With its plentiful beaches, dramatic mountains, and backdrop of samba and bossa nova rhythms, it's easy to fall in love with Rio de Janeiro. Made famous in song, Ipanema Beach is still the place to stroll, sunbathe, and be seen. The largest Art Deco statue in the world, Christ the Redeemer, beckons visitors to Corcovado Mountain. Rio’s annual Carnaval celebrations are bacchanalian extravaganzas of feasting, music, dance, and costumed revelry.

The largest city in South America, Sao Paulo’s cuisine and art is as multinational as its diverse population of 10 million. With the restaurants of the Jardins district serving every food imaginable to diners from around the world, you wouldn’t be out of place going to Sao Paulo just for the dining. But you’d be missing out on world-class museums, diverse and vibrant neighborhood tours, and crazy-good shopping.

Dubai is a destination that mixes modern culture with history, adventure with world-class shopping and entertainment. Catch a show at the Dubai Opera, see downtown from atop the Burj Khalifa and spend an afternoon along Dubai Creek exploring the gold, textile and spice souks. If you’re looking for thrills, you can float above the desert dunes in a hot air balloon, climb aboard a high-speed ride at IMG Worlds of Adventure or skydive over the Palm Jumeirah.

Part of the Maltese archipelago, Gozo is the second-largest of the seven-island chain and basks in the Mediterranean off the coast of Sicily. More rural than its sister island, Malta, Gozo has a population of 31,000. Home to some of the oldest religious structures in the world, the fascinating Ggantija temples, the island offers dramatic orange-red sands and perfect snorkeling waters at striking Ramla Bay. Rickety buses ply Gozo's roads, making getting about the island an exciting component of your trip.

Even if you’ve never been to this Cyclades island in the Aegean Sea, you’d still recognize it immediately – candy-colored houses carved into cliffs, sapphire waters, gleaming white buildings topped with half-spheres the color of a stormy sky. Here you’ll find peace as you roam the black sand beaches or the streets of a provincial village like Imerovigli. Beautiful Oia is world famous for its sunsets, which seem tinted with every shade of an artist’s palette.

The Greek island of Santorini is a blissful spot for a getaway, and its capital, Fira, is a vision of dramatic cliffs and pristine whitewashed buildings. The Archaeological Museum contains Minoan artifacts from Fira’s ancient foundations, while several churches and monasteries offer a glimpse into the historical and contemporary religious make up of this beautiful village. Exploring the shops and cafes along Fira’s narrow footpaths is a leisurely way to spend an afternoon.

Oia is carved out of the cliffs, and visitors can see houses built for Venetian sea captains as well as the more typical "cave houses" of the villagers. You’ll find the pure white buildings with colorful roofs that are typical of Greek architecture, and you’ll probably enjoy poking around the town. But don’t breeze through in an hour—you must stay for the sunset. It’s legendary. Watch from a café, or, better yet, from a boat—you’ll be spellbound.

Tribal Terenife still shows influence from the aboriginal Gaunches people. Visitors clamber to conquer Mount Teide (Spain’s tallest peak) and to stretch out on the sands of Los Gigantes. Squawk hello to the playful parrots of Loro Park, or brave the petrifying drive to beautiful Masca Valley. For a true taste of Terenife, sample fresh farmhouse cheese and local bananas. A piece of delicate calado canario lace makes a special souvenir.

Once known for smog, traffic and tacky architecture, Athens is a city reformed thanks to fortunes brought by the 2004 Summer Olympics. Spotless parks and streets, an ultra-modern subway, new freeways, an accessible airport and all signs in perfect English make the city easily negotiable. Meriting more than a stopover en route to the islands, sophisticated Athens sites include many pillars of Western history, from the Acropolis to the Temple of Olympian Zeus, as well as treasures in the National Archaeological Museum.