Alaska, the largest state in the American Union, is extraordinary and extraordinarily hard to visit.

From Berlin to Bordeaux, Ireland to Oregon, readers share their tips for the world's best bike rides.

Diplomats tell us what Kiwis need to know about their homelands.

Wartime rationing and a famous poem built an Aussie pub legend, writes Pamela Wade.

Seeing animals in their own environment is worth the hefty price, writes Rachel Muir.

Courtney Whitaker stays at a luxurious hotel within Marrakesh's 13th-century kasbah walls.

The word Peru has become almost synonymous with Machu Picchu - but there's so much more to see.

Fiji has 333 islands. Some are large, some small - sticking up like green molars in a Listerine sea, each with its own smile of beach.

Natural wonders abound on and around Fraser Island, writes Jim Morton.

Max Bania flies FR7492 from England to Scotland.

Kris Shannon drinks in as much San Fran as he can during a brief visit.

The service has gradually resumed since the volcanic alert level for Mount Hakone was raised in May 2015.

The 140,000-square-metre adventure park is one of two major theme parks opening this year in Dubai.

This family of four got by on $350 a day - and so can you.

Whether you want to live it up, chow down, take the heat or just chill, Port Vila has what you want, writes Shandelle Battersby.

The latest innovations include voice-activated rooms and robotic butlers.

Graham Reid spends 24 hours in Dubai International's famously huge and busy terminals.

Kevin McIntyre checks in to a new hotel just off the main west coast road in Phuket.

First discovered by Australian geologist Griffith Taylor in 1911, scientists initially thought Blood Falls' colour was due to red algae.

The New South Wales town of Nimbin is a throwback to the seventies, complete with brightly-painted buildings, scores of people wearing tie-dye, and shops full of hemp products, writes Kirrily Schwarz.

Tim Lambourne spent last winter/American summer in New York City.

Xenia Taliotis stays at a Jacobean beauty in the southwest of England.

Chinese fans shelled out nearly $NZ10 billion to go to the movies, and almost two-thirds of that was spent on tickets to the hundreds of local films produced each year.

Home to the tallest sand dunes in North America and the largest archeological preserve in the USA, Colorado's national parks are grand in every way.

Hoi An is well known for two things - its unique heritage-listed town centre, Hoi An Ancient Town, and its cheap tailoring services.

Rock formations shaped by geological forces and erosion feature heavily in this state's red-hued national parks.

Fortified by bacon, beer and stoicism, Tom Hodgkinson sets off in the footsteps of JM Barrie to Eilean Shona.

From misty valleys thick with trees to desolate, sandy heat-traps, this state's national parks have scenes to awe everybody.

Graeme Lay discovers the attraction of Adventure Bay for 18th century explorers.

Beervana might be over for another year, but there are plenty of other festivals around the globe celebrating the amber thirst quencher.