There are some places we visit that capture our minds and hearts for a long time afterward. Sometimes forever. For me, Mexico City is one of those places. It has been since I first visited more than 40 years ago.

Mexico City is everything I look for in a destination: lovely accommodations in all price categories, wonderful cafés and restaurants, lots of museums and sights, archaeological sites, artists’ markets and green spaces plus the less tangible but necessary vibrancy and...

For me, Sydney is the gem of Australia, a vibrant city famed for its iconic Opera House and Harbour Bridge and for its proximity to superb ocean beaches, like Manly and Bondi.

Sydney is a relatively young city. British captain James Cook “discovered” the continent of Australia in 1770. Although Portuguese seafarers might have reached Australia 250 years before Cook did, according to some historians, and Dutch seamen arrived in the 17th century at least 150 years before him...

Undoubtedly, New Zealand is a country of spectacular beauty. Consisting primarily of two large islands — the North Island and the South Island — it is in the South Pacific Ocean. New Zealand is a land of snow-covered mountains, deep lakes, long fjords and verdant valleys as well as gentle hills, sandy and craggy coastlines and farmland.

I first visited many years ago. The opportunity to return came in February 2020. Besides the abundant natural beauty that my husband, Paul...