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As you may guess, we have read many books on travel to help us decide where we want to go and how to plan our trips.  There are a few books that we believe are excellent for these purposes and we have described them below.  These books and many others are all available from our affiliate at low prices and you can purchase them by clicking on our affiliate link.  This link will also allow you to get more info on the Kindle, a wonderful device to take on long trips instead of carrying heavy books.  It is as thin as most magazines, holds up to 3,500 books/periodicals/documents, has a large 9.7" diagonal screen which reads like real paper, is wireless (lets you download books anytime, anywhere) and has long battery life which allows you to read for days without recharging.

1.       1,000 PLACES TO SEE BEFORE YOU DIE  by Patricia Schultz 

This is a great book to peruse when you are trying to determine where you would like to travel.  We take great pride in checking off those sites that we have actually visited.  It is very detailed and in addition to highlighting all the attractions you will see at your destination, it gives you a selection of recommended places to sleep, eat, and enjoy the local entertainment.

2.       THE MOST SCENIC DRIVES IN AMERICA - 120 SPECTACULAR ROAD TRIPS  by Robert Dolezal, Jerry Bates, and  Barbara Dolezal

This book is very useful if you are planning a driving trip in the USA.  As the title implies, it has boiled down the thousands of scenic routes across the country into 120 spectacular drives.  It gives you a detailed plan for the trip and provides very well written advice about how to get the most out of your driving trip.  The pictures are wonderful and let you begin to experience the beautiful sites you will encounter on your trip.  You will be surprised by some of scenic routes that you may have never thought about driving.  We were, and we have some beautiful pictures to prove it.

3.       NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC GUIDE TO THE NATIONAL PARKS OF THE UNITED STATES by National Geographic

As you can see we believe that there are many great places to visit in the U.S., and our National Parks are among the most beautiful and inexpensive trips that you can take.  You will find very detailed information about our national parks in this book and will appreciate the many tips it gives about the key sites you should visit.  It also provided good information on lodging options which include camping alternatives.  It reviews the wildlife and gives insight into where you can find the most panoramic and breathtaking views which was very valuable to me as a photographer. 

4.       CANADA (EYEWITNESS TRAVEL GUIDES) by DK Publishing

And don’t forget about Canada!  If you are looking for unspoiled beauty, Canada has so much to offer and is so accessible.  This travel guide book helps focus you on the best that Canada has to offer.  If you are traveling across Canada by car this book will be a real asset to you in planning your trip and in making decisions about sites to see and places to stay on your trip.  We believe you will thoroughly enjoy the content, beautiful pictures and informative maps. 

5.       THE ULTIMATE KAUAI GUIDE BOOK: KAUAI REVEALED by Andrew Doughty

Before our travel to Kauai (the garden Hawaiian Island) we purchased this book, several maps and two other books about Kauai.  After reading and reviewing them all we found that we could get everything we needed from THE ULTIMATE KAUAI GUIDE BOOK.  The author did an excellent job describing the beautiful, must-see places in Kauai and met all our needs regarding the best hikes, waterfalls, beaches, etc.  It told us the right time of year to visit, how to get there and where to stay.  The maps and pictures gave us all we needed to fully understand the potential of this beautiful island and to then explore it thoroughly.  This book is a must have, if you are planning a trip to Kauai.

6.       INSIGHT GUIDES - COSTA RICA by Discovery Channel

This book was very useful to us in our travels to Costa Rica last year.  It easily allowed us to plan our route to the most spectacular areas in Costa Rica such as Tortuquero National Park, Green Turtle Research Station, Pineapple and Banana Plantations and Processing Plants, Coffee Plantations, natural underground hot springs at the Arenal Volcano and of course trips through the phenomenal rainforest.  It provided maps and directions for these wonderful sites and many, many others, along with the usual recommendation on lodging, food and entertainment.  This is a book you should consider purchasing if you are planning a trip to Costa Rica.

7.       GALAPAGOS: A NATURAL HISTORY by Michael H. Jackson 

This book is a must have if you are planning a once in a lifetime trip to the Galapagos Islands.  We looked at many different books during our planning for this unbelievable trip and found this one has it all; history, geology, flora, fauna and much, much more.  We know we will never again see the exotic birds, sea lions, giant land tortoises and beautiful white sand beaches that we experienced on this trip.  As you walk on the designated trails with your guide you will feel like you are in another world!  You could easily reach out and touch the nesting birds (if you were allowed) as they have no fear whatever of humans.  This book has beautiful pictures to help you identify all that you see so you can document them forever in you memory and in your journal. 

8.       ONCE IN A LIFETIME TRIPS: The World’s 50 Most Extraordinary and Memorable Travel Experiences by Chris Santella

In this book you will find many travel ideas and exotic places to visit around the world.  It is a good place to start if you can’t decide where you would like to travel.  You won’t regret a single trip you might pick from this book.  There are overviews and very detailed information on all the trips, along with colorful pictures that make you feel like you are there.  If you are interested in extraordinary, once in a lifetime travel experiences, this book is for you.

9.       DISCOVER GREECE by Jack Altman and Neil Wilson

We have visited Greece a number of times and have used this book again and again to discover some of the most beautiful, unspoiled parts of this majestic country.  For a small country, Greece has a lot to offer with great history, ancient artifacts, beautiful beaches, picturesque islands, and wonderful people.  The information on Athens alone is priceless with its historical account of the birthplace of Democracy, the magnificent Acropolis and Parthenon and its plethora of food and entertainment options.  As experienced travelers and frequent visitors to Greece we have found this book to continue to be an excellent  source of travel information.

10.   GREEK ISLAND HOPPING by Independent Travelers - Thomas Cook

If you want to visit the Greek Islands you should have this book.  It will give you all you need to know about Athens as a starting point and will cover in detail most of the inhabited islands.  With approximately 3,000 islands scattered along Greece’s Mediterranean coast, this book quickly hones in and helps you identify which islands you would most like to visit.  You will find lots of details in this book, along with colorful maps, photos, and lodging information.  It will give you the information you need, coupled with your preferences, to make the hard choices about how long to visit each island - a few hours or a few days. On this point, be sure to call the ferry agent (if this is your mode of travel) in advance to determine their hours of operation especially since they may vary based on the season.  Also find out at which ports they dock since you want to be close to what you have really come to see. 

11.   EGYPT (Eyewitness Travel Guides) by DK Publishing

We bought this book for our trip to Egypt.  We read it on the very long flight there and felt like we were really ready to experience all the mystery and beauty of Egypt by the time we got off the plane.  In this book you will read about Egypt’s fascinating history, its ancient temples/monuments, and its culture just to name a few of the topics covered.  You will feel like you are riding on the river Nile as you read about the past and present day center of Egyptian civilization and look at the colorful maps and photos.   Don’t visit the Land of the Ancient Pharaohs without this book

12.   WILDLIFE OF EAST AFRICA by Martin B Withers and David Hosking

We purchased this great book before going on our safari to Kenya and Tanzania several years ago.  Before we purchased this book, we thought we already knew most of the wildlife that we would see in this magnificent land but we were very wrong.  The book was quite weathered by the time we returned home since not only did we use it almost continuously to identify the myriad of wildlife we encountered but most of the other guests on our tour borrowed it to confirm their sightings too.  The excellent descriptions of the wildlife along with the sharply detailed photographs were enormously valuable and aided us in identifying and documenting all we saw on our once in a lifetime trip.  If you are interested in how to effectively photograph the wildlife you will see you will also appreciate the 12 pages the author dedicated to wildlife photography tips.  Don’t go to East Africa without this great pocket book.

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If you have any questions or feedback about this information, feel free to e-mail us at  info@travelexploring