The Travel Book

As one of my favorite quotes go: "The world is a book and those who do not travel read only a page." And whenever I feel the need to travel but find it impossible to do so, I suffice myself by reading a very good book because sometimes, a book can carry the world in its pages.

The Travel Book by Lonely Planet is one of my favorites. It provides a condensed profile of every country in alphabetical order. It is easy to read, fun and very light (not literally, as this book is REALLY big and heavy). It gives you a good glimpse of every place with the witty remarks and advices on what to do and when to go. And of course, the photographs are breathtaking. Definitely not the usual tourist photos, the selection is amazing.

Coincidentally, I first encountered the quote I mentioned above by St. Agustine from this very book, but that was long ago, before I bought my own copy (And the fact that I bought it form my own hard earned money *from doing commissions* makes it even more special to me). I got the paperback edition because I thought that the hardbound would just be too heavy, and I was right. The paperback is already 4.6 lbs. Very heavy. I had to pay extra at the post office because of some stupid reason but it was very worth the trouble.

I haven't read through all of it yet, and I don't plan on doing that in just one sitting anyway. I read as little as one country from time to time, and in a sense, I feel like I am visiting places, one step at a time as well. I like flipping through the pages and just glancing at the different pictures. My greatest dream in life is to travel the world so I guess it's not surprising that whenever I'm not traveling, it's what I'm thinking about most.

One of the things I love most about this book is something that many may not have even noticed, and that's the message from Simon Westcott which can be found in the front flap. The introduction is perfect and you have to read it in its entirety. It is brief but nevertheless inspiring and he ends it with this line: "We offer you this book in hope that you will travel more, travel well and travel safely, thereby coming to read as many pages as possible of the greater, richer book that is the world."