Ganvie, often called the "Venice of Africa," is a lake village located in the heart of Lake Nokoué in southern Benin. What makes Ganvie extraordinary is that the entire village sits on stilts above the water, with wooden homes, floating markets, and schools accessible only by boat. Visitors can glide through narrow canals in pirogues, experiencing firsthand a way of life shaped entirely by water.

Manila is the capital of the Philippines and a densely built city on the eastern shore of Manila Bay. It serves as a major center for government, commerce, education, and the arts, while its neighborhoods reveal different layers of Filipino life. The Pasig River connects the city to the wider metropolitan area, and the waterfront remains an important part of its setting. Manila is especially known for Intramuros, the walled historic district at the heart of the city.

Kuranda is a pretty town set amongst the glorious mountains of the Atherton Tablelands, and famous for its wonderful markets. There is spectacular rainforest surrounding the town, with various walking tracks.

Skopelos is the largest island of the Northern Sporades, situated between Skiathos and Alonissos in the Aegean Sea. It is notably green, with pine forests and olive groves covering much of the island and reaching close to the coast. Skopelos Town, the island’s main settlement, rises amphitheatrically above the harbor, with white houses, tiled roofs, stone lanes, and numerous churches.

Adjoining the idyllic farm of the McGill family are miles of beaches, tussock grass, and wildflower meadows, the nesting grounds of hundreds of Magellanic and gentoo penguins, upland and kelp geese, crested and flightless steamer ducks, tussock birds, and night herons. After viewing the birds, take a spot of tea in Mrs. McGill's kitchen.