Wadi Rum, often called the “Valley of the Moon,” is a desert landscape in southern Jordan renowned for its dramatic sandstone mountains, sweeping red sand dunes, and ancient history carved into the rock. Its vast, otherworldly scenery has made it both a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a backdrop for films set on distant planets.

The Whitsunday Islands sit in the heart of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, where more than 70 islands rise from wide blue seas and offer an invitation to explore. Whitsunday Island itself is the largest of this group, known internationally for its ribbon of white silica sand stretching over seven kilometers at Whitehaven Beach. This sand feels cool underfoot even in warm sunshine because it’s made of nearly pure silica carried there by ancient ocean currents.

Guimarães is a historic city in northern Portugal closely associated with the origins of the Portuguese nation. Known as the “Cradle of Portugal,” it developed around a medieval settlement whose historic center remains exceptionally well preserved. Narrow streets, granite buildings, arcaded squares, and traditional houses give the old town a distinctive architectural character.

The capital city of the Dominican Republic is rich in history and beauty, boasting 16th-century Spanish architecture and the oldest cathedral in the Americas. The narrow streets of the old colonial city are a testament to the complex mixture of forces that contributed to the construction of the first European city in the Western Hemisphere.

Set on the Adriatic Sea, Zadar, Croatia, is a major Dalmatia historical center and a tourism magnet. Walk ancient streets, see Roman ruins and enjoy white-sand beaches.