As testified by epic movies like Shogun and Ran, Nagoya City is pure history, centred around Nagoya Castle. It was the Expo 2005 that put Nagoya on the world map. Post-Expo, Nagoya is positioning itself both as a centre for hi-tech industries and as a tourist gateway. Toyota Cars, old and new famed ceramics, Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples, dolls and robots castles, feudal villas and farmhouses pearls, and a plethora of shopping and nightlife spots await you in this not-so-obvious choice of a Japanese destination.

Hilton Head Island, on the southern coast of South Carolina, is filled with beautiful ocean views, antebellum relics, beds of oysters, and Southern charm. Everything about the island speaks of posh sophistication with a laid back attitude. Out on the ocean waters you can see trawlers and other boats. In the canals and inlets, yachts are frequently floating and enjoying the sunny weather. Golf courses designed by some of the sport's finest players abound, as do alligators sunning themselves in sand traps and small ponds.

Few cities match the iconic status that Paris holds in the imagination of travellers. In fashion, gastronomy, and the arts, she is queen. As you wander through the different quartiers of the City of Light, her moods shift from gritty to sophisticated, from haute couture to underground. There is always something new to discover here beyond the legendary sights and museums. Paris has a way of getting under your skin, feeling instantly familiar as you lose yourself in her hypnotic streets and linger at her cafés.

The city and the countryside, the old and the new, high culture and the downright gritty — whatever you are looking for, Taipei has everything today’s discerning traveller could wish for. Set in a natural basin amongst lush green mountains, the city is just a stone's throw away from unspoiled beaches and wild coastline, and boasts all the distractions a modern metropolis can offer while at the same time providing a glimpse into its ancient past.

Cape Verde's unique geographic location, tumultuous history of slavery and invasion, and fascinating mix of transatlantic cultures have given rise to a place unlike any other on the globe. A place as joyful as it is full of longing, a fact perhaps best reflected in Cape Verdean music and the hauntingly beautiful 'morna'. The sometimes harsh, drought-prone conditions of this mid-Atlantic scattering of islands have seen the flourishing of a fascinating Creole culture and the most stable democracy in Africa.