Worth the Detour

Guatemala

Fuego's eruptions at night (glowing red lava fountains visible from your tent) is one of those experiences that words genuinely fail to describe. The sunrise over the clouds with Fuego smoking beside you is equally surreal.

Best time: Dry season (November–April)

It's a hard overnight climb to almost 4,000 meters in the cold, next to an erupting volcano. Go with a reputable guide, bring real layers, and turn back if the altitude hits you hard. Before you go, check your insurance.

Cambodia

One of the great travel experiences on earth. The outer walls are massive, the inner sanctuary is intricate beyond belief, and sunrise over the main towers is genuinely spiritual.

Best time: 5am–9am

Puerto Rico

The glow isn't subtle, it's intense and vivid. Every drip from your paddle, every stroke, lights up. Swimming in the bay isn't allowed anymore, so you see it from a licensed kayak or boat tour. This is genuinely one of the most unique natural phenomena on earth.

Best time: New moon (darkest nights = brightest bio)

Philippines

The Big Lagoon and Small Lagoon at El Nido are accessible only by kayaking through a narrow rock passage into a hidden bay. The water inside is dead calm and framed entirely by limestone cliffs. The Philippines' water is genuinely world-class.

Best time: Dry season (November–May)

Georgia

When clouds roll through at the right moment, the church literally sits above them. It's the most-photographed scene in Georgia for a reason, but the hike is genuinely beautiful and the church interior is still functioning.

Best time: Late afternoon for golden light on the mountains

Indonesia (Bali + Beyond)

The climb down to the beach is the adventure. Most tourists stay at the top for the photo. The few who descend find a mostly empty beach and water that's impossibly blue. Allow 4-5 hours round trip.

Best time: Sunrise to beat tour groups

The beach descent is steep and loose, so skip it when it's wet. Nusa Penida's roads are rough: only ride if you're licensed for motorbikes and the local rules accept your license (many places don't accept a US license on its own), wear a helmet, and know that many travel insurance plans won't pay for a crash if you weren't licensed. Before you go, check your insurance.

Jordan

Petra by Night operates Monday/Wednesday/Thursday. It's the version of the Treasury experience that no photo has prepared you for. The dawn run (arrive 6am) means you'll have the Treasury to yourself before the 9am crowds. Petra is genuinely one of the most extraordinary places on earth.

Best time: Pre-dawn entry (6am gates open)

Nepal

The Annapurna sunrise from Poon Hill is one of the most photographed mountain panoramas on earth, and it completely lives up to expectations. The route passes through traditional Gurung and Magar villages.

Best time: October-November or March-April

Morocco

Sahara night skies at zero light pollution are completely overwhelming. The Milky Way isn't a faint band, it's a structural feature of the sky. The silence of the dunes, the temperature drop after sunset, and the orange-to-red dune light at golden hour combine into an experience that earns the journey.

Best time: October–April (avoid summer heat extremes)

Bolivia

The most surreal landscape on earth. During wet season (Nov–Mar), a thin layer of water creates a perfect sky mirror that ruins your sense of reality.

Best time: November–March (mirror effect)

Guatemala

At sunrise, Tikal's tallest temples emerge from a sea of cloud above the forest. Howler monkeys, toucans, and parrots are everywhere. The Star Wars jungle moon scene was actually filmed here. The sheer scale of the ruins, reclaimed by jungle, is humbling.

Best time: Arrive before 6am for sunrise

Jordan

Wadi Rum is the most cinematic landscape on earth: The Martian, Lawrence of Arabia, Star Wars, and Dune have all filmed here. But seeing it in person makes every frame make sense: the silence is total, the color is blood orange, and the night sky is extraordinary.

Best time: October–April (not summer heat)

Sri Lanka

One of the most unique sunrise hikes on earth. The path is lit by thousands of lanterns, pilgrims chant, and at dawn the mountain casts a perfect triangular shadow.

Best time: December–May (pilgrimage season)

Risky activity: go with a guide or experienced locals, know your limits, and check your insurance.

Kenya

The Mara is packed with predators. A 3-day hostel camping safari costs far less than a lodge, with the same wildlife. Ask exactly what's included, since park fees alone are $100 to $200 a day per person in 2026.

Best time: July–October for Great Migration; Jan–Feb for fewer crowds

Risky activity: go with a guide or experienced locals, know your limits, and check your insurance.

Uzbekistan

Registan is to the Islamic world what the Colosseum is to Rome, except barely anyone knows about it. The tile work alone took generations of craftsmen.

Best time: Sunrise, before tours arrive

Kyrgyzstan

There is no road to civilization from Song Kul, just mountains, wild horses, and the Milky Way visible from your sleeping bag. The most remote comfortable experience in Central Asia.

Best time: June–September

Albania

Located in southern Albania near Sarandë. The intensity of the blue is caused by the depth of the spring, over 50 meters. Surrounded by forest, it's cool and beautiful even in summer heat.

Best time: Morning before crowds

Colombia

Unlike Machu Picchu, the journey IS the destination. River crossings, indigenous villages, dense jungle, and arriving to a site most of the world doesn't even know exists. The Kogui people still live in the surrounding area.

Best time: December–March (dry season)

Risky activity: go with a guide or experienced locals, know your limits, and check your insurance.

Costa Rica

National Geographic called Corcovado 'the most biologically intense place on Earth.' Unlike every other Costa Rica park, getting here requires real commitment: boat rides, river crossings, and 3-day guided treks through truly remote forest. Jaguars are actually seen here.

Best time: December–April (dry season, passable river crossings)

Risky activity: go with a guide or experienced locals, know your limits, and check your insurance.

Bolivia

The road was called the world's most dangerous for decades. Now a legendary bike trail: waterfalls, sheer 600m drops, cloud forest, and a 35km/h average speed.

Best time: May–September (dry season)

People have died on this road, including cyclists. Ride at your own pace, follow the guide's lead, and skip it if the weather turns. Before you go, check your insurance.

Oaxaca, Mexico

Hierve el Agua is completely unique: white mineral formations draping over a cliff edge, the pools filled with warm turquoise mineral water, and the sierra valley dropping away below you. It looks digitally composited but it's entirely real and formed over thousands of years.

Best time: Morning before tour buses arrive

Sri Lanka

Consistently ranked one of the world's most beautiful train journeys. Doors stay open the whole way, so hang out the side for the full experience.

Best time: December–March (clear skies)

Cambodia

Wade into the water at midnight and every movement creates blue trails of light around you. One of the most magical natural experiences in Southeast Asia.

Best time: March–October

Vietnam

These are arguably more dramatic than Sapa's terraces, and without the tourist infrastructure. The villages are H'Mong minority communities where women still wear traditional indigo-dyed clothing as everyday dress. Getting here requires commitment, which keeps it genuinely off-track.

Best time: September–October (harvest, golden rice)

Only ride if you're licensed for motorbikes and the local rules accept your license (many places don't accept a US license on its own), wear a helmet, and know that many travel insurance plans won't pay for a crash if you weren't licensed. Before you go, check your insurance.

Nepal

Pokhara is one of the paragliding capitals of the world: the bowl of mountains, lake, and thermals creates great conditions. A tandem flight runs $70 to $90.

Best time: Morning (October–May for clearest Himalaya views)

Fly with a licensed operator, ask about the pilot's experience and insurance, and don't fly in bad weather. Before you go, check your insurance.

Vietnam

Phong Nha National Park is home to Son Doong, the world's largest known cave passage. Son Doong could fit a 40-story skyscraper inside. The Dark Cave experience is essentially a theme park built inside a living geological wonder, and it costs $15.

Best time: Dry season (February–August)

Risky activity: go with a guide or experienced locals, know your limits, and check your insurance.

Ecuador

The loop passes through indigenous Kichwa communities where daily life is centuries old. The final descent to the crater rim (and the color of the water below) is genuinely shocking. Few tourists do the full loop.

Best time: June–October (dry season)

Risky activity: go with a guide or experienced locals, know your limits, and check your insurance.

Peru

The hike is demanding at altitude (5,200m peak) but the colors are real. They're natural mineral deposits revealed as glacial ice retreated. Combine with Red Valley for an even more dramatic view with fewer people.

Best time: Early morning departure (5am) to beat crowds and clouds

The trail tops out around 5,000 meters. Acclimatize in Cusco first, and head down if you get a bad headache, feel dizzy or get confused. Before you go, check your insurance.

Costa Rica

The 2-hour jungle hike passes through primary rainforest to a pool of blue water that looks like it's been Photoshopped. The 'teñideros' (where the rivers merge and the color appears instantly) is a visible natural chemistry experiment.

Best time: Morning weekdays

Guatemala

The overlook hike above gives you the perspective: an aerial view of the turquoise terraces cutting through deep jungle green. Then you swim in them. The cave tour nearby involves floating through darkness holding candles.

Best time: Late morning (beat tour groups)

Sri Lanka

The views from the top span the entire central plain of Sri Lanka. The journey up passes mirror-wall inscriptions and ancient frescoes.

Best time: 6am–9am (before heat and crowds)

Bosnia & Herzegovina

This is the most iconic dive in the Balkans. The Mostari divers' club keeps the tradition alive and decides who's ready to jump.

Best time: June–September (water temp)

It's a 21-meter drop into cold, fast water, and people get badly hurt jumping without training. Never jump on your own. Before you go, check your insurance.

Philippines

Batad is less visited than Banaue (the famous postcard terraces) and far more dramatic. You're IN the bowl, not looking from a highway viewpoint. The surrounding Ifugao villages are still farming the same terraces their ancestors built.

Best time: Planting (June) or harvest (October-November) seasons

Portugal

The cave itself is extraordinary: a natural cathedral with ocean light pouring through a hole 20m above. But the kayak route there, past hidden beaches and arches only accessible by water, is the real experience.

Best time: Morning (calmer seas, lower crowd boats)

Nepal

Walking through dense forest with a guide and suddenly seeing a rhino 20 meters away is genuinely heart-stopping. The park has one of the world's highest rhino populations per square kilometer. Jungle walks, elephant grass, and the river system make it a multi-day adventure.

Best time: October–March (dry season, better visibility)

Colombia

The palms are absurdly tall (impossibly so), growing from green hills in the cloud forest as mist rolls through. The loop passes through secondary cloud forest with hummingbirds, spectacled bears (if lucky), and a hummingbird sanctuary.

Best time: Early morning before afternoon clouds

Peru

Watching a condor rise from below you and glide past at eye level in silence is one of those experiences you don't forget. The canyon itself is breathtaking. Most people come from Arequipa on a 2-day trip that also includes hot springs and Andean villages.

Best time: 9am–11am at Cruz del Cóndor viewpoint

Ecuador

Cotopaxi's cone is textbook-perfect, a nearly symmetrical glacier-capped stratovolcano visible for 100km in every direction. At the refuge, you're walking on the glacier edge of an active volcano at nearly 5,000m. It's disorienting, breathtaking, and genuinely other-worldly.

Best time: June–September (dry season, clearer views)

Altitude sickness is a real risk at 4,800 meters: acclimatize first, and head down if you get a bad headache, feel dizzy or get confused. Cotopaxi is an active volcano, so check the park's status before you go. Before you go, check your insurance.

Taiwan

This is legitimately one of the best cycling routes in the world. The road hugs the coast, the tunnels have pedestrian paths, and there are hot spring detours every 20km.

Best time: October–May

Risky activity: go with a guide or experienced locals, know your limits, and check your insurance.

Morocco

The Chouara Tanneries are unlike anything else: a working leather dyeworks operating in open stone vats since the 11th century, viewed from above from surrounding leather shops. The medina's layers of ancient buildings, madrasas, and souks are denser and older than anywhere in Europe.

Best time: Morning (tanneries most active, bread ovens going)

Vietnam

The train goes through a tunnel now, so most visitors miss it entirely. The pass itself has an abandoned French/American war bunker at the summit with panoramic views. You'll have it nearly to yourself on weekday mornings.

Best time: Morning, clear weather

Only ride if you're licensed for motorbikes and the local rules accept your license (many places don't accept a US license on its own), wear a helmet, and know that many travel insurance plans won't pay for a crash if you weren't licensed. Before you go, check your insurance.

Peru

The oasis itself is surreal: a tiny village with a lake, palm trees, and bars ringed entirely by enormous orange dunes. Sunset from the dune tops with the lake below is extraordinary. The buggies are terrifyingly fast.

Best time: Sunset

The dune buggies are fast and crashes happen. Wear the seatbelt, and ask the driver to slow down if it feels reckless. Before you go, check your insurance.

Albania

This is how locals actually travel between remote mountain villages. You're on a working ferry, not a tourist boat. Eagles, old men fishing, and villages clinging to cliffs that look completely frozen in time.

Best time: Morning departure

Montenegro

The walls were built in the 9th-15th centuries. At the top, the view (bay of still water, red-roof city below, limestone mountains above) is one of the most dramatic in Europe. Best at golden hour.

Best time: 1 hour before sunset

Laos

The color is not edited. It's caused by high calcium carbonate in the water and it looks completely unreal. Possibly the most beautiful swimming hole in Asia.

Best time: October–February (best water levels)

Costa Rica

The combination of an active volcano (lava fields visible on the north face), a massive jungle waterfall, and swimming in the emerald pool at its base is a scene that earns its poster-child status. The canyoning tour (about $75) rappels alongside the falls with guides.

Best time: Morning before afternoon rains

Risky activity: go with a guide or experienced locals, know your limits, and check your insurance.

Colombia

The town of Guatapé below is Colombia's most colorful town, every building zócalo-decorated with 3D relief art. The combination of the climb, the view, and the town makes this an elite full-day trip.

Best time: Weekday mornings (avoid weekend crowds)

Laos

The slow boat is a rite of passage for SE Asia backpackers. No wifi, no rushing, just the river, the scenery, and whoever you happen to sit next to.

Best time: October–April

Oaxaca, Mexico

Monte Albán's hilltop location makes it unlike any other Mesoamerican site. You're on a platform above the valley, surrounded by mountains, looking across an entire ancient cultural landscape. The site is genuinely extensive and still being excavated. Sunrise from the main plaza is spectacular.

Best time: Opening time (8am) before tour groups

Indonesia (Bali + Beyond)

Batur is an active stratovolcano inside a massive ancient caldera, and the 1994 lava flow site is still stark and black below the summit. At sunrise, the caldera lake fills with mist, Agung emerges from clouds, and you're standing on a living volcano. The hardboiled eggs cooked in volcanic vents at the top are genuinely delicious.

Best time: Dry season (April–October), clear nights

Portugal

Nothing looks like Pena Palace. It's real, not a theme park, built by King Ferdinand II in the 1840s as his romantic folly. The Moorish Castle next door dates to the 8th-9th century. Walking the forested ridge between them, with Atlantic views, is a genuinely magical experience.

Best time: Weekday morning to beat bus tours

Ecuador

The swing actually works: it arcs you out over a genuine canyon drop with an active volcano in front of you. Baños itself is a city of adventure: white water rafting, zip lines, canyoning, and thermal baths all within walking distance. The volcano is visibly steaming.

Best time: Morning (volcano visible before clouds)

Cambodia

This is the Tomb Raider temple: roots the size of cars swallowing doorways, trees growing through galleries. Haunting, photogenic, and unlike anything else.

Best time: Early morning (8am) before tour buses

Montenegro

The cliff walls tower over the river the whole way. Multi-day rafting trips camp on the riverbank and are organized from Zabljak in Durmitor National Park. Day trips are also available.

Best time: May-September (water levels)

Taiwan

Marble cliffs, a turquoise river and cliff-cut trails, and barely known outside Taiwan.

Best time: October–May (avoid typhoon season)

Rockfall is a real risk in the gorge, especially after earthquakes and heavy rain. Stick to trails that are officially open, and never go past a closure sign. Before you go, check your insurance.

Albania

This is Albania's version of a classic mountain traverse. Stone villages with Ottoman-era guesthouses, no cars, sheep grazing on ridges, and views that stretch forever. The village of Theth has a lock tower (kulla) where feuding families once sheltered.

Best time: Early morning start

Georgia

Walking through a cliff-carved medieval city that was hidden for centuries by a rockslide feels genuinely Indiana Jones. The fresco in the main cave church (Queen Tamar's portrait) is 800 years old and remarkably preserved. Almost no tourists come here.

Best time: Early morning before heat builds

Jordan

Most travelers go to Wadi Rum and Petra and miss this entirely. The Siq trail is a 2-hour wade through Biblical-looking stone canyon with waterfalls, pools, and no tour groups. The canyon eventually opens at a waterfall where you swim back.

Best time: Spring or autumn (safe water levels)

Serbia

Completely unknown outside Serbia. The riverside hiking trail passes Roman fortresses, Byzantine ruins, and the giant face of Decebalus carved into the cliff by a Roman emperor.

Best time: April–October

Bosnia & Herzegovina

One of Europe's most undervisited natural wonders. Swim at the base, cliff jump from the ledges, eat grilled trout from the restaurant right there.

Best time: May–September

Kyrgyzstan

You can trek to an active glacier from the capital city on a day hike. The Ak-Say waterfall route is technical enough to feel like an expedition but accessible enough for fit beginners.

Best time: June–September

Stay off the glacier itself unless you have crevasse gear and know how to use it, and start early, since mountain weather turns fast. Before you go, check your insurance.

Taiwan

Look up 'Jiufen at night' and you'll wonder why you've never heard of it. It feels like walking into an animated film. The cliff-side ocean views from the top are a 10.

Best time: Evening, especially in light mist

Uzbekistan

Central Asia's desert nights are genuinely dark, with no light pollution for hundreds of kilometers. The sky is overwhelming. And the families hosting these camps are as curious about you as you are about them.

Best time: April–May or September–October

Thailand

The road itself is the destination. Hot springs, viewpoints, waterfalls, and canyon stops along the way. Everyone who does this talks about it for years.

Best time: October–April (dry season)

Only ride if you're licensed for motorbikes and the local rules accept your license (many places don't accept a US license on its own), wear a helmet, and know that many travel insurance plans won't pay for a crash if you weren't licensed. Before you go, check your insurance.

Morocco

The setting (a towering earthen fortress against the Atlas Mountains and desert landscape) is cinematic because it IS cinematic. But it's also genuinely ancient and fascinating. Walking through the labyrinthine interior with families living in the lower levels is surreal.

Best time: Early morning or sunset

Uzbekistan

Bukhara's old city has been continuously inhabited since the 5th century BC. Walking it alone at midnight, you feel the weight of that. The Kalon Minaret was spared by Genghis Khan because it was too beautiful to destroy.

Best time: After 9pm when day tourists leave

Philippines

The hills are genuinely inexplicable at scale: hundreds of identical mounds in every direction as far as you can see. Bohol also has tarsiers (among the world's smallest primates, with enormous eyes), Loboc River cruises, and some of the Philippines' best beaches at Alona Beach.

Best time: Dry season (February–May) for 'chocolate' coloring

Only ride if you're licensed for motorbikes and the local rules accept your license (many places don't accept a US license on its own), wear a helmet, and know that many travel insurance plans won't pay for a crash if you weren't licensed. Before you go, check your insurance.

Puerto Rico

The cave itself is beautiful (stalactites, bat colonies, indigenous Taíno petroglyphs), but the window view is what's extraordinary. It looks directly across a wide agricultural valley flanked by karst mogotes (haystack hills). Most Puerto Rico visitors never find this.

Best time: Morning (clear visibility for valley views)

Portugal

The valley is genuinely extraordinary: sheer terraced hillsides dropping to the river below, ancient stone walls, and quintas (wine estates) visible everywhere. Arriving in Pinhão station, covered in Portuguese tile panels depicting winemaking, and walking into the valley is a full sensory experience.

Best time: Grape harvest (September–October)

Kyrgyzstan

Completely overlooked by most travelers. The layered formations glow at sunset, the canyon is maze-like, and you'll almost certainly be alone there.

Best time: May–October, sunset is magic

Guatemala

Each lakeside village has a completely different character. San Marcos is spiritual and hippie. Santiago Atitlán is deeply traditional, home to the strange cult of Maximón, a cigar-smoking indigenous saint. San Juan la Laguna has remarkable murals and cooperative women weavers.

Best time: Morning (before afternoon winds chop the lake)

Kenya

Lamu is 700 years old and looks it. There are almost no cars, because the lanes are too narrow. The Swahili culture, the architecture, and the absolute quiet make it a genuine time portal.

Best time: June–September (dry season)

Lamu County is on the US State Department's do-not-travel list for kidnapping and terrorism (checked September 2026). Read the Kenya advisory before you book. Many travel insurance plans exclude do-not-travel areas.

Vietnam

Tam Coc is often called the inland Ha Long Bay, and it earns that comparison. The boat passes through flooded tunnels and emerges into valleys ringed by cliffs. The rowers are often older women with extraordinary technique. It's meditative and surreal.

Best time: Early morning (mist on the mountains)

Georgia

Soaking in a private marble sulfur bath with a glass of Georgian wine, then being scrubbed raw by an attendant (kisi scrub, $5 extra), is exactly as hedonistic as it sounds. The district is also visually stunning: balconied wooden houses on a canyon cliff above the Mtkvari River.

Best time: Afternoon or evening

Puerto Rico

El Yunque gets over 100 inches of rain per year, so the forest is aggressively, dramatically alive. Waterfalls pour into clear natural pools. The endemic coquí frog chorus is constant and soothing.

Best time: Morning (afternoons often cloud in)

Kenya

The image of a giraffe silhouetted against skyscrapers is not a Photoshop. It's real and it's 20 minutes from the airport. A half-day here costs $80 at the gate and resets your entire perspective.

Best time: Early morning for predator activity

Bosnia & Herzegovina

One of the most moving historical experiences in Europe. Crawl through the actual tunnel, watch footage, and talk to people who were there.

Best time: Year round

Oaxaca, Mexico

This is not a tourist market. It's a working regional food and goods exchange where indigenous Zapotec families sell produce, meats, hand-woven textiles, medicinal herbs, and street food that's evolved over millennia. The chapulín (grasshopper) tlayuda is among the best things you can eat in Mexico.

Best time: Sunday mornings 8am–2pm

Morocco

Todra is spectacular and still comparatively uncrowded by Moroccan tourism standards. The narrow canyon section can be walked in 30 minutes, but the surrounding landscapes (oasis villages, palmeries, and the Anti-Atlas mountains) reward staying for days.

Best time: Mid-morning (light enters canyon 10am–2pm)

Oaxaca, Mexico

Oaxacan mezcal is to tequila what real Champagne is to sparkling wine: it's a living craft tradition, not a factory product. A palenque visit reveals the extraordinary labor of harvesting agave plants that take 8-25 years to mature. The mezcal you taste here was made the same way for 400 years.

Best time: Morning (production active)

Thailand

The twin royal chedis at the top look like they were designed by a fever dream. The forest on the way up is actual cloud forest.

Best time: Early morning for mist

Only ride if you're licensed for motorbikes and the local rules accept your license (many places don't accept a US license on its own), wear a helmet, and know that many travel insurance plans won't pay for a crash if you weren't licensed. Before you go, check your insurance.

Albania

This is one of the most beautifully preserved Ottoman cities in the Balkans, and almost nobody comes here. The castle contains a bizarre mix of medieval stone, Cold War-era jet aircraft, and a dungeon. The surrounding city looks unchanged from 1800.

Best time: Morning golden light on the stone houses

Indonesia (Bali + Beyond)

Jatiluwih is everything the Instagram-famous Tegallalang terraces promise but with actual scale and without the tourist circus. Renting a bicycle and cycling the 4km scenic loop through working paddies (with farmers, ducks, and offering ceremonies) is the closest you'll get to pre-tourist Bali.

Best time: Morning (green season terrace reflections)

Serbia

Free, massive, and extraordinary. At sunset the ramparts fill with Belgrade locals watching the river turn gold. Below the walls, the river club boats start their bass-heavy warmup.

Best time: Sunset to midnight

Serbia

A beautiful religious site that few foreign travelers make the trip to. The white marble church and frescoes are UNESCO-listed and genuinely jaw-dropping.

Best time: April–October

Laos

Vang Vieng cleaned up its party-town reputation and now it's just gorgeous. The river, the caves, the mountain backdrop: it's genuinely world-class scenery.

Best time: November–March

Tourists have drowned on the Nam Song. Wear the life jacket, don't paddle after drinking, and skip it when the river is high after rain. Before you go, check your insurance.

Albania

The layering of 2,500+ years of civilization is physically visible in the walls. You can literally see Greek foundation stones beneath Roman columns beneath Venetian towers. The setting, surrounded by forest and water, makes it feel discovered rather than visited.

Best time: Late afternoon (light through the trees)

Colombia

Colombia's coffee culture is genuine and alive, not a museum exhibit. The landscape is lush, the farms are immaculate, and the coffee you taste 30 minutes after picking is the freshest cup you'll ever have. Farm guides explain the difference specialty coffee makes vs. commercial farming.

Best time: Main harvest: October–February

Montenegro

The town of Perast, from which you take a boat ($5 round trip), is frozen in Venetian Baroque time: baroque churches, palazzo ruins, and the clearest, stillest water in the Adriatic. The church interior is covered in 2,500+ donated silver votive tablets over 400 years.

Best time: Late afternoon (golden light on the bay)

Thailand

Thai trainers are patient, funny, and brutally effective. By day 5 you'll know how to throw a proper roundhouse and your shins will hate you.

Best time: Any time

Risky activity: go with a guide or experienced locals, know your limits, and check your insurance.

Bolivia

Completely alien landscape within the city limits. The erosion formations look like a sci-fi film set. Almost no international tourists know about it.

Best time: Year round