Fort Lauderdale offers something for every discerning traveler. By day, its sandy beaches and year-round mild weather invite relaxation. By night, Las Olas Boulevard transforms into a lively stretch of clubs, bars, and pubs. Add top-tier restaurants, shops, and boutique hotels, and it’s clear why this city is a haven for the stylish and adventurous.

Stockton, California, sits on a deepwater channel 70 miles inland, connecting it to San Francisco Bay. The city is home to California’s largest inland port, shipping agricultural goods worldwide. Visitors can enjoy waterfront views at the Stockton Marina, explore the eclectic Haggin Museum, or wander the vibrant Cambodian Buddhist Temple. Stockton’s rich diversity shines in its food scene, from the Stockton Taco Trail to global eateries on the Miracle Mile. With parks, museums, and historic theaters, Stockton offers a mix of culture and recreation for all.

Located in the North Rhine-Westphalia region of the country, modern Dortmund is vibrant and cultural, known for its good shopping, beer and football. But there is another, altogether gentler, side to this former industrial powerhouse. Dortmund has great theatres and cultural centres, a range of fascinating museums and, with half the city given over to parks and gardens, enough green areas to sooth the senses.

Shanghai is the shiniest gem in modern China’s jewel box. It’s a hip, contemporary city charging into the future with all the energy of its famous Maglev train. Yet, if you veer away from the sleek highways and glitzy shopping streets you can still stumble upon a more traditional Shanghai, with all its character and flavour. In the tiny back streets, wet-market vendors peddle their wares — buckets of bright green vegetables, fish flapping in shallow plastic bowls, and heaps of crayfish crawling over each other.