( CNN ) We know you 're shivering . For people living in North America , it 's been an especially brutal winter . The first day of spring -- March 20 -- ca n't come too soon . Yet travelers willing to venture south can find sunshine , shorts weather and beaches right now in the parts of the world where summer is just winding down . Here are some of our favorite warm spots around the globe . One of the world 's most livable cities , sunny Brisbane has a beach right on the doorstep of its central business district . Known as South Bank , it 's where people go to eat , drink and play on the south bank of the Brisbane River . Never mind that it does n't feel like summer when you 're hiking on a glacier . It would be much colder in winter ! National Geographic 's 12-day adventure exploring New Zealand 's South Island includes a helicopter ride to see the Franz Josef Glacier from the air . Then you 'll be dropped off for a 2-mile hike . You 'll also have a black-water cave rafting adventure in Paparoa National Park and a hike into Abel Tasman National Park . Built among shanties on a mountainside in 2007 , Medellin 's Espana Library and the surrounding area are connected to the city by an amazing MetroCable system . It 's just one of the developments that led the Washington-based Urban Land Institute to name this amazing city the 2012 `` Innovative City of the Year . '' Try a cafe tinto in the morning and an aguardiente when you want a harder drink . While it can be hot in South Africa during the summer , it 's still a wonderful time to explore the country 's natural wonders . Book a tour to pack as much into your trip as possible . REI Adventures offers an 11-day trip that includes hiking Cape Town 's Table Mountain , kayaking to an African penguin colony , a three-day safari at Sabi Sand Reserve and tasting local wines in the Cape Winelands area . Stop to get a picture of yourself near the enormous ships passing through the Panama Canal , an amazing feat of construction . Then head to the mountain town of Boquete , at the foothills of the Baru Volcano in the Chiriqui Highlands , to drink coffee where some of the finest beans in the world are grown . Prefer chocolate ? La Loma is a working chocolate farm , located off the grid and on the remote Bastimentos Island in Bocas del Toro . It may be the most delicious place to stay in the country .
It 's summer in some of our favorite parts of the globe . Australia , Africa and parts of Latin America are actually warm .