Mary-Ann Gallagher

This large-format book features 50 of "the world's most unforgettable places", locations that the author recommends as sites to visit. Each location is presented with large, colorful photographs, and accompanying text that summarizes major features of the site and why it is a destination not to be missed. Each site is accompanied with a small map to show its location. Likewise, an accompanying summary describes the site in terms of location, latitude & longitude, official language, monetary currency, and for cities and regions, area and population. A text box of traveler's tips includes information on best time to go, climate, aspects to look out for (both positive and negative), and "do's & don'ts" when it comes to attire and behavior.

The "dream destinations" featured extend to all six habitable continents. In North America, the featured sites include Yellowstone, Monument Valley, Vancouver, Banff, New England, Washington DC, the Everglades, the Mexican Day of the Dead, and Old Havana. In South and Central America, the sites include Manaus and the Amazon, the Inca Trail, Tierra del Fuego, Easter Island, the Galapagos, and the Costa Rican rain forest. Europe figures heavily in the listed choices, with Barcelona, Stonehenge, Rome, Venice, St. Petersburg, Bavaria, the Loire Valley, Mont St Michel, the Giant's Causeway (Northern Ireland), Bruges (Belgium), and Iceland, but not the Alps, Florence, or London. In Asia are presented the Taj Mahal, Samarkand (in Uzbekistan), China's Great Wall, the Forbidden City, Ankor Wat, and Kyoto. In the Australian region, the recommended sites are the Great Barrier Reef, Uluru ("Ayer's Rock"), and the "Tasmanian wilderness", leaving lovely New Zealand entirely unmentioned. Sites in Africa are especially limited, with only Victoria Falls and the Skeleton Coast mentioned, with no mention of the East African wildlife, Kilimanjaro, or Table Mountain in South Africa. Clearly, with a limit of 50 destinations, the author was faced with hard choices.

This book is an attractive option for the world traveler and their armchair equivalents. Few are likely to get to more than a few of the listed sites, but the book offers a way to appreciate their attractions.… (mehr)

A digest of the world's greatest travel destinations to help you decide where to go next
- Continent-by-continent guide to the world's most spectacular sights, both physical and man-made, from the Great African Rift Valley and the Grand Canyon to the lost Inca cities of South America and the wonderful wildlife of the Galapagos Islands
- Must-see points of interest and when to see them at their best
- Get-up-and-go inspiration for the independent traveller
- Tips for avoiding the crowds
- Incisive information on local geography… (mehr)