The Mayan Riviera, Mexico's Caribbean coastline, is more than just the resort town of Playa del Carmen. Stretching from the fishing village of Puerto Morales to the biosphere reserve of Sian Ka'an, the area offers visitors a plethora of both eco-tourism and luxury destinations.

A gorgeous backdrop of pine-clad mountains looms behind the seaside resort of Marmaris in southwest Turkey. Popular as a cruise ship and yacht port and with the British budget holiday crowd, Marmaris offers an abundance of fast food restaurants, the restored castle of Suleyman the Magnificent and an appealing cobblestoned old quarter.

Luxury resorts rub elbows with backpacker accommodations on the Thai island of Ko Samui, a 15-mile-long palm-covered tropical oasis located off the country's east coast.

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.