Wilmington was the only open seaport in the Confederacy from 1863 until the last months of the war - nearly two years. Visit Fort Fisher which kept the port open to blockade runners. Afterwards, tour another historic treasure, the Bellamy Mansion Museum of History and Design Arts. In 1865, it was commandeered as headquarters for the Union forces.

Yellowstone National Park, America's first national park, stands as a stunning testament to nature’s raw power and beauty. Located primarily in Wyoming, with portions extending into Montana and Idaho, Yellowstone offers visitors a chance to witness incredible geothermal wonders, such as the famous Old Faithful geyser that faithfully erupts every 60 to 110 minutes.

French Guiana, tucked between Brazil and Suriname on the northeast coast of South America, offers an unexpected blend of Amazonian wilderness, colonial intrigue, and French flair. As an overseas department of France, it uses the euro, speaks French, and has croissants alongside cassava bread at breakfast. Yet just beyond the cafés of Cayenne, vast rainforest stretches for hundreds of kilometers, home to rare wildlife, remote rivers, and Indigenous communities.

At Chile's northernmost end, the dizzying railway from high Bolivia comes down to the sea. Arica, the City of Eternal Spring, has a population of 169,000. and is located in the Atacama Desert. See San Marcos Cathedral, designed by Gustave Eiffel, and marvel at Pre-Incan relics in the City Museum. Or leave the city to venutre to the White City of Arequipa, the Incan capital of Cuzco and Machu Picchu and the ancient Inca city in the clouds.

Skoura is an oasis town in southern Morocco, set between Ouarzazate and the Dadès Valley. Its defining feature is a broad palm grove where date palms, olive trees, fruit gardens, and traditional earthen buildings grow together. Unlike the dry terrain surrounding it, the oasis has a cultivated landscape supported by local irrigation systems. Skoura is particularly known for its concentration of kasbahs, including tall fortified residences built from rammed earth.