As soon as I said I was going to Red Mountain Spa, I regretted it.

From affordable housing and a plethora of outdoor pursuits, to abundant seafood and lush farmland, this valley provides all the necessities of life. And there's high-speed Internet, too.

Penny Lane, Strawberry Fields, and Eleanor Rigby's grave are just some of the Fab Four's legacy that features across the European Commission's Capital of Culture for 2008.

Finding a place to stay that truly does its best to reduce its environmental footprint can be a frustrating experience.

Compared to slogging it out on foot, the road to Santiago looks different from a bike seat.

I’ve just stepped in fresh dog shit, a bus has blasted me with exhaust, and I nearly sprained my ankle on a piece of broken sidewalk. And why won’t those damn hot Argentine men cruise me back?

For tourists in the Gambia, even the beach is no refuge from hustlers, known as “bumsters”, who sell horseback rides—or themselves.

The three-kilometre-long triangle that forms the southern tip of Miami Beach is known as party central, with beautiful people lounging at stylish hotel bars, celebrity-run restaurants, and chic nightclubs.

Although it’s 30 degrees outside, with humidity so thick it smothers like a heavy blanket, my skin has gone cold. Stone Town’s infamous slave chambers, the final stop in eastern Africa for thousands of unfortunate souls before they were sold into a life of slavery, are dark and dreary.

Huskies in snow boots, temperatures of minus 40, and northern lights that appear like messages from the beyond: that’s Dawson City, Yukon, in February. It’s not your typical vacation destination, but there’s a secret thrill to being there at this time of year, when the community pulls together for the Yukon Quest.

For anyone intrigued by the shape of the rough beast slouching this way, there is really only one word: China. As a harbinger of the future, China appears in myriad guises; most—from environmental degradation to cheap manufactured goods to the 2008 Summer Olympics—are well known.

High above the medieval town of Sighisoara, in a Transylvanian graveyard, Emma Wagner and I are having a conversation about the virtue of patience. Actually, I am doing most of the talking, given that Emma has been dead for almost a century. But she is, for obvious reasons, a good listener, and it turns out I have a lot to say.

Hawaii, Bali, Fiji - these are dream honeymoon destinations. But the reality is that you may not have the time and/or money for an exotic vacation. You may be squeezing the wedding in between work weeks. Or maybe you can only sneak away for several days, and are postponing the love fest. Or you simply may want to keep the honeymoon low-key and low-budget, like your nuptials.

If you're spending Yuletide in a hot clime, get a tree. These families know what they're talking about; they've Christmassed in Egypt, South Africa, Mexico, and Australia

You can only take so many drunken full-moon parties during your stay in Thailand. Here's to days sprawled on the beach eating seafood and getting massages