Carmel-by-the-Sea is a small coastal city on California’s Monterey Peninsula, overlooking Carmel Bay and the Pacific Ocean. The community is known for its compact village center, white-sand beach, cypress trees, and architecture that includes distinctive cottages and courtyards. Much of the commercial district can be explored on foot, with galleries, restaurants, boutiques, and wine-tasting rooms concentrated within a small area.

Dominica, known as the “Nature Island of the Caribbean,” is a haven for eco-tourists and adventure seekers. Nestled between the French islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique, this lush island boasts a remarkable landscape of volcanic mountains, dense rainforests, and stunning waterfalls. Dominica’s most iconic natural wonder is the Boiling Lake, the second-largest hot spring in the world.

Vanuatu, a chain of 83 islands in the South Pacific, offers travelers an experience that’s both bold and deeply rooted in custom. Once known as the New Hebrides, Vanuatu blends ancient Melanesian traditions with dramatic landscapes shaped by volcanic activity. On Tanna Island, visitors can stand at the rim of Mount Yasur, one of the world’s most accessible active volcanoes, and watch fiery eruptions light up the night sky.

Maroon Bells is a famous mountain landscape near Aspen, Colorado, centered on two distinctive bell-shaped peaks rising above the Maroon Creek Valley. Maroon Peak and North Maroon Peak reach more than 14,000 feet, with their dark red mudstone slopes creating a strong contrast against the surrounding forests and alpine terrain.

Set along the western shore of Lake Maggiore, Stresa is one of northern Italy’s most graceful lakeside towns. Its elegant promenade, framed by grandhotels and views of the Borromean Islands, has attracted travelers since the 19th century, from European nobility to writers like Ernest Hemingway.