If you've spent time in Palm Beach County, you may have been to Singer Island and not even realized it. It's home to the Palm Beach Marriott Singer Island Beach Resort and Spa. And if you feel the need to leave the resort, the John D. MacArthur Beach State Park is just up the road-the perfect spot for kayaking.

Part of the Dry Tortugas National Park, Loggerhead has a lighthouse and a spectacular reef for snorkeling and diving. You will need a boat to get there.

The namesake of the Isle Royal National Park, this rugged island in Lake Superior is surrounded by clear waters, making it an ideal spot for scuba divers. Access to the island is via passenger ferries operating from Copper Harbor, Michigan.

This tiny island in the 1,000 Islands region of the St. Laurence Seaway is home to the Boldt Castle-an amazing way to visit a castle without leaving North America.

One of the last undeveloped gulf islands near Victoria, British Columbia, Sydney Island has lots for sale-in case you were island shopping.

Svalbard is the largest island in the Norwegian archipelago in the Arctic ocean, and your best bet for visiting is by cruise ship. You may still be able to hop on board a Holland America cruise to the Arctic Circle this summer, or plan ahead for next year's journeys to islands of the far north.

Santa Cruz is the largest island in the Channel Islands National Park off California's southern coast. Its jagged shore is ideal for kayaking, seal and sea lion watching, and hiking. Tour companies offer transportation to the island for day trips or overnight rough camping.

This fifteen-mile long island in the San Juan Islands of Washington is the ideal spot for fishing, wildlife viewing, hiking, biking and watersports. Stay in a quaint inn, bed and breakfast or vacation rental.

The Abacos are part of the Bahamas, and only 180 miles off the east coast of Florida. Sugar-white sands, charming villages and water sports are the top draws here. Scuba diving and snorkeling top the list of fun in the protected harbor. The great news is that American flies non-stop from Miami.

Gorda Cay, is within sight of Great Abaco. You probably know it by its more popular name-Castaway Cay-Disney's private island. It is included as a port of call on most Disney cruises in the Caribbean and Bahamas.

Also in the Bahamas, Little San Salvadore is better known by its new name-Half Moon Cay, used by Carnival Cruises and Holland America as a private island. Activities on the island include jet skiing, snorkeling and sailing.

Okay, so this one is a trick. You may have heard of Bonaire; it's the "B" of the ABC Islands of Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao. Klein means "small" in Dutch, so Klein Bonaire is the small, uninhabited island in Bonaire's calm harbor. You can get there by water taxi, kayak, boat rental, or dive boats to enjoy quiet stretches of sand and an abundance of sea life on the reefs off shore.

And while you are exploring the Dutch islands in the Caribbean, don't forget Saba. It is far off most people's radars and not on any cruise itineraries. The mountains are some of the highest in the Southern Caribbean, and the reefs are pristine.

The Greek island of Hydra is a bit lesser known than the popular destinations of Crete and Santorini, but Hydra has a charm all its own. It is packed with well-heeled travelers in the peak summer season, but when you make port on a Star Clippers cruise in the fall, you may find it delightfully quiet.

Corfu is another Greek island often overlooked by North Americans, even though it is a popular holiday spot for Greeks. It has a well-preserved Venetian city wall and fortress, a charming shopping district and easy access from the mainland.

The largest island in the Portuguese Madeira Archipelago, Madeira is known for the fortified wine by the same name. The largest city on the island, Funchal is a popular cruise stop. MSC Orchestra stops there this fall.

Part of a string of islands on Panama's west coast, Isla Paridas is part of the Chiriqui National Marine Park. The protected waters and land make it an idyllic stop for a beach day when you sail with Windstar Cruises.

Islas Malvinas is the traditional name for the Falkland Islands in the remote South Atlantic off the coast of the tip of South America. Stops at the historic islands are often part of Antarctic cruises like this luxury expedition cruise with Silversea.

We tend to forget that New Zealand is not that far from Antarctica -- only on the other side of the globe. Campbell Island is New Zealand's most southern sub-Antarctic island. You can get there with expedition cruises like Heritage Expeditions.

At the opposite pole, Wrangel is a Russian island in the Chukchi Sea. Why go? Polar wildlife is the number one reason to hop an expedition cruise like this one with Silversea.

The Spanish island of Menorca is popular with Spanish tourists but is still relatively quiet as far as Mediterranean islands go. The beaches are less crowded, and the atmosphere laid back. Again, a cruise is a great way to experience this island. Seabourn calls there in October.

The Greek island of Skiathos offers a welcome escape from the crowds of other Greek islands, without losing any of the charm or culture. As with any lesser-known island, the problem is getting there. Luckily, Skiathos is large enough to have an airport served by regional airlines from most European hubs during the summer tourist seasons.

Look at a map of Australia. See the northern tip pointing at Papua New Guinea? Just beyond the tip is a cluster of islands, Thursday Island among them. And yes, there are Wednesday and Friday Islands too. Thursday Island is home to Australia's most northern town. The best way to visit the island is possibly on a Viking Ocean cruise.

You may have heard of Murano or Burano, but the Venetian lagoon has a larger, yet lesser-known island to the south. It is home to the JW Marriott Resort and Spa, and is a luxurious way to experience Venice beyond the crowds.

Croatia is a tourist hot-spot these days, primarily focused on Dubrovnik. But the country's coast is lined with islands large and small. Uglijan lies across the water from the old city of Zadar (also worth exploring) and is an ideal place to enjoy beaches, vineyards and olive groves far from the crowds of the cities.