A. E. Chandler

Blois, France: Formerly the seat of William the Conqueror's daughter, Countess Adela, and the birthplace of her son, King Stephen of England, Blois sits on the Loire River. Its impressive chateau features a wide spiral staircase in its courtyard, which is a distinctive feature amongst castles.

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Deir el-Bahari, Egypt: The female pharaoh Hatshepsut built her famous temple on this site c. 1470 BC, near to the Valley of the Kings. Some of the wall paintings still bear their pigment, despite the temple enduring a number of rock falls, and thousands of years.

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Iceland: Famous for its waterfalls and geysers, Iceland offers opportunities to explore the inside of a volcano at Thrihnukagigur and of a glacier at Langjokull. Whale watching, black lava beaches, and Viking museums also populate the island.

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Victoria Falls, Zambia/Zimbabwe: This is the largest waterfall in the world, located on the Zambezi River, which runs in between Zimbabwe and Zambia. Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe is a town that runs on ecotourism. Visitors have the freedom to design their own itinerary, choosing between a wide range of local and larger companies to escort them on whole and half day activities that include game drives, wildlife conservation walks, rainforest canopy ziplining, hide sits, and boat safaris.

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Winchester, England: Formerly the capital city of England, Winchester still boasts its cathedral, museums, a nearby ancient hillfort, and its statue of the Anglo-Saxon king who held off the Vikings: Alfred the Great. Jane Austen is buried under the cathedral floor, beside rather than beneath her gravestone, to accommodate a pipe. The remains of King William II Rufus and other royalty are also in the cathedral, their bones now jumbled together in mortuary chests after Parliamentarians vandalized the cathedral during the English Civil War.

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