The Island of Hawaii is known colloquially as the Big Island — a fitting nickname for an island twice the combined size of its neighboring counterparts! Big Island flaunts its colors like the plumes of a peacock: fierce reds of magma from Hawaii Volcanoes National Park contrast spectacularly with the bright white snow of Maunakea, while the electric black sands of Punaluu Beach stream into the emerald green of the Hamakua Coast’s rainforests.

Founded nearly eight centuries ago, Indonesia’s second-largest city has seen empires come and go. The founders of the Hindu Majapahit Empire arrived in the late 13th century and remained until the 17th, to be followed by Muslim rulers of Mataram, then the colonialists of the Dutch East India Company. In recent decades, Surabaya has grown into a cosmopolitan seaport and conurbation where 21st-century hotels, apartment towers, and shopping malls stand next to historic mosques and palaces.

Zaragoza, the capital of Spain's Aragon region, has a privileged location, equally distanced from Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia and Bilbao. The city is connected by an international airport and a high-speed railway line (AVE). Visitors can expect a delicious gastronomy and a rich heritage of historical monuments: Basilica del Pilar, Cathedral of San Salvador, Aljafería Palace, the paintings of Goya or the Mudejar–UNESCO Heritage of Mankind. Local architecture combines Islamic and Gothic styles — an absolute must-see.

Manila, the capital of the Philippines, is one of Asia's best-kept secrets. As the capital of the only predominantly Catholic country in the Orient, it presents a unique blend that feels slightly out of place, yet vibrantly infused with Latin American and Caribbean influences. Music and dancing are ubiquitous, and the city's warmth and enthusiasm can easily rival that of Bangkok. Manila's rich history, shaped by centuries under Spanish religious influence and decades of American consumerism, has led to the saying that the city spent "400 years in a convent and 50 in Hollywood".

Unjustly overlooked by travellers en route to Tunisia's celebrated seaside resorts, the nation's capital certainly deserves more than just a quick glance through the shuttle bus window. The city lives and breathes history, from the crumbling columns of Carthage to Medina's labyrinthine alleys, where the scent of orange blossom mingles with freshly baked tabouna bread. This is where Roman mosaics, Ottoman arches and mid-century modernism collide with unshowy authenticity.