North Korea

North Korea's troubled present and its tightly controlled borders make it a difficult and unlikely destination for even the most intrepid travelers. Independent travel is not possible, with all visitors taken around the country by guides from the Ministry of Tourism. However, North Korea has been reaching out to tourists in recent years, talking up its heritage, from the ruins at Kaesong to the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, the Pyongyang Mausoleum where founder Kim Il Sung and his son Kim Jong Il lie perpetually in state. The spectacular Heaven Lake, on the Chinese border, is a natural wonder to match anything else in Asia.

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The endangered golden eagle often winters in the civilian access control line of Paju and Cheorwon.

The heavily armed DMZ separating North and South Korea has become a wildlife haven

Tombstones used as building materials in the Ami-dong village of Busan, South Korea, on August 20.

The 'tombstone village' built by Korean refugees on a Japanese cemetery

Hotel Haegumgang: The sad and surprising story of North Korea's floating hotel

An Airbus A380-800 passenger plane of German airline Lufthansa stands parked and pulled from service at Frankfurt Airport on March 25, 2020 in Frankfurt, Germany. Lufthansa is setting aside 700 of its 763 planes due to a collapse in reservations and passenger numbers due to the worldwide effects of the coronavirus (COVID-19). Airports across the globe have closed, governments have imposed severe restrictions at borders and tourism has come to a halt.

Beasts of the skies and bomb-ravaged city tours

Unimaru: The art museum between North and South Korea where the curator wears a bulletproof vest

The 'floating hotel' rusting away in North Korea

The American couple who met on vacation in North Korea

Hotels of Pyongyang: New book takes readers inside North Korean capital's colorful accommodations

South Korea says it may be open to solo travel for its citizens to North Korea

Cubans observe the arrival of a cruise ship bringing tourists to Havana, on January 18, 2017. / AFP / ADALBERTO ROQUE (Photo credit should read ADALBERTO ROQUE/AFP/Getty Images)

Americans can easily travel almost anywhere — except here

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New York

It’s the most happening of cities, a place where over 200 languages are spoken and millions flock each year to see its world-famous sights. New York draws visitors in like nowhere else. The crowded streets of Manhattan are the stuff of legend. First timers will want to head to the top of the Empire State Building and stand beneath the glare of the lights of Times Square. But there’s so much more to see and do, whether it’s catching an Off-Broadway play, checking out world class art at MoMA or shopping the streets of SoHo. Brooklyn’s hip neighborhoods of Greenpoint and Fort Greene offer a more relaxed vibe, while the food in Queens’ Chinatown is worth the long subway ride.