Tucked along the Gulf of Guinea in West Africa, Benin offers a vibrant blend of traditions, rich history, and colorful daily life that surprises and delights travelers at every turn. The country is the birthplace of Vodun (commonly known as Voodoo), a spiritual tradition still practiced widely and celebrated each January 10th with processions, drums, and dance in the city of Ouidah.

Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monument stretches across southern Utah as a vast landscape of layered cliffs, winding canyons, and open desert plateaus. The land shifts in color from pale cream to deep red, depending on the angle of the sun, revealing rock layers that look like pages stacked over time. Much of the area feels remote, with long dirt roads like Hole-in-the-Rock Road leading travelers deep into quiet terrain where rock formations rise suddenly from flat ground.

Located in northern Washington State, near the Canadian Border, Bellingham is the southern port for the Alaska Marine Highway System. Area attractions inlcude the San Juan Islands, winter skiing and the popular resort of Semi-Ah-Moo.

Kalamata is a coastal city in the southwestern Peloponnese, set at the head of the Messinian Gulf beneath the slopes of Mount Taygetos. Its long waterfront includes sandy beaches, cafés, restaurants, and walking areas, while the city center contains pedestrian streets, neoclassical buildings, churches, and lively squares. Kalamata serves as the administrative and commercial center of Messinia and provides a useful base for exploring the wider region.

Bozcaada is a small Turkish island in the northeastern Aegean, off the coast of Çanakkale and near the entrance to the Dardanelles. Formerly known as Tenedos, it is Turkey’s third-largest island and is known for its whitewashed houses, narrow streets, vineyards, and windswept coastline. The harbor is dominated by Bozcaada Castle, while the old town extends behind the waterfront with cafés, shops, and traditional houses.