Kennebunkport is a small coastal town with a long maritime history and a character all its own. Originally settled in the 1600s, it grew as a shipbuilding center before becoming a quiet summer escape. Today, its working waterfront meets charming streets lined with boutiques, historic homes, and small galleries. Dock Square, the town’s walkable heart, is where visitors can browse local crafts, sample Maine-made ice cream, or pick up a hand-carved wooden buoy as a souvenir.

Byron Bay lies on the far north coast of New South Wales, Australia, where wide beaches meet the deep blue Pacific and the point of land known as Cape Byron marks the easternmost tip of the mainland. Standing tall above the coastline, the Cape Byron Lighthouse has guided ships since 1901 and now greets walkers and sightseers who take the scenic cliff-top path for views stretching toward whales during their migration season.

Pongara National Park protects a broad coastal landscape on the southern side of Gabon’s Komo Estuary, across the water from Libreville. Covering more than 96,000 hectares, the park includes Atlantic beaches, mangrove forests, tidal mudflats, lagoons, freshwater swamps, riverine forest and grassy savanna.

Pebble Island is one of the larger islands in the northern part of the Falkland Islands, known for its open landscapes, long beaches, rocky shores, and low hills. The island stretches across a varied terrain of grassland, peat, freshwater ponds, and coastal cliffs, with several bays providing sheltered areas for wildlife. A small settlement serves as the island’s main community, while much of the surrounding land remains open and lightly developed.

Raglan, on New Zealand’s North Island, is a coastal town that has earned international renown for its surf culture while retaining a bohemian, community-centered spirit.