Jamaica is a melting pot of African, Asian, European and Middle Eastern cultures. You'll experience this diversity in its strong crafts tradition, performing arts and distinctive dining options, like ackee and saltfish with roast breadfruit.

If watching the sunrise from atop a 10,000-foot volcano, swimming under waterfalls, hiking through craters and luxuriating on white-, red- and even black-sand beaches sounds like paradise, then Maui awaits.

With its ultramodern skyline, it's easy to forget that Dubai, part of the United Arab Emirates, was once a small town of Bedouin traders.

Phuket offers a rainbow spectrum of spectacular vacation sights from blue lagoons and pink sunsets to orange-robed monks.