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The undisputed king of Bangkok dive bars, Wong’s Place has a character of its own. It’s hard to describe exactly why you should go to this hole-in-the-wall institution near Lumpini Park. The furniture has seen better days, the toilets are nobody’s idea of a treat, and the service ranges from eccentric to downright surly. The fact that it is now one of the few venues in the city that remains open until the wee hours might explain its popularity. But really, it’s the fact that—for all its faults—the bar retains an unpretentious “up-for-it” vibe that is largely missing from more refined places. On quiet nights, there’s not a lot to recommend it, but visit on weekends and there’s a good chance you’ll fall under its beguiling spell.

Sure, it’s the largest town on St. Croix, but it’s the charming Danish-influenced architecture that makes it most noteworthy. The city center is a protected national park lined with candy-colored buildings and historic churches, while the streets are made of cobblestones and punctuated by stone archways. At the waterfront, which was a focal point of the island’s sugar trade, a wharf is populated by restaurants, bars and water sports shops. There’s also an 18th-century fort.

Food trucks have landed in Dubai, and Last Exit Food Truck Park is one of the best to sample the goodies. Out at the dusty border between city and desert, the collection of parked trucks exudes the kitschy charm of vintage Airstream trailers. The wide range of available cuisines includes Mexican, Peruvian, Lebanese, and American. Some of the most popular items are fried seafood, burgers, and hot dogs. Good things happen to those who wait, so be ready to queue up next to hungry Dubaians under the soft glow of fairy lights, and then spread your feast out on the picnic tables and enjoy.

Running three miles along the Tulum coastline, this massive beach has some of the Riviera Maya’s best conditions: soft white sand, waves tame enough for a calm swim, plus incredible shades of turquoise water. The stretch is chockablock with restaurants and beach clubs offering on-the-sand food and drinks. Along the main coastal road that runs parallel to the shore, you’ll find rustic cabins and luxurious hippie-style hotels with plenty of amenities, whether you’re looking for a bed for the night or just somewhere to grab lunch. After dark, Tulum Beach has some of the region’s best stargazing due to its secluded location and absence of city lights.

The 921-meter long Valens Aqueducts - a prominent landmark in Istanbul’s Fatih district - played a vital role in supplying water to the people of the Byzantine and Ottoman empires. The Roman Emperor, Valens ordered the construction of the aqueduct in late 4th century AD to feed water from the hills beyond Istanbul to hundreds of underground cisterns inside the city, including the famous Basilica Cistern located opposite the Hagia Sophia. The best place to view the towering stone aqueduct today is where it crosses the busy Ataturk Boulevard near the Mosque of Şehzade. The boulevard is the main thoroughfare between Taksim Square and the Aksaray neighborhood.

Montréal’s main artery, rue Ste-Catherine, runs for seven miles along the length of the city. From its origins as a dirt road lined with farmhouses and orchards, the street today is now a thoroughfare passing through a number of neighborhoods. The best-known stretch runs roughly from rue Guy to rue Aylmer, where La Baie department store stands. This is the heart of the city’s busy downtown shopping district, with a mix of familiar international brands and only-in-Canada department stores and shops. Continuing east, the street passes through the Quartier des Spectacles before forming the main street of Montréal’s Gay Village. There, it is closed to cars in the summer, and patrons of bars and restaurants spill into the streets.

Hotel de Russie’s fabulous courtyard bar is the place to live Rome‘s 21st-century dolce vita. The hotel itself is the preferred address for VIPs and celebrities, so it makes sense that the garden bar is a posh and private Eden. At any time of year, the city’s best-dressed hold court at the outdoor tables, while a seat at the indoor bar is akin to winning the Iron Throne. It’s important to note that, since the Stravinskij Bar single-handedly resurrected Rome’s cocktail scene, drinks will cost you royally. Try the signature martini, The Gibson.

Few people associate a wired city like Seoul with nature. However, South Korea’s capital is nestled amid 37 mountains, putting the great outdoors just a bus or subway ride away. Thanks to its location within the city, Bukhansan holds the Guinness World Record for the national park with the most visitors per square foot. You’ll find numerous trails of varying difficulty leading past temples, ancient fortress walls, waterfalls, and golden Buddha statues. The park is also home to Baegundae, Seoul’s highest peak, which offers a challenging but fun day-hike with a perfect picnic spot and bird’s-eye views of the sprawling metropolis.

No matter where you are staying in the UAE, you can’t leave without visiting the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi. The mosque, the third-largest in the world, is the final resting place of Sheikh Zayed, the nation’s founder. Even on the hottest summer day, the white marble floors—inlaid with mosaic flowers and vines—remain cool underfoot, and the scale of the space will impress even the most casual observer: The main hall can hold about 7,000 people. Take a tour and learn about the iconography of the intricate tiles and mosaics. Marvel at the huge rug that covers the floor in the main worship space; it’s the largest handmade rug in the world. If you happen to be visiting during Ramadan, you could consider joining one of the community iftar dinners, which sometimes serve as many as a thousand people in an evening.

Close by the Lapa arches there’s a round tent that everyone in Rio knows and loves. Beyond being just a concert venue, it’s a cultural (and countercultural) icon with its own fascinating backstory. It all started in 1982 in Arpoador, an Ipanema beach hot spot, when a group of artists pitched a circus tent to display their work. After several ups and downs, the city government granted them the land where the arena now stands. Its amazing program includes performances by major international acts, but above all it’s a venue every local musician dreams of playing.

Unlike most hard-to-navigate Norwegian cities, the streets of downtown Kristiansand form a grid pattern known as kvadraturen. At the northern end lies Posebyen, Kristiansand’s old town, whose interconnected wooden houses occupy fourteen blocks. The best preserved building is the old post office, which dates back to 1695. For a self-guided walking tour, pick up a copy of the Kristiansand Guide from the tourist office at Rådhusgata 18, just a few blocks to the south. The residents who occupy this former commercial area are proud of their homes, so expect well-tended flower boxes and friendly greetings.

San Sebastián is a bike friendly town: bike paths (called bidegorris) run through the entire city, and locals gather several times a year to cheer on professional cyclists that pass through in droves. It makes sense, then, that there are several bike shops in town. Miner is one of the oldest, family-owned yet still totally relevant thanks to the newest generation that is at the helm. Everything a modern biker could want: single speeds, Adidas Country kicks, Fuga cargo bags, bells and bike seats in every color and pattern...it’s impossible to enter and not feel inspired, even if you don’t have a bike. Make sure to check out their selection of vintage style jerseys, downstairs.

Located in a quasi national park about 20 kilometers due north of Osaka, this 87-year-old ryokan-style property has maple trees as neighbors. The park teems with nature, home to 1,300 plant species and 3,500 insect species. Despite its proximity to the city, Otowa Sansou is a tranquil place to stay, especially spectacular in the fall when the maple leaves gracefully morph from green to fiery red. The traditional Japanese inn is a window to the past, with a pretty, central courtyard shaded by maple trees, and shoji (paper sliding screens), tatami, and lanterns used in the design.

In the whole of the German-speaking world, no theater outshines the Burgtheater, the Austrian National Theater. One of the Ringstrasse’s fabulous late-19th-century confections, the theater was built across from City Hall, principally by celebrated architect Gottfried Semper. The roots of the Burg go back to 1741 during Empress Maria Theresa’s reign. High society vied to be in the presence of royalty and Mozart premiered his works there. Busts on Semper’s Burg facade represent Goethe, Schiller, and Shakespeare, while magnificent Klimt frescoes adorn the staircases. These days the Burg is renowned for performances by international stars like Klaus Maria Brandauer, Bruno Ganz, and Christoph Waltz.

In 1934, architect Luis Barragán won a contest put on by the city of Guadalajara to design a park on former prison land, creating a gateway to the city center. Together with his engineer brother, Barragán based his design on functionalist, Art Deco, and California modernist styles, incorporating elements of red and yellow as a nod to French 1930s design. Although the park (originally named Parque Revolución but now referred to as Parque Rio, or Red Park) has undergone significant changes over the years, certain elements—the red-and-yellow benches, the kiosk, the fountain, and the mashup of 1930s and ’40s architectural styles that would come to define Barragán’s later work—are still intact.