Lazing in Lanzarote
© Marco Bottigelli/Moment/Getty Images
The sun is nearly always shining here on the 'Island of Eternal Spring,' which averages fewer than 20 rainy days a year. Among the least mountainous of the Canary Islands, and nearest to the North African mainland (though it's governed by Spain, more than 600 miles away), Lanzarote is believed to be the first of the Canaries settled by humans. And though less traveled today than Tenerife or Gran Canaria, the isle sees plenty of tourists flocking from mainland Europe for an affordable beach vacation.