RIO DE JANEIRO — Standing on the rooftop of the five-storey Museum of Art (MAR), I have an aerial view of the Praça Mauá square in the heart of this playful Brazilian city.

PUERTO ESCONDIDO, MEXICO — Along a barely discernible roadway, a dog leans back lazily as it settles in to resume its snooze in the dusty shade. Bells toll, not on the hour or half of it, but somewhere in between, as they seem to announce their own purpose to the moment. Roosters can be heard, as can the children in schoolyards, all in the distance but seemingly close by at the same time.

ANTIGUA, GUATEMALA — I first heard about Guatemala when I was a young girl and received Guatemalan worry dolls as a gift. According to the legend, you tell your worries to the dolls, place them under your pillow and by morning, the dolls will have taken all of your problems away.

CHACABUCO VALLEY, CHILE — I remember my first glimpse of Patagonia. My parents had given me a calendar of mountain images one Christmas and the photo for November — Patagonia — was so alarmingly beautiful, I thought it was fake.

CRISTALINO, BRAZIL — The September 15, 2015 Guardian Weekly reported that there are just over three trillion trees on the planet. Then Science Magazine chimed in, explaining that 319 billion of those trees existed in the Brazilian Amazon.

MONTERREY — With the seventh largest public plaza in the world, a meandering river walk, world-class museums, an outrageous culinary scene, Mexico’s best universities and medical schools, the hip suburb of San Pedro and Chipinque National Park as its backyard, it’s hard not to have a good time in cosmopolitan Monterrey.

LOS CABOS — I wake up to a lovely but cool morning and gaze into the clouds knowing that in a few hours I will be in a much warmer place. Excitement builds as I stuff my bag with all the essentials for a spring getaway — bathing suit, check; suntan lotion, check. Who needs anything else?

MERIDA — Strolling through the cobblestoned streets of lovely town feels like a jaunt back in time. Everywhere I turn, iconic scenes of Old Mexico — including haciendas lining the street, vendors decked out in colourful embroidered huipils and the pounding of handmade tortillas — pop up all over this historic town.

FREDONIA, COLOMBIA - The first thing you have to know about the people of this coffee-rich country is that “they don’t really like coffee.”

NATAL, BRAZIL - Known as the “city of the sun,” Natal doesn’t disappointment me — when I step off the plane, the sun kisses my face and welcomes me home.