Bahamas: Flight time from Atlanta 1 hr. 40 mins.

Within minutes of landing in Nassau on New Providence, you can be boarding a dive boat bound for underwater scenes on par — critter-wise — with some of the world’s best. The most action-packed animal encounter here is the afternoon shark-feeding dive with Stuart Cove’s Dive Bahamas. On nearby Grand Bahama, the diving is mostly on shallow- to medium-depth reefs, while thrill seekers can access both oceanic and inland blue holes. The tranquil Out Islands feature stunning experiences, from shark diving in the Exumas, Abacos and Biminis to dramatic walls off Long Island and San Salvador. And above the surface, the breezy Bahamian attitude is sure to inspire fantasies of permanent escape.