Perched on rocky coasts, towering cliffs, or islands, . While many of them have beendecommissioned today, several been converted into hotels and bed & breakfasts, offering guests unique, historical places to spend the night and enjoy views of the water. Here are just a few of some these amazing historical places to stay. (MORE: ) 1. Farol Hotel, Portugal Perched on rocky cliffs along the Portuguese Riviera in Cascais,and lighthouse converted into a five star luxury hotel. Once owned by...

Salt flats in Northern California. (Andrei Durman) Andrei Duman went from spending his days sitting in an office to hanging from the edge of a doorless helicopter, shooting photographs of some of the world’s most stunning locations. The photographer, who spent over 10 years as an investment banker in London and New York, switched gears to go full-time behind a camera lens, traveling the islands of Peru and following the tribes in Namibia and even storm-chasing across the Midwest. Duman...

The British airship R-100, described as 'small hotel,' flies through a thick layer of cloud in 1929. The airship was designed to hold 100 passengers and was made up of three decks, with 14 two-berth and 18 four-berth cabins. She was scrapped after the crash of her sistership, the R-101, in 1930. (Photo by General Photographic Agency/Getty Images) Ocean liners are known as the epitome of luxurious travel, offering the best amenities and entertainment on board—from swimming pools and restaurants...

Around the world, castles are some of the most scenic, beautiful sights that exist. Many of these majestic fortresses have famously inspired writers, painters and filmmakers. William Shakespeare used the Kronborg Castle as the setting for his play 'Hamlet' and, according to Lonely Planet, poet Goethe found . Unfortunately for Goethe though, the drawing got him mistaken for a spy and temporarily imprisoned. Meanwhile several other castles are rumored to have inspired Walt Disney’s animated fairy-tale films, including the French...

Winter can be a beautiful and exciting time to travel: landscapes transform under snow, ski resorts open, ice hotels are built, and cities light up for the holidays. So as the days grow shorter and temperatures begin to drop, now is the perfect time to plan your next winter getaway in Europe. (MORE: ) One of the most stunning places to go is Finland's. Here, trees are covered in frozen snow deposits, creating a landscape full of stark, otherworldly shapes....

An Indian man stands near lanterns on display at a roadside stall on the eve of Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, in Mumbai, India, Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2015. Hindus light up their homes and pray to Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth, during the festival which will be celebrated on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool) Every year, Hindus, Sikhs and Jains in India celebrate Diwali, the festival of lights. As one of the brightest and most colorful festivals in india, Diwali...

Snowdonia National Park, Wales. (Credit: Daniel Alford) Nature is big—there’s no doubting that, but just how does one capture the vast size of it all in one frame? Easy, shrink the humans. Photographer Daniel Alford from Cardiff, Wales began his photography shooting landscapes, but later decided to rethink his work when he realized his favorite photographs always contained people—tiny people. “This came as a surprise when I looked back through my work,” Alford told weather.com. “I love the sense of...

Vineyards near Pernand-Vergelesses, Cote d' Or Route in Burgundy (Bourgogne), France. This is a revered wine region, home to vineyards that were first planted by ancient Romans. (Günter Gräfenhain, SIME / National Geographic Traveler Best of The World List) National Geographic Traveler magazine announced its annual , highlighting 20 must-see destinations to visit in 2016, as chosen by the magazine's editors. “This year’s Best of the World list truly represents travel’s superlatives,” said National Geographic Traveler editor in chief Maggie...

Highly Commended. 'It's not funny...I've got cramp in my flipper!' (Julie Hunt / Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards) Animals have the power to and the smaller—and cuter—variety can even ." But as the finalists from the 2015 Comedy Wildlife Photography prove, they can also make us laugh. The is a new competition in partnership with the ,an international wildlife charity working throughout the world to stop individual wild animal suffering and protect threatened species in the wild. The competition aims to...

Utah (Eyleen Vargas Dávila) Free time frees creativity, and that is just what photographer experienced on her recent trip to the America’s National Parks and their canyons. “From a photographer’s perspective, the best part of a trip is most definitely the fabulous sceneries,” she told weather.com. “Everywhere I looked was something amazing.” Based in Costa Rica, Vargas lives in a tropical climate that has beach-ready weather all year round. So, when she took a trip to Utah, she recognized that...

(Credit: Nguyen Vu Phuoc) Nguyen Vu Phuoc, a widely known photographer in Vietnam, manages to capture the timeless beauty and traditions of the country. The Southeast Asian country has a variety of climates depending on the region and is known for its vast rice fields. The lifestyle exhibits a feeling of serenity, with his photographs showing people working in vast rice fields and also harvesting salt. So far, Nguyen Vu Phuoc has accumulated over 220 awards from various international competitions...

Bridges provide safe passage for people and vehicles over bodies of water, valleys and roads, but even the safest and most solid-seeming bridge can seem a little scary. The structures on this list—some of the world’s most terrifying bridges—are bridges that few would probably cross without suffering a panic attack. In other words: you couldn't pay us to cross them. 1. Glass Skywalk, Tianmenshan National Forest Park, China Spanning two cliffs and stretching1,410 feet over a 984-foot vertical drop, the...

As , there is no better time to start planning what trip you want to take next year. So whether you want to go skiing, take a safari or visit a world heritage site, here are the perfect vacations for every month of 2016. (MORE: ) 1. January: Attend the Harbin Ice and Snow Festival, China The is , featuring ice palaces and sculptures lit up in a multitude of colors. The festival began in 1985 in the northeast Chinese...