New Buffalo is a Lake Michigan beach getaway convenient to Indiana and Chicago. The large, broad public beach is the main attraction, but you can also explore downtown New Buffalo's shopping and dining options. Or, if you feel like taking a chance, the Four Winds Casino Resort has 130,000 square feet of gaming space. Owned by the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians, its design evokes their heritage.

Kalamazoo, Michigan may be most famous for its unique name, but it actually has much more to offer. Home to research oriented Western Michigan University, as well as major industrial and pharmaceutical corporations, Kalamazoo is famous for innovation. The immense Air Zoo features restored historic aircraft, a flight simulator, a 4-D theater and the Michigan Space Science Center, with 17,000-square-feet of exhibits dedicated to everything space related, from Moon Rocks to Russian space suits.

Known as "Cereal City," Battle Creek, Michigan is home to both the Kellogg and Post corporations. These two companies have left their mark on the city, building both office buildings and local attractions. The Leila Arboretum, part of Battle Creek's 7,000 acres of parkland, was created by the widow of CW Post, founder of Post Cereals. Post himself had been inspired to go into the cereal business after a visit to the now-historic Battle Creek Sanitarium, which was then run by John Kellogg.

The Atlantic crashes on a coastline strewn with quaint harbours, windswept beaches, glorious dunes and romantic lighthouses. Explore Cape Cod National Seashore, bike past cranberry bogs on the Rail Trail or saunter around Sandwich, the Cape's oldest town. Many areas are full of architectural and culinary gems - weathered shingles, whaling captains' mansions, chowder shacks and upmarket dining delights. Don't miss Woods Hole Oceanquest, famed Martha's Vineyard or charmingly lively Provincetown.

Hit the casinos, watch big-name entertainment and stay at a themed hotel. Las Vegas? No, but this small gambling town on the banks of the Colorado River offers a taste of Vegas minus the glitz, traffic and high costs. Plus, there's plenty to do here besides gambling. Not only does Laughlin have the Colorado River for boating, swimming, fishing, waterskiing and other sports, it also has gorgeous Lake Mohave offering much of the same on a grander scale. Golfers will enjoy beautiful courses where reasonable green fees stretch their cash. For a taste of the Wild West, head to nearby 100-year-old Oatman, where you can catch a mock gunfight and guzzle beer in an old-time saloon. Hiking, anyone? Grapevine Canyon awaits you, famous for the Indian markings -- some 800 years old -- carved into its boulders. You'll find plenty of gaming houses, with water shuttles running between them 24/7. What Laughlin lacks in Vegas glamour, it makes up for in affordability, scenic beauty and aquatic fun.

One visit to the Yorkshire Dales and it’s easy to understand why the unspoiled countryside is the setting of so many novels. Must-see sights among the land’s lush woodlands and expansive moors include Hardraw Force (the longest single-drop waterfall in the North), Gordale Scar, and well-known hill range, the Three Peaks. Less adventurous visitors can rest easy, walking through the manicured lawns of Parcevall Hall Gardens or appreciating Skipton Castle’s medieval architecture. Although some prefer to take in the land’s wild beauty by foot or horse, the most popular way is via one of the park’s famed cycling routes.

Best known to most Germans as the locale of Georg-August University, Gottingen has about 130,000 residents, about a quarter of whom are students. Gänseliesel (Goose Girl) is the city's most famous resident, a 1901 fountain built in front of the 14th century Rathaus (Town Hall), which today houses the city's tourist office. But even Goose Girl can't escape the college students, who by tradition upon receiving their PhDs must climb and kiss her, making her "the most kissed girl in the world."