After a long winter spent cooped up inside, it’s hard not to dream of open skies and lying out under the stars. The Western U.S. has a lot of great ranches where you can live out your cowboy fantasies and get your fill of the Great Outdoors. Descriptions courtesy of Virtuoso’s Best of the Best catalogue.

A tropical permafrost lake

Lake Waiau sits at about 13,000 feet of elevation near the summit of Mauna Kea on the island of Hawaii. It’s the only permafrost lake in the tropics, and though it shrank to about 2 percent of its previous size several years, it has made a comeback and can be reached by hike off the road to Mauna Kea’s summit. On the same island, you can also visit a Papakolea Beach, which features green sand thanks to a large supply of the mineral olivine.

Much as we’d love to, unless it’s a quick road trip, it’s difficult to take your four-legged friend on vacation with you. But there are lots of places you can go and make new furry friends, help them find forever homes and maybe even bring them home with you. Here are a few of our favorite pet friendly getaways.

Yesterday (October 4)  was World Animal Day. The holiday is marked in different ways around the world, but in each locale it’s dedicated to improving animal welfare standards. Roux Luxury Travel is lucky enough to have great partners committed to conservation and sustainable tourism. They are also devoted to allowing travelers to see some truly majestic creatures in their natural environments. Though there are too many awesome itineraries to list, here are a few favorites.

Considering oceans cover more than two-thirds of Earth’s surface, there’s no shortage of excellent places to go diving. So any list of the “best” spots is sure to missing a few. They’re like children, it’s hard to pick a favorite. At the risk of leaving off your No. 1, here’s a sampling of top dive locations around the globe to explore the wonders of the deep in style.