Destinations

North America

Mexico

Mexico is a Hispanic country in North America. The festive culture celebrates a mix of "Indian" (precolonial) traditions, Spanish customs, and modern American influence. The Spanish language and the Catholic church play large roles in society. A sensuous blend of food, music, and color lend...

Dominican Republic

The Dominican Republic is a Caribbean country that borders Haiti to the west on the island of Hispaniola. It is well-known for its beaches, resorts, and golf courses. Its landscape includes rainforest, savannah, and highlands, as well as Pico Duarte, the Caribbean's tallest peak. In its Zona...

Cuba

Cuba is a country in the Caribbean, occupying its own large island, as well as smaller nearby islands. The country's position just off the coast of Florida and near neighboring Caribbean islands has produced a highly unique nation. In famous Havana or elsewhere around the island, strains of...

Europe

Poland

Poland has a rich, often tragic, history, but has emerged as a great, modern society since the fall of Communism. Highly urbanized, Poland has adopted many Western elements of society, but maintains much of the Eastern culture of its past. Poland spent much of the 1990s developing its economy...

Italy

Italy, a European country with an extensive Mediterranean shoreline, has given Western culture and cuisine a powerful mark. The Vatican as well as landmark art and ancient ruins reside in its capital, Rome.

Finland

The long, dark Finnish winters will send all but the hardiest travelers scurrying for their log cabin to sup on a hip flask of vodka. In the summer, however, the land of the midnight sun comes alive. There are around 70 nights when the sun never sets, and you can spend your days exploring...

Asia

Laos

Nestled in the heart of Southeast Asia, Laos, officially known as the Lao People's Democratic Republic, beckons with its serene landscapes, rich cultural heritage, and gentle pace of life. Despite its relatively low profile on the global stage, this landlocked nation possesses a captivating...

Turkey

Turkey (Turkish: Türkiye) is a bi-continental republic: while the majority of the country is geographically in Asia, Eastern Thrace is part of Europe, and many Turks identify as European. Travelers can choose from a wide range of destinations in Turkey, including the dome-and-minaret-filled...

Japan

Japan is often difficult to understand for those educated in the west. It can seem full of contradictions. Many Japanese corporations dominate their industries, yet if you read the financial news it seems like Japan is practically bankrupt. Cities are as modern and high tech as anywhere else,...

Latin America

Argentina

Argentina is a large nation in South America's south. It has a wide range of climates and habitats, including jungles in the north, vast grass plains in the middle, and frozen mountains in the south. Furthermore, Argentina claims the Falkland Islands, a United Kingdom Overseas Territory, as the...

Brazil

Officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, it is the largest country in South America and the world's fifth largest country. Brazil has a coastline of over 7,491 kilometers and wondrous beaches! Brazil has a dense and complex system of rivers, one of the world's most extensive, with eight...

Chile

Chile, that long and narrow country on South America’s west coast, evokes images of rural life in Patagonia and the Andes. However, there is more to moving to Chile than its breathtaking countryside.

Chile is an incredibly diverse country, with deserts, islands, the Andes, and Antarctica...

Africa

Cameroon

Cameroon (French: Cameroun) is a Central African republic. Cameroon, while not the largest nation in Africa, is in several respects as big as the continent itself. Western tourism is uncommon, but the majority of visitors to the country are from Europe (predominantly Belgium). Cameroon is a...

Equatorial Guinea

Equatorial Guinea is a West African nation divided into two parts: the mainland and the islands. The country is sandwiched between Cameroon and Gabon. It was the only sub-Saharan country to be a Spanish colony; the only other African colony was Western Sahara. It is the third-largest oil...

South Africa

The world's largest producer of gold, and one of the most influential countries in African politics, South Africa is the southernmost country on the African continent, and is one of the most diverse African countries to be found. With 11 different official languages and a completely diversified...

Oceania

Australia

As the only country in the world that (arguably) qualifies as a continent, the wide expanses and low population of Australia make it a nature lovers dream. The lush forests of Tasmania, imposing cliffs of Ayers rock and grape-growing district of Barossa all offer inland splendor, but the most...

New Zealand

New Zealand (Mori: Aotearoa) is a nation of breathtaking and varied natural beauty, with jagged mountains, rolling pasture land, steep fiords, pristine trout-filled lakes, roaring rivers, scenic beaches, and active volcanic zones. These islands form a distinct bioregion that is home to...