Inspiring

Inca ruins in the clouds. Machu Picchu is one of the world's great destinations—a trek or train ride into the Andes, and a site that still feels otherworldly.

Washington DC, USA — the Mall, free world-class museums, and monuments at every turn.

Active volcano you can stand on the rim of, with lava glow at night.

The Treasury carved in rose-red rock. Petra is one of the world's great archaeological sites—a lost city that still feels like a discovery.

Turquoise lakes and snow-capped peaks in the Canadian Rockies. Banff is postcard-perfect—hiking, skiing, and hot springs with some of the most dramatic scenery on the planet.

Cliffs, redwoods, and the Pacific Coast Highway at its best. Big Sur is raw coastal drama.

Fairy chimneys, cave hotels, and hot-air balloons at dawn. Cappadocia is a landscape that feels from another world—troglodyte villages and valleys of stone.

Pale peaks and green valleys in the Italian Alps. The Dolomites are hiking, skiing, and some of Europe's most dramatic mountain scenery.

The world’s largest salt flat, where the sky and ground merge. Uyuni is otherworldly, especially after rain when the surface mirrors the sky.

Leh & Ladakh, India — high desert of monasteries, passes, and turquoise lakes.

Colossal temples moved to save them from the lake. Abu Simbel is pharaonic scale.

Renaissance art and the Sistine Chapel inside the world's smallest state.

Desert lines best seen from the air. Nazca is mystery on a plateau.

Moai statues standing against the Pacific, volcanic craters, and a remote Polynesian culture. Easter Island is unique and haunting.

Gateway to glaciers, bears, and the Last Frontier. Anchorage is wilderness on the doorstep—flightseeing, wildlife, and the raw scale of Alaska.

Thebes of the pharaohs: Karnak, the Valley of the Kings, and the Nile. Luxor is ancient Egypt at its most intense—temples, tombs, and a river that's been the lifeline for millennia.

Monastery on a cliff reached by the world's longest reversible cable car over a gorge.

Endless waves of dunes with almost no sign of people. The Empty Quarter is one of the world’s largest sand deserts—pure scale and silence.

Red rocks, vortexes, and a desert town that draws healers and hikers. Sedona is otherworldly landscape and a slow, spiritual vibe.

Thousands of ancient temples spread across a dusty plain. Bagan is balloons at sunrise and cycling between pagodas.

The world's tallest dunes and a dead valley of ancient trees. Sossusvlei is desert at its most dramatic—dawn light, red sand, and endless sky.

Monasteries perched on impossible rock pillars. Meteora is spiritual and surreal.

Dragon’s blood trees and otherworldly landscapes. Socotra is an island like no other.

Giant baobab trees lining a dusty track, especially magical at sunset. This famous stretch of road feels like another planet.