork. Special exhibits have included everything from the intricate textiles of Mexico to an in-depth look at the culture of tattoos.

Hop aboard the ferry at Pier 41 in San Francisco, or from the town of Tiburon, and spend a day on the largest and most beautiful island in the bay—Angel Island State Park. You can bring your own bike, or rent one when you arrive, and ride the paved perimeter trail around the 760-acre island. There are open-air tram tours, too, with guides recalling the island’s rich history, as well as guided hikes. Of course, you are free to roam the trails on your own, one of the best of which is the hike up to the top of 788-foot Mount Livermore, where 360-degree views take in the San Francisco skyline and the Golden Gate Bridge. Whatever your plan, know you’ll be immersing yourself in local history in a place that has been a fishing and hunting site for Coast Miwok Indians, a haven for Spanish explorer Juan Manuel de Ayala, and a U.S. Army post starting with the Civil War. From 1910 to 1940, hundreds of thousands of immigrants were processed here, and during World War II, Japanese and German POWs were held on the island. Several buildings and other relics remain as a reminder of the island’s varied history, including the United States Immigration Station museum (open March–October).

Umm Tays Beach, located at the northernmost point of Qatar near Fuwairit Beach, has been named the most beautiful beach in the country by members of the Qatar Natural History Group. Umm Tays Beach is surrounded by forts, mangroves, an old abandoned fishing village, and a few run-down vacation homes that look like they’ve been empty for years. When the tide is low, you can walk or wade to a little peninsula that is popular with picnickers. You don’t need a tour operator to access the beach. Rent a car and drive north on the main highway until you reach the end of the road, approximately 90 minutes from Doha. You should arrive at Al-Jumail, an abandoned fishing village surrounded by mangroves and a few old forts. Follow the signs from the village to Umm Tays Beach.

One of Cancún’s oldest restaurants, La Habichuela was a 1970s original whose owner wanted a place to hang out with friends. It’s become an upscale dining room featuring local Mayan recipes alongside Mexican-Caribbean fare. The now iconic restaurant borders downtown’s Las Palapas Park, and has a charming backyard garden adorned with twinkly lights and climbing vines. Start the evening with balché, an ancestral Mayan drink made from the bark and roots of the balché tree that have been soaked in honey and water. For your entrée, try the amaranth fish bathed in flavorful tamarind and mango vinaigrettes.

Owners Bryan Lewis and Eric Gaspard recently opened the Twisted Cork Café, a wine-focused restaurant located in the historic Frenchtown district of Charlotte Amalie. The neighborhood, which is busy with cruise passengers during the day, slows down to a more mellow island speed in the evenings. Daily specials, which often feature just-caught fish and produce from an on-site garden, are recommended.

Karawari Lodge is one of the most remarkable places I’ve ever stayed in what is the most incredible country I’ve ever visited. There’s no AC at the lodge, no WiFi, and very little hot water. But what there is is a real sense of adventure. Stationed on a ridge some 300-feet above the Karawari River, deep in remote Arambak country, the lodge serves as a gateway to the dense lowland rainforest that is home to a staggering array of flora and fauna and what seems like an endless number of spectacular villages. After days of exploring via riverboat, the lodge is a great place to return home to – watching the sun set over endless expanses of jungle with a cold South Pacific beer in hand is my idea of a good time. Flash Parker traveled to Papua New Guinea courtesy of Tourism Papua New Guinea and Swain Destinations as part of AFAR’s partnership with The United States Tour Operators Association (USTOA), whose members provide travelers with unparalleled access, insider knowledge, and peace-of-mind to destinations across the globe. For more info on Flash’s journey, visit the USTOA blog.

Its name honors an avant-garde woman poet from Dubrovnik’s golden age, Cvijeta Zuzorić. Its menu, by star chef Jeffery Vella, honors one of the Cvijeta’s tenets: No compromising on the things you believe in. And what the staff believes in here is that the dishes must be creative, the ingredients fresh, and the wine list enticing. Start with the octopus mini burgers on olive focaccia, then enjoy a gilthead bream fillet cooked in parchment, and end your meal with peach and mascarpone crumble. Dine on some of Dubrovnik’s tastiest treasures from your seat in a charming stone alleyway, watching the passersby.

While walking around Florence, have you noticed something different about some of the street signs? Clet Abraham is a French artist who stealthily alters traffic signs with graphic stickers that transform a DEAD END sign into a crucifix or a ONE WAY arrow into Pinocchio’s nose. In the artist’s jumbled studio in San Niccolò, you can learn a bit about his process and purchase a sign of your own. If the original works are too pricey, there are also vinyl stickers and T-shirts bearing his whimsical designs.

Charco Azul, in the north of the island in Vega Baja, Puerto Rico, is one of the most well known swimming holes on the island, and accessible by a short path from the parking area. The hole is 15 feet deep in places, and ideal for swimming while enjoying the small waterfalls that feed into it.

The beauty of the island doesn’t get more mesmerizing than this! Bring lunch and plan to stay for a while.

Note that the bathrooms have not been repaired post Hurricane Maria.

Opened by local restaurateur Lisa Wong in 1992, Rosario’s started as a neighborhood café, where San Antonio residents came to satisfy their Tex-Mex cravings. Today, it’s a city institution, known for its south-of-the-border specialties and house favorites. Don’t miss the tantalizing albondigas con arroz (Mexican meatballs braised in a spicy broth and served with rice and queso fresco), or the flavorful enchiladas Mexicanas (three queso-filled enchiladas smothered in a fragrant chile-infused sauce). And be sure to wash it all down with a perfectly crafted margarita.

There’s almost always a wait at this Mexican eatery, but it’s worth it. Located just off the northwest corner of downtown and within easy striking distance of a number of hotels, the flagship location serves around 700 hungry guests a day. When Ramon and Maria Cardenas opened the restaurant in 1985, it seated only 18 guests, but that location eventually burned down. After reopening in its current location to great fanfare, they’ve since opened a second location, the Red Iguana 2, just a few blocks away. Most recently, they launched “Taste of Red Iguana” in the new City Creek Mall, serving their classic meals food-court style.