Madrid is where Spain comes to you. Cider from the Asturian Highlands, seafood from Galicia, flamenco music from the south.... The Spanish capital is like a cocktail shaker full of traditions, culture and delicious dishes.

Nestling under Table Mountain's massive sandstone bulk, often draped in a wispy “tablecloth” of cloud, Cape Town is South Africa’s most attractive city, enjoying a Mediterranean climate with dry, hot summers and cooler winters.

At dawn fishermen gather on Mucuripe beach in Fortaleza, Brazil, waiting to be ferried out to their jangadas, small wooden boats with distinctive triangular sails.

I’m a 21st-century survivalist. One who’s traded that remote compound for a house on a tropical beach, and a hidden cash box for an offshore bank account. As much as I’d like to say in retrospect that my level of preparedness is the result of a deliberate plan, I have to admit: I got here completely by accident.