Customer Reviews:
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 If you've got itchy feet and are trying to ignore them... don't buy this book!!! August 14, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
One of the best birthday presents I've ever received....
It's not a book to replace individual lonely planet guides, but is a brilliant way to chase away winter blues, or alternatively, if you're thinking about going away somewhere, to have a brief idea of the time to go.
I much prefer leafing through a beautiful book like this rather than researching "when to go" on websites. It is the "big picture" of a country rather than east/west coast specific, but that's all you want or need if you're planning a fantasy trip, or if you're just looking for some ideas.
I've got the hardbook version which I think is better than the paperback one as it somehow makes it more "special" (without sounding naff I hope).
I read that one reviewer had bought it for a friend recovering from an operation and I thought what a fabulous idea.... this would make anyone's day.
Gift received with great enthusiasm March 7, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I had this book sent to a friend who is recovering from an operation as I thought it would cheer her up. I haven't looked at the book at all but she was on the phone to me incredibly excited and enthusiastic about it. If I had given her 100 I don't think she would have been more grateful! She particularly enthused about the quality of the photos and the vast amount of information. All in all, obviously a very good choice!
Fantastic!!! February 21, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
First time buyer -
Service was brilliant. Product arrived two days after having been bought.
Wonderful: THANK YOU!!!
 A good rough one! February 10, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
This is a great book to get the juices flowing when planning a round the world trip. It highlights some countries you may never have thought of and has fantastic pictures to represent each of them. It makes you wish you were going on holiday the next day!
The downfall of this book is its lack of information that is given. It is something nice to browse through a few times for a bit of daydreaming but is nothing too helpful on the information front.
An armchair traveller's perfect book! January 13, 2008
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
If you love travel and love books, then this is the coffee table book for you! It's big and glossy, and features a double page spread on every country in the world. All nations get two pages, regardless of size, wealth or popularity with tourists. So favourite destinations like Spain, Australia and Thailand are on an equal footing with the likes of the Solomon Islands, Iraq and Burkina Faso.
What it isn't is a guidebook. If you're looking for specific travel advice, you'll need to get a more standard country guide. There is no practical information here, just a few snippets about each country. Rather this is the sort of book you can spend hours with on a wet afternoon, opening at random to discover new countries, or flicking through to enjoy the pictures. For anyone who loves to dream of where to go next it's the perfect present.
Unlike the Lonely Planet guides themselves, the Travel Book steers away from warnings and caveats, although it does mention where nations have problems with security and/or poverty. I found this optimistic outlook quite refreshing, and it is nice to look at countries which might be 'no-go' zones at the moment, but may be able to become tourist destinations in the future. I felt it gave a positive reflection to every country.
The pictures are one of the major selling points, with lots of large, full colour images for each country. There's a good mix for each country, including shots of people, landscapes, cities and landmarks. There are some of the classic travel pictures (the Taj Mahal, Machu Pichu etc.) but mostly there are unusual images giving a different slant on the country and its people than the usual hackneyed tourist images.
For the kind of person who's idea of bliss is thumbing through their atlas, imagining they are on the other side of the world, this book is an absolute must.
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