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Seoul is a city built on innovation and commerce. Combine the two and you get Common Ground, the world’s largest container shopping mall. Developed by the design firm Urbantainer, the project was intended to revitalize unused land in the Gwangjin neighborhood. Now, 200 stacked, prefab blue containers stand on the site, helping connect the community with creativity. Independent boutiques in the Street Market and Market Hall areas lure shoppers, while gourmands head to the terrace restaurants and food trucks in the courtyard. A never-ending lineup of events is also on offer, from DJ nights and performances by emerging musicians to pop culture exhibits sponsored by Toy Republic.

These days, a hip design hotel isn’t worth its salt unless it’s also home to an almost painfully trendy bar. But when Story Hotel first opened in 2009, on the border of two of Stockholm’s coolest neighborhoods, it set the standard to which all of the city’s subsequent boutique hotels would be held. The Story formula is deceptively simple: take one historic building in an achingly cool European capital and strip it down to exposed brick and concrete, and original hardwood floors, before decorating it with a sleek, unpretentious style that epitomizes Scandinavian design. Add a sprinkling of colorful graffiti art, and pair faded Persian rugs with collaged photographs and leather chairs. Make sure some rooms are small and affordable, while others are spacious and decadent.

The cuisine needn’t be fancy, but it ought to be high quality, just as the cocktails must be inventive and delicious. And don’t let the DJ-accompanied scene turn pretentious; everyone should feel welcome, and among friends. Story’s formula works, and there’s a reason this original boutique hotel is still one of Stockholm’s best.

If spending the day lounging on idyllic white sands and swimming in cerulean seas aren’t enough without some snuggle time with adorable puppies, plan a visit to Potcake Place, in Grace Bay. This volunteer-run nonprofit is dedicated to rescuing and finding adoptive homes for local dogs, most of which are a regional breed called “potcakes.” The center has around 50 dogs in foster care at any given time and places about 500 per year. Visitors can stop by the shelter, located in Salt Mills Plaza, to help socialize the dogs by taking them out for a day on the beach. A kit with food, leash, and other items is provided.

What began as a large collection of Delta Air Lines artifacts in 1995, the Delta Flight Museum reopened in 2014 as a state-of-the-art facility for visitors on the company’s campus near Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. The historic Hangar 1, once the largest in the southeast, was formerly used as a maintenance facility. Here you’ll find the company’s original Douglas DC-3, a replica of the Huff Daland Duster and The Spirit of Delta, the airline’s first Boeing 767, which was purchased by employees in 1982. Learn more about each machine with touch screen displays and admire the artifacts from over the years. Inside the Spirit of Delta, you’ll find original seats and flight attendant uniforms from Delta’s tenure as well as the airlines it acquired in its history like Western, Northwest and Pacific Northern. There’s even a flight simulator, which costs extra. The museum is open every day except Wednesday, from 10 am to 4:30 pm during the week and 12 to 4:30 pm on Sunday. Guided tours run at 1 pm on Tuesdays. You’ll be required to show photo ID upon entering the facility. Admission is $12.50 for visitors but military and Delta employees receive a discount. It’s a great stop on your way to or from the airport.

Seoul’s Janganpyeong Antique Market has more than 150 stores, with everything from furniture to fine art. Antique is sometimes loosely defined, but it’s a good place to look for scroll paintings and calligraphy and lacquerware. Need a man-size stone totem pole? This is the place. It gets a bit overwhelming after a while, but every corner hides a surprise. Near the Dapsimni subway station; most shops are closed Sundays.

This company carries the label of EPV, as certified by the French government for its continued work in a trade considered part of the French heritage. The family business began in 1958 when nearly every local village still had an artisan working in olive wood. Today, there are fewer than 20 professionals practicing the art in the region. Second-generation craftsman Guillaume Dubosq starts with tree trunks, drying, cutting, shaping, and sanding his work by hand, turning out the lustrous olive-wood housewares. Some of the region’s finest restaurants have commissioned his pieces for their tables. Each item sold in the shop is unique; purchasing something here not only makes sense for those seeking made-in-France souvenirs, it supports local traditional crafts as well.

The owners of Mama Rocks, two sisters from London with Kenyan heritage, decided to introduce the food truck revolution to Nairobi. Their pale pink truck, located most days outside the Alchemist bar in Westlands, has sent Kenyans wild with joy and praise for the gourmet burgers. Mama Rocks recipes infuse Western/American traditional foods with an African twist, like the Nollywood Suya Saga burger (a beef burger dressed with caramelized onions, arugula, and a honey and nut mayo blend), served with fried plantains on the side. Despite identifying as a burger truck, Mama Rocks turns out delicious salads and drinks, too. The veggie burger (a falafel patty topped with haloumi cheese) is one of the most popular items on the menu.

At the heart of Diocletian’s Palace, this colorful bar—a recent addition to Split’s dining scene—is already a favorite for its globally flavored tapas-style dishes. The menu is small but far-flung, featuring everything from burgers to a number of plates with an Asian twist. The Japanese steamed pork buns are particularly delicious; other bites include pickled oysters, barbecue ribs, shellfish custard, and cheese and charcuterie platters. Guinness is on tap and the cocktails are great. Torito serves breakfast, too, as well as freshly squeezed juices and smoothies all day.

One of Dubai’s oldest and busiest traditional souks, Naif Souk is a great spot for buying souvenirs and trinkets that will tell the world “I just came back from Dubai!” Offering fabrics, cosmetics, street food, and much more, Naif Souk is frequented by a variety of the city’s residents, from South Asian laborers to Arab women. Everyone is trying to score good deals and outsmart the merchants, so practice your bargaining skills. Characteristic of souks of olden times, Naif Souk exudes a lively ambience. If you love a good deal—and who doesn’t?—Naif Souk deserves a spot on your itinerary.

Could there be a more glorious setting for a cheese’s origin? These pastures surrounding a hilltop village (Gruyères) crowned with a castle (the Château de Gruyères), happy Swiss cows grazing with views of the Alps all around, producing the milk which, in time, arrives on grocery shelves as cheese around the world, stamped ‘GRUYÈRE’...and there’s a geometric garden in the castle’s courtyard, too.

Set stoically atop a handsome steed, the statue of Jean-Jacques Desalines bears every bit the exalted “Father Of A Nation” status you’d expect from the only person to have a holiday celebrated in his honor in Haiti. The statue is the centerpiece of a collection of memorials honoring Haiti’s heroes set in the Le Champs de Mars area of downtown Port-au-Prince. Here, big, broad boulevards intersect among a series of squares, parks, and wide open spaces, each bearing statues of Haiti’s legendary statesmen creating what’s easily the most impressive public space I’ve come across along my Caribbean travels. I got to tour around Champs de Mars on my last visit to Haiti in early-December 2017 while staying at the Marriott Port-au-Prince. Haiti’s newest and nicest hotel sits just a few blocks from the area, though walking to Champs de Mars from the Marriott isn’t advisable. What little sidewalk space exists between the two is jammed with locals selling all manner of goods along the road. There’s really just no room to walk until you get to Champs de Mars. Take a taxi then enjoy the sights, history, and local art for sale all throughout the various squares and parks.

For local history that stretches back to long before the Dutch arrived, head to Boca Onima and follow the signs to the area’s famous limestone ledge. Look up, and—amid the pockmarks and other ravages of time—you’ll see reddish-brown pictographs that are believed to have been created by the island’s Arawak residents at least six centuries ago. The first forms you’ll swear you can make out among all the dots and spirals? Perhaps not surprisingly, fish.

Since bursting on to the scene in 2013, this Chippendale hotspot has multiplied its loyal fans along with its awards—chef Mat Lindsay was even named Australian Gourmet Traveller’s 2018 Chef of the Year. Surrounded by stucco archways and strung with pendant lights, the dining room provides a subtle backdrop to dishes that are rustic yet refreshing. The wood-fired oven is put to good use, sometimes in surprising ways, like for charring cauliflower or lightly roasting rock oysters to warm, gooey perfection. There are also beautifully baked meats and breads, and a baby blood sausage “sanga” for those craving comfort food. For dessert, order the burnt pavlova, a classic meringue that takes a trip through the flames before being dusted in elderflowers.

No matter how much people seem to know about the giant Alaska-grown vegetables they hear about on the national news, they’re always surprised that—surprise!—Alaska has farms, and those farms grow loads of different things. Here’s some proof: The tables at the Tanana Valley Farmers Market overflow with goodness grown under the midnight sun. All those hours of sunlight make it possible for farmers to turn over more crops per summer than a cranky French maître d’ turns over tables at a busy bistro. But even if you’re not up for just chomping down on sweet, sweet Alaska-grown carrots for lunch—and seriously, you should consider doing just that—there are plenty of other food vendors at the market. Crafty fun stuff, too. Your souvenir shopping? Done!

If visiting a miniature version of a country the size of a postage stamp makes no sense to you, stay away from Madurodam, a top tourist attraction in Den Haag featuring historic Dutch towns, ports, canals, roads and monuments re-created on a 1/25 scale. On the other hand, if you fancy learning about the history of a nation that would be underwater were it not for Dutch ingenuity, by all means visit this interactive park that tells the story behind the battle against water, as well as many historic venues that still exist in Holland today.