Lying on picturesque Lake Constance (or Bodensee in German), Konstanz has been a city since the first century AD, later gaining prominence as a religious center and then as the site of the only bridge crossing the Rhine River. The Old Town is one of Konstanz’s main attractions and is home to the city’s famed cathedral, originally dating from the 7th century. Due to a border anomaly, Konstanz lies on Switzerland’s land mass, and the Swiss town of Kreuzlingen is just a short walk away.

Fairytale villages, thermal baths, casinos and pine and birch-blanketed mountains beckon travelers to southwestern Germany's Black Forest. Scenic drives and train trips showcase the best of the area. Skiing, hiking, mountain climbing, boating and ice-skating are popular activities. Baden-Baden's Roman-Irish baths, 19th-century performance hall, casino and fresco-adorned Pump Room are much visited. Gothic masterpiece Freiburg Cathedral and its famous Boys' Choir also draw visitors.

Quaint alpine villages and great skiing entice travellers to the Grisons. The sparsely populated region of eastern Switzerland contains the source of the Rhine and Inn rivers, 140 square miles of glaciers and dense pine forests. Join the ski action at the resorts of St Moritz, Davos and Arosa, or stake a lofty claim with a visit to Juf, which boasts the highest altitude of any inhabited village in the Alps. In summer, hike through the Engadine Valley in the unspoiled beauty of the Swiss National Park.

The majestic Austrian Alps stretch across the country, an awe-striking area of Ice Age valleys, verdant heaths and alluvial cones within Europe's largest national park, 700-square-mile Hohe Tauern. Taking in the dramatic cities of Salzburg and Innsbruck and the beautiful province of Tirol, home to spectacular skiing and hiking, as well as Gross Glockner, Austria's highest peak, and some of the world's best winter and summer sports playgrounds, the Austrian Alps are an outdoor lover's paradise.

Once a vital part of a mighty sea power, Positano is today a sophisticated resort on the central Amalfi Coast. Moorish-style architecture rises up steep slopes that gaze out on the Sirenuse Islands. Smart boutiques, selling fashions for visitors to display on Grand Beach, abound in the village. And it’s a great base for exploring the area—you can easily travel by boat to Capri, Ischia and the Grotta dello Smeraldo cave.

The prophet Mohammed's birthplace is Islam's spiritual center and is strictly off-limits to non-Muslims. The pillars of Islam state that all Muslims with the means must undertake Hajj, a pilgrimage to Mecca, once in their lifetime. Those who visit the holy city are rewarded not just by proximity to landmarks and religious sites crucial to the religion, such as the Masjid Al Haram (Holy Mosque), the Mountain of Light, the Black Stone and the Well of Zamzam, but with the forgiveness of all their sins.

There are 32 islands and cays that make up St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG). Nine are inhabited, including the mainland St. Vincent and the Grenadines islands: Young Island, Bequia, Mustique, Canouan, Union Island, Mayreau, Petit St Vincent and Palm Island. The stunning Tobago Cays National Marine Park is also located within SVG. This multi-island Caribbean nation offers a combination of rainforest eco-adventures, scuba diving, classic Caribbean powder-white sand beaches, luxury accommodation and yachting or sailing adventures.

Look for spicy dishes flavoured with tamarind and coconut in Kochi, and don’t be surprised if your dinner is served up on a banana leaf. The region is a major banana-growing area, and traditional Kochi cuisine employs the fruit in many dishes, both sweet and savoury. Coconut water provides a refreshing and sweet contrast to the piquant food.