An expansive beach resort on Bulgaria's Black Sea coast, lively Sunny beach appeals to young international travellers for its sand dunes, watersports, and thrumming nightlife. Clubs and bars draw crowds of merrymakers, while an amusement and water park offer daytime entertainment.

A boisterous port city on the surface, this urban capital of Crete hides millennia of history beneath its modern trappings. In Heraklion, scooters zip past Minoan and medieval relics such as the seaside Koules Fortress, while Turkish fountains bubble up in the shadow of apartment blocks.

Three miles of twisty mountain roads up from Amalfi, the gorgeous resort of Ravello has been attracting celebrities for centuries, including Richard Wagner, Greta Garbo, Gore Vidal and D.H. Lawrence, who wrote Lady Chatterley’s Lover here. Ravello’s Duomo (Cathedral) and Villa Cimbrone (both 11th century) and Villa Rufolo (13th century) are all magnificent sights. The annual summer Ravello Festival began as a salute to Wagner’s music, but now showcases a wide range of music and arts.

Al Ain is the Garden city of this Arab nation, an oasis town located next to the Omani town of Buraimi. Al Ain is famous for its lively, bustling Camel Souk, attracting breeders and buyers from all over the UAE, including merchants and shepherds from the Al Rashaidah tribes. Other worthwhile sites are Jebel Hafeet, the second tallest mountain in the UAE; the Al Ain Museum and Fort, built to protect the oasis from the raiders when Sheikh Zayed ruled the Eastern Region; and the Al Ain Wildlife Park & Resort. The Al Ain Oasis is the biggest in the region with thousands of date plams.

Bangkok is full of exquisitely decorated Buddhist temples—as you go from one to the next you’ll be continually blown away by the craftsmanship and elabourate details. But if you’d rather seek enlightenment in a gourmet meal, or dance the night away, you’ll also enjoy Bangkok—the restaurant and nightclub scenes here are among the best in the world.