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Already a landmark on the Bangkok skyline, the 77-story MahaNakhon tower was designed by the Dutch firm OMA and opened at the end of 2016. The mixed-use tower encompasses the Bangkok Edition Hotel, nearly 50 floors of the super-luxury Ritz-Carlton Residences, and the MahaNakhon Observation Deck, offering tourists 360-degree views of Bangkok from its top four floors. At the base of the tower, the MahaNakhon Cube is home to markets and restaurants such as Dean & DeLuca and L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon.

A visit to the Palazzo Mirto offers the rare opportunity to see the interior of a classic Palermo palace as it was during its extravagant heyday. Located in the historic Kalsa district, Palazzo Mirto was home to the prominent Filangeri family for 400 years; the last remaining member donated the palace to the city in 1982. The vast library, the Chinese smoking room and the cavernous ballroom still have their frescoes, chandeliers, tapestries and opulent furnishings intact.

This long stretch of upscale shops north of Palermo’s historic center has been called the Champs-Élysées of Sicily. If you’re looking for the best spot to take a stroll while perusing luxury brands and fashion boutiques, the Via della Libertà is the place to do it. Dress up.

After arriving on the tiny island of Iona near Mull in 563, Irish pilgrim Saint Columba proceeded to establish a Christian church and monastery, creating a vibrant religious community that lives on to this day. The monastery survived until the 12th century despite repeated Viking raids, and around 1200, the sons of Somerled founded a Benedictine abbey on the site. Though monastic life ended on Iona with the Protestant Reformation of 1560, pilgrimages to St Columba’s Shrine continued for many years. Today, it’s believed that the Book of Kells, along with several other great works of art, was created here.

Visit this most sacred of Scottish sights to see the four iconic high crosses, then tour the abbey church, with its 13th- to 16th-century architecture. You can also stop by St Columba’s Shrine, the longest-standing structure in the abbey, dating to the 9th or 10th century; climb Tòrr an Aba, a hill above the abbey where Saint Columba is said to have had a writing hut; or walk through Reilig Odhráin, the graveyard where ancient Scottish kings were laid to rest. While you’re exploring, keep an eye out for the vallum—a boundary ditch and bank of earth that serves as the only evidence of Columba’s original monastery.

Chiang Mai residents tend to think that their city beats Bangkok when it comes to bohemian spirit. And the presence of occasionally experimental venues such as the North Gate Jazz Co-Op does much to strengthen that case. There’s a blissfully uncommercial freedom to this spot. The shophouse interior is crammed with musicians and patrons, while the party busts outdoors to the tables set on the sidewalk. As you might expect from the name, jazz is the order of the day here. Local and visiting instrumentalists come to play sets and to stretch out in jam sessions. The results aren’t always music to everyone’s ears, but the variety of genres encapsulates the loose, fun ethos of the place.

Palermo’s Norman Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, has been a seat of power in Sicily for centuries. Its apartments (open to the public Friday through Monday) provided quarters to King Roger II during his reign in the 12th century, and the palace is still in use today: It now houses the Sicilian Regional Assembly. Visit the basement to see the stone walls of the original Phoenician structures upon which the palace was built. The opulent Palatine Chapel, added by Roger II in 1132, is an attraction in its own right.

For a satisfying mid-afternoon snack, seek out one of the city’s ubiquitous walk-up counters. Nni Franco U’ Vastiddaru is typical, serving classic street food like arancini (stuffed rice balls) and panelle. The latter is a Palermo specialty: These chunky, chiplike fritters made of chickpea flour are simple yet addictively delicious, with a spritz of Sicilian lemon.

As with many things in Zurich, it took an Auslander (foreigner) to raise the bar on local gastro cuisine. Run by Australian chef Fabian Spiquel, arguably the city’s most creative, this splurgeworthy eatery is located in the Hasidic Jewish neighborhood of Manesseplatz. It was awarded its first Michelin star in 2014 and a second in 2016. Inside, whitewashed brick walls and hanging lighthouse lanterns lend the space a contemporary urban feel and offer a refreshing change of pace—many Swiss restaurants are overly refurbished or fastidiously “cozy” with weathered wood and stained glass. Typical dishes on the gastro menu include sliced duck with pumpkin, beef tartare with jalapeño oil, and morels with wildflowers. Given the restaurant’s emphasis on fresh produce, the seasonal vegetarian tasting menu is always a standout.

If you need to hone your surfing skills, no worries, Tahiti has some fabulous beginner breaks plus warm water! Tura’i Mataare Surf School offers private and small group surf lessons to anyone over the age of 5-years. The 3 hour and 30 minute lesson aims to help you master the basic techniques before you venture to multiple surfing spots along the western coast of the island. The company picks up from all the hotels, and rates include transport. If you already know what you’re doing and just want to ride the best waves for when you’re visiting Moana Surf Tours in Punaauia can provide guides or put together any combination of surfing, lodging and boat.

Without a doubt Versailles is the most luxurious palace in Europe, built to astound visitors and impress the king’s subjects into awed submission with crystal chandeliers, gilt, and fine art. This opulent monument is also attractive to those with simpler tastes: Visitors with green thumbs will love the king’s kitchen gardens while others may want to rent bicycles to pedal the lavish grounds, and animal lovers will enjoy the sheep, goats, and chickens receiving the royal treatment at the queen’s quaint hamlet. La Petite Venise, an excellent restaurant on the grounds, offers garden seating on sunny days.

The church of San Cataldo and its neighbor, La Martorana, both overlook the Piazza Bellini but offer contrasting experiences. San Cataldo is modest on the outside, and its interior remains unfinished more than 850 years after its construction—but it is no less beautiful for that. La Martorana (also known as Santa Maria dell’Ammiraglio), on the other hand, is one of Palermo’s greatest remaining churches from the Middle Ages. The elaborate mosaics that decorate its interior are thought to have been created by the same artisans who created the Palatine Chapel.

At street level, the Capuchin monastery might seem like many other historic churches in Palermo. But once you go below ground, you’ll encounter the most unusual and macabre display in the city. More than 8,000 mummified bodies are interred in its catacombs, some stacked on wooden shelves, others standing or hanging upright along the walls. The oldest resident is a friar named Silvestro da Gubbio, who dates from 1599; among the more recent arrivals is two-year-old Rosalia Lombardo, who died in 1920 and is so eerily well preserved that she’s been nicknamed Sleeping Beauty.

Famous for bringing the world the likes of Arrogant Bastard Ale, Stone Brewing is nothing if not cheeky. This is, after all, the first American craft brewer bold enough to open an outpost in Germany, a country steeped in beer-making tradition. But Stone’s audacity is hardly unfounded, as you’ll discover when you visit the company’s headquarters in Escondido—ideally, for a private tour and tasting. If you’re not already a fan of San Diego’s particularly hoppy style of IPAs, there will be at least one beer on tap that makes you a convert. But first, you’ll walk through the brew house—past mash kettles and whirlpools and fermenters—to learn all kinds of fun facts, whether it’s the surprise source of the chocolaty notes in Stone’s porters and stouts (mega-roasted malted barley) or what the upcycling options are for spent grains (cow feed and dog bones). Pro tip: After your tour, bypass the lovely indoor restaurant for the even lovelier outdoor gardens—all bamboo and koi ponds and hummingbirds. Sit back in an Adirondack chair with a beer (try one of the extra-innovative brews on offer only here) and warm pretzels with Stone Ripper Pale Ale beer cheese sauce.

We weren’t quite lucky to see the snowcapped covered mountains in the lovely lakeside village of Pokhara since we visited during monsoon season. But it was a perfect way to start our introduction to the area and cross over to the trail leading up to the Peace Pagoda. Pay a few ruppees, pack a picnic lunch and guide yourself around the serene Lake Phewa.

Overshadowed by its larger and more well-known cousins, Palenque and Chichén-Itzá, Uxmal (“Oosh-mahl”) is the ruins of an ancient Maya city located near present-day Campeche. In its heyday, Uxmal was one of the largest cities of the Yucatan peninsula with a population of about 25,000 Maya. Today, it is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Ancient Maya architecture in this part of Mexico is referred to as Puuc architecture, and Uxmal is a prime example of this style. Though there are some Puuc structures in Chichén-Itzá, Uxmal is unique in all of Mexico. Puuc design is most notable for buildings with a plain lower façade and a richly decorated upper façade. Carvings most commonly found include serpents and latticework. Uxmal is dedicated to the Maya rain god, Chaac, and you can see his image everywhere. On the day we were here, it was blisteringly hot and humid; I could’ve used some rain! When I first laid eyes on the four buildings that make up the complex known as the Nunnery Quadrangle, I thought they were the most elegant Maya ruins I had ever seen. The clean lines of the buildings give them a modernity that is surprising considering Uxmal was built more than 1,000 years ago! The carvings on the upper facades are just spectacular and give the entire structure a very delicate feel. Uxmal is located close to Chichén-Itzá, so if you go to Chichén, consider going a bit further to visit Uxmal. You won’t regret it!