Nestled in the mountains just 90 minutes from Tokyo, Hakone has long been a retreat for travelers seeking both quiet and culture. Once a crucial checkpoint on the historic Tōkaidō road between Edo and Kyoto, Hakone is still shaped by centuries of history. The reconstructed Hakone Sekisho (Hakone Checkpoint) offers a glimpse into the Edo Period, when travelers were inspected by samurai guards before continuing on their journey.
The Lemaire Channel is a spectacular sight with enormous sheer cliffs falling straight into the sea. It's a narrow channel flanked by the Antarctic Peninsula on one side and Booth Island on the other. So photogenic is the channel that it's nicknamed 'Kodak Gap', and it's only once you're well within it that a way through is visible.
There's more than meets the eye in Savona, a Northwest Italy port city many cruise ship passengers are lucky enough to find themselves in. The giant Fortezza del Priamàr looms over the water, providing a unique welcome. Be sure to stroll through the city's genteel, impressive medieval center, visit the beautiful Savona Cathedral and see marvelous artistic works from centuries past at the Ceramics Museum.
Part of the British Virgin Islands, Virgin Gorda is an island in the Caribbean famous for The Baths National Park, whose natural geologic granite formations dot the island's beaches and create stunning tidal pools and grottoes.
American Samoa consists of a group of seven islands in the southern Pacific Ocean, comprising Tutuila; the Manua group, consisting of Tau, Olosega, and Ofu; Aunuu; Rose Island; and Swains Island.