Liège, located along the Meuse River in eastern Belgium, is a city shaped by industry, resilience, and an independent spirit that dates back centuries. Once the capital of a powerful prince-bishopric, Liège has always done things its own way and is lived-in and layered with working neighborhoods, student cafés, and markets that tell the city’s real story. Every Sunday, locals gather at La Batte, one of the oldest and largest outdoor markets in Belgium.

Santa Marta, located on Colombia’s northern Caribbean coast, is one of the country’s oldest cities, founded in 1525. It has long served as a gateway between the coast and the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, the world’s highest coastal mountain range.

Inyeug, more commonly known as Mystery Island, is a tiny, uninhabited islet off the coast of Aneityum in Vanuatu’s southernmost province. Measuring just 1.5 kilometers long, the island is completely free of roads, shops, and electricity. What it offers instead is pure seclusion and untouched beauty. Cruise ships often anchor offshore, bringing day visitors to its white-sand beaches and shallow coral lagoons, but once they depart, the island returns to stillness.

Progreso, a coastal city in the state of Yucatán, offers travelers a relaxed atmosphere with strong ties to the sea. Founded in 1871 as a port to support trade in the region, Progreso now welcomes both cargo ships and cruise liners to its shores. Its most defining feature is the Progreso Pier, one of the longest in the world, stretching over 6 kilometers into the Gulf of Mexico.

Tampico, located on the Gulf Coast of Tamaulipas, is a port city with a layered history shaped by trade, oil, and immigration. Its downtown district is known for neoclassical buildings, many of which were constructed with imported bricks and ironwork from Europe during the oil boom of the early 20th century. One of Tampico’s most photographed structures is the Mercado Municipal, rebuilt in recent years but still functioning as a central hub for daily life.