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Salzburg has no shortage of atmospheric restaurants and shady beer gardens serving hearty sausages, schnitzels, dumplings, and potato dishes. Don’t skip these classics, but do save room for new arrivals that offer more creative and modern cuisine.

It’s a ripple effect.

“Ready!” I grip the bar tightly and lean forward. “Set!” I bend my knees and my heart starts racing. “HUP!” Before I have time for doubts, I take a deep breath, and jump off the platform. The next 40 seconds are a pure adrenaline rush as I soar through the air on a flying trapeze—a thrilling introduction to my first class at the satellite Trapeze School N.Y. in the Navy Yard district of Washington, D.C. I try to stay calm and oriented as my teacher yells instructions to swing my legs and lift my knees up to hang from the bar. This simple move is the foundation for many tricks that we six beginners in the class get to practice many times. By the end of the two-hour class, I’m already doing flips into the net and performing basic catches with one of the instructors. I start to wonder if my childhood dreams of joining the circus are possible after all. Class is over, I’m tired and my legs already ache from the climbs up the ridiculously long trapeze ladder (for me, the scariest part of the class). The school’s motto was right: “Forget about fear. Worry about addiction.” The school offers a variety of trapeze, aerial, trampoline, and acrobatics classes for adults and children.

New Zealand’s North Island is home to volcanoes, beaches, movie scene locations, stellar dining options, and cosmpolitan (but always friendly) cities. Easy to travel around in, you’ll find that you’re not far from anything including friendly North Island locals willing to personally point you in the right direction and show you what ‘secret places’ not to miss out on. Your best route: Start in Auckland, rent a car, and head south to settle in at Rotorua and Taupo. Enjoy the capital Wellington before heading home or, better idea, making your way to the South Island.

Gramercy Tavern in the Flatiron District can fairly be described as a New York institution. When the restaurant opened in 1994, Tom Colicchio, who has gone on to fame as much as a television chef as one who cooks in his kitchens, presided over the restaurant. In 2006, he passed the reins to Michael Anthony. Gramercy Tavern is actually two restaurants in one. The Tavern, in the front, is a lively, buzzy space where the menu is à la carte; the more formal Dining Room, in the rear of the restaurant, also has an à la carte menu—as well as prix fixe and tasting ones—at lunch, though only set menus at dinner, when a three-course version is $129 and a seasonal tasting one is $179. The vegetable tasting menu at dinner, for $159, is perhaps among the most gourmet vegetarian meals anyone will ever experience. (All prices include gratuities.) The dishes in both spaces could be described as American comfort food elevated with some gourmet touches. You can expect fresh produce to be emphasized in plates like the duck meatloaf and the cobblers and pies—the restaurant is known for its desserts.

Many New York hotels have style, but not all have character—the Marlton is a fine example of a property where the two are powerfully present. Originally built in 1900 as a cheap place to stay (and attracting the likes of writers including Jack Kerouac) this nine-story property was taken under the wing of hotelier Sean MacPherson (the Bowery Hotel, the Jane) and transformed into a downtown hot spot where no one seems to care that the rooms are tight on space, even according to New York standards. What square footage the rooms lack, the common spaces make up for—there’s a fire burning in the lovely lobby, complete with an espresso bar, along with a cocktail bar and French-feeling restaurant, Margaux, at the back, with a gorgeous, sunny solarium (a charming feature that has inspired many return guests). Rooms are thoughtfully designed, with inviting bathrooms. Striking the right balance between hip but not too fancy, the Marlton is a comfortable property that provides much more than just a place to sleep.

Set in the Catskills, the Graham & Co is a boutique hotel that has reimagined the classic weekend mountain getaway. Located about two-and-a-half hours from New York City, this retreat offers spacious minimalist rooms, some with kitchenettes. Details include Mexican blankets, Tivoli radios, and custom bath amenities that are available for purchase at the front desk. The Graham & Co is designed as a place to sit back and read while putting your feet up next to the fire pit. Plenty of outdoor activities (fishing, hiking, skiing) are nearby, but many guests settle into the property and its Adirondack chairs, hammocks, and picnic area for a welcome escape from the bustle of city life. Explore the town of Phoenicia on a complimentary bike or simply stay put at this unpretentious mountain property.

Maison Premiere’s French influence invites you into another era around its marble horseshoe bar. If you come early, you can take your time here. We were lured by the $1 oyster special during happy hour. It all washed down well with a boozy sazerac and a sweet Pimm’s cup (as pictured). If your liver is craving more, MP has the largest collection of premium absinthe in New York City, centered around “the world’s most accurate working replica of an absinthe fountain,” according to their site. It’s a great place for your day drinking needs.

New York City’s Chinese and Chinese American populations total around 570,000, making this the largest concentration of Chinese outside the mother country. The first Chinatown in Manhattan dates to the 1870s, and while it continues to grow, it has also been joined by other Chinatowns, including one in Flushing, Queens. That is where Joe’s Shanghai opened its first location, in 1995—though the two in Manhattan, on Pell Street in Chinatown and West 56th Street in Midtown, will be more convenient for most travelers. You can expect a wait for a table, and when you are seated you may be sharing it with strangers. The restaurant can be noisy, and as soon as you have finished your meal, you’ll be encouraged to settle up and leave. In other words, people don’t come here for the atmosphere or the service. Instead, the excellent and generous renditions of favorite Chinese dishes, especially the restaurant’s signature soup dumplings, are the draw. The dumplings are served in bamboo steamer baskets and each one holds a pork or crab meatball in a hot broth, all wrapped up in a doughy package. It may prove to be the most flavorful moment of your trip to New York.

Though the DR isn’t traditionally known for its surfing, the little town of Cabarete (a 30-minute drive from the Puerto Plata airport) is fast becoming a hot spot for newbies and those wanting to take their board skills to a new level. Cabarete boasts several surf camps including SWELL, “a purpose-built surf camp” that attracts surfers and wannabe surfers from all corners of the globe. A cross between a hostel and a just-the-basics boutique hotel, the camp has co-ed quad dorms and private rooms accommodating some two dozen travelers of all ages — a healthy mix of singles and couples, mostly urban professionals. Days here start really early, but what does it matter when you’re on the water catching waves? (There’s always the rest of the day to make up for that lost shut-eye.) Once you’re done with your surfboard, wander into Cabarete to grab a cerveza and a bite. Be sure to check out the town’s other favorite pastime, kitesurfing. Just look to the sky.

Inspired by the food and feel of New York City, Broadway by Amar Santana offers a taste of the big city just a block from the ocean. Here, the eponymous chef Santana, who competed on Bravo’s Top Chef, serves American cuisine made with seasonal ingredients, like squid ink cavatelli with blue prawns, and grilled skirt steak with chimichurri. Elevate your meal with creative cocktails or a bottle from the well-regarded wine list, or better yet, book the six-seat chef’s table, where Santana will serve a multi-course menu designed just for you and your guests.

Tastemakers and A-listers abound at this East Village mainstay, which celebrated its 10-year anniversary in 2017. Travelers feel like insiders the moment they slip through the door, thanks to over-the-top service, celeb sightings, and a lobby design that recalls salon parties of bygone eras. The cool factor only continues upon check-in, when guests receive metal room keys linked to lavish, oversized red tassels. Each of the 135 rooms offers visitors a mix of lived-in comfort and luxurious detail, with everything from mohair-upholstered chairs, Turkish Oushak rugs, and hardwood floors to iPod stereos, hi-def televisions, and marble bathrooms with deep-soaking tubs. When hunger hits, guests can head downstairs for authentic Italian plates at Gemma and a nightcap at the Lobby Bar, a lower Manhattan staple known for its timeless ambiance and clever riffs on cocktail classics.

This intimate, 110-seat restaurant has been hailed as one of the West Village’s true gems since it opened in 2008, both due to the chef’s fresh take on classic Italian cuisine and the inviting ambiance the cozy, dimly-lit eatery exudes. An open kitchen grants diners front-row seats to a culinary production with a rotating cast of fresh pastas starring tagliatelle, orecchiette, and garganelli. Seafood also features prominently in the form of charred octopus, roasted cod, scallops or Arctic char. Oenophiles will delight in the extensive list of Italian wines by region, including an impressive 2,500-bottle cellar that also plays host to private dinners. Just be sure and save room for dessert; the buttery olive oil cake flies out of the kitchen every dinner. Don’t have time to make it down to L’Artusi for dinner? The weekend brunch menu is equally divine.

Flee the crowds in central Chinatown for an authentic and inexpensive Vietnamese or Thai meal on Baxter Street, which is lined with several eateries. Here on this quiet side street, no-frill restaurants are filled with locals enjoying flavorful “pho” beef noodle soup, summer rolls, barbecued pork and other specialties. The smell of mint, basil, and jasmine rice hits your senses when you walk in the door. Not much to say about the decor, but service is quick and a huge bowl of steaming pho noodle soup averages $6 or $7. Restaurants include Nha Trang One, Thai Son and Pho Pasteur. If you are looking for “xiao long bao” or savory “soup dumplings”, try Joe’s Ginger on nearby 25 Pell Street.

If anything’s endemic to Orange County it’s surfing—there are 40 miles of coastline here, after all. It’s not hard to find passionate practitioners of the sport, but doing is one thing and teaching is very much another. For newbies or even intermediate surfers looking to get back on a board, La Vida Laguna’s approachable, confidence-boosting instructors are the surest way to success. In private and semi-private lessons, their goal is to ensure that their surf pupils—starting from age eight—stand up on a wave, of course, but they also want to create more ocean advocates in the process. Wave safety and selection plus etiquette training are part of the lessons, along with pop-up drills, positioning, and gentle pushes at Thalia Beach, which has consistently calm waves for beginners. Guides also lead stand-up paddleboard lessons, hikes, and kayak adventures (expect frequent sea life sightings), tailoring and combining experiences upon request. Appointments are necessary and can be made on the phone, online, or at the company’s historic Craftsman bungalow in downtown Laguna. Local tip: For fewer surfers in the water, book a couple lessons on weekdays during the winter season.