Steps

1. Consult travel agencies to find out the places times of the year to travel to different places. It is their job to be familiar with the travel trends and they will most likely have some good advice.
2. If there is a specific place you want to visit, check out a current travel guide from the library or buy an inexpensive one. These books normally have suggestions and reviews on places to eat, places to stay, and things to do.
3. Yahoo has chatrooms and sometimes even message boards geared toward specific cities. If you’re brave enough you can always pop online and ask for some tips from the locals.
4. If you are going to a foreign country, find the website for their local US Embassy. the United States government works to keep Americans safe across the globe and often has information we need to keep in mind when traveling abroad.

Related wikiHows

• How to Organize a Vacation to Sicily
• How to Choose a Travel Agent
• How to Plan a Ski Vacation to Jackson Hole
• How to Plan for a Perfect Holiday

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world’s largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Research Whether and How to Travel to a Particular Location. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

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Tags: very very funny a satire of satires a must read for all flyers amazing read great reviews jamie dodson airline industry first-time novel to read list best seller maybe summer read first fiction epistolary novel crazy mother literary fiction james frey brilliant dysfunctional family humor

Average Rating

        Dear American Airlines: A NovelElizabeth Gilbert on Dear American Airlines
Elizabeth Gilbert’s first three books, Pilgrims, Stern Men, and the National Book Award nominee The Last American Man, received awards and acclaim, but her fourth, Eat, Pray, Love, a chronicle of her spiritual search and redemption following a difficult divorce, has put her on the bedside tables of millions of readers across the world. Her next book, Weddings and Evictions, a memoir about her unexpected journey into second marriage, will be published in 2009.

I’m one of those readers who can’t get enough of Martin Amis novels, since Amis–a savage misanthrope who sometimes writes, it seems, with a drill bit–is a guilty pleasure of mine from way back. So it’s no wonder that I fell so hard for the bitter, hilarious, dark, twisted, and wonderfully written delights of Dear American Airlines–the most Amis-like novel I’ve ever read. Jonathan Miles is a first-time novelist (and–full disclosure–friend of mine) whose journalism I’ve long admired for its clear, humane prose. I never suspected that he had a book like this in him, and–frankly–now that I do know, I’m a little worried for his mental state (even as I’m totally impressed with his writing.)

The novel relays the tale of Bennie Ford, a man who is marinating like a cocktail olive in the sour middle-aged juices of his own mistakes, but who has decided to redeem himself completely by attending the wedding of his estranged daughter. Now, as some of us have learned from painful personal experience, it’s not always easy to redeem a lifetime of screw-ups in one weekend, but that doesn’t deter Bennie from heading to the airport to fly off to what he has decided is the most important event in his life. (The fact that he doesn’t seem to notice that the wedding should actually be the most important event in his DAUGHTER’S life, not his, is an early clue of his particular breed of hilarious narcissism.) But at the airport is where his troubles begin, as American Airlines cancels his flight and thus–as far as he is concerned–destroys his life. What follows is a complaint letter raised to the level of high narrative art. I have never before encountered a novel written in the form of a complaint letter, and we can safely assume there will never be another such after this one, just because Miles has created an inimitable story here–one which, despite all the dark wit of its narrator–leaves room in the sad margins for real heartbreak, real feeling, real life. (This is something Amis himself wasn’t able to do until many years into his career.) This is the most entertaining first novel I’ve read in a long while, as well as a searing cautionary tale. Bring it to the airport with you next time you fly somewhere to change your life…

        Dear American Airlines: A NovelElizabeth Gilbert on Dear American Airlines
Elizabeth Gilbert’s first three books, Pilgrims, Stern Men, and the National Book Award nominee The Last American Man, received awards and acclaim, but her fourth, Eat, Pray, Love, a chronicle of her spiritual search and redemption following a difficult divorce, has put her on the bedside tables of millions of readers across the world. Her next book, Weddings and Evictions, a memoir about her unexpected journey into second marriage, will be published in 2009.

I’m one of those readers who can’t get enough of Martin Amis novels, since Amis–a savage misanthrope who sometimes writes, it seems, with a drill bit–is a guilty pleasure of mine from way back. So it’s no wonder that I fell so hard for the bitter, hilarious, dark, twisted, and wonderfully written delights of Dear American Airlines–the most Amis-like novel I’ve ever read. Jonathan Miles is a first-time novelist (and–full disclosure–friend of mine) whose journalism I’ve long admired for its clear, humane prose. I never suspected that he had a book like this in him, and–frankly–now that I do know, I’m a little worried for his mental state (even as I’m totally impressed with his writing.)

The novel relays the tale of Bennie Ford, a man who is marinating like a cocktail olive in the sour middle-aged juices of his own mistakes, but who has decided to redeem himself completely by attending the wedding of his estranged daughter. Now, as some of us have learned from painful personal experience, it’s not always easy to redeem a lifetime of screw-ups in one weekend, but that doesn’t deter Bennie from heading to the airport to fly off to what he has decided is the most important event in his life. (The fact that he doesn’t seem to notice that the wedding should actually be the most important event in his DAUGHTER’S life, not his, is an early clue of his particular breed of hilarious narcissism.) But at the airport is where his troubles begin, as American Airlines cancels his flight and thus–as far as he is concerned–destroys his life. What follows is a complaint letter raised to the level of high narrative art. I have never before encountered a novel written in the form of a complaint letter, and we can safely assume there will never be another such after this one, just because Miles has created an inimitable story here–one which, despite all the dark wit of its narrator–leaves room in the sad margins for real heartbreak, real feeling, real life. (This is something Amis himself wasn’t able to do until many years into his career.) This is the most entertaining first novel I’ve read in a long while, as well as a searing cautionary tale. Bring it to the airport with you next time you fly somewhere to change your life…

Sometimes the planes don’t fly on time.

Bennie Ford, a fifty-three-year-old failed poet turned translator, is traveling to his estranged daughter’s wedding when his flight is canceled. Stuck with thousands of fuming passengers in the purgatory of O’Hare airport, he watches the clock tick and realizes that he will miss the ceremony. Frustrated, irate, and helpless, Bennie does the only thing he can: he starts to write a letter. But what begins as a hilariously excoriating demand for a refund soon becomes a lament for a life gone awry, for years misspent, talent wasted, and happiness lost. A man both sinned against and sinning, Bennie writes in a voice that is a marvel of lacerating wit, heart-on-sleeve emotion, and wide-ranging erudition, underlined by a consistent groundnote of regret for the actions of a lifetime — and made all the more urgent by the fading hope that if he can just make it to the wedding, he might have a chance to do something right.

A margarita blend of outrage, wicked humor, vulnerability, intelligence, and regret, Dear American Airlines gives new meaning to the term “airport novel” and announces the emergence of major new talent in American fiction.

• amazon.com Sales Rank: #4879 in Book
• ABIS_BOOK

Best book I’ve read this year! by Nancy M. Heckler
Not since I’ve read Junot Diaz’s “Oscar Wao” have I so enjoyed every minute of a book. So much story in this slim little volume! Bennie’s story, his mother and father’s, ex-wives, and Walenty, his character in the book he is translating, WoW! . Yes, it’s dark, twisted, but hilarious with precisely drawn characters. I laughed and cried with poor Bennie. Like all of us, he is still trying to make sense of the world and his place in it at age 53. And despite the fact that he has been a party to life swirling him around its toilet bowl, he leaves us hopeful. Jonathan Miles is a brilliantly talented writer. I hope that he receives recognition for this fine novel. I am going to eagerly look to find everything else he has written and pray that we have more novels from him.

loooong story by Peggy
this story was long and boring to me, even when skimming through the polish translation pages, which didn’t seem to lead anywhere, i was bored by the self-absorbed former addict. The words were there, but the feelings never reached me. Spurts of the past, interspersed with cigarette breaks…felt like having one myself. I kept trying because I had heard so many good reviews of it, but it never arrived for me.

Eat Your Heart Out, James Frey by Yours Truly
Every writer who has been stranded in an airport is going to mutter “Why didn’t I think of this?” when they pick up Jonathan Miles’ epistolary first novel. Dear American Airlines is not a book about the perils of commercial flight (although they play a supporting role here). It’s a novel about the perils of modern life. Especially the perils of modern life with alcohol.

The protagonist, Benjamin Ford, is stranded in Chicago’s O’Hare as he begins, but much of the narrative, a rant told largely in flashbacks, is set in New Orleans where he grew up and got his girlfriend, Stella, pregnant with a daughter, also named Stella, or Speck, the nickname he gave her when her conception was discovered and abortion was considered. He hasn’t seen either of them since the older Stella kicked him out and moved to California with the baby twenty-something years ago. Now, little Stella, whom he boozily promised he would walk down the aisle on her wedding day, is getting married to a woman named Syl, and Bennie is determined to be there.

I read Bennie’s attempts to deal with unmanageable air traffic problems as a metaphor for his many years of struggling to manage alcohol without giving it up. But Bennie is sober now, down to his last vice of cigarettes, and we learn of his childhood with Miss Willa, his mother who now lives with her adult child, and his father, Henryk Gneich, a survivor of Dachau who died when Bennie was a teenager. From his father he got his love of poetry and the language of Poland, from which he makes his living. His mother, in many ways, has been a child both he and his father had to care for. But she loves Bennie, and she continues to show it as she writes brief messages to him on Post-its.

Miles covers much of the ground familiar to readers of memoir from James Frey and Augustin Burroughs, but he’s far more disciplined. Part of the impact of this novel is that he manages to convey a lifetime of love and suffering into 180 pages. Miles writes about cocktails for the New York Times, but so tenderly does he write from Bennie’s point of view that it’s hard to believe he’s not a recovering alcoholic. Either way, this is one impressive fiction debut.

A bumpy flight by Leonard Sommer
This book surprised me. It is written in an ironic complaining voice, funny but not terribly moving. As I read on, however, I was captured by the injured life that unfolded. What more can you ask of a novel. It makes you laugh, it makes you cry.

Are You Serious??? by T. Otte
Ok, can we say too many unnecessary cuss words? It is not even likable. You can’t even get past the front page without being assaulted with a cuss word in every sentence. Can’t he tell his story without all that garbage? The story lacks character and plot that flows and captures the reader. It is boring and filled with unnecessary ramblings.

• The Garden of Last Days: A Novel
• The Story of Edgar Sawtelle: A Novel
• Netherland: A Novel
• When You Are Engulfed in Flames
• The Beach House

From

Tags: travelogue ewan mcgregor charley boorman motorcycle adventure motorcycle travelogues essays adventure travel

Average Rating

        Long Way Down: An Epic Journey by Motorcycle from Scotland to South Africa

Eighteen countries. Five shock absorbers.
Two bikers. One amazing adventure…

After their fantastic trip round the world in 2004, fellow actors and bike fanatics Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman couldn’t shake the travel bug. Inspired by their UNICEF visits to Africa, they knew they had to go back and experience this extraordinary continent in more depth.

And so they set off on their 15,000-mile journey with two new BMWs loaded up for the trip. Their route took them from John O’Groats at the northernmost tip of Scotland to Cape Agulhas on the southernmost tip of South Africa.

Along the way they rode some of the toughest terrain in the world — and met some of the friendliest people. They rode their bikes right up to the pyramids in Egypt and visited Luke Skywalker’s house in Tunisia. They met people who had triumphed over terrifying experiences — former childhood soldiers in Uganda and children living amidst the minefields of Ethiopia. They had a close encounter with a family of gorillas in Rwanda and were nearly trampled by a herd of elephants in Botswana.

Riding through spectacular scenery, often in extreme temperatures, Ewan and Charley faced their hardest challenges yet. With their trademark humor and honesty they tell their story — the drama, the dangers and sheer exhilaration of riding together again, through a continent filled with magic and wonder.

• amazon.com Sales Rank: #16845 in Book
• ABIS_BOOK

Even Better the Second Time Around–Down? by Norma Beishir
I really enjoyed their first book, but this one’s much, much better. I have to admit that I like memoirs and travel journals better when they’re not ghostwritten. I like to hear the voice of the person whose story I’m reading. In other words, I like it to be genuine.

Ewan and Charley’s enthusiasm for their travels comes through in every page. The ups and downs they experience are there, with no sugar-coating. The photographs are better this time around as well, and some of the captions are quite amusing. There’s one humorous photo of the two that looks as if they’re about to rob a liquor store. Another, in which the guys are down to their shorts, makes me think of a line from “Smokey and the Bandit”: “The last time I saw a leg that looked like that, it had a message tied to it.”

My only disappointment with this book is that I would have liked to see some input from Ewan’s wife, Eve, on her leg of the trip. As a woman, I’d enjoy getting her perspective. After all, she held her own after only six months of riding, while these two men had been riding for years before attempting a long trip. I laughed at her response to his objections when she wanted to join them.

She really should have put together her own trip with a group of women. I know a lot of female bikers who would have been willing to join her for a good cause. Isn’t kicking the guys’ butts always a good cause? Oh, yeah, and it could have been good for UNICEF, too.

Great book by alniz
The first book was great and so was the series. This one is awesome as well. Very funny and a great read.

Not quite an epic, but still an excellent read. by Charles E. Besancon III
Being someone who loves motorcycles, travel, and thought Long Way Round was awesome, this book was already high on my list. I saw the one time showing of the Long Way Down movie and I am currently watching the full series on the Fox Reality Channel. I love this stuff!

So why didn’t the book get five stars? Well, I think it suffered from being the second time around. It never felt quite as much of a seat of your pants adventure as Long Way Round did. I suppose it shouldn’t since this is the second major trip and all the crew kind of know what they are doing. I also thought that having Ewan McGregor bring his wife along for part of the trip did change the dynamic of the trip, as you’ll hear Charley Boorman say a few times. But it was damn funny to hear about her falling all the time.

I won’t say much more so as not to ruin some of the truly entertaining and interesting parts of the book. But if you love motorcycles, travel, or both, this book is for you. Heck, you’ve probably already read it!

ewans journey by Marianne Shinmon
I love this book. I read his first and I couldn’t wait to receive this one. It is very well written. I am afan of both Ewan and Charley.
Marianne Shinmon mshinmon@cox.net

• Long Way Round: Chasing Shadows Across the World
• Long Way Down: Complete BBC Series
• Jupiters Travels: Four Years Around the World on a Triumph
• Long Way Round
• Race to Dakar

From

Tags: e tree kids osborne accelerated reader book series kids audiobooks audio book kids audiobook kids road trip childrens books

Average Rating

        The Magic Tree House: Books 1-8 (Osborne, Mary Pope. Magic Tree House Series (New York, N.Y.).)Read by the author
5 hours, 40 mintues
5 CD’s

Just in time for the holidays enjoy eight Magic Tree House chapter books in a special CD gift set. As an added bonus, listen to an interview with the author and reader, Mary Pope Osborne.

These eight stories, currently available as two retail volumes on cassette with a combines price of $36.00, are being offered now along with the interview in a 5-CD set at a special price of $30.00.

Dinosaurs Before Dark
Jack and his younger sister, Annie, stumble upon a tree house filled with books. Before Jack and Annie can figure out the mystery of the tree house, it whisks them back to the prehistoric past. Now they have to figure out how to get home. Can they do it before dark, or will they be become a dinosaur’s dinner?
The Knight at Dawn
Peacocks for dinner and boys in skirts. That’s what Jack and Annie find when the Magic Tree House transports them back to the Middle Ages for another wild adventure. They find themselves in the middle of an enormous castle and can hear the beginnings of a feast under way in the Great Hall. But Jack and Annie aren’t exactly welcome guests!
Mummies in the Morning
Jack and Annie don’t need another mummy. But that’s what they get when the Magic Tree House whisks them back to ancient Egypt after reading a book on the same subject. There they find themselves in a pyramid face to face with a long dead queen named Hutepi. Will Jack and Annie be able to help her, or will they end up as mummies themselves?
Pirates Past Noon
It’s a veritable treasure trove of trouble when the Magic Tree House carries Jack and Annie back to the days of deserted islands, secret maps, and dangerous pirates! Will they discover the hidden buried treasure, or will they face the possibility of walking the plank?
Night of the Ninjas
Have you ever met a real live ninja? Jack and Annie do when the Magic Tree House whisks them back to ancient Japan in search of enchantress Morgan le Fay. When they arrive, they find themselves in the cave of a ninja master. Will they learn the secrets of the ninja? Or will the evil samurai warriors get them first?
Afternoon on the Amazon
Vampire bats and killer ants? That’s what Jack and Annie are about to run into when the Magic Tree House whisks them back in time to a South American Rain Forest in search of the elusive Morgan le Fay. It’s not long before they get hopelessly lost on the Amazon River. Will they be able to find their way back to the tree house before they are trampled by stampeding killer ants?
Sunset of the Sabertooth
The Ice Age is very cool . . . for two kids in bathing suits! Jack and Annie nearly freeze when the Magic Tree House whisks them back into the time of cave people and woolly mammoths. But nothing can stop them from having another wild adventure–not even a sabertooth tiger!
Midnight on the Moon
Three . . . two . . . one . . . BLAST OFF! The Magic Tree House whisks Jack and Annie off to the moon–and the future. Their mission? To find the last “M” thing that will free Morgan from the spell. Can they do it before the air in their oxygen tank runs out? Will they mysterious moon man help them? And why is Peanut the mouse acting so strange?

• amazon.com Sales Rank: #5702 in Book
• ABIS_BOOK

Fantastic story telling for the car! by Mermaid
I bought this primarily for my five year old (although I think the toddler benefits from hearing it as well) while we’re riding in the car, because we spend at least 30-45 minutes per day in the car. She loves listening to the stories and for the most part listens intently and occassionally asks questions about what is going on in the story and why Jack or Annie said or did something in particular.

The audio book is the way to go; much better than getting a DVD/TV player installed in your car. The author, Mary Pope Osborne, does a good job inflecting her voice to engage my daughter. I highly recommend this audio book series for anyone with youngsters who need a distraction while in the car.

We have 2 more stories left in this disc set and I plan on buying the next series as soon as I get tired of hearing this set over and over again!

Magic Tree House books 1-8 on cd by RSR
My 2nd grader does not like to read. I bought these cds to encourage the reading process. Just starting in chapter books this year has been a huge change from simple picture books. Reading the books along with the cds has helped the books seem more interesting and easier to get to the end without getting discouraged or distracted.

8 hours in the car…no problem! by K. YOUNG
I purchased this set as part of my travel kit for entertaining my 2 & 4 yr old during a cross country move. I was amazed by their ability to keep my kids attention and I enjoyed the distraction as well. We’ve listened to them several times since. Including a 8-hr drive with just me and the kids and no DVD player. The CDs made the road trip no problem.

My daughter LOVED this set! by Michelle Middlebrooks
My 4 year old little girl received this set for her birthday and she just loves it. We are about to finish the last story and she is already asking for more stories about Jack and Annie. We listen on the way to pre-school every morning. The stories are so well told that it’s easy to imagine all the wonderful places that Jack and Annie travel to in the mysterious magic tree house. I would recommend “The Magic Tree House” stories to anyone for their child.

Captivating by Amy K. Self
My six year old reads these books and loves them. I hesitated when I ordered the CD’s thinking she would not want to read the rest of the series. That was not the case. It is important to get auditory input as well as visual input to the brain and these are keeping her attention and building her reading endurance.

• Magic Tree House CD Edition Books 17-24 (Magic Tree House Collection)
• Frog and Toad CD Audio Collection
• Magic Tree House CD Collection Books 9-16
• Magic Tree House Boxed Set, Books 5-8: Night of the Ninjas / Afternoon on the Amazon / Sunset of the Sabertooth / Midnight on the Moon
• Magic Tree House Boxed Set, Books 1-4: Dinosaurs Before Dark, The Knight at Dawn, Mummies in the Morning, and Pirates Past Noon

From

Tags: travel travel - paris paris history great book eyewitness travel guides my love affair with paris trips and journeys paris paris travel france paris map paris travel guide travel guide paris and provence

Average Rating

        Paris (EYEWITNESS TRAVEL GUIDE)The Eyewitness Travel Guide helps you to get the most out of your trip with minimum difficulties. The opening section Introducing Paris locates the city geographically, sets modern Parisian its historical context and explains how Parisian life changes through the years. Paris At a Glance is an overview of the city’s specialties. The main sightseeing section of the book is Paris Area by Area. It describes all the main sights with maps, photographs and detailed illustrations. Get to know Paris with The Eyewitness Travel Guide.

• amazon.com Sales Rank: #15485 in Book
• ABIS_BOOK

This Travel Guide was exactly what the Travel Dr. Ordered by Carl Richards
I must say that this guide was exactly what I needed, but also I must confess that another thing came up since I have been traveling to Europe for some time now. I didn’t realize or wasn’t even thinking about travel insurance?? I mean we all have insurance, that covers us while we are in the US, but not for traveling abroad. I recently planned a second trip to Germany, but wasn’t sure if my insurance company policy would take care of minor details in my policy for things I am not sure I have thought about. I am not saying I might or might not be covered, but I need peace of mind when it comes to my family. I then called my HR to find out general things about traveling abroad and “What would happen if” scenario’s. I wasn’t going to read my lengthy policy, even if I did I wouldn’t understand the legal double-talk anyway not being a lawyer and all.

My HR told me everything would be ok, and I shouldn’t worry. But some thing in the back of my mind said call again and asked the same questions to see if the results would be the same from another Representative, to my surprise, it was. Ok then, not feeling a warm feeling of confidence in my HR responses. I didn’t have much time to keep doing the research, so I looked up travel insurance and started to focus my attention on getting some basic package to cover me and family while we were abroad. There are a lot to choose from, but again this became confusing. So I came across www.securemytravelonline.com which had an aggregate of different well known insurance companies. I choose AIG with a basic plan and the rest was history. Also I didn’t know you can insure your travel and luggage also in case of theft, flight cancellation etc. I thought I would share something from one avid traveler to the next. Overall a GREAT Guide and I have bought another copy for my friend. Paris is in my opinion the most beautiful city in the WORLD…period.

Take care.
Carl>

We LOVED this guidebook. the only disadvantage is that it’s a bit heavy. but the coated pages and the fast-read pages made it fa by A. Meer
this is a great simple guidebook for a short trip to paris. it’s very easy to absorb, but there are deeper sections if you want to know more. perhaps we had the latest edition but we did get a quick overview of the trendiest spots in paris - perfect if you’re travelling with a pack of teenage girls…

the only problem is that it’s a bit heavy. i’d have carried even more often if it were lighter.

Nicely Arranged Guide by DJ Max
Purchased the guide as a replacement for a borrowed guide that got wet while we were in Paris. This one came with a wear/water resistant cover and was very nicely arranged for quickly finding the locations and areas of interest.

Can’t wait to go! by Jason D. Smith
Upon receiving my Eyewitness Travel Guide I was so drawn into the detail and ease of use in finding many interesting facts and hints. My wife and I have both taken turns looking through the guide and have been able to create an itinerary, map our routes, and find places of interest and things we want to see. Everything is in an easy to understand format. There were things we found in the book that we had no idea were an option on our upcoming honeymoon. Traveling to a place you have never been to can be very intimidating but I can honestly say that after receiving this little gem of a reference tool my wife and I are even more excited about our trip.

Jason S.
St Cloud, FL

This guidebook made making our way around Paris a piece of cake by Lawrance M. Bernabo
We have just returned from Spring Break in Paris and the “Paris: Eyewitness Travel Guide” was our guidebook for our trip. Of course, the photo illustrations in any DK book are always impressive, and since I always like to see where I am going and what is to see there without having to Google everything, that was an obvious plus with this book. I must admit that II do not really think about this particular book as a guidebook for getting in-depth information about places; when I want that sort of information I get a guidebook at the place (only thing I bought on the trip were guidebooks and postcards). In practical terms this guidebook functioned as our menu for the trip, allowing us to see what was available and when you could visit, which was crucial because visiting hours change based on the month and the day (my biggest piece of advice based on this trip is that if you can go see the Louvre and the Musee d’Orsay at night–Wednesday and Thursday respectively–you will enjoy them a lot more without the massive crowds during the day).

For me the best part of this guide book ended up being the maps. Paris is gridded out in 18 maps in the back of the book and for each region of the city there is a general map of the entire area with “Sights at a Glance” marked along with metro and train stations. Add to the mix the Paris Metro and Regional Express Railway (RER) map inside the back cover, and we found it incredibly easy to find things. We got a 5-day Metro pass and had the fortune of our hotel being right down the street from the Montparnasse Bienvenile station, which was the intersection of several metro lines (plus linked to a train station which allowed us to go to Chartres and be back by 1 in the afternoon). Except for a bus tour/river cruise the first night and a side trip to Versailles, we did not have our trip planned out. We had a list of things we wanted to see and each day would pick a starting point and work out our other options as we went along. These maps were great for making that relatively easy. Nor did we feel that we were restricted to the restaurants in our area because we were able to use our maps to head off into the night and find them.

The only exception would be the maps of the Cimetiere du Pere Lachaise and Cimetiere du Montparnassem because they were not extremely helpful in trying to find several of the graves I was trying to track down. Those of Oscar Wilde and Jim Morrison are easy to find because there are also several people standing around them, but finding those of Moliere, Sarah Bernhardt, and Samuel Becket were much harder. The guide does provide tiny icons representing what the graves actually look like, but the locations can be troublesome, especially when the graves are not right on a walkway. But there are detailed maps for Pere Lachaise and signs at the entrances that you can photograph with your digital camera and reference as you walk about (courtesy of your magic zoom button).

I bought the book a year before our trip, when my impromptu suggestion that we go to Paris for Spring Break was derailed by the lack of a current passport. So there is a minor concern that information is not totally current. On the one hand the Musee de l’Orange with Monet’s water lily series was open, but the one place my wife wanted to go, the restaurant atop La Samaritaine, was derailed because the department store was closed. As long as you suspect that these sort of things are always going to happen (I felt sorry for the law students visiting the Louvre to discover that the Code of Hammurabi was not on display), you should be able to roll with these punches. Final word of advice regarding this particular guidebook: Make sure that you have a purse or a coat with pockets large enough to accommodate the peculiar not quite “pocket” size of this guide.

• Rick Steves’ French Phrase Book and Dictionary
• France (Eyewitness Travel Guides)
• London (EYEWITNESS TRAVEL GUIDE)
• Streetwise Paris Map - Laminated City Street Map of Paris, France - with integrated metro map including lines and stations
• Rick Steves’ Paris 2008 (Rick Steves)

From

Tags: jaren maya travel books

Average Rating

• amazon.com Sales Rank: #31773 in Book
• ABIS_BOOK

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good for young children by Karen
This is a good buy for young children. I was impressed with the variety. But many 8 year olds will find it too simple. For kids getting tired of coloring books, you might want to look into a Klutz book or something more exciting.

great for travel by K. Kearns
I bought this for my 4 and 5 yr old sons, we are taking a long car ride so I thought it would entertain them for a while and it has.

good variety by H. fellows
This kept my 5 and 7 year olds busy for part of a long car ride…nice selection of things to do.

Didn’t even need a DVD Player! by urlacher54
Our 5 yr old loved this activity book. It kept her busy on an eight hour road trip. She never wanted the dvd player on.

Nice activity book for travel by MomTimesTwo
We bought this activity book for when we travel. It is pretty big with lots of pages to keep the kids busy during a long car or plane ride.

• The Everything Kids’ Travel Activity Book: Games to Play, Songs to Sing, Fun Stuff to Do - Guaranteed to Keep You Busy the Whole Ride! (Everything Kids Series)
• Are We There Yet (Backseat Books)
• RandMcNally Kids’ Road Atlas (Backseat Books)
• Kids Travel: A Backseat Survival Kit
• Coast-To-Coast Games (Backseat Books)

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Tags: ultimate guidbook maui guidebook ultimate kauai guidebook maui overrated ultimate kauai kauai ultimate guide ocean tropical tropics vacation hawaii travel guide kauai guidebook best about hawaii island guidebook travel kauai

Average Rating

        The Ultimate Kauai Guidebook: Kauai Revealed (Ultimate Kauai Guidebook)The finest guidebook ever written for Kauai and the only one written by writers who anonymously review the island. They visit every beach, restaurant, activity and trail on the island. The result is this comprehensive, humorous and easy-to-read full color guide that will lead you to more adventures than any other book. A must for travelers.

        The Ultimate Kauai Guidebook: Kauai Revealed (Ultimate Kauai Guidebook)The finest guidebook ever written for Kauai and the only one written by writers who anonymously review the island. They visit every beach, restaurant, activity and trail on the island. The result is this comprehensive, humorous and easy-to-read full color guide that will lead you to more adventures than any other book. A must for travelers.The finest guidebook ever written for Kauai. This brand new sixth edition has more useful information, the most up to date maps and scores of hidden gems listed nowhere else. This book and a rental car are all you need to discover what makes the Garden Island so special.

Maps include beach access to even the most remote beaches, mile markers so you always know where you are, hiking trails and numerous details in an easy to follow format.

Symbols quickly identify recommended sights and companies. This book shows you which companies really are the best…and which to avoid.

Special expanded sections on Activities, Hiking and Adventures.

Clear, concise directions to get to those hard to find places.

Web site with links to every business, last minute updates, events calendar and more. Plus Web pages that expand on all accommodation reviews with aerial photos of all the resorts (so you’ll know if oceanfront really means oceanfront).

Written by Kauai residents who know the island.

Frank, honest opinions from anonymous reviews—No advertisements.

They’ve covered it all—from the top of Wai‘ale‘ale to the sparkling underwater reefs. This is the best investment you can make for your trip to Kauai. Whether you are a first time visitor, or a long time kama‘aina, you will find out more about the Garden Island from this book than from any other source.

• amazon.com Sales Rank: #2720 in Book
• ABIS_BOOK

This book is the best!!!! by Sally L. Hammond
Don’t waste your time or money looking at other books. This is the one you want, you won’t be sorry. We took this book with us everywhere. It was the only thing we used while on Kauai for 9 days. From maps to restaurants to activities it covers it all along with very concise directions.

Wonderful book! by Jennifer L. Buckley
This book is great. Buy it before you go to Kauai, and leave it in your glovebox and pull it out when you’re driving around the island. It’s the best!

These are GREAT Books!!! by David F. Kendall
This book (along with the other ones in the series focusing on the other islands) are fantastic information and highly, highly entertaining. They are insightful, funny, honest, helpful, and point you to lesser known sites and other interesting places. They give you the real rundown on what is interesting and what is not worth doing. We relied on these heavily for our trip. The maps are for the most part very helpful, he is up front about prices and quality of service, and we found the reviews of restaurants and lodging to be moderately helpful. The best features of the book are that 1) It is very informative and gives you the lowdown on the island & 2) It is highly entertaining. You will laugh. It’s fun pleasure reading on its own. Best guidebooks I have seen.

Made our 10th anniversary trip a dream! by Singer Woman
We bought this book as soon as we decided to go to Kauai last year for our 10th anniversary. It was read cover to cover numerous times prior to our trip and was referred to hundreds of times during our stay. It was not only informative, but fun to read. I still pick it up from time to time just to read it. Thanks Andy, for making our trip to Kauai so much better than it could have been.

kauai revealed review by D. Roberts
This guide book is full of detailed, and unbiased reviews of restaurants, activities and sight seeing spots. Also, there is plenty of information about places that are off the beaten track. Very helpful.

• Maui Revealed: The Ultimate Guidebook (Maui Revealed)
• Kauai Underground Guide: And Free Hawaiian Music CD (Kauai Underground Guide)
• Oahu Revealed: The Ultimate Guide to Honolulu, Waikiki & Beyond (Oahu Revisited)
• Kauai Trailblazer: Where to Hike, Snorkel, Bike, Paddle, Surf (
• Hawaii The Big Island Revealed: The Ultimate Guidebook

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Tags: jamie romantic hero marriage tall ships scottish historical romance favorite book terry goodkind and george r r martin close seconds fantasy romance love story historical fantasy science fiction highlander series erotic romance scottish romance intelligent romance favorite author favorite authors historical fiction scottish history multi-read

Average Rating

        VoyagerIn this rich, vibrant tale, Diana Gabaldon continues the story of Claire Randall and Jamie Fraser that began with the now-classic novel Outlander and continued in Dragonfly in Amber. Sweeping us from the battlefields of eighteenth-century Scotland to the exotic West Indies, Diana Gabaldon weaves magic once again in an exhilarating and utterly unforgettable novel….

Their love affair happened long ago by whatever measurement Claire Randall took. Two decades before, she had traveled back in time and into the arms of a gallant eighteenth-century Scot named Jamie Fraser. Then she returned to her own century to bear his child, believing him dead in the tragic battle of Culloden. Yet his memory has never lessened its hold on her … and her body still cries out for him in her dreams.

When she discovers that Jamie may have survived, Claire must choose her destiny. And as time and space come full circle, she must find the courage to face what awaits her … the deadly intrigues raging in a divided Scotland … and the daring voyage into the dark unknown that lies beyond the standing stones.

        VoyagerIn this rich, vibrant tale, Diana Gabaldon continues the story of Claire Randall and Jamie Fraser that began with the now-classic novel Outlander and continued in Dragonfly in Amber. Sweeping us from the battlefields of eighteenth-century Scotland to the exotic West Indies, Diana Gabaldon weaves magic once again in an exhilarating and utterly unforgettable novel….

Their love affair happened long ago by whatever measurement Claire Randall took. Two decades before, she had traveled back in time and into the arms of a gallant eighteenth-century Scot named Jamie Fraser. Then she returned to her own century to bear his child, believing him dead in the tragic battle of Culloden. Yet his memory has never lessened its hold on her … and her body still cries out for him in her dreams.

When she discovers that Jamie may have survived, Claire must choose her destiny. And as time and space come full circle, she must find the courage to face what awaits her … the deadly intrigues raging in a divided Scotland … and the daring voyage into the dark unknown that lies beyond the standing stones.Diana Gabaldon holds a bachelor¿s degree in zoology, a master¿s degree in marine biology, and a Ph.D. in ecology, none of which has anything whatever to do with her novels. She spent a dozen years as a university professor before turning to writing full-time. Diana Gabaldon lives in Scottsdale, Arizona, with her family.

From the Trade Paperback edition.

• amazon.com Sales Rank: #2796 in Book
• ABIS_BOOK

My favorite book of the series!!! by Tearose
While working at a bookstore, I decided that I needed to read one sci-fi and one romance novel just to get a feel for the genre. I selected Diana Gabaldon’s “Outlander” for the romance novel, and was absolutely captivated by her story and style. I devoured the first three books in less than six weeks–an amazing feat for me as a slow reader with sight impairments–and have started at least 200 people on these books since then. I’ve had exactly 2 negative reactions.

Voyager, as I said above, is my favorite of all the books so far. In the last 300 pages or so, Gabaldon’s plot moves at breathtaking speed, tying up many ends. The conclusion is stunning. In a year when real time/distance travel is curtailed by high gasoline prices, the “Outlander” series–and “Voyager” in particular–is a mental escape of the first order. If you need some place to go on your “staycation,” I would strongly suggest Scotland in the mid-1700’s, and a visit with Jamie and Clare Fraser. You won’t be disappointed.

Excellent Journey that lives on by Deborah A. Cogan
This is the third book of the Diana Gabaldon Outlander and of all the years I have been reading, they are my favorite series. Ms. Gabaldone will keep you in laughter and you will shed plenty of ters and she takes you on a journey with Claire Randall and Jamie Fraser. You will experience alot of history and become a part of what you read. Excellent books and Voyager is one of my favorites

A Rollercoaster Adventure Ride for fans of Historical Fiction by Barb Mechalke
Okay, I’m going to keep this review brief.
This is after all the third book in this series and chances are if you’ve read the other two you’ll probably read this one as well…

I am so happy to have found this series, I love it. I think it’s great fun…well that is if you like to be kept hanging on the edge of your seat. I love the characters and the history and the storytelling is great!

Last night I was getting to the end of the book and feeling disappointed that it would be over until I remembered that there are three more books in the series! and more on the way!

Voyager by Diana Gabaldon by Stephanie E. Conner
This book is part of a series, and although I haven’t actually gotten to it I can be absolutely sure it is going to be exciting. One thing to remember however, is that every one of these books begins slowly, and until you get into the first 2-3 chapters it’s slow going. But do keep reading!

The history of Scotland, France, etc., that Ms. Gabaldon attaches to these stories is historically accurate, too.

Awesome books by a great writer.

Fabulous book in a fabulous series by Kylie Veale
Third in the series and just as riviting. I read this one cover to cover, almost non-stop, save for eating and some sleep! I just love this series.

• A Breath of Snow and Ashes (Outlander)
• Dragonfly in Amber
• Drums of Autumn
• The Fiery Cross (Outlander)
• Outlander

From

Tags: dk edition egypt guide dk publishing cairo eyewitness eyewitness travel guides travel guide egypt travel

Average Rating

• amazon.com Sales Rank: #7925 in Book
• ABIS_BOOK

Egypt (Eyewitness Travel Guide) by Lotus
Great guide! Well organized with wonderful photos, illustrations, & maps. Took it to Egypt with me. Still use it as a reference now that I’m home.

Egypt by Rose-Lynne K. Osborn
This is a great book for my upcoming trip to Egypt and Jordan. It has a lot of information and is loaded with plenty of color photographs. I only wish there was a book for Jordan too. The book also shows views of streets and locations of museums and all the sites not to miss in Egypt.

Egypt (Eyewitness Travel Guide) by E. White

These guides are the very best in the business. If I’m thinking of going on a trip, I think again if there isn’t an Eyewitness guide in print.

EGYPT is the same high calibre as all the others I’ve bought over the years.

Egypt by Eloy Gomez
I received my order, prompt and packaging was very nice.
Great book and Thank you again.
eloy gomez

Pretty good but Lonely Planet is 10 times better! by Nightshade Magic
While this book has a lot of pretty pictures, and quite a bit of information, I found the lonely planet guide to have about twice as much information on any given area, and cover more of the obscure places in Egypt.

• The Rough Guide to Egypt 7 (Rough Guide Travel Guides)
• Egypt - Culture Smart!: a quick guide to customs and etiquette (Culture Smart!)
• Egypt (Country Guide)
• Travel Egypt Nile Cruise
• Jerusalem and the Holy Land (Eyewitness Travel Guides)

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Tags: dad philip adenture nonfiction mountianeering adventure south america into thin air touching the void 0060730552 9780060730550 joe simpson climbing rock climbing true stories of survival adventure mountaineering andes survival mountain climbing

Average Rating

        Touching the Void: The True Story of One Man’s Miraculous SurvivalConcise and yet packed with detail, Touching the Void, Joe Simpson’s harrowing account of near-death in the Peruvian Andes, is a compact tour de force that wrestles with issues of bravery, friendship, physical endurance, the code of the mountains, and the will to live. Simpson dedicates the book to his climbing partner, Simon Yates, and to “those friends who have gone to the mountains and have not returned.” What is it that compels certain individuals to willingly seek out the most inhospitable climate on earth? To risk their lives in an attempt to leave footprints where few or none have gone before? Simpson’s vivid narrative of a dangerous climbing expedition will convince even the most die-hard couch potato that such pursuits fall within the realm of the sane. As the author struggles ever higher, readers learn of the mountain’s awesome power, the beautiful–and sometimes deadly–sheets of blue glacial ice, and the accomplishment of a successful ascent. And then catastrophe: the second half of Touching the Void sees Simpson at his darkest moment. With a smashed, useless leg, he and his partner must struggle down a near-vertical face–and that’s only the beginning of their troubles.

        Touching the Void: The True Story of One Man’s Miraculous SurvivalConcise and yet packed with detail, Touching the Void, Joe Simpson’s harrowing account of near-death in the Peruvian Andes, is a compact tour de force that wrestles with issues of bravery, friendship, physical endurance, the code of the mountains, and the will to live. Simpson dedicates the book to his climbing partner, Simon Yates, and to “those friends who have gone to the mountains and have not returned.” What is it that compels certain individuals to willingly seek out the most inhospitable climate on earth? To risk their lives in an attempt to leave footprints where few or none have gone before? Simpson’s vivid narrative of a dangerous climbing expedition will convince even the most die-hard couch potato that such pursuits fall within the realm of the sane. As the author struggles ever higher, readers learn of the mountain’s awesome power, the beautiful–and sometimes deadly–sheets of blue glacial ice, and the accomplishment of a successful ascent. And then catastrophe: the second half of Touching the Void sees Simpson at his darkest moment. With a smashed, useless leg, he and his partner must struggle down a near-vertical face–and that’s only the beginning of their troubles.

Joe Simpson and his climbing partner, Simon Yates, had just reached the top of a 21,000-foot peak in the Andes when disaster struck. Simpson plunged off the vertical face of an ice ledge, breaking his leg. In the hours that followed, darkness fell and a blizzard raged as Yates tried to lower his friend to safety. Finally, Yates was forced to cut the rope, moments before he would have been pulled to his own death.

The next three days were an impossibly grueling ordeal for both men. Yates, certain that Simpson was dead, returned to base camp consumed with grief and guilt over abandoning him. Miraculously, Simpson had survived the fall, but crippled, starving, and severely frostbitten was trapped in a deep crevasse. Summoning vast reserves of physical and spiritual strength, Simpson crawled over the cliffs and canyons of the Andes, reaching base camp hours before Yates had planned to leave.

How both men overcame the torments of those harrowing days is an epic tale of fear, suffering, and survival, and a poignant testament to unshakable courage and friendship.

• amazon.com Sales Rank: #17082 in Book
• ABIS_BOOK

One of those exceptions where the movie is better than the book by ninjasuperstar
Joe Simpson’s disastrous experiences climbing Siula Grande in 1985 make for one of the greatest true adventure stories of the twentieth century. After Joe’s accident on the mountain, he and his climbing partner, Simon Yates, nearly achieved an unlikely descent. When Simon is unable to continue Joe’s rescue, he does the unthinkable (which Joe does not blame him for), and Joe’s hellish troubles begin.

Sounds like the outline for an exciting and heart-wrenching adventure, doesn’t it? Unfortunately, Joe was not an experienced writer when he penned Touching the Void, his first book, and it clearly shows. The reader is often disoriented by Simpson’s use of mountaineering jargon (e.g., cols, ridges, and gullies). And although the book provides a brief glossary, it’s not easy to picture what he’s writing about if you’ve never seen a couloir before. In short, although the story has universal elements, climbers are likely to feel most at home in the account’s setting.

There are some wonderful observations and images in the book, but these gems rarely glitter against the more plentiful heaps of clichés. The book needs to be edited and whittled down, and the IFC film based on the book is an absolutely spectacular rendering of Joe’s experiences–the film captures what Joe is unable to accomplish in this book.

It’s difficult for me to write a review recommending a movie over a book, but I’m positive that you’ll enjoy the film much more. I found the book difficult to finish even though it’s only around 200 pages long, yet the movie had me riveted from the beginning; I felt physically colder watching the movie, for example. Joe is certainly not the worst untrained writer to publish a bestseller, but in Touching the Void his weaknesses as a writer does not properly relate his greatness as a climber.

Outstanding book - you won’t be able to put it down by A. B. Morrison
Touching the Void is one of the best books I’ve ever read. Wow. I am still kind of stunned. I started it way too late at night and couldn’t put it down. I went to work the next morning with only four hours of sleep.

It’s not even that the writing’s good, per se. It is - it’s VERY good. But the story itself and the way he wrote it is just amazing.

I’ve read a lot about the high altitude hallucinations people have (conversations with your feet at 27000 ft or people sitting on your ice ledge telling you they have tea set up just around the corner) but his experience was not at all like that. He had what he calls a voice inside that was insistent about keeping to a timetable and doing certain things, especially as he dragged himself off the glacier. It was deeply fascinating and the only thing that made the suspense at all bearable was that I knew he must have lived, since, hello, holding his book in my hands. I could not put it down.

I was also really impressed with the sections written by his climbing partner, Simon Yates. OUCH. Painful and honest but not self-exculpatory or irrational.

Augh. This is the worst review ever. But, jeez. Read it! See for yourself!

Exciting read by K. C. Long
After watching the movie version of this book I wanted to read Touching the Void. I usually like to read the book first but in this case I am glad that I did it in reverse. I am not a mountain climber and do not know the terms used in the sport. So watching the movie helped set up the book to where it made a lot of sense. The book provided a more realistic vision of what the climbers thought and felt. It put me there with them. I am in awe.

Snore by Jeanette Buffalo
This is a very boring book. I thought it would be an action packed survival book, but it put me to sleep.

An Incredible Story by Matthew Richards
If you liked “Into Thin Air,” then you will love this book, which is just as brilliant and perhaps even more incredible. If you’ve been to Peru, even better. Great writing, great story, and an unforgettable tale. Again, a rare book that once begun, is almost impossible to put down. Simpson has written some others, but none as good as his first. Read it. And try his “This Game of Ghosts” if you want more.

• The Beckoning Silence
• Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster
• Into the Wild
• Touching the Void
• Eiger Dreams: Ventures Among Men and Mountains