Gatlinburg, at the heart of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, is an ideal base for a family looking to explore the park's numerous offerings. After you've gone hiking, fishing, rafting or horseback riding, ride an elevator 342 feet to the top of the Gatlinburg Space Needle for stunning views of the Smokies. There's also an amusement centre next door with nifty rides and games.

Helen, a Bavarian Alps replica town in Appalachian Georgia, is home to an Oktoberfest for the ages, overflowing with two-litre beer glasses and Germany's famous bratwursts.  To recover from the festivities, the savviest make their way to Cedar Creek Luxury Cabins on the edge of the Chattahoochee National Forest.

From the 27th-floor observation deck of the new Capitol building, you can take in the beauty of this lovely city on the Mississippi, at one time the heart of plantation country. Stately antebellum mansions line the river, some now bed and breakfasts, others offering tours. A visit to the Louisiana State University (LSU) Rural Life Museum will transport you to a 19th-century plantation. The 34-storey Capitol, built in the 1930s by controversial Governor Huey P. Long, and the building in which he was assassinated, contrasts sharply with the Old State Capitol, a Gothic Revival-style castle perched high on a bluff. A college-town atmosphere permeates this friendly city, home to LSU and Southern, the largest African-American university in the USA. You'll find many historic sites, museums and galleries to explore, some on the LSU campus. For the more outward bound, there are great running and hiking trails. The city's unofficial motto is "Let the good times roll", and roll they will as you dine on spicy Cajun food, sample a riverboat casino or gaze out at the mighty Mississippi.

Just ten miles west of Ocho Rios, Runaway Bay's stunning beaches see far fewer footprints than its neighbours. It's also removed from the cruise ship herds and pushy vendors. Perfect for those happy not to wander far from their resort, there are a few nearby attractions nonetheless. Bob Marley's childhood home and mausoleum is in nearby Nine Mile. Jamaican history is on view at Seville Great House and at Columbus Park Museum. To explore, rent a reliable vehicle and remember to drive on the left.

Hub of the North, host of the 2015 Canada Winter Games and one of BC’s friendliest, most outgoing communities, Prince George is a vital crossroad for Northern British Columbia. Located at the confluence of the Fraser and Nechako rivers, where Highways 97 and 16 launch road-trippers on a variety of adventures, PG is a regional centre for shopping, arts and sports, where industry and innovation coexist, outdoor recreation is a way of life, and northern wilderness and urban amenities converge.

The largest island along Brazil's coast and, literally, a “beautiful island,” Ilhabela offers visitors almost 40 kilometres of pristine beaches and a tropical island's worth of hiking trails, waterfalls and even a nascent party scene. At 207 kilometres from the city of São Paulo, Ilhabela can get crowded, so try to get your beach time in during the work week.