Journeys of a Lifetime: 500 of the World's Greatest Trips | National Geographic

Journeys of a Lifetime: 500 of the World's Greatest Trips | National Geographic | Makes you want to go somewhere now

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Journeys of a Life...

	Journeys of a Lifetime: 500 of the World's Greatest Trips National Geographic National Geographic, 2007 - 400 pages average customer review:based on 24 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Must Have for all Travelers

This is an amazing book. It has everything you ever need to know about amazing vacation spots. It even tells you the best time of year and best travel route. I especially liked that each section also included the top 10s, like top ten boat rides, etc throughout the world. This is a must have for anyone who loves to travel and is also just a great coffee table book. Everyone who visits finds themselves lost in the pages of this amazing book!!!

Makes you want to go somewhere now

I have seen quite a few travel books, but I have really liked this one. It has the great photo's you would expect from National Geographic as well some very interesting realistic journeys. Looking through the book I had found several that I have already done and they were truly great trips. If you really want a book that will give you the urge to travel somewhere great, or want to get someone else motivated and excited to travel this is a great book for just that.

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Journeys of a lifetime: 500 of the World's Greatest Trips

Journeys of a lifetime: 500 of the World's Greatest Trips

We saw this on some TV show and were very impressed with the scope of this book from Nat. Geo. And when it came the next day after ordering we had a firsthand look at it. The photos are some of the best from NGS and the succinct stories for each trip open your eyes to the wonderful world we live in!

Highly recommend this book which is able to build many bridges for us as Americans.

A Good Starting Point for Adding to Your Trip Choices

If you take one trip a year and never go to the same place twice, even the most fortunate person will probably visit no more than 50 different places in a lifetime. What a great idea it is to be more aware of what your choices are before taking one of those 50 trips.

The book is organized around nine themes as described thusly on the contents page:

1. Across Water (Unforgettable voyages, from luxury cruises to dugout canoes)

2. By Road (Chasing the horizon: legendary drives and secret detours)

3. By Rail (Watching the world pass by your window)

4. On Foot (The pleasures of the oldest and greenest mode of travel)

5. In Search of Culture (Life-enhancing odysseys for lovers of all the arts)

6. In Gourmet Heaven (Seeking out the world of flavors)

7. Into the Action (Hands-on adventures for those who'd rather do it for themselves)

8. Up and Away (Flights, skyways, and bird's-eye views)

9. In Their Footsteps (Pilgrimages for readers, dreamers, and history fans)

Typical trip choices are usually described in one or two pages with color photographs and maps taking up at least half of the space. An entry contains brief advice on when to go, how long the trips last, how far ahead to plan, special packing advice, and Web sites for more information. Highlights of such a trip are also briefly described so you can get a sense of what you'll see and do. Some trips are, however, listed in as little as a paragraph.

Naturally, you have to judge a book like this very carefully. By definition, you haven't taken most of the trips!

I looked at trips I've taken that were terrific and noticed some weaknesses in the advice. Here are a few examples:

1. Each entry is treated as though there's nothing else nearby that might be of interest. As a result, you need to check the geographies to see how you might combine several trips listed in the book into one. For example, many of the New England trips are located not too far from one another and you should consider doing more than one on a visit.

2. The timing of how to enjoy other events isn't always considered in enough detail. For instance, Boston's Freedom Trail is listed in the book. But you aren't told that if you come around Patriot's Day (a Monday in April) you can also see re-enactments of the battles of Lexington and Concord and the running of the Boston Marathon on the same trip.

3. Some of the advice seemed just plain wrong from my point of view. When I went to the Galapagos, I was there for 10 days in the dry season and 4 days in the wet season. The wet season was awful! People there said to be sure to always come in the dry season (which ends around the beginning of winter in North America). The book made no mention of this issue in discussing when to go. Also, many of the most interesting things to do in the Galapagos aren't mentioned.

As a result, use this book to start dreaming a little about what you might go see. I was fascinated by some of the choices for Australia and New Zealand that I had never heard of but which looked very beautiful. But do plenty of homework beyond the book to find out what you really need to know before choosing and organizing a trip.

Bon voyage!

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nice

This book can be a little annoying at times. The chapters are divided into catagories such a "travel by train," or "travel on foot." This means if you want to say go to Peru, you have to look at the index for Peru and flip to all the scattered writeups. You might miss something. I think there could be a little more info written too on each "Journey" mentioned. Sometimes it's not enough to get a true excitement about the place, event, or experience. Overall I do like the book though. Great reference and gives enough info to do some research on your own when making plans for your trip. Great photos.

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reviews: 1, 2, page 3, 4, 5

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