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Around 100 miles from Reykjavik, and easily accessible due to its location on the main ring road, the tiny and cute village of Vík í Mýrdal has only under 300 inhabitants but is nonetheless one of the south coast’s key highlights. This is mainly because of its distinctive black-sand beach, Reynisfjara, which offers striking basalt columns and lava formations to admire, cliffs and caves to explore and, slightly out to sea, Dyrhólaey, a small promontory featuring a famous arch. Right behind the village also lies the mighty Mýrdalsjökull glacier, which offers some great hiking and other activities, and its worth walking up to quaint white village church (Reyniskirkja) for the views back down to the sea.

Tucked inside the venerable Pink Adobe (est. 1944), the Dragon Room bar is a cozy, cheery spot with handpainted tables and trees growing through the floor. The lounge menu features a French onion soup (that has been on its menu since inception) and house-made chips, as well as queso and shrimp tacos on corn tortillas with sliced avocado. There’s also freshly baked blue-corn piñon bread. Don’t miss the happy-hour specials from 4 to 7 p.m., including the watering hole’s famed classic margarita. In cooler weather, gather around the kiva fireplace, and for warmer evenings, sneak out to the outdoor patio under festive strung lights.

As the name suggests, this hotel’s personality is one part laid-back Californian, one part British aristocrat. Nowhere is that clearer than at the 10th-floor rooftop pool, where plantings inspired by formal English gardens stand out against a backdrop of palm trees and sunny views of the Hollywood Hills. Downstairs, the London Bar channels both influences, too, with an orangeries-style latticework frieze inspired by English conservatories along with a living wall of exotic plants and a menu that ranges from classic (Moscow Mules, Pimm’s Cups) to creative (the Winston Churchill made with Bulldog gin and Laphroig scotch is a favorite).

No matter the time of year you visit, Lake Königssee always inspires awe. Summer means shimmering water in shades of emerald and sage green, while winter brings a cold, misty atmosphere with otherworldly light. Take a boat ride along the pristine fjord, past rugged cliffs and the Baroque-style St. Bartholomew’s Church. When your guide plays his trumpet, listen for the magical echo from the mountains.

I walked into my hotel room and there on the bed was my personal invitation to rock. I picked up the turquoise blue and white Fender Telecaster (already plugged into a floor amp and head phones), strummed a few chords and in a flash I was Joan Jett: Live and In Concert! Hard Rock Hotels are all about comfort, excitement, relaxation, and most definitely about the music. Their latest experience offering is the AMPLIFIED package born from their deep connection and commitment to music especially rock and roll. The experience is available at all 23 Hard Rock Hotels worldwide. As part of the package, guests pre-reserve a guitar out of a collection of Fender telecasters, starcasters, stratocasters, and jazz bass guitars. The guitar is guaranteed to be in the room ready to play when guests arrive. To add to the music experience, AMPLIFIED guests are given a VIP behind-the-scenes tour of the extensive music memorabilia collection within the hotel which is part of the Hard Rock collection, the largest music memorabilia collection in the world. Each guest also receives a limited edition “I Got Plugged in @ Hard Rocks Hotels” hat and collectible pin. At the HRH Orlando, after rocking with their Fender guitar, guests are just a short 5-minute walk from Universal Studios/Island of Adventure where all HRH guests are entitled to early admission and an express fast pass on theme park rides. When it’s time to relax, the HRH Universal Orlando offers a palm-lined pool and oasis-like rooms perfect to recharge in for the next round of fun whether that is checking out the music scene at nearby CityWalk, dinner at The Palms located within the hotel, or a bit more rockin’ on the Fender.

No trip to Kenya is complete without picking up some of the beautiful handicrafts available here. Once of the best places to find these is at Langata Link – a house in the leafy suburb of Karen where every room has been turned into a different shop. They have everything here from bags made out of colourful Kenyan kanga material to delicate jewellery, rustic khaki luggage and pretty pottery. In the centre of the shop there’s also a lovely café, great for a pit stop after all that tiring spending you’ll be doing.

Created by the lava flow from the 1914 eruption of Sakurajima, the almost 3-kilometer-long walking trail starts near the Sakurajima Ferry Terminal. The amazing views of the harbor look out over the grasses and small plants that have grown in the lava bed over the past 100 years. Located at the base of the volcano, the nearby Foot Bath Spa is a perfect way to end a vigorous walk.

It doesn’t happen often (does it?), so doing it right is key. You’re going to Vegas, you’ve got two nights and only so many hours to party, so...like I said...do it right. Get tables. Get bottle service. Live it up. Enjoy the dancers. Dance in the confetti. Stay out until breakfast. Heck, stay out past breakfast. It’s Vegas!

The sky above Jasper National Park comes alive at night. Celebrated as a Dark Sky Preserve, the national park is one of the best places in the world to stargaze. Light pollution is that orange hue often seen above cities, which is caused by the large amount of iridescent light omnipresent in populated areas. Jasper, home to only 5,000 people in a 10,000-square-kilometer area, is essentially light-pollution free. Because of this, the skies are darker—the area around Columbia Icefield is one of the darkest places in North America—so it’s possible to clearly see more stars than nearly anywhere else. Although the dark skies are best viewed in autumn and winter, from September to March, the best time to learn about the stars is during Jasper’s annual Dark Sky Festival that takes place at the end of October. The best part? It’s absolutely free.

Trafalgar Square dominates the landscape at Charring Cross. It was made to commemorate the Battle of Trafalgar. At the centre is Nelson’s column, which includes a statue of Horatio Nelson, the vice admiral who commanded the British Fleet at Trafalgar. It is flanked by 4 majestic lions. Around the corner, the historic National Gallery and National Portrait Gallery occupy pride of place. They house masterpieces by famed artists including Leonardo Da Vinci, Claude Monet, and J.M.W. Turner. The area around the galleries is full of tourists and locals unwinding after a long day. It is crowded during the day but it is absolutely magical at night once the crowds disperse-perfect for a walk after dinner.

It’s one of the most recognizable facades on Passeig de Gràcia: a modernist fantasy of undulating stone, brightly colored mosaics, and stained glass—one that could only come from the mind of famed Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí. Designed in 1904 as a home for local industrialist Josep Batlló, the building pays homage to the legendary tale of Saint George and the Dragon. The balconies are reminiscent of skulls, and exterior columns look like bones—recalling the dragon’s human victims—while the roof’s arched shape and scale-like tiles mimic the dragon itself. The interior is just as fantastical, all sinuous lines and curving forms. To avoid the crush, try going first thing on a weekday morning, or shell out a bit extra for a Fast Pass timed ticket online (28.5 euros, or about $37—5 euros more than regular admission).

Standing out in San Francisco‘s Marina District, this historic landmark is a leftover from the 1915 Pan-Pacific International Expo and was designed by Bernard R. Maybeck, a student of the École des Beaux-Arts. His vision was to give the impression of ancient Roman ruins. When the fair concluded, the Palace of Fine Arts proved too beautiful to raze. Maybeck had intended the Palace to fall into ruins (in keeping with his original vision), and it did for years. It was used as a storage depot after World War II and as a warehouse for the Parks Department. In the late 1950s, a local city official led an effort to face-lift the building. The Palace of Fine Arts was rebuilt and is now enjoyed by visitors who walk beneath the towering colonnade and the grand rotunda.

A beautiful 15,000-acre park in Israel’s Negev Desert, north of Eilat, Timna Park offers visitors spectacular views of the arid desert landscape and ancient geological formations. One highlight is the copper mine at Mount Timna, which scientists and historians consider to be the world’s very first. At least 6,000 years ago, the area was mined by ancient Egyptians by order of their pharaoh, as well as by Israelites under the rule of King Solomon. Tours of the park, including highly recommended bike tours, are available daily, as is zip-lining, pedal-boating on the artifical lake, and the Timna Safari Shuttle, which leaves from Eilat.

The most important historical site on Guadeloupe’s miniature archipelago of Les Saintes also boasts one of the most breathtaking views in the Caribbean. Perched some 400 feet above Les Saintes Bay, Fort Napoleon’s panoramic view of the water—dotted with sailboats and surrounded by bluffs—is worth a visit to Terre-de-Haut on its own. But it’s of historic interest as well. Rebuilt in the mid-19th century after the British destroyed it, the fort turned into a prison that was used during World War II. It was restored in the 1980s and houses a museum showcasing the history of Les Saintes. You can stroll inside to see the former grounds that served as a jail, and walk the botanical gardens afterwards, filled with the island’s various cactus species. Look out for iguanas peeking out of holes in the fort’s walls, as ubiquitous on the grounds as they are all over the island. Take in the glorious scenery for as long as you like before descending back down, on foot or on your rented electric scooter.

Hiking the French Valley is part of the W-trek through Patagonia’s Torres del Paine National Park. It’s about 16 mi round-trip from Refugio Paine Grande to the French Valley Mirador, to see the French Glacier and the Paine Massif as close as you can get. The trail is diverse and only reaches a steep height at the last 5.5 km on the way there. You begin at Lago Pehoe and take grassy paths through the forested valley, on an terrain that the locals call “Patagonia flat,” i.e. an undulating up and down of several feet. On the way you’ll see tiny magenta--and edible--berries that taste just like apples; you’ll cross small glacial streams where you can fill up your water bottle with fresh, wild water. You’ll trek right by the Cuernos, or the “Horns,” another well-known set of peaks in Torres del Paine. Over the French River you go as you get deeper into the valley, over wobbly rope bridges. The final 5.5 km to the French Valley Mirador has you balancing on thousands of loose boulders on your way up. The very top of the trek feels like being in the middle of a Patagonian fishbowl: Paine Massif to your left, French Glacier in front, the Aleta de Tiburon (the Shark’s Fin) and the Cuernos to the right, and turquoise Lago Pehoe behind you.