France’s Conflans-Sainte-Honorine sits quietly at the meeting point of the Seine and Oise rivers.

Eugene is home of the University of Oregon. It is a culturally and athletically diverse city. Bicycling magazine rates it as one of the top cycling communities in the country because of its numerous scenic bike baths. The Saturday Market features musical performers, arts and crafts, and fresh produce. Neighboring Springfield is the gateway to the McKenzie River Recreation Area, featuring whitewater rafting and camping.

M’Hamid El Ghizlane sits deep in southeastern Morocco’s Sahara, where the paved road ends and endless sands begin. Travelers often arrive from Zagora, taking in the wide palm groves fed by ancient irrigation channels that show how people have sustained life here for centuries. At sunrise and sunset, the dunes glow with waves of gold and copper, offering unforgettable views few places on earth can match.

Port Moresby sits by the Coral Sea as Papua New Guinea’s capital and shows visitors a city of contrasts where glittering new buildings rise beside traditional villages built on stilts. One such place is Hanuabada, the original Motuan village, where roofs reach above water’s edge and everyday life still unfolds in Tok Pisin and local tongue.

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.