Chicago

Chicago is a big, fast-paced city that owes much to its unique location on the shores of Lake Michigan. While you’re in town, check out the trifecta of world-class museums on the city’s South Loop lakeshore. The Field Museum, the centerpiece of this so-called “Museum Campus,” is the Midwest’s premier natural history museum. Meanwhile, the nearby Shedd Aquarium and Adler Planetarium provide interactive learning experiences for folks of all ages.

Further north, Navy Pier attracts millions of visitors each year with its bustling agglomeration of bars, restaurants, concert venues and other entertainment options. In addition to hosting Chicago’s iconic Fourth of July celebration, Navy Pier draws hundreds of live music acts to the city each year.

Of course, Chicago isn’t all about hustle and bustle. In fact, you don’t even have to leave town to enjoy a little sun-soaked downtime. North of the Loop, the city’s lakeshore is characterized by a nearly unbroken stretch of sandy beaches. Catch some rays in the morning and then head inland for lunch or dinner at one of the hundreds of fine-dining restaurants on the North Side.

San Diego

Renowned for its picture-perfect climate and its abundance of oceanfront real estate, San Diego has enjoyed a major resurgence in recent years. No longer content with its Top Gun-era reputation as a U.S. Navy stronghold, San Diego’s leaders have successfully attracted billions of dollars in healthcare and biotechnology investment as well as millions of additional tourists.

Widely regarded as one of the world’s best wildlife repositories, the San Diego Zoo is the city’s best-known tourist attraction. Animal lovers also flock to SeaWorld San Diego, which rivals its better-known Florida counterpart in size and diversity.

What’s more, the city is perfectly positioned along a heavily-traveled gray whale migration route, making whale-watching a popular tourist activity in the winter months. If you’re looking for adventure, ride the waves at one of the seemingly endless beaches north of downtown San Diego.

Grand Canyon National Park

Grand Canyon National Park is unquestionably the largest American national park dedicated to a single geological feature. Of course, that’s because the feature in question is an awe-inspiring ditch that’s hundreds of miles long and up to a mile deep. While most Grand Canyon visitors don’t venture beyond the breathtaking South Rim, some of the park’s best-kept secrets lie inside the canyon itself or on the wild, remote plateau known as the North Rim.

The Grand Canyon would not exist without the patient power of the Colorado River. If you have a few days to spare, join a rafting tour and see the canyon from river level. Alternatively, test your legs and take an overnight hike from the top of the South Rim to Phantom Ranch on the floor of the canyon. You’ll feel like a true inhabitant of the Old West as you guide the pack mules carrying your supplies.

The Low Country

Despite being just a short drive apart, Charleston, South Carolina and Savannah, Georgia are rarely mentioned in the same breath. That’s because each city has its own distinctive culture and an abundance of assets to keep visitors occupied for days on end. Nevertheless, they’re tied together as part of a broader cultural region of the southeastern United States known as the “Low Country.”

The Low Country is a masterful blend of old and new. Golf resorts like Myrtle Beach and Hilton Head Island in South Carolina coexist freely with laid-back beach towns like Tybee Island in Georgia. The region’s two colonial anchor cities are the largest repositories of 18th-century architecture in the Southeast. They also played an important role in the nation’s early history: Fort Sumter, where the Civil War began, lies in Charleston’s harbor.

There you have just a small sample of some of the best places to visit in America in your lifetime.

You can find travel guides to get more information below:

http://wikitravel.org/en/Main_Page

http://www.tripadvisor.com/TravelGuides

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Argentina

One of Latin America’s most tourist-friendly countries, Argentina is a land of stark contrasts. Known for both its natural beauty and rich cultural heritage, it occupies the bulk of southern South America and grades from tropical forests in the north to sub-antarctic tundra in the south. It’s also home to both of South America’s elevation extremes: At nearly 23,000 feet above sea level, Cerro Aconcagua is the continent’s highest mountain, while Laguna del Carbon occupies a lower elevation than California’s Death Valley.

Culturally, Argentina is a blend of old and new. Buenos Aires, its largest city, has a distinctive jazz scene and remains the epicenter of the increasingly popular salsa dance movement. The city’s well-preserved architectural record spans four centuries, and its unbroken stretches of impressive 19th-century residential buildings have earned it a reputation as “the Paris of the Southern Hemisphere.”

There are dozens of can’t-miss natural features in Argentina, but two particular spots stand out. Despite its rainforest setting, massive Iguazu Falls is relatively accessible. Although Niagara has a higher combined flow rate, Iguazu is both wider and taller than its North American counterpart. In the south, Tierra del Fuego is a wild, nearly uninhabited land characterized by towering mountains, barren plains and wide glaciers. The most impressive of these, Perito Moreno Glacier, is part of the third-largest freshwater repository in the world.

Italy

Few countries can claim to have histories as rich as Italy’s. Since pre-Roman times, the country has been a hotbed of cultural and technical experimentation. Rome, known appropriately as “the Eternal City,” retains hundreds of well-preserved examples of ancient and classical architecture. From the Coliseum to the Roman Forum, the modern city has grown around these old artifacts. They now attract millions of tourists from all corners of the world. The Vatican, an impressive artifact in its own right, is the spiritual heartland of Catholicism and the site of frequent large religious celebrations.

Italy’s north is dominated by several mountain lakes, including Lake Como and Lake Lugano, formed by runoff from the Alps. Skiers and sunbathers frequent these places year-round, hopping into neighboring France and Switzerland at will. In the south, the dormant volcanic cone of Vesuvius towers over Naples and the ruined city of Pompeii. The latter’s ash-caked buildings and eerily-silent streets serve as a potent reminder of nature’s power.

New Zealand

Among the best places to travel to around the world, New Zealand is one of the most remote: Its two islands lie nearly 1,000 miles from Australia, the nearest large landmass. The country’s tourism industry embraces this remoteness, playing up the country’s unique flora and fauna. Relatively young New Zealand may lack the rich history of Italy or Argentina, but its stunning natural environment more than compensates for this deficit.

The majestic Southern Alps form the backbone of the South Island, reaching elevations of over 12,000 feet and providing nearly endless climbing opportunities for intrepid visitors. Milford Sound, also on the South Island, is a breathtaking fjord frequented by cruise ships. Once you’ve had your fill of the great outdoors, head north to Auckland, the cultural capital of the North Island. Thanks to its stunning location on an isthmus between two bays, Auckland has one of the world’s highest per capita rates of boat ownership.

Life is too short to waste on repeat visits to the same tired tourist towns. Once you’re ready to spread your wings and start exploring, don’t forget this list of the best places to travel to around the world.

Learn more about traveling, living, and visiting exotic locations around the world

More travel sites to help you:

http://wikitravel.org/en/Main_Page

http://www.travelchannel.com/

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