Albania offers travelers a surprising and diverse experience shaped by centuries of influence. Visitors can explore the ancient city of Butrint, a UNESCO World Heritage Site with Greek, Roman, Byzantine, and Venetian ruins set against a lagoon. In Berat and Gjirokastër stone houses stack along steep hillsides, giving visitors the sense of walking through a living museum. These towns offer an authentic window into daily Albanian life.

Denver, Colorado, known as the “Mile High City” for its elevation exactly 5,280 feet above sea level, offers far more than a mountain backdrop. It’s a city where old saloons, Victorian homes, and vintage brick warehouses sit beside sleek skyscrapers and buzzing food halls. While the nearby Rocky Mountains are visible from almost anywhere in the city, places like City Park and Washington Park offer wide green spaces right in town.

Ceske Budejovice, the vibrant capital of the South Bohemian Region in the Czech Republic, is a city rich in history and culture. Its most famous landmark is the magnificent Black Tower, offering panoramic views of the city and the surrounding countryside. This 72-meter-tall Gothic tower, completed in the 16th century, is a prime example of the city's architectural heritage source.

If it wasn't for Paris, Ghent would be medieval Europe's largest city. Steeped in history both rebellious and industrious, it sits at the junction of the Leie and Scheldt rivers and was once the site of armed battles by its townsfolk, who raged against heavy taxes and restricted civil liberties.

Hunter Valley in New South Wales is one of Australia’s oldest and most celebrated wine regions, shaped by European settlement in the early 1800s.