Mauritania, stretching between the Atlantic Ocean and the Sahara Desert, offers travelers a journey through wide-open landscapes and centuries of history. Its terrain is marked by shifting sand dunes, ancient caravan towns, and stretches of untouched coastline.

Grand Junction, located on Colorado’s Western Slope, is a destination where desert canyons meet fertile vineyards and rugged plateaus overlook winding rivers. The town sits at the junction of the Colorado and Gunnison Rivers, which historically made it a vital meeting point for Native American tribes, trappers, and settlers. Today, visitors come for its striking landscapes, laid-back pace, and a growing food and wine scene that's putting this region on the map for more than just its scenery.

Who would have thought, back in the tumultuous coup and counter coup days of the 1970s, that Burkina Faso would become the cultural darling of West Africa? Unlikely as it seems, Burkina Faso has become the Utah of West Africa, hosting a biennial film festival that rivals the Sundance Film Festival for cultural clout. When it's not hosting film festivals, it's busy organizing its other biennial cultural festival.

Zamora is a compact city in northwestern Spain, set along the Duero River and known for its remarkable concentration of Romanesque architecture.

The city of Oporto is situated on the right bank of the River Douro, being the second largest city of the country. Oporto is the regional capital of the northern area.