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Santiago de Chile gives an underwhelming first impression. Packed with road traffic and the air thick with smog, the city has the air of an industrial smoke hole. This may be true, but there is much more to this, the capital of long, narrow Chile, on the western coast of South America.

Landing in Buenos Aires, you may not immediately appreciate the blended charms of the city.  The taxi ride into town seems determined to hide the city's charms behind soccer practice fields for the national team and indeterminate billboards.  Once you arrive in the city however, the different tugs may have you wondering what to do first.

Visitors are often overwhelmed by the sheer enormity of Mexico City. This metropolis is home to millions and sprawls almost as far as the horizon in every direction. Houses are often stacked on top of each other and personal space is an alien concept. Mexico City is a place of heat; food, passion, and the unforgiving sun make this vibrant city the perfect place to indulge in a love of spice, and cold beer.

The island of Puerto Rico isn't techically a foreign country, but it is a world away from the typical weekend vacation to Florida. The main city on this great island is San Juan, which is a heady mix of heat, food, rum and Latin beats.

The coastline is so much a part of Rio that it is easy to convince yourself that this whole city is nothing but one enormous, beautiful beach. Most popular with locals and tourists are the Copacabana and Ipanema beaches (and you thought these were only Barry Manilow songs) which are more than just a place to soak up the sun, they are the venues for daily local life.

The idea of a tropical vacation probably calls to mind places like Hawaii, but the world's largest tropical country is Brazil.  The city of Sao Paulo embodies everything good about a tropical getaway:  High cliffs, white sands, humid nights and blue skies that act as a backdrop to the nightlife and culture of the city.