Lonely Planet The Travel Book

I am planning a year long backpacking trip, and this book is a perfect jumpoff for creating my itinerary. Its only flaw is that every country gets two pages, regardless of its size or travelability (if that's a word). I would expect certain countries to get multiple pages, but I understand how the book might just get too big at that point. This thing is HUGE...which I really like. The pics are beautiful and the information for the most part is very specific. You will find a few overly general statements and recommendations of what to do in a country, but its a flaw easily overlooked when you see how helpful the book as a whole is. I highly recommend it, all my co-workers are constantly putting their greasy little hands on it (Im in Afghanistan so a huge book about awesome places gets a lot of attention). For 30 bucks and free shipping you cant go wrong. Speaking of shipping, this thing got to my base in Afghanistan in 4 days! Go Amazon!

Loved this book! I have been reading it non-stop since I bought it!! It gives a page for every country there is! There are countries that I didn't even know existed that I MUST see now! Each country's page has a paragraph or so describing the country, the best time to visit, top things to see, top things to do, ways to read, watch, eat, and drink things to immerse yourself in the culture, one word to channel the country, you could say, and also trademarks of the country and a random fact (loved the random facts!). It also lists the capital, population, area size and official language(s). The page includes a map and beautiful pictures of places and people in the country. A great book to spark your love for the world! Definitely would buy this again and purchase it for anyone who loves the idea of or actually traveling\!

this is a great book! it is more of a "coffee table" book to flip through rather than something that you would use for planning a trip. if you are planning a trip around the world (like me) it IS good to get a quick snapshot of different countries that you may not have considered visiting before. each spread (two pages with the book lying flat) represents one country and has a picture on one page and the other page has a list of basic info- coolest place to visit in that particular country, what food/ drinks to try, interesting tidbits, etc. I like the quick overview of each country but I wish that the pictures were more noteworthy- sometimes they are just of a group of local residents or something and I feel like it would be better if the picture represented the most noteworthy thing about the country to give an idea of the thing that most tourists would probably want to go see if they were visiting. there are some things I would improve about it but overall I think it is a great book and I've enjoyed having it.

In this large, heavy book, all the countries of the world (at the time of printing) have thumbnail reviews and a few photos. Not nearly enough information to plan a trip, but where this books shines is helping you find a jumping off point. By getting a taste of everything there is, it helps you figure out what countries have immediate appeal so you know which ones to order books on. My wife and I have had been very blessed to have seen many countries, and it gets harder and harder to find interesting journeys when all the coffee table books listing unique and amazing places are listing many of the same places you've already been. Sometimes you have to step way out of the box and look at countries that are not widely written about. I'd recommend this book for anyone wanting to start exploring the world with their first international trip, as well as veteran travelers wanting to make a short list of candidate countries for the next big trip. It's a great gift as well.

It is amazing that we live in a day and age when something like this can exist. Each country or province has its own spread, complete with color photos, high-quality glossy paper and interesting information. I have no complaints about this book. In fact, for $30 I think this product is a really good deal because this is one huge coffee table book. Reading through some of these countries has inspired me to learn more about the cultural, economic and political climates abroad. If you are interested in travelling, or just want to fantasize about the beauty of cultures across the globe, this book is a fun resource to have lying around. The information given for each country is not all-encompassing, but it is enough to spark your imagination and get you started. I plan to use this to help guide some of my future travel. This is a good place to pick out some countries one might want to visit, and then turn to other resources to investigate further, It is nice to have all of the countries side by side, with pictures and snap-shot information about the culture, things to do and see, a map, etc.

This coffee-table book has a single page for each country. It's simple format is easy to read, tempting the traveler, or reminding one of places already visited. There are enough photos to create beauty and showcase the country. Descriptions are short, but accurate. A few special locations for tourists are listed and provide a glimpse of the possibilities within each country. No lists, warnings or mundane information are jammed in, just a pleasant view with a brief vignette of every country.

For people seeking travel information on specific travel destinations book is inadequate. For a quality book with beautiful pictures just to look at, it is top notch.

THIS BOOK is fabulous, an encyclopedia of the world. Every country - 2 pages - the key features of the country, the famous places, how to say hello and goodbye. This is a greatest Armchair Traveler if I’ever seen one. Many of us won’t get to these places, but you can read about them all. GREAT BOOK!

I've bought this book several times over, for myself and as gifts. Great coffee table book to peruse through and get ideas for the next upcoming travel destinations. Just enough information for inspiration. Next step is to take your research further on site specific web pages. Pictures are amazing. Enjoy!

This is a great book if you are looking for a bit of information on each country. It is not a travel guide or an in depth resource for any country. I bought this as I wanted to be able to have a snapshot of every single country, and to learn a little bit about it, and that is exactly what this book provides. There is a two page spread for every country in the world and each one contains photograph(s), facts and information. The information provided for each country includes traditional food and drink, a word or pharse in the language of that country and a random fact. It also includes, where relevant, trademarks related to that country. As you can tell, this is not an informative travel guide but it is a great snapshot and very fun to read.

Ich bin wirklich begeistert das Buch ist toll. In vorherigen Bewertungen wurde beschrieben dass das Buch aus vielen Bildern und wenig Text besteht. Das ist das tolle an dem Buch. Es läd dazu ein in Bildern zu schwelgen und ein paar (wenige) Fakten über die Länder zu lesen. Für Länder die man schon einmal bereist hat sind diese Fakten natürlich ungenügend aber für Länder die man kaum kenn vermittelt das Buch einen guten Eindruck. Das Buch ist also nicht dazu gedacht einen genauen Reiseplan zu erstellen, eher um sich ein bisschen 'Appetit' zu holen und im Fernweh zu schwelgen.

Sehr schönes Buch. Gut gestaltet.

My favorite coffee table book, there isn't a trip I go on without consulting my "Travel Book" for ideas. The choices of pictures aren't always my favorite for each country but everything else is great. It also gives ideas of what books to read before you go somewhere which I find very helpful. love reading about places before i go to know what I'm getting myself into. The book sums up my favorite place i perfectly - the world itself. I've also bought it for my parents and they love it too.