Travel Guide

Tonga beaches in the Vava'u island group offer legal humpback whale swimming encounters from July to October, alongside empty white sand beaches, kayak camping through 50+ islands, and Polynesian culture untouched by mass tourism. This guide covers whale swim logistics, costs, and island-by-island highlights.

Lamu Island Kenya offers a car-free UNESCO World Heritage town, 12 kilometers of deserted Shela Beach, dhow sailing through mangrove channels, and Swahili cuisine shaped by centuries of Indian Ocean trade. This guide covers how to get there, where to stay, and what to eat.

Green means safe, red means dangerous, purple means marine life -- but most beachgoers can't identify all the flag colors. Here's the full system, country-specific variations, and what to do when there are no flags at all.

Los Roques sits 160 kilometers north of Caracas — 350 islands and cays with some of the healthiest coral reefs and emptiest beaches left in the Caribbean. This guide covers the cays, the diving, the bonefishing, and how to navigate a trip to Venezuela.

Shipwreck Beach, Blue Caves, and endangered sea turtles — zakynthos beaches split between cliff-enclosed spectacles on the west coast and protected turtle-nesting sand on the south. This guide covers both sides of Greece's most photogenic Ionian island.

Noosa's north-facing beaches deliver year-round calm swimming, a national park with koalas and hidden coves, point break surfing, and kayaking through the only everglades system outside Florida.

Use Google Maps satellite view to spot empty shoreline with no roads or parking. Combine with AllTrails coastal hikes and local intel from bartenders and dive shops to find beaches the tourism industry hasn't packaged yet.

From Jade Mountain's open-wall sanctuaries above the Pitons to overwater villas in the Maldives, these 10 couples-only beach resorts design every element around romance. Rates range from $350 all-inclusive to $2,500 per night for private islands.

Sayulita is a colorful surf village on Mexico's Riviera Nayarit with a beginner-friendly point break, $2 fish tacos, and a bohemian energy that hasn't been polished away by development. Forty-five minutes from Puerto Vallarta, it runs on its own clock.

The Cook Islands pair Rarotonga’s reef-enclosed lagoon and night markets with Aitutaki’s legendary lagoon — 15 motus, sandbar post offices, and water colors that look digitally enhanced. Together, they deliver South Pacific perfection at a fraction of Bora Bora’s price.

Everything you need for underwater photography at the beach: gear recommendations from $350 to pro setups, the best shore-entry photo spots from Hawaii to Bali, and techniques for color, lighting, and composition underwater.

Lombok broken down: the south coast's white-sand bays and beginner surf, Gili Trawangan's diving and parties, Gili Meno's underwater sculptures, Mount Rinjani's crater rim trek, and practical details on fast boats from Bali, motorbike rental, and dry season timing.

Punta del Este transforms from a quiet town of 25,000 into a destination for half a million each summer. From Playa Mansa's calm waters to José Ignacio's celebrity-chef restaurants and Cabo Polonio's off-grid isolation, here's Uruguay's full beach playbook.

The Canary Islands offer year-round beach weather with volcanic landscapes unlike any other European destination. This guide covers the best beaches on Fuerteventura, Tenerife, Gran Canaria, and Lanzarote — from Saharan sand dunes and black lava beaches to sheltered turquoise coves — with travel logistics and seasonal details.

From San Diego's free beach wheelchair program to Barcelona's assisted bathing service, here's a practical guide to beach accessibility for wheelchair users -- what works, what doesn't, and how to plan ahead.

A guide to St. Thomas beaches covering Magens Bay, Coki Beach snorkeling, Sapphire Beach, Lindquist Beach, Hull Bay surfing, Charlotte Amalie duty-free shopping, day trips to St. John and the British Virgin Islands, restaurant picks, and practical tips on driving, cruise ship schedules, and the best time to visit.

Croatia's sunniest island delivers Adriatic swimming at its clearest, from the Pakleni Islands' pine-shaded coves to Hvar Town's sunset-facing rocks. Add lavender fields, serious wine, and 2,726 sunshine hours per year.

Vanuatu beaches span from Champagne Beach's fizzing volcanic sand to Tanna's black-sand hot springs, with the world's largest accessible wreck dive, blue holes, and Mount Yasur's nightly lava show. This guide covers the best islands, dive sites, and cultural experiences.