Paul Bowles, Jimi Hendrix, Barbara Hutton—I’m following in their footsteps in Morocco, starting off in Tangiers before exploring the north Atlantic coast. It’s no longer the smoky den of vice that once drew the Beat Generation and the Peace and Love crowd, but today the cleaned-up port is better than ever for the soul—and the wallet.

Along the southern Pacific coast of Nicaragua are rocky outcrops and pounding surf…the ocean views are magnificent…and the sunsets here are the best in the world.

Bratislava is more beguiling and livable than you may imagine. Straddling the Danube, Slovakia’s capital certainly captivated me. At the heart of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire, it’s jolly, cultured, and civilized. When did you last see youths rushing to give up tram and bus seats to the elderly?