London needs no introduction. I got a few days in the city during a long layover.

Budapest is one of the top 10 largest cities in Europe, and certainly is one of the most beautiful capital cities in Europe. The historic architecture and facades are mostly well maintained. The public transit in the downtown area is amazing, with metro lines crossing trolley lines crossing bus lines. Margaret Island in the Danube is a very popular park and workout space, with a running track around the island’s perimeter, roads for cycling, and multiple fitness stations making gym memberships unnecessary when the weather is good.

Malaysia is often overshadowed by its neighbor Singapore in the international news, but Malaysia has seen a lot of growth and modern construction in the recent decades too. In fact, Kuala Lumpur is home to the former world’s tallest buildings, the Petronas Towers, and is in the process of completing the world’s second tallest building, the Merdeka 118. Looking at the history of the world’s tallest buildings over time, the Petronas Towers brought the title to Asia for the first time in modern times, where it has remained ever since (and looks unlikely to leave). On the other hand, the Chinese condo construction boom has had some influence in Malaysia, where there is an oversupply of apartments, often in modern buildings with amenities that include an in-building pool and gym.

Thailand has many cities that are popular vacation spots, but the nomads often head north to the city of Chiang Mai. Located in the more mountainous part of Thailand, the area offers different scenes than typical Thai islands or beach destinations.