The island of fire and ice is chock full of natural wonders. You can sense it. There's something supernatural at play as we snorkel the Silfra fissure between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates in Iceland's Thingvellir National Park. "Sure, it has some special energy," says our guide Gretar Thorlaks with a laugh. "How can it not? You'r...

I'm Irish. What's your superpower? Normally, I never accept rides from strangers. Yet, here I am in the passenger seat of Tracy's car, a woman who I met only a few moments ago. My wife, Kerry, is in the back seat. "Honestly, it's no trouble, no trouble at all. I'm happy to do it," says Tracy in her Irish brogue. You see, we'd stopped Tracy on a Dub...

Is Hydra famous for its donkeys? Or are the donkeys famous because they live on Hydra? Essentially, the answer is moot, as this Greek island (pronounced: EE-dra) has notoriously never succumbed to motorized vehicles. So, the only ways to get around this 64-square-kilometre paradise in the Aegean Sea is on your own two feet or the back of a donkey, ...

Everyone who visits Puerto Vallarta gets to know about the mysterious beach and wants to visit - although only a lucky few can. Puerto Vallarta is a resort town on Mexico's Pacific coast, in Jalisco state. It is known for its beaches, water sports and nightlife scene. The cobblestone centre is home to the ornate Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe church, ...

Somewhere between Emerald Bay and Seal Rock we achieve ocean-kayaking nirvana. The sun is burning off the morning marine mist and we're slicing through the smooth Pacific, at one with nature, counting ourselves lucky to be in this surreal Southern California setting. My son, Alex, and I are on La Vida Laguna's two-hour Ocean Kayak Eco Tour just off...

Hunting for conch, and making ceviche out of it, is a highlight of a trip to this Caribbean paradise. Captain Calson 'Rice' Williams jokes that he'll have to kill me if he tells me what the secret ingredient is. And then, on my prompting and at risk of death, he reveals it's Sprite. Yes, a couple of liberal lashings of the soft drink is what makes ...