What happens when you spend your life exploring the world through its flavors? You develop opinions—strong ones. I recently sat down with Emmanuel Laroche, author of A Taste of Madagascar and host of the Flavors Unknown podcast, to talk about the destinations that have shaped his palate and changed his perspective on food, culture, and travel. Here are his top picks (plus a few of my own) for where to go when you want food to be more than just fuel and instead be the whole point of the journey.

I didn't go to Ecuador. My friend Krista did — on 11 days' notice, completely alone, because the travel industry had other plans. She went in with zero expectations and came back a self-proclaimed birdwatcher who ate octopus in the Amazon, got a cacao facial in the cloud forest, and nearly became a snake snack on a river bridge. Here's everything she came back saying about why Ecuador needs to be on your list.

Most people think you need culinary school to be a great cook. That you need fancy equipment, expensive ingredients, and some kind of natural-born talent that you either have or you don't. Enter Hannan Zary, the chef behind Tamoont Dining + Gathering who taught herself to cook by obsessively watching Food Network as a teenager. Her cooking journey didn't start with love—it started with spite. Banned from her stepmom's kitchen during elaborate diplomatic dinner parties, Hannan decided to teach herself. Without money for cooking classes or fancy ingredients, she worked within her constraints and still became an incredible chef. Her unconventional path proves you don't need formal education, your parents' approval, or fancy equipment to become good at cooking. You just need to start. This guide shares Hannan's practical lessons for becoming a better home cook, from mastering basic techniques to learning through failure.