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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.

While in the Lagos and western Algarve, I searched for lesser known beaches. With so many miles of coastline, I knew there had to be more beaches and less crowded ones at that. So my husband and I set out for several days to find these gems. We stopped at so many great beaches (we were usually the only Americans there) that the British and Germans have long known about. Each beach had a good restaurant with very fresh seafood. There were different activities available such as the usual sunbathing under the warm sun, surfing, parasailing, fishing,and horseback riding.

This beach at Burgau was a clean, beautiful, little town beach. There were several restaurants. This was a rewarding search for a different, lively beach. A natural and undeveloped area. We will return. Possibly we will rent for a week-end and stay in a small condo. If you go to the Algarve, bring a good current Michelin map of Portugal and get a map of the Algarve at your hotel desk. These will be easy to follow to the many western Algarve beaches. If renting a car, set this up with your travel agent in the states when planning your trip. It is cheaper, and the car will be delivered to you wherever you need it. Have a great time with this adventure!

The Phoenix, a little slice of paradise on the edge of San Pedro, features more modern architecture than most buildings in town, as well as modern amenities. Rooms are one-bedroom, two-bedroom, and three-bedroom condominium suites that feature luxurious eat-in kitchens, bathrooms with walk-in showers and Jacuzzi tubs, large living rooms and laundry facilities. Each suite also has a balcony or patio, and almost all suites are just steps away from one of the pools which are the focal point of the resort. The larger main pool cascades into a shallower lower pool and is saline chlorinated, as is the 55-foot-long lap pool. A pool bar is open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Red Ginger restaurant is open daily for breakfast lunch and dinner as well as brunch on Sunday afternoons and serves a tapas menu on Sunday and Wednesday evenings. There are also business services, an on-site spa, and fitness and yoga centers. Rates begin at $325 per night during low season for a one-bedroom beach view suite.

Upon arrival try to snag the free daily garden tour! The gardens are divided into different ecosystems/themes such as the Australian Garden, Camellia Garden, Children’s Garden, Chinese Garden, Desert Garden, Herb Garden, Japanese Garden, Jungle Garden, Lily Ponds, Palm Garden, Rose Garden, Shakespeare Garden and the Subtropical Garden. Once you’ve finished the Garden tours, you can go to the Huntington Library, which is one of the largest research libraries in the United States. This is a nice escape from the big city if you have a day to spare while in Southern California. There is also a slew of different local restaurants to choose from including some found in Old Town Pasadena which is worth its own visit!

Located 2 km from Zitacuaro, Michoacan, Rancho San Cayetano is an oasis of calm and an excellent base for seeing the monarch butterflies at Cerro Pelón. Lisette and Pablo Span are your kind and efficient hosts who, in butterfly season (October and November), will set you up with information and trips to see the butterflies. The place is worth a visit any time of the year, however: Lisette runs the kitchen and serves superb, multi-course dinners and heavenly breakfasts. There are comfortable ranch-style cabins, a lovely swimming pool, a patio for reading or day dreaming and all of it is surrounded by a forest of pines and fruit trees.

Founder’s Note: Travel Like an American

Easter Island is a strange, remote, and magical place. After a full day of wandering around this tiny island, we were fortunate enough to witness an absolutely breathtaking sunset over the Pacific. The “beach” here is made up of pitch black volcanic stone. I found it to be utterly fascinating.

Hungry hikers (known as hill walkers in Scotland) will find refuge at Monachyle Mhor, a 2,000-acre farm located deep in the middle of Trossachs National Park, just past the grave site of folk hero Rob Roy. The main draw of the 14-room pink farmhouse is the food: Chef-owner Tom Lewis, a rising star on the U.K. culinary scene, prepares meals sourced from the farm. The hotel also offers classes on baking bread and churning butter, and coordinates hunting trips and mushroom-foraging excursions. After a day exploring the land, retire to one of the comfortable rooms, equipped with fireplaces, steam rooms, and views of a loch.

Since opening in 1819, Australia’s first barracks has housed British convicts, female immigrants, destitute elderly women, courtrooms, and government offices until it was finally declared a museum in 1979. During a twice-daily tour, or with the help of an audio guide, visitors get a glimpse of how high-skill prisoners lived, worked, and slept (on hammocks) during the 19th century—often freely working in the city by day but sleeping alongside more than 1,000 thieves, conspirators, bank robbers, pirates, and bushrangers by night. Offered in the original convict bakehouse and store, a house-made pot pie, burger, or cake with a schooner of beer at Bakehouse is a welcome end to the experience. Outside, freedom has never felt so good.

Cruise the Venice lagoon on one of the few remaining bragozzo boats still working this body of water. The vintage double-masted, flat-bottom fishing boat, once a common type of vessel here, dates back to 1946. The captain and owner, Mauro Stoppo, is also an excellent chef, which comes in very handy. Charter a daytrip (the boat comfortably carries 6–10 people) and sail to a lesser visited portion of the lagoon. The pace is slow; the food and wine decadent. If you want to charter a longer trip, you’ll explore more of the lagoon by day, learning its history and ecology, and then sleeping in private villas at night.

One of the most recognizable sites in Hawaii, this volcanic ash cone overlooks Waikiki’s coastline—a tectonic memory from an explosion half a million years ago, measuring almost 3,500 feet across. British sailors named it Diamond Head in the 1800s, mistaking calcite crystals in the crater’s soil for jewels. Despite its volcanic grandeur, the ascent takes most hikers an hour or so, clocking in at 560 feet of elevation gain and 1.6 miles round-trip. At the top, on a clear day, you can see all of Oahu’s south shore, from Koko Crater and Waikiki to the mountains of the Wai’anae Range.

If you’re impressed by the jungles and rivers surrounding San Ignacio, you’ll be in awe of the contrasting landscapes as you head south from town. Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve, a wide-open expanse of jungle, rocks, waterfalls, and caves, is reached by a dirt road lined with towering pine trees. Staying in a remote lodge in the reserve area is as romantic as it gets, but even a day trip has its rewards. Take a dip in fresh water after hiking to uncrowded waterfalls like Big Rock, or swim at Rio on Pools, a swimming hole fed by cool, cascading waters. This reserve is one of Belize‘s grandest wild landscapes.

Hangzhou is an easy day trip from Shanghai, just 45 minutes by bullet train from Hongqiao Station. Hangzhou is the home of China’s prized Longjing green tea, which you can taste at the China National Tea Museum. The city is also known for its temples and for beautiful West Lake, captured in countless photos and classical Chinese paintings. Lingyin Temple is one of China’s largest Buddhist temples, which dates back to the 4th century (although most of the buildings that visitors see today are contemporary reconstructions of Qing Dynasty structures). In front of the temple is the Feilai Feng grotto, with more than 300 rock reliefs of Buddha, some dating from the 10th century.

Does this setting look familiar? Picturesque Whitehaven Beach on Whitsunday Island has stood in more than once for the perfect island paradise. The sand here is dazzlingly white, thanks to a high percentage of silica crystals. Explore the region on one of many possibly day excursions arranged through qualia. Walk along the more than four miles of stunning beach, snorkel in the pristine waters directly off the beach or enjoy a scenic helicopter flight soaring high above the islands.

One of Dallas’s earliest neighborhoods, this formerly industrial area just east of downtown has a long history as an entertainment hub, from its days as a hotbed of blues and jazz clubs in the 1920s, to the 1980s, when local bands like the New Bohemians, Butthole Surfers, and Old 97’s were launched from its clubs. Today, the area is not quite as counterculture as in the past, but it’s still got an indie steak, with vibrant street murals and public art providing the backdrop for a host of independent galleries, shops, bars, breweries, cafés, tattoo studios, and over 60 restaurants and 30 live music venues. Among the most iconic music spots are Club Dada and Trees, both of which have been revamped in recent years, as well as The Door, the Prophet Bar, jazz/blues favorite the Free Man, and the century-old Sons of Hermann Hall. As it has grown, the area has also become more family friendly, particularly during events like the annual Deep Ellum Arts Festival, which features stalls from around 200 juried visual artists, and five stages hosting 100 musical acts.