Canada

Canada does scale like nowhere else in the western hemisphere, then wraps it in the politest welcome in travel. The Rockies are the classic: Banff and Jasper's turquoise lakes below glacier walls, grizzlies grazing avalanche slopes, and lodges where the view competes with the wine list. Drive the Icefields Parkway slowly, because every bend costs you ten minutes of staring. The west coast adds rainforest islands and whales off Vancouver Island, with the chance to watch spirit bears fish in autumn. The east answers with Quebec City's walled old town, the closest Europe gets to this side of the Atlantic, and fiery maple forests in fall. Winter flips the country into a snow-globe of skiing, ice hotels and northern lights in the Yukon. Vast, safe and stunning in every season.