Malta, a small island nation in the heart of the Mediterranean, offers visitors a rich blend of history and vibrant local culture. Its capital, Valletta, is a UNESCO World Heritage site filled with grand Baroque architecture, narrow streets, and significant historical landmarks like St. John’s Co-Cathedral, home to masterpieces by Caravaggio. The city's fortifications tell stories of centuries of military importance, guarding one of Europe’s busiest harbors.

Northwest of Panama City lies the capital city of Colón, a gateway to the Panama Canal.

Khiva, located in western Uzbekistan’s Khorezm region, is one of Central Asia’s most evocative Silk Road cities. Its walled inner city, known as the Itchan Kala, has preserved a remarkable collection of mud-brick architecture, minarets, mosques, and madrasahs that reflect centuries of Islamic culture and trade. Khiva served as a thriving trading hub and political center, linking merchants and scholars across the desert routes of the region.

Blanketed from end to end in luxuriant greenery and brightly colored flowers, this enchanted island is scalloped with beautiful beaches. There are sandy coves beside coral reefs, and alabaster cresents below tiny trails, leading to pretty waterfalls or plantation ruins. Best of all is the Main Ridge Rain Forest Trail, where jungle-thick ferns and giant bamboo grasses flourish under a canopy of foliage 60-feet high.

Raise a glass and toast Würzburg, an enchanting, Franconian wine-producing area on the Main River, and one of Germany's oldest cities. Wine bars and cellars abound here, but there's also plenty of wonderful history and striking Baroque and rococo architecture to behold.