With over 110,000 residents, Charleston, South Carolina is the second largest city in South Carolina and one of the most important commercial and cultural areas in the state, and it is the fastest growing cities in South Carolina. The city is known for its typical Southern nature, with a laidback lifestyle, well-mannered people, and a rich history that goes back to its inception as a British colony.

The community of Charleston was founded by the British as Charles Towne in 1670, following Charles II’s ceding of the territory to eight loyal friends. The vision for the city was to make it into a prominent port in the region, but constant attacks from land and sea by several different factions created early problems for the city. A new plan for the settlement was instated in 1680, one that called for regularity and accommodated for growth. Charleston fostered a large plantation economy until the Civil War, after which Reconstruction dominated the city’s efforts for the rest of the 19th century. Still, through war and natural disasters, many of the city’s historic buildings remain.

Charleston is located at the intersection of the Ashley and Cooper Rivers on a peninsula. Its low-lying nature causes frequent flooding during heavy rain storms and storm surges. The city is bounded by North Charleston and Mount Pleasant. A humid subtropical climate makes for rainfall all year long, hot, humid summers, and mild winters in Charleston. A short, mild winter with minimal provides relief from the hot summers, temperatures averaging in the high 80s.

The city’s cultural identity is defined by a unique blend of West African, French, and Southern elements, creating a unique atmosphere. This is evident in a unique dialect of English, as well as the diminishing presence of the African Gullah language. Known for its many churches, Charleston has a rich religious history of tolerance and acceptance. Annual cultural events, museums, and historical attractions provide many reasons for tourists to flock to Charleston.

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As the capital of Mexico and the most important commercial, industrial, and cultural city in the country, Mexico City is hugely important to Mexico. Almost nine million people live in the city, and almost twenty million call the greater metropolitan area home, making it the second largest in the entire world.

Mexico City was originally founded by the Aztecs, who called the city Tenochtitlan and quickly made it the capital city of their growing empire. It was founded on a small island in the middle of a lake, which required the creation of artificial land through canals. The Spanish eventually conquered the area in 1521 and made the city their base of operations in the region. It became the capital of Mexico after the Mexican War for Independence which culminated in freedom from the Spanish in 1821, and since then, it has continued to grow and has become one of the most important cities in the region.

Located in the Valley of Mexico, Mexico City is situated in a basin surrounded on four sides by mountains with only a small opening in the north. Because of its geographical situation, Mexico City has a huge problem with air pollution, which the government has tried to alleviate with several programs. Its tropical location and high elevation places Mexico City in a tropical highland climate, which means average temperatures of around sixty degrees annually. Snow rarely falls and it usually rains only during the summer.

Mexico City is the cultural center of the country, home to many of the most important universities, media outlets, museums, and theaters in Mexico, and even the world. With more museums than any other city in the world, Mexico City has a rich artistic history that has lasted for centuries, incorporating native art with that created due to international influences. A large music scene is also cultivated in Mexico City, a combination of classical music and pop music that is very in-tune with current trends.

Attractions in Mexico City

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With a population just over 4,500 people, Vail is not a city that is known for being a commercial or political hub. Rather, it is the world-class winter sports, specifically skiing, that places this mountain resort city on the map. Outdoor activities are popular the rest of the year as well. 

The opening of the Vail Ski Resort in 1962 marked the beginning of the development of the town at the base of the resort. Founded by Pete Seibert and Earl Eaton, the ski area is located between the town of Eagle and Vail Pass, named after architect Charles Vail. 

With an average elevation of 8,150 feet, Vail is a mountain community that relishes its location because of the profusion of outdoor activities that can be done. A creek flows through the center of town and although there are no lakes, there is at least one pond. The White River National Forest surrounds Vail and provides an outlet for outdoor activities like camping and hunting. Vail Mountain has over 5,000 acres of skiable land, 33 lifts, and 193 marked trails on three of its faces. 

The ski area has been named the best in the country because of the pristine trails, the beautiful scenery, and the charming location. The economic community of Vail is dependent on tourism to survive, with gift shops and skiing outfitters making up many of the businesses in the town. Skiing is by far the most prevalent activity during the wintertime, and plenty of people take advantage of it by creating businesses that cater to the skier.

Summer vacations to Vail are increasingly common, with people enjoying guided hikes, mountain biking, horseback riding, fishing, and other outdoor activities that take advantage of the forest and the mountain. Cultural events, like music festivals and film festivals, also draw people to the scenic community, often to see lifelong natives of the area perform and tell stories of the development of the ski area and the town itself.

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Tahiti is the quintessential island nation, marked by large amounts of tourists wanting to enjoy the island life, an economy dependent on said tourism and commercial pursuits like fishing, and a distinct culture separate from outside influences. About 180,000 people live on the island all year long.

Polynesians originally settled the island nation of Tahiti, but its modern incarnation is shaped by contact with Europeans in the late 18th century. Conflict between the French and the British erupted over the island in 1842, when the French convinced the queen of the island to accept a French protectorate. In 1880, though, the island lost its sovereignty to France, and in 1946, the island became an overseas territory of France and its citizens received French citizenship. Recently, the title of Tahiti became “French Overseas Community”.

Geographically, Tahiti consists of two fairly round islands connected by a small isthmus named for the town which sits upon it. The northwestern portion is referred to as “big Tahiti” and the southeastern as “little Tahiti” in the native tongue.  Big Tahiti has relatively good infrastructure and is rather heavily populated, but Little Tahiti is isolated and much of it can only be reached by boats or hiking. Temperature ranges between the low 70s and the high 80s, and seasonal variation only really occurs when shaping rainfall patterns. The island itself is covered in an extremely lush rainforest with startling biodiversity.

Today, Tahiti is a semi-autonomous entity, with France providing subsidies, education, and security. Independence from France is still a contested issue on the island, but most agree that Tahiti would rather remain a territory than a fully autonomous entity. The Tahitian language and the French language are both spoken, and both the indigenous culture and French culture commingle. There is an increasingly international atmosphere in Tahiti because of the amount of international tourism that the island receives each year.

Hotels in Tahiti

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One of the world’s oldest cities, Athens is of extreme importance in the development of modern philosophy and culture. Today, it is the capital of Greece and its largest city, and because of this, it is a political, cultural, and economic center in the country and in the region. In the metropolitan area of Athens, over one million people reside.

Ancient Ruins Athens

The city’s history is rich and Athens itself has gone through countless periods of decline and growth. During the Classical Age, Athens was a city of great power and prosperity in Greece. It began to decline, but by the Middle Ages, Athens underwent a period of renewal due to the presence of the Byzantine Empire. The Ottoman empire ruled Athens for a very long time, but by the 18th century, the city reemerged as the capital of Greece and the most important city in the area. In 1896, the first modern Olympic Games were hosted in Athens, providing a stamp on global culture that persists to today. A population explosion after World War II and gradual growth everywhere else led Athens to where it is today.

The city is located in the Attica Basin and is surrounded by mountains on all sides except the southern, which is occupied by the Saronic Gulf. Athens has grown to occupy the entire space of the plains on which it stands, halting future growth or at least complicating it. A typical Mediterranean climate blesses Athens, with moderate temperature year round and a rainy season that lasts from the middle of fall to the middle of spring. Light snow falls each year, but not in large enough quantities to warrant extreme action.

The modern city of Athens is a popular tourist destination for many reasons. The city is still a major archeological hub, with many scientists working tirelessly to piece together every fragment of the city’s history, and museums to display their findings. Infrastructural expansion in response to the huge amount of tourism makes it easy for visitors to get around the city and to enjoy the performing arts, visual arts, and stunning architecture.

Flights to Honolulu

Although Honolulu can also refer to the entire island of Oahu, it usually refers to the capital city of Hawaii on the southern coast of said island. As the most populous place in the state, Honolulu is commercially, culturally, and socially important to Hawaii, and many tourists come to visit the city of over 375,000 people each year.

The entire archipelago of Hawaii was originally founded by Polynesian migrants who crossed the Pacific Ocean in search of new land. Archaeological evidence suggests that a settlement where Honolulu now stands was created in the 12th century. Honolulu started its rise to prominence in the area in 1809 when the capital of Kamehameha I’s empire moved to present-day downtown Honolulu. During the time, the city was an important port for merchant ships traveling between North America and Asia. Honolulu remained the capital of Hawaii through the turbulent overthrow of the native Hawaiian government, World War II, and the annexation of the state to the United States.

Hawaii’s climate is certainly tropical, but the temperature of the islands is moderated by the cool ocean breezes generated by the California Current. Average temperatures throughout the year hover between the 70s and the 80s, with the temperature rarely exceeding either extreme. Honolulu is over 2,300 miles away from mainland North America. Hawaii was created by volcanic activity, and as such, much volcanic rock can be found on the surface of the islands.

Honolulu can be reached by the Honolulu International Airport, which is also the most common gateway to Hawaii proper. Several highways intersect Honolulu and expedite transportation around the city. Public transportation is limited mostly to buses, as attempts to create a rail system have failed multiple times.

As far as the culture of Honolulu goes, there is a visible influence by mainland America on the native culture of Hawaii. Performing arts, including theater companies and symphonies, are popular, as well as visual arts that combine Asian and Western influences. Modern film and video programs are also hosted. Tourism in Honolulu is popular because of its location right on the water and the profusion of things to do associated with ocean and beach life.

Restaurants in Honolulu:

San Francisco is the fourth largest city in California and a unique cultural and political bastion whose reputation is known nationally. Over seven million people live in the San Francisco Bay Area megalopolis, many of whom give rise to the very liberal attitude that the city has cultivated over the years.

Spanish explorers in the area created the Presidio of San Francisco, followed by the Mission San Francisco de Asis, in 1776. In the first half of the 19th century, the area changed hands from Spain to Mexico, and by 1835, colonial efforts began to attract American settlers. In 1846, California became part of the United States, but the area was still unpopulated due to inhospitable geography. The California Gold Rush of 1848 brought treasure seekers to the area, and it was then that the advantageous nature of the San Francisco Bay became to be broadly appreciated. Throughout the rest of the 19th century to today, San Francisco experienced periods of commercial growth that carried it to its prominence today, albeit not without tragedy in the form of earthquakes and fires.

A notable feature of San Francisco’s geography is its hills, which number over fifty. Neighborhoods that develop on and around the hills tend to get their name from the name of the hill. Because of the San Andreas and the Hayward Faults, there is plenty of tectonic activity that results in frequent earthquakes. Neither pass through the city itself, but the threat of earthquakes creates plenty of concern, reflected in the infrastructure of the city and its growth patterns.

San Francisco’s culture is heavily shaped by its very liberal attitude. Artists and writers arrived in the city during the 1950s and social upheaval occurred during the 1960s: both of these factors gave rise to a heavy amount of liberal activism. A large gay and lesbian population maintains its presence in cultural and civic matters concerning the city. There is a lot of wealth in San Francisco, partially because of the internet boom, and plenty of entrepreneurs and high-wage earners raise the standard of living of the city.

Attractions in San Francisco, CA

Cancun, Mexico

Located on the Yucatan Peninsula in the eastern part of Mexico, Cancun is a popular resort community with millions of foreign visitors each year. Sometimes known as the Mayan Riviera or the Mexican Caribbean, Cancun is world-renowned for white sandy beaches and a beautiful climate.

The Spanish conquest heralded the disappearance of Cancun’s native population which spoke the Mayan language and had a distinct culture. As far as Cancun’s modern development as a popular resort area, its origins stem from a 1967 study by the Bank of Mexico to see how it could capture more foreign dollars through the development of a tourism industry. After obtaining a loan from the Inter-American Development Bank to lay down the initial infrastructure, development was able to begin. Investors were reluctant to place money into Cancun because of the uncertainty, and the government had to finance the first several hotels. Over the next thirty years, the city grew exponentially, now fielding a population of over 600,000 people, and its reputation as a resort paradise is irrefutable.

Cancun’s climate is warm and tropical with cooling ocean breezes flowing throughout the city. Temperatures are in the 70s and 80s for much of the year, meaning that it is never exceedingly hot or excessively cold, but hotel rooms in the Hotel Zone are air-conditioned nonetheless. The storm season lasts from May to December, while the rainy season lasts into January with a peak in September. Large hurricanes are rare in the area, but they certainly do strike, most recently in 2005.

Tourism in Cancun revolves around the all-inclusive resorts that take advantage of the distinct culture and the agreeable weather to provide everything the vacationer needs. Downtown Cancun provides a distinct foil to the ritzy nature of the outlying resort communities who are known for pandering to wealthy tourists, creating a cultural separation.

Boston is the largest city and the capital of the commonwealth of Massachusetts, and as thus, is very important to economic, cultural, and political matters in the state. It is also the largest city in New England and is considered as the cultural and economic center of the entire region. The city features its own distinct atmosphere, dialect, and way of life.

Founded on September 17, 1630, Boston was originally a Puritan settlement established by English colonists to the New World. Popular theological thought at the time insisted that the city of Boston fit under the “City on the Hill” concept and that it had a special covenant with God. Over one hundred years later, the American Revolution was incited by Bostonians who were fed up with British taxation without representation. Notable events like the Boston Massacre, the Boston Tea Party, and the Battle of Lexington and Concord occurred during this turbulent time. Throughout the 19th century, Boston experienced economic growth because of its harbor, as well as significant land growth because of land reclamation efforts that lasted over two hundred years. Today, Boston is an intellectual and political center whose influence extends across the region.

Boston is a very compact city due to the principles upon which it was built. The elevation stays rather constant throughout the city, but there are notable hills and such spread throughout the city. The Charles River reigns in the city limits of Boston, while Boston Harbor lies in the east. A continental climate pervades New England, moderated by the current, with hot and humid summers and cold, windy, snowy winters.

Boston’s culture is a very distinct subset of New England’s culture, with its own dialect called Boston English. Many people believe that Boston’s culture is intellectual in nature because of the many universities within the city. Renowned, ornate theaters, along with other performing arts venues, are spread throughout the city. Much of the city is historically preserved because of its importance to the American Revolution.

Points of Interest in Boston

Rio de Janeiro is the second major city of Brazil, second only to Sao Paolo. Several times during its history, it was the capital of Brazil, and it is commonly referred to as “The Marvelous City”. It is most famous internationally for its beautiful setting and its elaborate and large-scale Carnival festivals.

On January 20, 1502, Portuguese explorer Gaspar de Lemos discovered the area and gave it its name, which translates to “January River”. At that time, “river” was the general term for any large body of water. The first permanent European settlement was established in 1555 by French settlers, consisting of French Huguenots and Swiss Calvinists, but Portuguese settlers founded Rio de Janeiro at the foot of the Sugarloaf Mountain. By the end of the 1500s, the Portuguese crown acknowledged the village as a strategic location and aided in the build of fortresses. The city was historically threatened by French pirates and native raiders until the 18th century. For most of the 19th century, the city was the capital of the area, and from then until today, the city saw an expansion from its restricted historic downtown area to a thriving tourist Mecca.

Over six million people live in Rio de Janeiro, which takes up a space of 456 square miles, while the greater metropolitan area has over eleven million people. Rio de Janeiro has a tropical climate, which means that temperatures are generally warm throughout the year and rarely reach extremes. Cool breezes from the ocean moderate the temperature of the city.

As far as Brazilian culture goes, Rio de Janeiro is very important. The Brazilian urban music scene originated in Rio de Janeiro, a representation of the problems that the inhabitants of the city faced. Rio de Janeiro exists as a symbol of Brazilian culture and social structure, with a freedom of expression that covers many of the important topics in Brazilian life. Held forty days before Easter, the Carnival festivals held throughout the city attract many tourists and are iconic of the city’s culture.