The Travel Book

I have a couple of destinations planned for 2011, but I’m by no means close to being done. I still have a good chunk of vacation time from work available, and I’m trying to decide where I want to go next. I have more than a few ideas, which is a problem I’m happy to have. But, I ultimately do need to narrow it down. And in order to do so, I look to The Travel Book: A Journey Through Every Country in the World to help.

I absolutely love Lonely Planet’s photo journey through each country – from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe it has what I need. And on top of the amazing photographs, The Travel Book also has a decent write up about each country; the best time to visit, essential experiences, and suggestions on how to prepare for a journey to a different country are all what I’m looking for when planning a journey. I love being able to get everything I need to get the ball rolling in one book, and even on two pages for each country.

I’ve owned The Travel Book for a few years now, and it has never let me down when I’ve needed help in deciding where to go. I always have plenty of ideas, and receive plenty of suggestions (which I’m happy to get more of!), but I always anguish over my final decision. Thankfully I get plenty of photographic help here.

On the downside, I have so many ideas running through my head for 2011 that it would make more sense to just blindly throw a dart at a map on a wall to decide. Part of me wants to return to one of the many great places I’ve already set foot, and another part of me wants to explore something different; part of me wants to stay at home and explore my own country, and part of me wants to travel internationally; and part of me wants to sit on a beach and do nothing but turn lobster-red, while another part wants to do something different and unexpected.

No matter what I decide, it’s certain that I’ll use Lonely Planet’s The Travel Book to help. But I’d also like to hear from my friends and readers about where they think I should go. Is there a place you’ve always wanted to go, but haven’t? Is there a certain journey that you’d like to read about? Send me your comments and suggestions and help me narrow my plans down from the nearly 200 countries in the world to one.