From books to bikes and beers - Shandelle Battersby looks at the best of Portland.

Prioritise and focus on quality rather than quantity in this city where there is so much to see and do, writes Donna McIntyre.

A three-hour rail trip across Sicily gives Linda Herrick a glimpse of its ghost towns.

Wynne Gray scores a seat at a victorious netball game and a ride home in a Maserati.

A friendly year-round climate makes Santa Monica a hit with locals as well as tourists, writes Tess Nichol.

Forget about planning and booking holidays - Anna Leask hands the job over to someone else and climbs on board for a ride of pleasant surprises and new friends.

It's always the perfect time to catch a wave or linger on the sidewalk in this city.

Hot, quirky and sometimes sophisticated, Gertrude is a Fitzroy food hub attracting a lot of attention, writes Jesse Mulligan.

In between eating himself to bursting, Greg Bruce enjoys the folksy, smoky blues of Atlanta, Georgia.

Miami, America's subtropical paradise, is awash with surreal but intriguing contradictions - and is all the more enjoyable for it, says Gareth Wyn Davies.

Belfast has not forgotten its troubled history but the city's future is looking brighter, finds David Mercer.

With a little help from a new friend,Wynne Gray makes it to his hotel in Newcastle.

At a grand South Australian vineyard, Winston Aldworth finds a glass of vintage port that matches his own history.

Josh Emett dines out in Dubai and discovers the best creme brulee he has tasted.

He's reluctant to admit it but Bruce Morris finds British Columbia almost as lovely as his homeland.

With a new air route connecting Auckland to Houston, Kiwi cruisers can head to the Caribbean.

In a town where rumours of Jimi Hendrix remain, Katie Wright finds an easy pace at which to unwind.

A dramatic lightning display in northwest Australia is topped by turquoise sea, tumbling waterfalls and hi-def sunsets, writes Pamela Wade.

It's hard to imagine this "park in the sky" was once the domain of thundering freight trains.

Xenia Taliotis spends a day at one of the unhappiest places on Earth.

Bells, kangaroos and 25kg gold nuggets - Pamela Wade is dazzled in Perth.

Tribal rituals, war relics and the legendary 'Queen of lovemaking and drinking' are just the tip of Rabaul's iceberg, finds Andrew Stone.

Discovery of a thought-to-be extinct green crested iguana sends Malolo Island into sustainability overdrive, says Leah McLennan.

Tracey Nearmy doesn't reach Canberra but says it's about the journey, not the destination.

Apia's cyclone-struck grand dame is getting ready to rule again, writes Robyn Yousef.

Andrew Alderson experiences the epicurean delights of the French capital from his fifth-floor house exchange.

Three days isn't long to explore an island, but Andrew Drummond makes the most of them.

India's Hampi offers a visual wealth and allure few can resist, writes Tim Roxborogh.