Traveler's Assurance

There are two types of travelers: Those who plan their trips around food, and those who don't. If your itineraries put ham before historic architecture, the globe-trotters at National Geographic have assembled your ultimate guide.

Taking the guesswork out of plotting your course, the society's new book, Food Journeys of a Lifetime: 500 Extraordinary Places to Eat Around the Globe, charts the world's top culinary field trips. Destinations include everything from the top 10 wine tours in France to Tokyo's freshest sushi to the spiciest jerk in Jamaica.

Watch a video preview of the book here, then book your flight for one of its top trips:

Xicolatada, Palau-de-Cerdange, France This village's August wine festival is worth a visit, but even better is the communal hangover-curing chocolate party that takes place the following morning. There, master chocolatiers prepare giant cauldrons of special drinking chocolate for a bittersweet tonic.

Feijoadas in Rio De Janerio, Brazil Planning a trip to Rio for the Olympics? Head to Casa da Feijoada in Ipanema for Brazil's national dish, feijoada. There are "1001 different, hotly debated recipes" for the classic bean-and-meat stew, but you'll find what's arguably the best iteration here.

Top 10 Monastic Tipples A list of the best libations from abbeys and monasteries is diverse; it includes Pannanhalma Archabbey in Hungary (where Benedictine monks pour Pinot and Merlot), Kristo Boase Monastery in Ghana (for jams and schnapps) and Ma'loula in Syria (where nuns make excellent dessert wine).