Armchair Traveling ...
Well, summer is here, and my desire to travel is greater then ever. Unfortunately, that desire will not be fulfilled anytime soon due to a host of problems that plagues anyone who wants to travel to Barbados or San Francisco or the south of France, but only can afford a day-trip to Holland. Holland, Michigan that is. It is pretty rough to counter this urge to be on a sunny beach in the South Pacific or visiting Napa Valley, but the fine folks at Lonely Planet have published a quartet of beautiful books that make the lack of travel a little more palatable. Geared both for the person who loves to travel and wants to see more than what lies on the surface, and for the person who wants to learn more about the world around them, all four of these titles are sure to please.
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First off, check out the gorgeous 2004 title The Travel Book. This book is a beautiful pictorial journey through every country on the planet, and features over 1,200 pictures from over 230 countries. Each country entry features some basic information, and then a lot of enjoyable little facts about the place, including relevant books and movies and food one can check out or take in. So, even if you never can make it to Bhutan or Saint Kitts and Nevis or Mozambique this summer, at least you will know a little more about them in case you ever hit the lottery and can afford to travel there.
Next up comes One Planet, which is a beautiful collection of travel photographs from the Lonely Planet images collection. And there are some striking pictures to be found in this little gem of a book. My favorites include number 206 and number 80, but you need to check this book out to see which ones are you would put at the top of your list. Oh yeah, number 193 isn't too bad either.
The third title, One People Many Journeys, starts with the line "There is not a 'them' and an 'us'; there is really only 'us', and goes from there, documenting what it means to be a human, no matter where one calls home or what age you are. Featuring some incredible photographs, this wonderful book features sections such as birth, work, play, love, and death, all viewed from the diverse world we live in. This is a great book that will stay with you for a good long while.
Finally, the fourth book, The Cities Book, which is also the newest one, just hit shelves at the library in April. Featuring Lonely Planet's picks for the world's top 200 cities (Paris is #1, Ashgabat is #200, with Grand Rapids not making the cut), this beauty is loaded with superb pictures and tons of interesting facts. One can find out what some of the strengths and weaknesses of each city are (a strength of #151 Tbilisi is "Food, oh!, the food ...; a weakness of #88 Tallinn is "Drunken Finns"), what to see, what to eat, and explores an urban myth of each city. Incredibly fun to read, and while it won't make you a geography superstar, it might let you know where Hobart (#91) is and what Aleppo's (#114) nickname is.