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Drink local at the island’s oldest bar
St. Barts has no shortage of upscale cocktail bars and celebrity chef-helmed restaurants, but one spot that hasn’t lost its luster over the past 75 years is Le Select, in the heart of Gustavia. A popular place for locals to catch up after work or a day at the beach, the no-frills bar embodies the Caribbean’s laid-back feel. The menu is pure pub fare (think chicken wings and fried calamari), but the cheeseburgers are a crowd favorite — especially paired with an ice-cold Carib Lager or rum punch at one of the picnic tables on the shaded terrace.

Take a plunge in les piscines naturelles
The Instagram-famous shots of swimmers casually floating in jade-colored coves have glamorized one of the island’s most elusive features: les piscines naturelles. Shielded behind rocks and filled as each wave rolls in, the natural pools aren’t the easiest to reach — or find. You’ll want to enlist the help of Carole Pernelle, a hiking guide who can navigate the 30-minute coastal trek at Petit Cul-de-Sac on the eastern edge of the island (these pools are just for admiring from afar, though) or Grand Fond’s swimmable series of pools dubbed the “Washing Machine.” Since the path isn’t clearly defined, and urchins abound, sneakers or water shoes are a must.

Savor fresh lobster at La Langouste
Flamands Bay’s most talked-about resident may be Cheval Blanc St–Barth, and, with Michelin-starred French chef Jean Imbert behind the menu at fine-dining restaurant La Case, we certainly understand why. But it’s worth slipping off your sandals and walking further down the shore to the more tucked-away La Langouste, whose name should give you a hint at the house specialty. The Creole-accented menu is dominated by local spiny lobster, grilled fresh from the tank and served alongside a trio of Chef Michel Lefèvre’s signature sauces. Deemed the best lobster on the island by locals, the casual beachside restaurant is a go-to for lunch — and a welcome break from the haute hotspots.

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Enjoy an art-fueled lunch in Retiro
La Carnicería steakhouse in Palermo has long championed the traceability of grass-fed beef; its sister restaurant, Los Jardines de las Barquín, shares that philosophy but with grains. Just a short walk from the port, the recently opened eatery is tucked into the Andalusian gardens at the Museo de Arte Hispanoamericano Isaac Fernández Blanco — which means your al fresco lunch will be accompanied by towering palms and birdsong. The museum’s impressive collection spans neo-viceregal silver and cusqueño works; after getting your fill of Hispanic art, load up on green barley risotto with fresh spinach, fava beans, and peas paired with a glass of skin-contact orange wine from Uco Valley, Mendoza.

Share a great yarn in San Telmo
To browse contemporary knitwear with a conscience, head to Ursa Textiles, an Argentine project that was inspired by women hand-spinning Merino wool at an annual sheep shearing contest in Patagonia. Designer and U.S. transplant Elizabeth Gleeson vowed to start working her way through this wool, yard by yard, but casting and purling eluded her. A fortuitous meeting with an all-women knitting collective from Barrio Mujica, the former shantytown, proved fruitful for everyone. A decade later, the group continues to stitch vibrant bespoke items such as bubblegum-pink cardigans and pastel midi dresses, putting a fresh spin on winter woolies available at the Ursa showroom. Email hola@ursatextiles.com to make an appointment.

Tango for two in Almagro
Tango is like oxygen in this city, but it can be hard to know where to start breathing it. The Almagro neighborhood is the place. Take inspiration from the Carlos Gardel mural on the corner of Anchorena and Zelaya streets before popping into his former home turned museum. Get your footwork fancy down in a group class at La Catedral milonga, a dance hall with a live DJ. Traveling solo? Book a tango taxi, or dance partner paid by the hour, with whom to try a few rounds on the dancefloor, then wind down at El Boliche de Roberto, a bar notable frequented by musicians whose mournful melodies always pack out this tiny, authentic spot.

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Scope the city from on high (but with fewer crowds)
Taking the foot trail at Morro da Urca, the gateway to Sugarloaf Mountain, not only bypasses the touristy cable car queues, it rewards you with one of Rio’s most picturesque strolls. Accessible via Praia Vermelha, the path features staircases crafted from tree trunks and plenty of native wildlife, including white-tufted-ear marmosets and Rufous-bellied thrush. Stretching more than 700 meters above sea level, it offers an unforgettable view of Botafogo Beach; in the distance, Christ the Redeemer appears like a miniature action figure on the horizon. As the afternoon winds down, the cable car descent is complimentary.

Embark on a boteco crawl in Tijuca
Praça da Bandeira, in the Tijuca region, is a stronghold for Rio de Janeiro's most authentic botecos — the Brazilian take on a dive bar, complete with delicious, affordable food and a lively atmosphere. An afternoon spent bar hopping is an afternoon well spent: Start at Aconchego Carioca, famous for chef Kátia Barbosa’s feijoada dumplings (fritters stuffed with beans, collard greens, and bacon), followed by Bar da Frente, where the standout dish is the porco de quimono, a Japanese-style spring roll filled with succulent pork rib. End your exploration at Noo Cachaçaria, a bar boasting hundreds of bottles of cachaça and an incredible cucuruqui, a crispy tapioca fritter blended with cheese and smoked sausage.

Browse one of the most beautiful libraries on earth
Amidst Rio’s many historic buildings, the Royal Portuguese Cabinet of Reading on Rua de Camões stands out for its vibrant Manueline-style architecture, the only example of Portuguese late Gothic in the city. It’s even more beautiful on the inside, housing a staggering collection of 350,000 leather-bound books including rarities, manuscripts, and digitized periodicals. Established in 1837 by Portuguese immigrants, the sanctuary forms the largest collection of Portuguese literature outside of Portugal. With dimly lit shelves, walls adorned with multicolored book spines, and narrow shafts of light beaming from vaulted ceilings, the library makes for a scene reminiscent of Hogwarts — or maybe an M.C. Escher drawing.

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Break for lunch at a rustic hotspot
Chef Martin Louzao helped elevate San Juan’s dining scene in recent years with a duo of high-concept restaurants, Cocina Abierta and Oriundo. His latest venture, Café Caleta, a small tavern with countryside vibes, has an enticing international menu featuring French-style slow-cooked lamb, Japanese tamagoyaki eggs, and Argentinian beef empanadas. Local flavors shine as well: Don’t miss the Mallorca sandwich, made with a beloved Puerto Rican sweet bread (a recipe that was adapted from Spain’s ensaïmada pastry) filled with country ham, locally produced Ausubal cheese, tomato, and chives. The cafe spills into a charming cobblestoned street in Old San Juan, just steps away from the city’s main cathedral, the Basílica Menor de San Juan Bautista.

Buy a custom hat
Old San Juan is filled with unremarkable souvenir shops, yet hidden among them is the one-of-a-kind Olé, a highly regarded maker of Panama hats and woven fedoras. Its owners have been perfecting their craft since 1977, and you will often see the founder’s daughters, Ingrid and Christinne Jeffs, at work at the back of the narrow space, adjusting the circumference of a hat on a special mold, or adding one of dozens of fabric trims. The women are known to wax poetic about headwear, explaining that most of their models are woven by hand in Ecuador, a process that can take months, then finished on-site. Past customers include David Spade, Carlos Santana, and Mick Jagger.

See contemporary Caribbean art
Set in a handsome neoclassical building with doric columns and arched windows, the Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico (MAPR) is the largest museum in the Caribbean — and arguably the most compelling. Its sleek white-walled galleries hold art dating back to the 17th century; standouts from the permanent collection include contemporary pieces by Puerto Rican artists such as Carlos Dávila-Rinaldi, whose pop-art paintings explore themes like violence and racism, and Rafael Trelles, who paints fantastical scenes to illustrate humanity’s fragmented sense of reality. After your visit, spend some time in the 2.5-acre garden in the back, dotted with sculptures and lush autochthonous trees.

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Explore native flora at the Botanic Gardens
With no time to properly lace up your boots and explore the Daintree Rainforest, which is about two hours from Cairns, the Botanic Gardens is the next best thing. Almost 90 acres, the sprawling outdoor green space is a microcosm of the world’s oldest living rainforest, with landscaped gardens displaying not just native Australian flora but plants from around the world that relish a similarly steamy climate (carnivorous venus fly traps, the Cooktown orchid from Queensland). Get there by 10 a.m. to join a free walking tour and make sure to visit the Tank Art Centre, a contemporary arts facility housed in three converted World War II naval oil storage tanks inside the commons.

Try a ’roo sandwich at Guyala
Founded by Oliver James, who kickstarted the local specialty coffee scene back in 2009 with his laneway joint Caffiend, Guyala is a spacious and breezy café at Cairns North. Located toward the end of the Esplanade, it’s an all-day cafe serving crowd-pleasing dishes with a tropical north spin. Try an Aussie ‘roo-ben’ sandwich made from kangaroo loin; the smashed avocado on toast served with indigenous finger limes, lemon myrtle, macadamia, and coconut dukkah; or the ever-popular chili crab omelets made with local banana flower and palm heart slaw. Excellent coffee goes without saying.

Sip some local spirits at Wolf Lane Distillery
Behind a set of heavy doors, in an unassuming laneway in the heart of the CBD, you’ll find Wolf Lane Distillery, a surprisingly bright and light micro-distillery. Pop in for a quick tasting and to learn how the gin is distilled, and see if you can identify the flavors of the region (sticky-sweet mango, Davidson plum and pepper-berry,) before leaving with some souvenir bottles. If time permits, head across the lane to the dimly lit Three Wolves cocktail joint for some boozy home-grown drinks shaken and stirred by dapper bartenders.

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Dine at India’s best restaurant
Call ahead for a table at the Mumbai chapter of Indian Accent — ranked the country’s no. 1 restaurant three times over in Condé Nast Traveler’s Top Restaurant Awards. Chef Rijul Gulati serves a modern take on India’s finest culinary traditions, playing with form and flavor to plate one surprise after another. From the spicy Kanyakumari crab to the dal moradabadi to the warm doda treacle tart (born of a wrestler’s diet), each dish comes with a backstory that gives you a peek into the country and its culture. We recommend the tasting menu for the best experience and to make sure there is no FOMO; email reservations.mum@indianaccent.com or call +91-2235251500 to book.

See the catch of the day come in
Wake up before the sun and head to the Sassoon Dock, about 15 minutes from the port, to soak up the sounds and smells of one of the city’s busiest fishing docks. By the time you get there, dozens of boats and trawlers will be emptying their bounty — giving you front-row access to the morning’s auctions. You will be jostling for elbow room with fishmongers, gulls, and cats—everyone trying to get their share of the catch before the market dissolves by 8 a.m. With Mumbai’s favorite pomfret, seerfish, mackerel, crabs, octopus, rays, and tuna rolling in, this is a photographer’s delight.

Experience maximalist India at the country’s top atelier
Enter the dazzling world of India’s master couturier, Sabyasachi Mukherjee, at his opulent flagship store in Fort, the heritage district of Mumbai. The four-story atelier is decked out with Tanjore paintings, Venetian chairs, rare lithographs, and bronze and fine China — but it’s all a mere backdrop for Sabyasachi’s exquisite embroidered Indian wear. Not ready to splash out on a $10,000 zardozi outfit? The boutique also sells off-the-rack jewelry, bags, belts, and shawls, and anyone is welcome to stroll through and sip tea while soaking up this cultural extravaganza.

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Tuck into a fountain-side feast
Some of the priciest—and most overrated—restaurants in Dubai are those that promise a prime vantage point over the fountains at the base of the Burj Khalifa, where a dazzling illuminated show brings the plumes of water to life every half hour in the evenings. But there’s no need to resign yourself to a mediocre meal in pursuit of a good view. The city’s Time Out Market has assembled Dubai’s most beloved bites—the chicken katsu sando at Reif’s, Mattar’s brisket grilled cheese, behemoth slices of “Kelvin cake” at Little Juns, and Masti’s burrata butter chicken among them—on the third floor of Downtown Dubai’s Souk Al Bahar, with a balcony that promises the best view of the gyrating fountains below.

Glimpse the future
The Museum of the Future opened to much fanfare in early 2022, and tickets can still book out weeks in advance. But the best thing about this distinctive torus-shaped building is, frankly, the exterior, with its oval silhouette clad in Emirati artist Matar Bin Lahej’s calligraphy of poems by Dubai’s ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. In order to maximize your time, give the lines a miss and instead take in the striking façade from a sky-high perch at Monkey Bar, a lush rooftop aerie crowning the nearby 25Hours hotel. Settle into a domed rattan couch with playful drinks like a banana Old Fashioned or an espresso martini with pineapple rum, and take in a view of the Future from above.

Spend an evening amid the dunes
For all its man-made wonders, Dubai is still a city that rose from the desert—and the dunes are mere minutes from the skyscrapers. While there is no shortage of packaged tour options that take visitors dune bashing, we’re partial to the more sophisticated sunset experience at Nara Camp, 45 minutes from the port. Take a camel out for a spin, try your hand at archery and sandboarding, have a few puffs of a shisha, and watch a thrilling fire show before settling in for a three-course dinner with global flair—gazpacho on papad toast; baba ganoush with sumac-crusted croutons; grilled prawns with lemon, olives, and coriander; and black Angus tagliata with chimichurri.

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Treat yourself to the best pizza in Italy
You are in Campania, after all, the region known for making the finest pies in the Boot. Instead of heading into Naples, which can raise even the most seasoned traveler’s blood pressure, make the pilgrimage to Pepe in Grani in the town of Caiazzo. One of the most inspired of all the Campanian pizzerias for offering the classics but with specialties all its own — try the La Scarpetta, layered with grana, buffalo mozzarella, and sauce made from three different types of tomatoes — the restaurant has been on the list for the best pizza in the world for years. (Yes, such a list exists, and yes, locals treat it like the Bible.) If you don’t feel like making the drive, Sorrento’s own Da Franco (Corso Italia 265; 39-0818772066) is also a knockout, with tasty, well-priced Neapolitan-style pies, cold beer, and a cool local vibe.

Stretch those sea legs on a breathtaking hike
Most people think of the pleasures of the Mediterranean in this part of the world, but Sorrento is also blessed with one of the most beautiful national parks in Italy. Monti Lattari, which extends from Naples to Salerno and covers most of the Sorrento peninsula, includes the six-mile Sentiero degli Dei, or Trail of the Gods, which offers jaw-dropping views of the sea and villages lining the coast. The path starts at Bomerano, a hamlet of Agerola, or on the coast at Praiano, and ends in Positano, which can be hiked leisurely in about five to six hours including stops at places like the Convent of San Domenico with its spectacular bird’s eye view. Stellar local outfitter Scala and Trekking can show you the way.

Create your Italian look
While you may glimpse some of the bigger brand names in town, Sorrento’s still full of one-off shops and Italian labels with small edited collections. Among the musts: some sexy underpinnings from Intimissimi (Corso Italia 198A; 39-081-807-3457), sold at a fraction of the price as in the States; buttery soft cashmere from Falconeri (Corso Italia 124; 39-081-877-4812), perfect for cooler nights on board; chic overnight bags and linens at Casaross (Piazza San Antonino 7/8; 081-807-5684); and lotions and potions galore from Capri’s Carthusia (Corso Italia 117), which make great gifts for loved ones back home. For the truly retail obsessed, head to Positano’s Le Sirenuse Emporium (Via Cristoforo Colombo 103/105; 39-089-812-2026), the lovingly curated shop attached to the legendary hotel. Among the temptations: gorgeous tableware, handwoven caftans, and flowy silk dresses.