Brazil
Football Fever
Sports
Watch a soccer match in the Maracanã Stadium—one of the largest in the world—with Marcelo Gonçalves Costa Lopes, a member of Brazil's 1998 World Cup team. Gonçalves, as he's known in Brazil, will take you onto the turf of this famous stadium before the game, invite you to his VIP box to watch the match, and then introduce you to players from some of South America's top teams afterward. Cost: $7,000. Source: Emmanuel Burgio (see Argentina).

Guatemala
Magic Carpet Ride
The Arts, Local Traditions
Enter the closely guarded workshop of Antigua's most celebrated alfombra family. Alfombras are street carpets made of dyed sawdust, flowers, and pine needles that are laid along the route of the religious procession during Holy Week celebrations here. For the past half century, the Armas family has been creating these works of art, and their alfombras have been the subject of a National Geographic film. In multiple visits to the workshop during the week before Easter, you'll talk to the family and see the carpet in different stages of construction. Cost: $500. Source: Jim Kane, Culture Xplorers, Kansas City (215-923-6800; jim@cultureexplorers.com; cultureexplorers.com).

Peru
Incan Insights
History
See archaeological work being carried out at Machu Picchu on a private tour with chief archaeologist Alfredo Mormontoy Atayupanqui, who has supervised the ruins since 2001. Atayupanqui will give you insights into the history of Machu Picchu, the mystery surrounding its purpose and its demise, and the current research being done in the complex. As recently as this past July, Atayupanqui and his team discovered five new areas of terraces and paths near the citadel. The weather is best from mid-May through October. Cost: $536 for a group of up to eight. Source: KC Cruz, Abercrombie & Kent, Oak Brook, Illinois (800-554-7094, ext. 353; kcruz@abercrombiekent.com; abercrombiekent.com).

United States
The Dino Hunter
Wildlife, Philanthropy
Go on a summertime dinosaur dig in Montana with Jack Horner, world-renowned paleontologist and technical adviser to Jurassic Park. Cost: $5,000, including a donation to the Museum of the Rockies. Source: Bill and Pam Bryan, Off the Beaten Path, Bozeman, Montana (800-445-2995; bryan@offthebeatenpath.com; pamb@offthebeatenpath.com; offthebeatenpath.com).

Princess Diaries
Local Traditions
Have a private tea party with your favorite Disney princesses in Orlando at Walt Disney World's Grand Floridian Resort and Spa. Following lunch in a private room at the hotel, you'll be joined by three princesses of your choice for a meet-and-greet session, photos, and autographs. Cost: $2,200 for a group of up to five. Source: Susan Kelly, Travel Magic, Basking Ridge, New Jersey (908-953-9211; ask@travelmagic.com; travelmagic.com).