Still reeling from the Vivid Sydney festival, Amanda Pressner ventured off the beaten path to explore the goings-on beyond the city center.

There are certain cities that can be reasonably explored in a day or two, maybe a long weekend, but Sydney isn’t among them.

Sure, visitors could probably tick its iconic highlights (the Opera House, Harbour Bridge, Bondi Beach, Circular Quay) off their checklist in a matter of hours, but they’d almost certainly overlook the destinations that make Australia’s most populous city so funky and diverse.

David Latt traveled from Seattle to Qatar on the delivery flight of a new 777-200LR that would join Qatar Airways’ fleet.  

In his final installment of the Qatar Chronicles, he reports on his findings both on and off the brochure in the capital city of Doha.

THE STORY OF QATAR

Qatar occupies an elongated peninsula on the eastern edge of Saudi Arabia. Jutting into the Persian Gulf, the landscape is dominated by flat, sandy expanses.

One of the greatest joys of being a foreign expat is ditching the guide book and experiencing life as the locals do.

No longer a tourist, you are a part of the community, and privy to information and places that tourists who are only passing through rarely get to enjoy.

Turin, Italy, is the cosmopolitan capital of Piedmont where foodies, fashionistas, filmophiles and fun-seekers enjoy a city in the midst of a cultural Renaissance.

It’s been known for fun, spring break mayhem, sun-tastic beaches, hot bodies, and—for those old enough to remember—it’s “where the boys are.”

Today, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, still offers all of that and more, especially if you go where the locals go.

So step off the brochure and onto the side streets of sunny southern Florida with our Off the Brochure Travel Guide: Fort Lauderdale, FL …

Long known as the gateway to the mysteries and treasures of the Orient, Hong Kong is a city built on contrasts: incense-filled temples set among glass and steel skyscrapers; elderly Chinese people laboring behind pushcarts as young executives drive by in luxury vehicles; street-market vendors selling chicken parts, snakes and squid just blocks away from some of the biggest malls in the Asia.

Each year, visitors flock to Paris to experience the French way of life, to sit in cafes on tree-lined streets and soak in that certain je ne sais quoi.

But on the other side of the ocean, Montréal has been steadily building up its reputation as the Paris of North America.

Montréal is the largest city in its province, Quebec, and the second largest in Canada.

It boasts several well-known attractions such as the Biodome, the Olympic Stadium and the Notre Dame Basilica (where Celine Dion, perhaps the most famous Quebecoise export, was wed in 1994).