Shopper's Paradise

Kerala’s first city, with its knotty official name of Thiruvananthapuram (often substituted by the shorter, more manageable Trivandrum), is an exhaustive introduction to southern India's urban and cultural life. Trivandrum tends to be unjustly overlooked en route to the state's beachside settlements, but easily warrants a few days of its own.

Every year more than a million visitors come here to a area in Kronoberg and Kalmar counties in Småland that includes the municipalities of Emmaboda, Lessebo, Nybro and Uppvidinge. Many return time after time. It is easy to understand why. To watch red-hot molten glass being transformed into delicate crystal or sturdy bowls is a spectacle that one never tires of. Here you will find well-known glassworks and brands such as Orrefors, Kosta Boda, Skruf, Mats Jonasson Målerås to name a few. In additon, you can enjoy the nature of Småland in its prime with its forests, lakes, stone walls and many cultural sights. These include Vilhelm Moberg’s emigrant district.

“Rio is a beauty. But São Paulo – São Paulo is a city,” said Marlene Dietrich about Brazil’s most cosmopolitan city. The city is Brazil’s cultural as well as financial powerhouse, complete with a vibrant music scene, top designer shopping and delicious fusion cuisine, not to mention museums and galleries on a par with any other world city. All this combined with the vibrant local life of Paulistanos, who will surely be easy to make friends with.

Described by the New York Times as “a desert version of Miami's South Beach,” Scottsdale is Arizona’s biggest hit. The city is rich in culture and natural grandeur. The Scottsdale Arts District lends to proud attractions of galleries, studios, and museums, while architectural majesties like Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin West supplement the city’s Western heritage. Its position on the northern stretches of the Sonoran Desert and the McDowell Mountain Range makes the Scottsdale experience a spectacular one.

The beauty of Gothenburg becomes apparent as you walk around the harbour and city centre, and explore the different neighbourhoods that lend the area a pleasant and relaxing vibe. There are cafés on every street corner and world-class restaurants serving expertly prepared dishes with the freshest ingredients. Gothenburg offers year-round events and attractions like the Liseberg amusement park and the Opera, sporting events, the annual film festival and book fair, the Way Out West music festival and much more.

More than 42 kilometers of lakefront frame Chicago's stunning urban skyline. Here in the heart of the Midwest, the nation’s third-largest city boasts soaring skyscrapers and colorful neighborhoods against a backdrop of sandy beaches and beautiful parks. This cosmopolitan playground bursts with things to do. Sightseeing options range from Chicago icons – such as Millennium Park’s Cloud Gate, Grant Park’s Buckingham Fountain and Navy Pier’s Ferris wheel – to fascinating history and architecture tours.

It is easy to overlook this small island-nation, having, as it does, such powerful and flashy neighbours as Qatar and the Emirates, but to ignore Bahrain would be a huge mistake. It is an emerging power in the region, with all the luxury and worldliness of a cosmopolitan destination and all the charm and personality of a small island. Add to this the growing arts scene and burgeoning international cuisine in the country, and you have the newest prime travel destination in the region, and the most socially liberal one, to boot.