Patagonia, Argentina: Situated at the southernmost tip of the South American continent, the Patagonia region — shared by both Argentina and Chile — has to be home to some of the most awe-inspiring natural terrains left on this earth. The environment is ruthless and unforgiving to its inhabitants for most of the year, but probably none of that matters when looking out at the dramatic snow capped mountains across vast expanses of fiery, grassy plains or watching a humpback whale breach several meters out of the ocean before falling back down into the icy waters with a thundering splash. Patagonia’s dramatic scenery and out of reach location put in the running for the closest thing to Eden on earth.

Follow the footsteps of Charles Darwin in the Galápagos Islands. A province of Ecuador, the volcanic archipelago islands lie about 1k km off its coast in the Pacific Ocean. The isolated terrain shelters a unique diversity of plant and animal species that you just can’t find anywhere else in the world. When Charles Darwin visited in 1835, his observation of Galápagos' species led him to embark on wiring the theory of evolution. But it could be enough to just walk along the beach or snorkel with sea lions and turtles.

Tokyo and Kyoto in Japan: Not many people realize that visiting the Japanese capital, Tokyo, is like being in more than one city at once, and understandably so. From history, we know that Japan embarked on and succeeded in an ambitious quest to emulate the West. This, as many a historian has put it, gave it a curious blend of tradition and modernity. You don’t need to be convinced further when you know that this building and this one exist in the same city, and that is to say nothing of the richness and allure of Japanese culture.

Far from the futuristic levitating trains and robot restaurants of Tokyo, Kyoto is a center of tradition and serenity. Moving at a slower and more deliberate pace, this is where you go to learn and about the history of old kingdoms, samurais and geishas, away from that frenetic city pace. The zen gardens, world-renown and replicated in miniature form in central parks worldwide, are also simply mesmerizing.