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Rotaries. Lobstah rolls. Beaches. Widows鈥� walks. Cape Cod, Martha鈥檚 Vineyard and Nantucket are the popular kids of summer vacation. The Obamas just stayed two weeks on trendy Martha鈥檚 Vineyard.

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia It was the realization of a dream from a childhood obsessed with trains: taking one of the world鈥檚 longest train rides, on the Trans Mongolian Express and Trans Siberian Railway.

At Mount Rinjani鈥檚 peak, 3,726 metres above the ocean that rings the Indonesian island of Lombok, the sun rose to create a perfect prism-shaped shadow on the crater lake below, with golden light spilling over the edges.

Most North Americans choose Prague as their first foray into Eastern Europe, but the true powerhouse of the region is Budapest, capital of Hungary.

Stanley Park. Granville Island. If you鈥檝e been to Vancouver, you鈥檝e probably been to those two top spots. But the park鈥檚 lovely Seawall walk and the public market can be jammed with tourists and locals on summer weekends.

VANCOUVER 鈥楾his is the place you really want to run through,鈥� advises my soft-spoken hiking partner, stepping up our already brisk pace on a rare stretch of nearly flat ground. 鈥淵ou save about 20 seconds, which can be a lot.

Much of Disneyland is built to scale to create the illusion of a full-scale experience. The trains circling the park and the Mark Twain Riverboat are built to five-eighth scale. Sleeping Beauty Castle and the storefronts on Main Street, U.S.A.

FIORDLAND NATIONAL PARK, New Zealand Several items are essential for exploring the magical Southern Alps mountains that run across New Zealand鈥檚 South Island: insect repellent, rain gear and ear plugs.

ROME The Roman Empire may be history, but Rome is still the eternal city, a larger-than-life destination on every traveller鈥檚 wish list.

This place doesn鈥檛 look real. From the top of a steep hillside covered in lemon trees and grapevines, the village of Manarola tumbles out below, like a handful of pink, orange and yellow blocks that have been shaken, then poured from a toy bag.