Lonely Planet's Best in Travel 2009 (General Reference) [Paperback]

Lonely Planet (Author)

Book Description

Series: General Reference | Publication Date: October 1, 2008

Lonely Planet's Best In Travel 2009 - the best places to go and things to do all around the world right now! Drawing on the knowledge, passion and miles traveled by Lonely Planet's staff and authors, you've got a year's worth of travel inspiration to take you out of the ordinary and into some unforgettable experiences.

Highlights

•Lonely Planet's cofounder, Tony Wheeler, shares his top travel picks for the year.
•Explore 30 must-go destinations - Lonely Planet presents the top 10 countries, regions and cities to visit in 2009.
•Contains 850 travel experiences, from stargazing in the Caribbean to finding the perfect midlife crisis getaway.
•Complete world-view: an annual rundown of every country in the world.
•2009 travel planner - 50 adventures mapped out month-by-month.
•Immerse yourself in water! A special feature showcasing 70 journeys and experiences on, in, through and over water.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Chicago Tribune, December 2006
'If anyone can put the entire world between the pages of a book, it's Lonely Planet.' --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Publisher

Who We Are
At Lonely Planet, we see our job as inspiring and enabling travellers to connect with the world for their own benefit and for the benefit of the world at large.

What We Do
* We offer travellers the world's richest travel advice, informed by the collective wisdom of over 350 Lonely Planet authors living in 37 countries and fluent in 70 languages.
* We are relentless in finding the special, the unique and the different for travellers wherever they are.
* When we update our guidebooks, we check every listing, in person, every time.
* We always offer the trusted filter for those who are curious, open minded and independent.
* We challenge our growing community of travellers; leading debate and discussion about travel and the world.
* We tell it like it is without fear or favor in service of the travellers; not clouded by any other motive.

What We Believe
We believe that travel leads to a deeper cultural understanding and compassion and therefore a better world. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 328 pages
• Publisher: Lonely Planet; 4th edition (October 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1741792436
• ISBN-13: 978-1741792430
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 7.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (56 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #968,793 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Travel Idea Book, January 22, 2008

By 

Scott (Iowa, United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lonely Planet 2008 Bluelist (Lonely Planet's Bluelist) (Paperback)

I took a gamble on purchasing this book after reading the negative review above (book just rants on about middle eastern travel locations with no talk of the dangers involved). WELL - I'm glad I spent the $16 because this book is exactly what I was hoping for - a comprehensive list of locations to consider traveling to for open minded individuals. There is a special feature portion in the middle of the book on Islamic travel locations BUT it is 30 pages of the 230+ book and it does speak a small bit to the dangers involved. The remaining 200+ pages of the book equally cover Asian, African, South + North American, Russian/Czech, and other remote locations with a variety of reasons to travel there. The book doesn't seem to overly boast just the positives but gives you some ideas of dangers/negatives too, so I definitely did not get the feeling the book was openly suggesting travelers to blindly fly to dangerous locations. If you're looking to travel abroad and looking for some potential ideas you haven't considered pick this book up, it's worth the $[...] - I ordered from [...] and got the 2007 bluelist book free when I ordered the 2008. It's got some great photos too.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Warning! Wanderlust incitement ahead, December 13, 2008

By 

S. Barrett (Santa Cruz, CA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Lonely Planet's Best in Travel 2009 (General Reference) (Paperback)

(What's this?)

Lonely Planet's Best in Travel 2009 (General Reference)

850 Trends, Destinations, Journeys & Experiences for the Year Ahead-that's how Lonely Planet describes their newest "wish" book. Picking the brains of their best authors, Lonely Planet has put together a book for the travel-minded person who wants a creative mix of what's best. This is a book to charge the senses about possible travel tours and to facilitate formulating plans before you get to the ticket purchasing stage. Open a random page and begin reading the eclectic topics offered. The book is divided into a collection of Top Tens: Countries, Regions, Cities, a large section on Water: the Ultimate Traveller and Top Travel Lists. Facts and trivia abound in this exciting addition to the Lonely Planet guides.

Top Ten Countries: (Not those you might think.) Here's an opportunity to read what's best about Kyrgyzstan ("the country your inner nomad has secretly been dreaming about all these years") and Oman ("the real deal"). Paragraphs on the defining experience, hot topic of the day, festivals and events and life-changing experiences will pique your interest to learn more about these unusual, off-the-beaten-track places on the globe.

Top Ten Regions: A few better known regions add to the mix of the unusual here. Learn a bit about France's Languedoc, Svarlbard, Norway, France and Spain's Basque Country (home to some of Europe's best walking.)

Check out The World of Water for the best sparkle, the best partying, the best place to drop anchor and much more. Go on a water safari, drink in an igloo, take a husky ride are just some of the experiences detailed in this fascinating chapter. Also, don't miss fabulous ferries and water worship (Do you know the six places for the best liquid blessings?).

Lonely Planet's Top Travel Lists contains a potpourri of exciting tidbits such as the top ten places to steal a kiss (no surprise that Paris is number one), the flashiest lighthouses, the best places to have a midlife crisis (bet you can't wait for THAT one or the next!-best places for deadly sins).

Lonely Planet's Best in Travel 2009 is fantastic even if you're not planning a trip. It's great to educate yourself about places you may not have heard, about customs you may not know exist and otherwise to learn more about our fantastic, wonderful, diverse planet. This is a book to inform, to entertain and to get the creative juices charged up to learn more. Beautiful photos highlight nearly every page. The layout is hip, the text easy to read. Each topic covers a paragraph to a couple of pages of fascinating reading to incite wanderlust in the most dedicated armchair enthusiast.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars For the travel enthusiast, February 14, 2007

By 

Hillery D. Simmons "hsimmon" (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Lonely Planet 2007 Bluelist (Lonely Planet General Reference) (Paperback)

I love this series from Lonely Planet. It's beautiful and cleverly written. The bluelist isn't designed to give you a travel itinerary or help you get around but presents interesting and iconic experiences weighted by current travel trends. For me, the bluelist is all about daydreaming about the next travel adventure.