Ecuador

The Galapagos are the reason to go to Ecuador, and they take more planning than a normal trip. We cruised with Quasar Expeditions, which turned out to be the right call over island-hopping independently. A childhood fascination with Darwin and giant tortoises from storybooks made the whole thing feel like something we’d been building toward since we were kids. If you’re planning your own trip, give it more lead time than a normal vacation. It isn’t the kind of place you book last minute.