The Loire Valley stretches along the gentle curves of France’s longest river, a place where riverside towns, historic estates and vineyards have shaped daily life for centuries. This long stretch of landscape was recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site because of its remarkable cultural landscape, which includes towns like Tours, Blois, Amboise and Saumur and a tapestry of castles standing beside the river banks.

Plovdiv, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Europe, carries over 8,000 years of history layered into its streets. The Roman Theater, still in use today, was discovered by accident in the 1970s and now hosts operas and concerts overlooking the Rhodope Mountains. Nearby, visitors can walk the remains of a Roman stadium buried beneath the main pedestrian street, where modern shops and cafés stand above ancient foundations.

Esperance sits on the southern coast of Western Australia, where wide blue seas meet miles of white sand beaches and rocky headlands. The coastal town grew from pearling and pastoral beginnings into a laid-back seaside destination with a backdrop of rugged terrain and ocean views.

Halong Bay, located in northeastern Vietnam, is a stunning UNESCO World Heritage site known for its emerald waters and towering limestone islands. This natural wonder offers a variety of activities for visitors, including cruising, kayaking, snorkeling, and exploring extraordinary caves like the Sung Sot.

Culloden, located just outside Inverness in the Scottish Highlands, is the site of one of the most significant and sobering moments in Scotland’s history. On April 16, 1746, the Battle of Culloden marked the violent end of the Jacobite uprising led by Charles Edward Stuart, better known as Bonnie Prince Charlie. In under an hour, the hopes of restoring the Stuart monarchy were crushed by government forces.