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With expansive, pearly beaches that are practically deserted, warm, azure waters just begging to be swum in, the odd beach boy selling juicy coconuts, and traditional dhows sailing past in the background, it’s not hard to see why the Kenyan coast has been enticing visitors for years on end. This is the perfect place to relax after a few days spent bumping along dirt tracks on safari, or to hone your kitesurfing, snorkeling, or scuba diving skills.

Of the traditions that the French uphold with near-religious obsession, carving time in their schedules for a late afternoon/early evening drink at happy hour is perhaps the most important. Unwind from your day and sidle up to the bar at one of these hot spots. No matter your preference - beer, wine or cocktails - they have a tipple for all tastes.

Discovering a hidden eatery will make any Swiss sojourn utterly memorable. Find out here where the locals in Zurich eat. Discover a restaurant down a quiet side street of the Niederdorf that serves up delicious food using seasonal ingredients. Scale the hill in the Wollishofen neighborhood and splurge on Zurich’s best entrecôte steak. Or enjoy the finest catches of the day from Lake Zurich at a fish restaurant located on the city’s only campground.

You’ll need a bit of time if you plan on visiting each of Antigua’s best beaches - if you visited a different one every day, it would take an entire year to sample all of Antigua’s sugar-white sandy beaches. Yes, the island may have only 54 miles of coastline, but it boasts 365 beaches! And don’t think it’s all quantity and no quality. Many of Antigua’s best beaches are found on the protected Caribbean side, and all are open to the public.

Monaco has more to offer than casinos, yachts, and fancy race cars. The Monte Carlo Beach Hotel reminds guests of the city’s glitterati glory days. The casino may steal the spotlight at Le Fairmont Monte-Carlo, but the Nobu restaurant and stellar spa deserve equal attention. Grand Prix fans will want to book a room at Port Palace for its terrific race views, not to mention harbor location. Housed in a 1900s Italianate-style palace, Hotel Métropole Monte-Carlo delivers over the top glamour.

With a long and often tumultuous history that encompasses the heady days of the Champa Kingdom, Hoi An’s heyday as a regional trading hub, the American War, and Vietnam’s recent emergence as a tourist destination, the central part of the country is not short in intrigue.

The best markets and bazaars in Istanbul are scattered all over the city. Either open every day or held once a week, these markets are the places to haggle with vendors to buy a range of Istanbul’s best goods on the cheap, including farm-fresh produce, organic products, affordable souvenirs, leather handbags, clothes, and more. The neighborhood weekly bazaars are the places to go to shop, pay local prices, and nab the best bargains in Istanbul.

Experience New Mexico through a vast and storied collection of past and present-day art. New Mexico’s best museums are a rich treasure trove of Native American history, folk art, regional works, and paintings by iconic local masters such as Georgia O’Keeffe. At the New Mexico Museum of Art, view the photography of noted 20th-century artist Ansel Adams. A Culture Pass gives you access to each of the 14 state museums.

Indulge your fantasy of playing castaway on a secluded tropical paradise in French Polynesia. From the ultra-remote Gambier Archipelago to private islands closer to Tahiti’s international airport, French Polynesia is full of islands where you can spend days without giving a thought to the passage of time. Maybe try fishing and splitting coconuts with your bare hands, in the style of Robinson Crusoe.

Located on the hip corner of 29th and S Streets with Temple Coffee and Revolution Wines, Pushkin’s Bakery addresses an increasingly-popular niche--gluten and dairy free food. While all the items are dairy-free, not all are vegan because eggs are used in some recipes; however, there is plenty here for vegans to choose from. On my visit, one of the co-owners Olga (whose other half of the cute husband and wife pair is Danny) was full of smiles and enthusiasm for her products. On this day, the Awesomes (mini lemon-poppyseed cakes) and vegan Barracudas (triple chocolate cupcakes) caught my attention, but I opted for a crispy chocolate cookie and beautiful strawberry vanilla cupcake. Both were lighter than regular baked goods, with fresh, not-too-sweet flavors.

The Southernmost Point buoy, at the corner of Whitehead Street and South Street, marks not only the spot for the southernmost point of the continental United States but also the distance (90 miles) to the next country, Cuba. The buoy, installed by the city in 1983, is visited by thousands of people each day. (Before the buoy, a small sign stood at the spot alongside a line of seashells for purchase.) Taking a photo in front of the buoy is imperative for a first visit to Key West, so bring a tripod, or ask a stranger to snap a few shots. Buskers play music, and street vendors sell food and goofy souvenirs and slash open coconuts to drink.

There comes a time for everyone on a Cambodia trip when, no matter how much you’re enjoying sampling the local food, you’ll get a craving you need to satisfy. Fortunately, Siem Reap has an abundance of restaurants serving cuisines from around the globe, and many of them are very good. Filling pastas are fantastic if you’ve been cycling or scrambling the temples all day and a plain Margarita pizza is a terrific choice if you’ve been a tad sick in the tummy. Of Siem Reap’s handful of Italian restaurants, I love Il Forno, on a narrow alley off Pub Street, just down the lane from Asana and around the corner from Miss Wong.

The pizzas come piping hot from the traditional Neapolitan wood-fired oven and many of the handmade pastas are made fresh daily on the premises. While some of the products, such as the Parma ham, are imported from Italy (as you’d hope!), others are local and seasonal, like the beautiful fragrant basil. They also offer decent Italian wines by the glass and carafe. Check the blackboard for daily specials. If you can’t get a table, I also like Little Italy on the parallel lane on the other side of Pub Street. The specialty there is their excellent carpaccio and house-made charcuterie.

Jasper National Park in Alberta, Canada is a place where elk still wander through town and bears are often spotted along the highway—and the locals prefer it that way. This is a place where residents prefer cabins to condos, and believe 5-star ratings pale in comparison to the 5 million stars in the night sky. Glacier walks and mountain hikes, scenic cruises and epic road trips, Jasper is the largest park in the Canadian Rockies and it’s got the diversity of wildlife, wild views, and adventures to prove it.

Belize is that rare combination of Caribbean sea and Central American jungle that allows for unrivaled adventures. The hotels and lodges here specialize in showing visitors the best side of their enchanted country so whether you’re in Belize for zip lining the jungle canopy or diving into a blue hole, you can find a place to stay that will give you the best, wildest, and most comfortable experience.

While most shojin ryori (Buddhist cuisine) meals are very simple, Daigo elevates such cooking to the level of kaiseki ryori, the multi-course haute cuisine that was long favored in aristocratic circles. Diners are introduced to an impressive array of vegetables prepared in classic renditions: tempura mushrooms, vegetable sushi, deep-fried eggplant with grated daikon dressing. The traditional setting includes tatami mats and low tables, with a sunken area under the table for comfortable seating. Note that some bonito is used, so if you are strictly vegetarian, let the restaurant know when you make your reservation and the kitchen will accommodate you.