Lonely Planet The Travel Book

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\!

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!

This is an awful travel guide, and you would never want to take it with you. But that's not it's purpose. Instead it shows a spread for each country, and gives a few trip planning ideas of must see things to do. This might be the opposite of finding new places off the beaten path, but the pictures give a good glimpse of what that country may look like. Flipping through it, you can quickly get an idea of some countries you may want to visit that you otherwise knew nothing about, and then be able to look for real travel guides for the details you need.

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.

The Lonely Planet guides have always been a staple in my travels. This book is a great way to get excited about traveling. It gives a little blurb about each country and some travel related info. It also has some great pictures. It does not necessarily give the best overall view of each country, but that's hard to do when you only have one page to explain everything. But hopefully it will excite your travel bug like it has done mine. Safe travels!

Really great pics but not a lot of information. A great coffee table book for dreaming though.

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!