Travel, like love, can change your life. Both force us to strip down to our most honest and real selves. And if you’ve found someone to share a journey with, any place can become paradise. Here are a few.
1. Berlin, Germany

Photo: Roman Lashkin

Berlin: bullet-ridden buildings and graffiti adorned subways.

2. Tallinn, Estonia

Photo: chillihead

Tallinn: fairy tale city with crazy party scene.

3. Hồ Chí Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam

Photo: mknobil

Hồ Chí Minh City: French colonial buildings, traditional Asian temples, and a cosmopolitan nightlife, flying through chaotic streets by motorbike (xe om) and exploring old world monuments, sidewalk cafes, and rows of silk, spice, and medicinal markets.

4. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Photo: Marcelomdrs

Rio: Carnaval, Samba, footbal.

5. Australia

Photo: Corey Leopold

Australia: catching the sunrise at Ayers Rock. Diving at the Great Barrier Reef.

6. Queen Charlotte Islands, British Columbia, Canada

Photo: Rick McCharles

7. Big Sur, California, USA

Photo: Doug Letterman

8. Koh Chang, Thailand

Photo: v a i r o j

Escape the crowds of Phuket and head over to Koh Chang’s empty beaches.

9. Santorini, Greece

Photo: Wolfgang Staudt

Santorini: seaside cliffs, black sand beaches, and blue-and-white houses on the caldera’s edge.

10. Morocco

Photo: bachmont

Morocco: exotic treats in the Djemaa el-Fna market in Marrakech, getting lost in the twists and turns of the streets of Fes el-bali, surfing Essaouira.

11. Kerala, India

Photo: albany tim

Kerala: floating down the labyrinth of Kerala’s backwaters on a kettuvallom (a thatched-bamboo cargo boat), gliding by coconut trees and seaside villages.

12. Andalucia, Spain

Photo: jmsuarez

Andalucia: flamenco, bullfighting (ok, not so romantic), the royal Islamic architecture in the Alhambra.

13. Moscow, Russia

Photo: AlphaTangoBravo / Adam Baker

Moscow, Russia: land of intrigue, vodka, and Doctor Zhivago, the gilded minarets of St. Basil Cathedral and the lantern-lined streets of Old Arabat.