Machu Picchu, Peru

The tower started leaning shortly after construction began in 1173, and the tilt got worse as work on the building continued over two centuries, with several delays and attempts to correct the problem. Blame the marshy soil of coastal Tuscany. Getting there Most people make Pisa a day trip from Florence; it's an hour-long $6 train ride away (trenitalia.com). After leaving the main exit of Pisa Centrale station, stop at the tourist office on the left for a free town map. The tower is a half-hour walk north. Alternately, three buses, the Navetta A, #3, and #4, run approximately every 10 minutes (25¢) and drop off passengers in front of the Field of Miracles, a piazza that's home to the tower, as well as to the Duomo and the Baptistry (both of which also tilt, but less obviously). A taxi from the train station costs about $9. You made it An 11-year, $27-million restoration that removed soil beneath one side and shifted the top of the tower closer to vertical by 16 inches, or half a degree, was completed in 2001. Tickets to get inside are $18 and are good for pre-set 30-minute visits; only 30 people can enter at a time. In the summer, it's wise to reserve tickets at opapisa.it for an additional $2.40 per person. Pickup is right next door to the tower at the Opera Museum. Killing time while waiting for your time slot isn't difficult; souvenir stands sell leaning mugs, tower snow globes, and other kitsch. Waiting also gives you the opportunity to take the requisite watch-me-prop-up-the-tower photo. Most people pose behind the Duomo, on the southwestern side of the field, but a better spot is the northeastern corner, where there's less risk of someone stepping in the frame. Once inside the tower, ascending the off-kilter circular staircase feels somewhat like bobbing from side to side on wide waves. Guards are strict about the half-hour limit, so even if you climb the 294 steps fast, you'll still have only 20 minutes at the top to let your stomach settle and check out the view before they usher you back down. For an excellent postclimb lunch, head beyond the tower to Osteria dei Cavalieri, a Slow Food-approved restaurant with pastas for $13 (Via San Frediano 16, 011-39/050-58-08-58). Alternately, Divincibo, a shoebox-size store on the Piazza delle Vettovaglie, sells sandwiches for $4 (011-39/050-573-952). Royal Victoria Hotel is an elegant family-run establishment with a roof garden and large rooms (011-39/050-940-111, royalvictoria.it, from $94). Who knew? Children age 8 and up pay full admission. Kids under 8 aren't allowed inside the tower.

Nearly four football fields long, rising out of the water as high as a 23-story building, Cunard's Queen Mary 2 is not a cruise ship but an ocean liner, with a steel hull twice as thick and engines far more powerful than the industry standard. At full speed, the QM2 could sail from New York to Southampton, England, in less than four days. The captain usually holds back, completing the voyage in a more leisurely six days. Getting there With all the publicity surrounding the QM2's early days--ABC's Good Morning America broadcast live onboard from Barbados to Fort Lauderdale--the ship was often entirely sold out. These days, it's a lot easier to find open cabins--and deals. Toward the beginning and end of the April-November transatlantic sailing season, rates for a six-day crossing start at $1,500 for an inside cabin and $2,150 for one with an ocean view (all prices listed are based on double occupancy, with port charges of about $150 extra). Occasionally, there are bargains: Last year, Virgin Vacations was selling packages with a transatlantic crossing and airfare starting at $1,500 (888/937-8474, virgin-vacations.com). The classic New York-Southampton sailing is hardly the only option. Routes change, but like other ships the QM2 generally goes where the weather is nice, basing itself in early winter in Fort Lauderdale for several one-week Caribbean cruises. Round trips from Southampton make loops in the Mediterranean during spring and summer. In 2006, a special Fourth of July trip departs New York for stops in New England and Canada. And the ship's maiden round-the-world voyage sets sail in January 2007. Using a cruise broker is the most cost-effective way to book a cabin. Rather than shopping around, go to cruisecompete.com and enter your dates; several brokers will send you their best offers. You made it The QM2 experience is really about what happens on the ship; ports are almost afterthoughts. A few of its ten restaurants charge extra: Celebrity chef Todd English's restaurant costs $30 for dinners of lobster risotto and the like. As for the main dining room, it's no ordinary buffet, but a three-story, 1,350-seat affair with grand staircases. There's also a café by the pool where it's OK to dine in your swim trunks, and, in case you forgot this was a British ship, a pub for fish and chips and a pint. Even with a disco, there's no mistaking the QM2 for a party ship. The 8,000-volume library is the largest afloat, and lectures are arranged by the University of Oxford. But things aren't too stuffy. Sign up first thing in the morning for the planetarium show. And don't miss the nights when a full orchestra plays swinging tunes by Tommy Dorsey. The ballroom, of course, is the largest on water. Who knew? The QM2 normally begins each sailing with a mere 6,000 bottles of champagne on board.

The facts are now known: Kilimanjaro, in the northern reaches of Tanzania, is Africa's highest peak (19,341 feet) and is covered not in clouds but in glacial ice. Its famous snows are melting, and some forecasters predict the mountain will be bald in 15 years. That's even more reason to make the ambitious climb to the shimmering plateau on top, and soon. Getting there Climbers take on Kilimanjaro year-round. The best times to do the trip are during the warmest, driest months: September, October, January, and February. Northwest Airlines, with its Dutch partner KLM, flies daily through Amsterdam to Kilimanjaro Airport in Tanzania. (From New York, round-trip prices start at around $1,100, plus $100 for taxes and fees.) The many tour operators offering guided Kilimanjaro climbs usually arrange airfare as well. As for which tour company to choose, it pays to go with a reputable one, such as Bio Bio Expeditions (800/246-7238, bbxrafting.com). Guides lead you up the mountain, feeding and sheltering you for the weeklong trip, for as little as $1,900, not including airfare. Beware of companies charging much less: They'll probably take you up the Marangu Trail, which is the fastest way to the top, but is also crowded and touristy. (It's so commercialized that everyone calls it the Coca-Cola Trail.) Also, because the Marangu is so steep, hikers have little time to adjust to the altitude, meaning fewer reach the summit than on longer trails, such as the Machame or Lemosho. "Polepole," a good guide will tell you in Swahili: "Slowly." The more gradual your pace, the better your odds of eventually standing on the peak. You made it Kilimanjaro isn't a technical climb, but it is a serious one. The hazards of high altitude make it all the more important to hire an experienced guide--someone who recognizes altitude sickness and knows how to treat it. Weather conditions can also be extreme. The climb is a journey from tropical jungle to glacial fields; consult your tour operator for a list of gear to pack. The price of most tour packages includes porters who carry heavy loads of food, tents, and even covered toilets on the more expensive trips. Be sure to bring additional cash ($100-$200) to tip guides and porters at the end of the trip. Who knew? Kilimanjaro is often described as the world's tallest freestanding mountain--which isn't quite correct. It was actually formed by three volcanoes, which constitute its three separate peaks: Kibo, Shira, and Mawenzi. Over millions of years, eruptions from each caldera piled higher and higher to create the flattop mountain that exists today.