Flying into Prague, the city lies below, red tile roofs fanning over white and yellow buildings sprawling in no apparent pattern around the Vltava River, the result of a natural process of undisturbed development over centuries. Undeterred by city planning, it is what makes this city of spires so surprising, charming and rare.

But in the Philippines, there is the tradition of "All Saints Day" (Todos los Santos or "Undas") which is a way of remembering dead loved ones by prayers, bringing flowers, and lighting candles at their grave. This custom of going to where loved ones are laid to rest, is a hold-over from the Philippine history of being under Spanish rule hundreds of years ago. In Latin American countries, they call this custom, "Dia de los Muertos," or Day of the Dead. But again, as in the celebration of Halloween, the solemnity of the day of the dead has become a fiesta of sorts

I recently fell in love with several small fishing villages along the Moray Coast in Aberdeenshire in Scotland. My trip included 2 nights in Gardenstown. It is a small community of historic cottages nestled along the coast facing the North Sea. They are resting on a narrow strip of land at the base of high green hills and very steep access roads.

Soothing trade winds caress the landscape. Palm trees sway in the breeze. Gentle waves blanket the golden sand. Please forgive this stilted attempt to be descriptive – but I’m feeling a bit of the pre-holiday stress, and I thought it was fitting to emotionally escape to some of my favorite island destination. Come to think of it, they’re not all tropical. But an island is an island.

In a warm July afternoon in 2013 following a 32-hour flight, Thomas Lee, a prominent Southern California dentist, and his wife Lita, first set foot in Kigali, the capital city of Rwanda, a landlocked country in central-east Africa with a populace in great need. The couple were beginning a passionate, heartfelt mission along with the Lees' 17-year-old son Nathan, five medical doctors, a nurse, pharmacist, four support staff, and the Lee's pastor and his wife.

There was not a hint of litter on the street. Mexican children frolicked on the beach. Los Pacenos (La Paz natives) offered gentle smiles as they jogged past me along the Malecón – La Paz’s bay-front boardwalk that stretches along the historic downtown. It was hard to take it all in with the sun setting on the glimmering Sea of Cortez, which Jacques Cousteau christened “the world’s aquarium,” with one of the planet’s most abundant ecosystems.

It was April in Flanders, the Dutch-speaking northern area of Belgium, and two weeks of cold and rain suddenly came to an end. Warm skies dried the soaked fields, drawing daffodils, narcissus and poppies from the ground, birdsong filled the air and the university students and general population of Ghent, Bruges and Leuven flocked to the riverbanks and city parks to bake in the warm air and enjoy Belgium's favorite product — not chocolate, waffles, sprouts nor fries, but beer.

Located in Central Europe at the crossroads of where east meets west, the Balkan nation of Slovenia (pop: 2,007,711) was once part of the former Yugoslavia and now a member of the European Union. Bordering Italy, the Adriatic Sea, Croatia, Hungary and Austria, this little nation half the size of Switzerland seemingly offers the best of each of the surrounding countries. Three major geographic regions also meet in Slovenia --- you can go hiking on forested alpine mountain trails, swimming in the warm Adriatic Sea or go vineyard hopping in the central plateau --- all in one day. Of the seven nations of the former Yugoslavia, Slovenia has the highest income economy and feels more Germanic than Slavic, yet its citizens are stylish, easy going and proponents of Italian la dolce vita.

They left in droves for the new worlds, some to North America, others to Australia and New Zealand. They were the Irish poor, fleeing from famine-ridden Ireland where only the English had enough to eat.

I flew into Santiago, Chile in early March for the wine harvest in one of the world’s great wine producing regions. The day I arrived was also the night of the total lunar eclipse.