Niigata sits along the Sea of Japan on Honshu’s west coast, a place where long winters and bright summers shape its traditions and flavors. For centuries this region has produced some of Japan’s finest rice, especially the Uonuma Koshihikari variety known for its rich taste and texture. That quality rice helps make Niigata sake famous across the country, and visitors can sample more than 90 local brews at tasting spots such as Ponshukan inside Niigata Station.

Australia’s Port Douglas is a tropical escape tucked between two natural wonders: the Great Barrier Reef and the Daintree Rainforest.

Les Saintes (also known as Iles des Saintes) are perfect for the kind of traveler who relishes unspoiled tropical beauty and the serenity that comes from doing next to nothing on a vacation, but doing it à la française.

This Sicily harbor city is divided from Italy proper by the Strait of Messina. Visitors marvel at the Gothic, bell-towered Norman Messina Cathedral.

Guaymas lies along the Gulf of California in the Mexican state of Sonora, shaped by its role as a working port rather than a resort city.