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The Grill at the Grand Hyatt Doha offers not only a lavish Friday brunch, but also entertainment in the form of themes. Rock ‘n’ roll, horror, the Hawaiian tropics, 1920s flapper, and many others are a major brunch attraction. Because the relaxed, but festive, atmosphere, this is a very popular Friday place and it requires a reservation. But good fun and party don’t come cheap. Brunch is 420 QAR ($115) for the special beverage package; 725 QAR, ($200) for the Moët package (one bottle of Moët & Chandon champagne per person)

Everyone in Berlin has a favorite place to eat currywurst—tasty chopped pork sausage doused in a sauce made of curry powder and ketchup—but Curry 36 in Kreuzberg (along with Konnopke’s in Prenzlauer Berg) is one of the most consistently popular spots to procure this famous street-food snack. In fact, the place is so trendy that it sells Curry 36 merchandise in the shape of hoodies and even its own branded ketchup. Besides currywurst, the stall serves other sausage-y delights such as bockwurst and krakauers, as well as related meat products like burgers and meatballs. To be extra authentic, order your currywurst ohne darm (without skin) and enjoy it while standing at one of the outdoor tables.

For a fun night out in Seoul, locals know to head to the Hongdae neighborhood for dining, drinks and music…and more drinks. Set near Hongik University, Hongdae is a nightlife lover’s dream, with jolly crowds, flashing lights, and pulsing music, and a great place to start (or finish) the night is in lively Bar Da. With its low lighting and divey feel, Bar Da has developed a reputation as a hip hangout with cheap cocktails and a good atmosphere. There are plenty of restaurants around if you’re hungry, or snack on the dried anchovies Bar Da serves up with your drink.

A Hawaiian fantasyland on Oahu’s more remote leeward coast, about 40 minutes from Waikiki, Aulani is so seductive—for all ages—that many guests are loath to leave the property at all. And who can blame them? The beach is an idyllic cove (albeit a man-made one) stocked with kayaks, boogie boards, and everything else little beach bums could want. Then there are the three pools, including one for adults only and one filled with tropical fish for snorkelers-in-training, two impressive waterslides, and the biggest crowd-pleaser of them all, a 900-foot-long lazy river where guests, big and small, splash around on inner tubes as they meander around a faux-rock grotto. Goofy, Minnie, Mickey, and the rest—all in their vacation outfits—make occasional cameos at the breakfast buffet or by (sometimes, in) the pool. But while Aulani is most assuredly every kid’s dream, it is not every parent’s nightmare. The resort decor is more traditionally Hawaiian than obnoxiously Magic Kingdom; the lobby is built to recall an old canoe house, on a grand scale, and is covered in murals, painted by local artists, depicting island life. Hawaiian storytellers gather around a fire pit at night, and rooms have warm woods, with a single subtle reference to the Mouse King—a wooden carving of Mickey with a surfboard and ukulele that doubles as a desk lamp. Perhaps best of all, the Aulani has an outstanding, supervised kids’ club that’s free to guests ages 3 to 12. Babysitters are available for kids as young as six weeks old.

This 27-acre attraction in North Vancouver gets the heart racing with a suspension bridge that bounces 230 feet above a forested river gorge. Even more spectacular, however, is the Cliffwalk, a labyrinth of walkways along the granite flank of the valley. Get a bird’s-eye view of the area during the Treetops Adventure, a canopy expedition through the upper tiers of 250-year-old Douglas firs. The experience doesn’t come cheap at $46.95 per adult, but it does include free shuttle service from downtown and mini-tours that cover the flora, fauna, and First Nations involvement in the park. From late November to late January, Capilano strings holiday lights around the canyon and decorates the world’s tallest living Christmas tree.

It’s fun to imagine that Xcalak, a sleepy coastal village south of Mahahual on Mexico’s Costa Maya, is what the entire Caribbean coast of Mexico looked like before the creation of the Cancún megaresort in the 70s. No Spring breakers, no cruise ships, no thumping beachside clubs, no big hotels. Just white sand and palapas, palm trees and pelicans, hammocks and fishing boats. Just you in secluded relaxation away from it all. Several clean and basic hotels are located on the old coast road and fresh, cheap seafood is abundant at local favorite Toby’s. Dive and snorkel trips can be arranged at XTC Dive Center (www.xtcdivecenter.com), located about 300m north of town.

Playa del Carmen’s winning charm emerges all along this wide pedestrian avenue, which runs parallel to the beach. Eateries here include everything from cheap fast food like Pizza Renzo to upscale restaurants and cafes; the best people-watching is from outdoor seating at the sports bar Tequila Barrel or Chez Céline bakery. The shopping scene offers international luxury brands side by side souvenir shops, but the most interesting Mexican handicrafts await at boutiques like Sin Pecado and Sol Jaguar. Since this part of town has little shade, it’s best to avoid the midday sun; instead, try an early-morning visit with some streetside coffee in hand, then revisit at sunset to kick off an evening of dining, shopping, and bar-hopping.

Watching the sun set on Jamaica‘s west coast is a bona fide activity. The island’s red skies are a sight to behold. I have yet to experience a better Caribbean sunset than in Jamaica. From Montego Bay all the way to Negril--famous for having the best--to Whitehouse, get your camera and Red Stripe ready for the last hours of daylight. You won’t lack for choice of seafront bars or scenic spots--from the trendy Pier One in Montego Bay to the wooden shack watering holes along Negril’s West End cliffs. Wherever you end up, there’s a very good chance you’ll get hooked on this daily sunset viewing routine.

In Panama you really can buy cheap and cheerful, even when it comes to exclusive boutiques and high-end labels, because of low import duties. In truth it seems as if there were a new mall opening every day, like so many mushrooms after a rain. Albrook Mall is the widest-ranging, and out-of-towners love it. Multiplaza Pacific is swankier, with prices to match, though there are perennially great sales, too. Finally there’s Metromall, the saving grace of shopaholics who have only a few hours between planes (it’s near the airport, and there is a free shuttle service there and back).

Take a road trip up to the North Shore of Oahu and go hungry! A stop at Giovanni’s Shrimp Truck is a must if you are a garlic and butter lover...and really - who isn’t? Make sure you have plenty of napkins!

In the old town, near the waterfront, you’ll find Zadar’s green, meat and fish markets. They face each other and are open in the mornings from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. Fishermen supply fresh catches every day, and you’ll also find herbs, fruits, olive oil and cheese in the outdoor stalls, not to mention an indoor meat market and, off to one side, a spot to buy clothes, flip-flops and other cheap items. The markets settled in this large open space after buildings in the area were destroyed in World War II; today, the only fighting going on is among the bargain hunters.

There’s something almost cheeky about the Prince Charles Cinema. Tucked in a little alley behind Leicester Square, it seems to thumb its nose at the great swathes of visitors who go to the square to spend silly money in its vast multiplexes. If you don’t want to drop $20 on a second-rate blockbuster, the slightly dilapidated but always charming Prince Charles will offer you an eclectic mix of nearly new and utterly classic films for a fraction of the price. If you’re free to go to a daytime screening, it’s even cheaper. Then there are its famous marathon screenings, where you can spend an entire weekend geeking out on John Hughes movies, or staying overnight for a Harry Potter sleepover. It’s more than a cinema, really—it’s a community center for movie geeks.

Since 1862, fresh flowers and plants have arrived by barge from the Dutch countryside to Amsterdam. While this assemblage of flora still shows up daily, it comes by van, not boat, to the Bloemenmarkt, the world’s only floating flower market. Here, you can browse 15 fragrant stalls on houseboats permanently moored on the Singel. Now the best-known flower market in Holland, this colorful attraction is packed with tourists on sunny weekends. Still, it’s a great place to pick up Dutch tulip bulbs in a plethora of shades and varieties, as well as many other types of bulbs, seeds, cut blooms, and houseplants. Ship a bag of bulbs home, or grab a souvenir at one of several shops hawking T-shirts, mugs, clogs, Dutch cheese, and other fun and inexpensive gifts.

The ‘60s and ‘70s in San Francisco were synonymous with psychedelic “hobbies,” but tripping in the new millennium on Pier 39 is something you can now enjoy, legally, with the entire family. This labyrinth of 77 mirrors and black lights is reminiscent of a carnival fun house, and finding your way out of the 2,000-square-foot kaleidoscope of glowing twists and turns and befuddling dead-ends puts the fun in funky. While ‘80s music thumps, kids race through and into the walls, while adults feel their way down endless neon hallways. Created by Charles Magowan (who, no surprise, studied psychology at Yale), the Mirror Maze is a trip for all ages, and at just $5 it might be the cheapest one you’ll find in San Francisco.

Dumplings are a northern Chinese staple—inexpensive, hearty, and with a variety of fillings—and the boiled dumplings (shuijiao) at Baoyuan don’t disappoint. What sets them apart from your corner dumpling shop is the colored dumpling skins, dyed with juice from spinach, tomatoes, carrots, and purple cabbage. Customize your order by choosing your skin and filling—say, a spinach dumpling filled with cucumber, cilantro, pork, and lotus root, or a cabbage-dyed purple wrapper with bean sprouts, crispy rice, pork, and cabbage inside. There’s no denying that these dumplings photograph well, and that, plus the quirky venue—two dining rooms reached by a stroll through a fake garden and over a bridge—makes this a worthy place for a cheap and cheerful lunch or dinner.