Patagonia

Looking for penguins in Argentina’s Monte Leon National Park

The puma is a predator of Magellan penguins, but the biggest threats to the bird are commercial fishing, pollution and disease.

Brazil: In Salvador da Bahia, sea, songs and spirit

In Salvador da Bahia, one finds a kaleidoscope of Afro-Brazilian culture, colonial history and distinctive tropical cuisine.

Ecuador

Test your fitness with hike up Cotopaxi volcano

An hour and a half south of Quito lies the Avenue of the Volcanoes.

Mexico’s Maya

Ancient traditions still survive — and thrive — in the Chiapas highlands

Bahamas

Island match game

Pair your travel personality with island character and find your perfect vacation spot in this archipelago.

Romance in the Caribbean

Island-style weddings, honeymoons and secluded getaways

Don’t just stand on ceremony. In the Caribbean, you can also swim on it, stroll on it, even fly on it.

British Virgin Islands

Loll to the beat of the tropics in tranquil Tortola

The idyllic bays on this island were places where we could lose track of time.

Tobago

A culinary powerhouse in the Caribbean

Tempt your taste buds with blue dasheen, cow heel soup and breadfruit pie.

Honduras: Off the beaten track

Private islands, colonial villages and a cloud forest help fuel the resurgence of this Central American nation as a tourist destination.

Mexico

Quick trip: Playa del Carmen is the Caribbean’s new gem

Playa del Carmen has grown quickly since Hurricane Wilma struck in 2005, but remains friendly and laid-back.

All-inclusives go upmarket

Cindy Ortega needed a break. ''I'm with children all day long,'' said Ortega, who owns Kids Learning Adventure, a Miami pre-school facility. So she and her husband Roberto booked a four-night stay at a luxury adults-only all-inclusive resort in Mexico over Valentine's Day weekend.

All-inclusives: Resorts offer myriad of styles

Order breakfast while still in bed at the new Aura Cozumel Wyndham Grand Bay. You'll have just enough time for a dip in the private plunge pool above your third-floor suite before room service delivers smoked salmon, fruit and coffee.

QUICK TRIPS

Turks and Caicos Islands are booming

This tiny group of islands in the West Indies has one of the world's fastest-growing economies, sparked by high-end resorts and a booming real estate market.

GETTING THERE

Nonstop flights make Caribbean, Bahamas just a hop away

While airlines are cutting flights from other parts of the country, South Florida is actually getting new service.

Booking an all-inclusive resort: Trip tips

Booking an all-inclusive in the Caribbean can be all-consuming. Unlike a standard hotel, there are myriad variables to consider: Do you want a full bar in your room or will bottled water suffice, full or limited access to the pools and restaurants, freedom to roam the town or guided tours only?

Rambling all-inclusive near Puerto Plata, D.R.

On a sun-drenched afternoon in the Dominican Republic, a young bride stood under a cloudless sky, draped in lace and her dark hair covered in a wisp of veil. The groom was dapper in a light linen suit, his fingers interlaced with hers. The woman said ''I do'' in Spanish; he responded in kind. Family and friends toasted the union with champagne; I raised my Happy Happy cocktail, wishing them well despite not knowing their names or their love story.

CURACAO

Curacao: An underwater wonderland

Curac¸ao is blessed with a diverse reef environment on a foundation of volcanic limestone.

Mellow with Marley at Jamaica all-inclusive

In retrospect, it was pretty unnecessary to go searching for Bob Marley in Jamaica. At Club Ambiance, the all-inclusive resort at Runaway Bay on Jamaica's north shore where my friend Jay and I stayed for a long weekend, the gazebo bar at the end of the pier started playing the reggae star's songs at breakfast and didn't quit till sunset, and a three-foot-tall statue of the singer perched on the railing, his back to the Caribbean Sea.

Young and restless at Cancun all-inclusive

It was like a scene out of CSI: Cancun. I awoke on an achingly bright Saturday morning to find that the curtains in my fifth-floor room at the Golden Parnassus resort had already been parted (or never drawn). The door to the balcony was wide open, so the room was as hot and sultry as the air outside. The TV was on, clothes littered the floor, and I'd fallen asleep in my bathing suit and T-shirt. I got out of bed and stepped into the remains of a burger and fries sitting on the floor that I'd gotten...

PUERTO RICO

Taking the kids to Puerto Rico

Accidental tourists find an island filled with natural attractions.