For inspiration, I either look at the awesome photos on the National Geographic Traveler website, or play on a site called IExplore. It has a cool search function to find adventure activities based on parameters like country, month, kind of tour, etc. Many of the offerings are tours that are WAY too expensive. But, I found a four-day Alaska sea kayaking tour on there, and then called the tour company directly and paid a lot less. I'm not really into the big tour thing, but these adventure ones that include hiking, biking, etc are usually a smaller, physically active crowd.
Other travel highlights for me:
Costa Rica, it is as wonderful as everyone says. A lot of development going on though, so get there before it may get spoiled. We went to the interior, around the Arenal volcano. Walked around the Cloud Forest, then flew over it on a zipline a 1000' feet above the canopy...awesome! Repelled down a waterfall the next day. I would like to return and go to the coast next time to try the surfing.
Rome...spent some time in the city to check out the requisite attractions, but stayed on a farm about an hour north of the city near Anguillara, called I Due Laghi. Dinner included wine and cheese they had made. Experienced a great horseback ride to the top of the hill overlooking the lakes on one side and Rome in the distance. The lady taking us up there said, "this is where the Roman armies would camp and shine their shields and armor before marching back home to Rome"...*****en, huh!
Reykjavic was a three-day stopover for us on a trip to Sweden. Amazing scenery, like driving around on another planet. Great nightlife and place to party, but WHOA, the booze is pricey! I think the ideal way to see it would be 8-10 days and rent a car, and drive the "ring road" the goes all the way around the island, with a few days in 3 or 4 towns on the way around.
On my to-do list:
Santorini...when I used to work in the back, I would always ask passengers what their favorite destination so far was, and this was the #1 response
Prague...I hear Delta may start up from JFK again soon, yay!...this was also passengers #2 response
New Zealand