A city with a 200-year Southern heritage, visitors will find activities that celebrate Huntsville’s rich history, as well as attractions that highlight the city’s scientific side. At the Alabama Constitution Village, villagers in period clothing take time from their daily chores to guide you through eight reconstructed Federal style buildings. Younger visitors will love the 150 hands-on activities at the Sci-Quest Hands-on Science Centre and older children will learn what it takes to be an astronaut at the U.S. Space and Rocket Centre. Looking for outings with a cultural flair? Landmarks such as the Huntsville Botanical Garden and Huntsville Museum of Art are must sees.

Boasting the most challenging extreme ski runs in all of Latin America and one of the world’s longest intermediate runs, Las Leñas (near Mendoza) offers 27 runs total in all levels of difficulty, as well as slalom stadium and unbeatable off-piste areas. Between summit and base lies a 4,000 foot vertical drop.

From bustling restaurant- and hotel-lined promenades to the near-silent sand dunes of S’Alfubera Natural Park, Playa de Muro offers something for everyone. Named after Muro, its inland counterpart, the coastal stretch is now a resort in its own right, though it retains an easy-going ambience.

On the south side of the Alps, Lake Maggiore is the second largest lake in Italy. Since the climate is mild year-round, the area is filled with Mediterranean vegetation and exotic plants. Lake Maggiore was featured in Ernest Hemingway's infamous novel, A Farewell to Arms, when the protagonist and his lover must row across the lake in order to escape the Italian Carabinieri (think police in military uniforms). Here's hoping you won't have any run-ins of that nature.