Koncocoo

Best Central & South America Travel

Lonely Planet Central America on a shoestring (Travel Guide)
Color maps and images throughout Highlights and itineraries help you tailor your trip to your personal needs and interests Insider tips to save time and money and get around like a local, avoiding crowds and trouble spots Essential info at your fingertips - hours of operation, phone numbers, websites, transit tips, prices Budget-oriented recommendations with honest reviews - eating, sleeping, sight-seeing, going out, shopping, hidden gems that most guidebooks miss Cultural insights give you a richer, more rewarding travel experience - history, music, cuisine, sports, wildlife, environment, architecture, literature, cinema, current events Over 90 maps Covers Mexico's Yucatán & Chiapas, Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama and more. Downloadable PDF and offline maps prevent roaming and data charges Effortlessly navigate and jump between maps and reviews Add notes to personalise your guidebook experience Seamlessly flip between pages Bookmarks and speedy search capabilities get you to key pages in a flash Embedded links to recommendations' websites Zoom-in maps and images Inbuilt dictionary for quick referencing. Source: Nielsen BookScan.
Reviews
"Great book with tons of great information."
"Came sooner than expected and the book is great."
"Call me crazy...but I feel like a book with "on a shoestring" in the title should really spend more time reviewing budget accommodations and skip the expensive hotels."
"Those who like to include off-the-beaten path travel, should consult Lonely Planet’s individual country books for gems that are even better than the easily-gotten-to sites."
"Really a god guide!"
"There should be separate (thin) books for each Central American country to spare single-country visitors from lugging such a thick volume; the country-specific e-chapters are a poor alternative due to careless layout and, in El Salvador, spotty Internet access."
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Turn Right at Machu Picchu: Rediscovering the Lost City One Step at a Time
While history has recast Bingham as a villain who stole both priceless artifacts and credit for finding the great archeological site, Mark Adams set out to retrace the explorer’s perilous path in search of the truth—except he’d written about adventure far more than he’d actually lived it. “[An] engaging and sometimes hilarious book.”— The New York Times Book Review “A serious (and seriously funny) travelogue, a smart and tightly written history, and an investigative report into perhaps the greatest archaeological discovery in the last century.”—NationalGeographic.com. “An engaging, informative guide to all things Inca.”— Entertainment Weekly.
Reviews
"Mark Adams' account of his adventure has something for everyone...the middle aged male who shucks the cubicle for adventure, the adventurer who wants an authentic account of exploring the still remote corners of the globe and most...those who have long thought of making the trek to Peru and Machu Picchu."
"Having been to Machu Picchu 32 years ago I thoroughly enjoyed reading Mark's account of his travels there."
"If you are a true adventurer, then this is the book for you!"
"Part travelogue, part personal narrative, part history lesson, it read like a novel and I enjoyed the author's humor and turn of phrase."
"This book was not only an enjoyable read, but also a perfect preview before our trip to Peru."
"This book is a lot more than about Machu Picchu."
"This was a great read, full of excellent descriptions, easy to understand the challenges faced and excellent references to Bingham and the challenges he faced.."
"Mark is a very engaging writer who in spite of aching back, legs and feet doesn't miss the small details of his companions...guide, cook, muleteers...and with great affection and gentle humor illuminates Peruvian culture while providing stellar (or possibly solar) observations of the incredible ruins grueling days of hiking offer up. And it was fun to read the diversity of theories of just what Machu Pichu was meant to be...an emperor's summer home, the origin of the Incans, a religious pilgrimage, a fortress of last resort?"
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Lonely Planet Costa Rica (Travel Guide)
Snorkel the teeming reefs off Manzanillo, explore some of the globe's best wildlife-watching destinations, or dig into Costa Rican culture and cuisine in San Jose ; all with your trusted travel companion. Full-color maps and images throughout Highlights and itineraries help you tailor your trip to your personal needs and interests Insider tips to save time and money and get around like a local, avoiding crowds and trouble spots Essential info at your fingertips - hours of operation, phone numbers, websites, transit tips, prices Honest reviews for all budgets - eating, sleeping, sight-seeing, going out, shopping, hidden gems that most guidebooks miss Cultural insights give you a richer, more rewarding travel experience - cuisine, customs, history, landscapes & ecology, wildlife, surfing, cloud forests, politics Over 50 color maps Covers San Jose, Central Valley, Highlands, Northwestern Costa Rica, Peninsula de Nicoya, Central Pacific Coast, Southern Costa Rica, Peninsula de Osa, Golfo Duce, Carribean Coast, Northern Lowlands and more. Lonely Planet covers must-see spots but also enables curious travelers to get off beaten paths to understand more of the culture of the places in which they find themselves.
Reviews
"This is a great book, I do wish there were more housing suggestions in each of the cities."
"Good, but not really comprehensive."
"you have to know the location of where you are going."
"Love this book."
"Very helpful for my trip!"
"Informative and up to date."
"Really fantastic book for people who are visiting Costa Rica."
"very informative and halpful."
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Best Central American Travel

Lonely Planet Central America on a shoestring (Travel Guide)
Color maps and images throughout Highlights and itineraries help you tailor your trip to your personal needs and interests Insider tips to save time and money and get around like a local, avoiding crowds and trouble spots Essential info at your fingertips - hours of operation, phone numbers, websites, transit tips, prices Budget-oriented recommendations with honest reviews - eating, sleeping, sight-seeing, going out, shopping, hidden gems that most guidebooks miss Cultural insights give you a richer, more rewarding travel experience - history, music, cuisine, sports, wildlife, environment, architecture, literature, cinema, current events Over 90 maps Covers Mexico's Yucatán & Chiapas, Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama and more. Downloadable PDF and offline maps prevent roaming and data charges Effortlessly navigate and jump between maps and reviews Add notes to personalise your guidebook experience Seamlessly flip between pages Bookmarks and speedy search capabilities get you to key pages in a flash Embedded links to recommendations' websites Zoom-in maps and images Inbuilt dictionary for quick referencing. Source: Nielsen BookScan.
Reviews
"Call me crazy...but I feel like a book with "on a shoestring" in the title should really spend more time reviewing budget accommodations and skip the expensive hotels."
"Great book with tons of great information."
"Came sooner than expected and the book is great."
"Those who like to include off-the-beaten path travel, should consult Lonely Planet’s individual country books for gems that are even better than the easily-gotten-to sites."
"Really a god guide!"
"There should be separate (thin) books for each Central American country to spare single-country visitors from lugging such a thick volume; the country-specific e-chapters are a poor alternative due to careless layout and, in El Salvador, spotty Internet access."
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Best Mexican Travel

Practice Makes Perfect: Complete Spanish Grammar, Premium Third Edition
This new edition includes: Time-saving vocabulary panels that eliminate having to look words up Advice on how to avoid common mistakes A detailed answer key for quick, easy progress checks Supporting audio recordings, flashcards, and auto-fill glossary available online and via app. Gilda Nissenberg Ph.D. , is an experienced educator and faculty trainer.
Reviews
"Complete Spanish Grammar is another book in the Practice Makes Perfect series which happens to be a real bargain for the price. For example: - Irregular verbs. - Stem changing verbs. - Ser and estar. - Determining when to use the preterit tense vs. the imperfect tense. - The future and the conditional. - The progressive tenses. - The present perfect and the past perfect. - The future perfect and the conditional perfect. - The passive voice and passive constructions. - Not just the present subjunctive but also the imperfect and the pluperfect subjunctive. - Commands. - Nouns and articles. - Adjectives, adverbs, pronouns and prepositions. - And a lot more. One features that I found helpful about this book is that the author includes verb charts that you can quickly use as a reference. But the two things that I like most about this book are: One, the author gives plenty of advice on how to avoid many of the common mistakes that native English speakers make when speaking Spanish. You can conveniently take it anywhere with you when vacationing in a Spanish speaking country in order to have more than 700 phrases in your Spanish-vocabulary arsenal. The program is geared toward the foreign-language learner who wants to eventually achieve fluency in Spanish instead of someone who just wants to learn a few travel phrases. Compared to the other programs that I have used, this one does the best job at teaching you how to develop an authentic sounding Latin American Spanish accent."
"The author easily explains the rudiments of grammar--starting with verb tenses-- while offering many challenging exercises with answer keys in the back."
"Great resource for helping with learning or researching self Spanish."
"Very good book, very helpful."
"I have been teaching high school Spanish for 29 years and these workbooks are great supplements to my textbook!"
"For one thing, she uses vocabulary in the exercises that are nowhere in the book - not in the glossary, not in any of the other exercises, nor in any of the vocabulary boxes that appear on some pages."
"Just in chapter 1, the verbs shown in tables come up so small and faint they are illegible without blowing the font sky-high and rotating the text each time you want to look at one, so easy back reference isn't possible."
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Best South American Travel

Turn Right at Machu Picchu: Rediscovering the Lost City One Step at a Time
While history has recast Bingham as a villain who stole both priceless artifacts and credit for finding the great archeological site, Mark Adams set out to retrace the explorer’s perilous path in search of the truth—except he’d written about adventure far more than he’d actually lived it. “[An] engaging and sometimes hilarious book.”— The New York Times Book Review “A serious (and seriously funny) travelogue, a smart and tightly written history, and an investigative report into perhaps the greatest archaeological discovery in the last century.”—NationalGeographic.com. “An engaging, informative guide to all things Inca.”— Entertainment Weekly.
Reviews
"If you are only going to read one book about Machu Picchu before you visit this should be that book."
"Mark Adams' account of his adventure has something for everyone...the middle aged male who shucks the cubicle for adventure, the adventurer who wants an authentic account of exploring the still remote corners of the globe and most...those who have long thought of making the trek to Peru and Machu Picchu."
"I now know going anywhere other than from Cusco to Machu Picchu requires preparedness and awareness to keep from getting into trouble with vicious plants and stupid mistakes that can wreck things in a hurry."
"Having been to Machu Picchu 32 years ago I thoroughly enjoyed reading Mark's account of his travels there."
"If you are a true adventurer, then this is the book for you!"
"I wish that this book had been available before I went to Lima, Cusco and Machu Picchu and other parts of Peru in September and October of 1987."
"Part travelogue, part personal narrative, part history lesson, it read like a novel and I enjoyed the author's humor and turn of phrase."
"I ordered this book on a whim 3 days before a trip to Peru, figuring I ought to learn as much as possible during my short travel opportunity."
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Best Australia & South Pacific Travel

The Dresden Files Collection 1-6 (The Dresden Files Box-Set)
The first six novels featuring Harry Dresden—Chicago’s only professional wizard—are a perfect introduction to the # 1 New York Times bestselling series that Entertainment Weekly describes as “ Buffy the Vampire Slayer starring Philip Marlowe.” STORM FRONT. FOOL MOON. GRAVE PERIL. SUMMER KNIGHT. DEATH MASKS. BLOOD RITES. Praise for the Dresden Files “Think Buffy the Vampire Slayer starring Philip Marlowe.”— Entertainment Weekly “Fans of Laurell K. Hamilton and Tanya Huff will love this series.”— Midwest Book Review “Superlative.”— Publishers Weekly (starred review). “One of the most enjoyable marriages of the fantasy and mystery genres on the shelves.”— Cinescape “Butcher...spins an excellent noirish detective yarn in a well-crafted, supernaturally-charged setting.
Reviews
"This series introduces a very improbable character - a real life professional wizard who practices openly in modern day Chicago!"
"Jim Butcher has managed to layer a world of supernatural fantasy over our own in such a way that makes it very easy for the reader to digest as the fantasy premises are introduced in bit-sized increments throughout the serise, until you realize you've been given an detailed and expansive fantasy world."
"I normally read pure fantasy books, however, I'd seen the failed TV show and like it and the concept of this book, so I gave it a read. Every book in the series are like those books you just don't to put down."
"I love the Dresden Files; I only wish there were more of them as I've read them all more than once!"
"While the books typically follow a somewhat formulaic approach to plot, the ongoing narrative makes up for the predictability of the "several unrelated things trying to kill Harry all really have something to do with each other" schtick."
"Every book is better than the last, pure fun and excitement page after page."
"My only complaint is that it is one large book on my kindle and not broken up individually."
"Charming characters you can gladly cheer, baddies you can lustily boo, and plot twists that make you laugh, gasp, or cry."
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Best African Travel

Lonely Planet Egypt (Travel Guide)
Colour maps and images throughout Highlights and itineraries help you tailor your trip to your personal needs and interests Insider tips to save time and money and get around like a local, avoiding crowds and trouble spots Essential info at your fingertips - hours of operation, phone numbers, websites, transit tips, prices Honest reviews for all budgets - eating, sleeping, sight-seeing, going out, shopping, hidden gems that most guidebooks miss Cultural insights give you a richer, more rewarding travel experience - history, art, literature, cuisine, etiquette, sports, politics, landscapes, wildlife, architecture Over 102 maps Covers Cairo, the Nile Valley, Minya, Luxor, Esna, Siwa Oasis, Western Desert, Alexandria, Suez Canal, Red Sea Coast, Sinai and more. Downloadable PDF and offline maps prevent roaming and data charges Effortlessly navigate and jump between maps and reviews Add notes to personalise your guidebook experience Seamlessly flip between pages Bookmarks and speedy search capabilities get you to key pages in a flash Embedded links to recommendations' websites Zoom-in maps and images Inbuilt dictionary for quick referencing. Anthony Sattin is an award-winning journalist and the author of several acclaimed history and travel books.
Reviews
"Great guidebook for an amazing city."
"excellent composition."
"Excellent guide for the traveler going to Egypt."
"Very accurate and helpful for my trip to Egypt."
"Really good tour book for Egypt."
"Good stuff!"
"This book provided us with very helpful information."
"Great book with lots of detail for anyone planning to take a trip to Egypt."
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Best Canadian Travel

Lonely Planet Banff, Jasper and Glacier National Parks (Travel Guide)
Inside the Lonely Planet Banff, Jasper & Glacier National Parks Travel Guide: Downloadable PDF and offline maps prevent roaming and data charges Effortlessly navigate and jump between maps and reviews Add notes to personalize your guidebook experience Seamlessly flip between pages Bookmarks and speedy search capabilities get you to key pages in a flash Embedded links to recommendations' websites Zoom-in maps and images Inbuilt dictionary for quick referencing.
Reviews
"Buy it with enough time to use it to plan your trip, it has great recommendations for everything!"
"Helped us figure out the key things we should do, weather permitting."
"It's like a pre-walk through the park."
"I found more on the area, using the internet."
"Excellent resource for the Canadian Rockies National Parks."
"Great info on hikes, scenery, food, and everything in general."
"A good book, not quite as useful for me as the Moon book."
"And not just for the hiking trails advice, but also for lodging, eating, and other activity suggestions."
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Best Caribbean Travel

Real Havana: Explore Cuba Like A Local And Save Money
UPDATED 2018 EDITION - With Bonus Trinidad City Guide Real Havana is the #1 selling guide to experiencing the authentic Cuba. The Real Havana guide shows you how to do all that and lots more. This book is not a "tourist guide" . Full Compass Guides are aimed at travelers who want to understand local customs and culture so that they can experience destinations like a local. Unlike regular tourist guides, Full Compass guides are not a list of attractions popular with tourists, and boring restaurant and hotel reviews that are obsolete the moment they are published. With our guides, you get succinct, useful information about the culture, people and geography of your destination so you have the tools and the confidence to explore on your own, experience everything that your destination has to offer, and save money. Our guides are written by experienced travelers who have intimate knowledge of both the location and the culture of the destination. With a Full Compass guide, you will be a knowledgeable explorer, rather than just another flash-happy tourist. One of the things he find most interesting about Cuba is that it has a pervasive entrepreneurial spirit in spite of years of communism To learn more about Mario Rizzi and to follow his blog updates on Havana and Cuba, please visit the website www.BestCubaGuide.com Mario is an avid traveler and his most important goal is to familiarize himself with the culture of a country so that he can explore it like a local would, rather than as a tourist.
Reviews
"Great book, lots of information on local transportation, meals, buildings, money and currency conversion, etc."
"Good read, before I went to Cuba I was tempted to give it 5 stars but then when I was there I realized that the lack of structure made it hard to use for planing."
"Lots of helpful tips as I read it on the plane."
"Very helpful during our trip to Havana."
"I look forward to any other books you write on Cuba."
"This book was recommended ahead of a trip but I ended up using other resources including ViaHero, a startup that provides local insider info on Cuba."
"Great tips, easy read, up to date."
"Probably the most useful travel guide I read for traveling to Havana."
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Best Pictorial Travel

My Holiday in North Korea: The Funniest/Worst Place on Earth
In My Holiday in North Korea: The Funniest/Worst Place on Earth, Wendy shares a glimpse of North Korea as it’s never been seen before. Through poignant, laugh-out-loud essays and 92 never-before-published color photographs of North Korea, Wendy chronicles one of the strangest vacations ever. “A death-defying adventure, filled with despair and tiny pieces of hope, and beautiful ― I wish I was as brave as Wendy.” (James Altucher Bestselling author, entrepreneur, podcaster ). Her intrepid desire to discover the reality behind the stagecraft escorts the reader through My Holiday in North Korea with words and pictures that render this mysterious country both knowable and unknowable, and always fascinating. Simmons’ insightful and funny storytelling evocatively captures the deception, corruption, humor and, ultimately, anguished humanity of a bizarre nation. But more than that, it is Ms. Simmons ease at being a traveler to distant and strange lands that gives this book its unusual insight into what people behind a real iron curtain think, and yes, feel.” (Maria T. Lemmon Novelist, a screenwriter, and the author of Confessions of a So-Called Middle Child, and Making It Up as I go Along ). “Writer and photographer Wendy Simmons shares a personal account of her vacation to one of the most reclusive nations on the planet, North Korea. During her journey she finds herself caught between an international crisis sparked by the release of the Sony Pictures film The Interview and accidentally crashing the ‘wedding’ of a North Korean bride to be.” (Gabriel Sanchez Buzzfeed ).
Reviews
"This book is funny for sure."
"I've always wanted to visit North Korea, though the chances of that ever happening seem increasingly remote given our current global climate."
"This was written from a totally different perspective and was a fascinating look at the degree of brainwashing and propaganda that rules daily life in North Korea."
"Simmons's quips (read: "Driver nearly knocked Fresh Handler over for the girlie [pair of sunglasses]) throughout the book keep the dark subject matter light. I loved it straight through the end and fully felt the writer's pain: "...I could never stop wondering what kind of people my handlers could or would have been had they been born anywhere else."
"I felt like I was reading about Stalinist Russia where the people starved while the leaders lived in incomprehensible corruption and luxury and built obscene monuments to themselves."
"I felt like I was alongside Wendy on her journey navigating the absurdities of visiting North Korea. I recommend this as a great glimpse into the dichotomy that is North Korea and is particularly relevant considering our political climate, leaders on-going twitter wars, and of course nuclear testing."
"humorous, sarcastic voice - it's a quick read and a page turner because the tale she tells is of a very stange, oppressive, sad and disturbing culture."
"North Korea is definitely not a place I ever plan on visiting!"
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Best Specialty Travel

Wild (Oprah's Book Club 2.0 Digital Edition): From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail
Oprah’s Book Club 2.0 selection: This special eBook edition of Cheryl Strayed’s national best seller, Wild ,features exclusive content, including Oprah’s personal notes highlighted within the text, and a reading group guide. Amazon Best Books of the Month, March 2012: At age 26, following the death of her mother, divorce, and a run of reckless behavior, Cheryl Strayed found herself alone near the foot of the Pacific Crest Trail--inexperienced, over-equipped, and desperate to reclaim her life. While readers looking for adventure or a naturalist's perspective may be distracted by the emotional odyssey at the core of the story, Wild vividly describes the grueling life of the long-distance hiker, the ubiquitous perils of the PCT, and its peculiar community of wanderers. But Strayed doesn't want sympathy, and her confident prose stands on its own, deftly pulling both threads into a story that inhabits a unique riparian zone between wilderness tale and personal-redemption memoir. Two months before Wild was published I stood on a Mexican beach at sunset with my family assisting dozens of baby turtles on their stumbling journey across the sand, then watching as they disappeared into the sea. Echoing the ever-popular search for wilderness salvation by Chris McCandless (Back to the Wild, 2011) and every other modern-day disciple of Thoreau, Strayed tells the story of her emotional devastation after the death of her mother and the weeks she spent hiking the 1,100-mile Pacific Crest Trail. As her family, marriage, and sanity go to pieces, Strayed drifts into spontaneous encounters with other men, to the consternation of her confused husband, and eventually hits rock bottom while shooting up heroin with a new boyfriend. Woefully unprepared (she fails to read about the trail, buy boots that fit, or pack practically), she relies on the kindness and assistance of those she meets along the way, much as McCandless did.
Reviews
"Although I did not hike the PCT I did backpack in Yosemite."
"Cheryl Strayed's memoir of an 1100 miles trek on the Pacific Crest trail is an astonishing story of a spectacular and breathtaking adventure of coming to terms with grief and survival during a difficult trek through snow_clad mountains and thick forests for two months beginning in the Mojave desert and hiking through California and Oregon to the Bridge of Gods in Washington."
"This book is not for everyone, you either seem to love it or hate it, but I loved it."
"The author tells her personal story which includes a lot of her flaws and mistakes. I'm grateful for the author's willingness to share this with enough detail to make the reader understand her state of mind and her experience of events."
"Having hiked, during my long life, on four continents, along trails of varying degrees of intensity, I empathised with every painful step this young, intelligent and courageous woman endured on the extremely challenging Pacific Crest Hiking Trail on the North American continent."
"But this book is really less about the PCT and more about the emotional journey which apparently was a good deal more strenuous than the trail. This book documents with chilling honesty the route she took emotionally to deal with that upbringing."
"I am an experienced hiker and Cheryl Strayed was an outdoor person but not a hiker of the type who usually attempts an extreme hike. Her writing is so good that I could envision each part of the trail as she hiked along the PCT."
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Best United States Travel

Walden on Wheels: On the Open Road from Debt to Freedom
Inspired by the frugality and philosophy of Henry David Thoreau, Ilgunas undertook a 3-year transcontinental jour¬ney, working in Alaska as a tour guide, garbage picker, and night cook to pay off his student loans before hitchhiking home to New York. For recent University of Buffalo liberal-arts graduate Ilgunas, however, the sight of $32,000 printed in black and white on a Sallie Mae loan statement yielded a life-changing epiphany. Instead of remaining shackled to his low-wage job at a Niagara Falls Home Depot and rooming with his parents to better whittle away his debt, Ilgunas struck off to remote Coldfoot, Alaska, to get a taste of wilderness living while working as a cook and sometime nature guide. Many years, odd jobs, and escapades later, including hitchhiking across the U.S., paddling a canoe as a “voyageur” across Northern Canada, and joining a cleanup crew in Katrina-ravaged rural Mississippi, Ilgunas was finally debt-free. Inspired by Thoreau’s example of low-impact living, and determined to minimize housing expenses to avoid another mountain of debt, Ilgunas spent the last of his savings on a used vehicle he variously dubs the titular “Walden on wheels” or “a creepy red van.” Replete with colorful anecdotes and disarming wit, Ilgunas’ account is both a goad for chronic debtors and an irresistibly engrossing true-life adventure tale. --Carl Hays " Walden on Wheels [is] a remarkable memoir that manages to stay light on its feet while saying a great deal about the state of modern American society. "Replete with colorful anecdotes and disarming wit, Ilgunas’ account is both a goad for chronic debtors and an irresistibly engrossing true-life adventure tale." " Walden on Wheels , a remarkable memoir that manages to stay light on its feet while saying a great deal about the state of modern American society. Thoughtful and well-crafted, [and] inspiring to read, Walden on Wheels , reminds one that life is made up of the little things, the experiences gained, the adventures survived, rather than the consumables acquired." "Wrapped in a powerfully told, often self-deprecating travel memoir, Walden on Wheels delivers important, even life-changing, insights into navigating your way to a saner life in a sometimes insane, debt-driven, consumer culture." "Among many other delights, Ken Ilgunas offers a fresh, provocative perspective on the student debt debate in his rollicking coming-of-age memoir—a funny and inspirational debut."
Reviews
"A really interesting read."
"I think I can relate to him."
"And it lead him to experience hardship, hard work under difficult circumstances such as cold, wet, long hours in no mans land. He met many different kinds of people as he worked and traveled across country hitch hiking."
"The writing was excellent and very witty and the echoes of Thoreau's Walden were subtle but unmistakeable, including the charts of what he spent on living in the van and the frequent romantic descriptions of nature that at times seemed just a tad over the top."
"This writer has much to say and I predict a great literary future."
"It's inspirational that the author dug himself out of debt in such a unique manner, but a lot of the challenges faced doing it had to be tough including weather conditions, eating and cleaning conditions, safety and security - even moreso than the author had room to document."
"Ken is a very interesting and down-to-earth writer who can really empathize with the adventurous millennial who graduated from university and can't stand being a slave to student loan debt."
"Thank you, Ken, for writing about your adventures."
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Best European Travel

Lonely Planet Italy (Travel Guide)
Take in a gondolier's sweet song while gliding past Venetian palaces, sample olives and wines as you traverse Tuscany's storybook hills, or be humbled amid thousands of years of Roman history and art; all with your trusted travel companion. Full-colour maps and images throughout Highlights and itineraries help you tailor your trip to your personal needs and interests Insider tips to save time and money and get around like a local, avoiding crowds and trouble spots Essential info at your fingertips - hours of operation, phone numbers, websites, transit tips, prices Honest reviews for all budgets - eating, sleeping, sight-seeing, going out, shopping, hidden gems that most guidebooks miss Cultural insights give you a richer, more rewarding travel experience - including history, art, literature, cinema, music, architecture, politics, cuisine, wine, customs Free, convenient pull-out Rome map (included in print version), plus over 137 colour maps Covers Rome, Turin, Piedmont, the Italian Riviera, Milan, the Lakes, Dolomites, Venice, Emilia-Romagna, Florence, Tuscany, Umbria, Abruzzo, Naples, Campania, Puglia, Sicily, Sardinia and more. Lonely Planet covers must-see spots but also enables curious travellers to get off beaten paths to understand more of the culture of the places in which they find themselves. Garwood has a history degree from York University.
Reviews
"Excellent preparation for my trip touring Italy."
"After reading the first 30 pages on my iPad, it is frustrating to see that some images are missing and format of the pages is "glitched"."
"The perfect book for a visit to Italy."
"I was traveling mostly off the beaten path and I should have known that this is much more tailored to the sheer volumes of touristy (and amazing) places to see."
"Lonely Planet books are the best!"
"This book was completely disorganized and so hard to follow."
"Ordered in error."
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Best Middle Eastern Travel

Kabul Beauty School: An American Woman Goes Behind the Veil
Yet within the small haven of the beauty school, the line between teacher and student quickly blurred as these vibrant women shared with Rodriguez their stories and their hearts: the newlywed who faked her virginity on her wedding night, the twelve-year-old bride sold into marriage to pay her family’s debts, the Taliban member’s wife who pursued her training despite her husband’s constant beatings. Kabul Beauty School is a remarkable tale of an extraordinary community of women who come together and learn the arts of perms, friendship, and freedom. Rodriguez went to Afghanistan in 2002, just after the fall of the Taliban, volunteering as a nurse's aide, but soon found that her skills as a trained hairdresser were far more in demand, both for the Western workers and, as word got out, Afghans. Rodriguez was entranced with the delightful personalities that emerged when her students removed their burqas behind closed doors, but her book is also a tale of empowerment–both for her and the women. Rodriguez's experiences will delight readers as she recounts such tales as two friends acting as parents and negotiating a dowry for her marriage to an Afghan man or her students puzzling over a donation of a carton of thongs. Most of all, they will share her admiration for Afghan women's survival and triumph in chaotic times.– Pat Bangs, Fairfax County Public Library, VA Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Reviews
"Deep cultural beliefs and practices do have potential for evolution but they won’t be moved by brute force, rather by millions of small souls doing amazing things like sharing themselves in a loving way and giving others hope and knowledge to rise above their situations."
"Her story evolving with great insights of life in Kabul, especially the way woman live and what was perhaps even more interesting, is how Debbie managed to set up a great school, driven by her passion, while being sooooo emotional."
"As she teaches these brave women, she learns about the culture, the people and the beauty of that intriguing country."
"I could not put this book down."
"I was very intrigued with her level of committment to bring employment to women of Afghanistan."
"It also gave me a new. appreciation as a citizen of the United States!"
"I couldn't do what Debbie did."
"WHAT A WONDERFUL STORY THAT GIVES A INTERESTING VIEW OF THE LIFE OF WOMEN AND LIFE IN GENERAL OF WAR TORN KABUL."
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Best Asian Travel

Eat Pray Love 10th-Anniversary Edition: One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia
The 10th anniversary edition of one of the most iconic, beloved, and bestselling books of our time. Sustaining a chatty, conspiratorial tone, Gilbert fully engages readers in the year's cultural and emotional tapestry - conveying rapture with infectious brio, recalling anguish with touching candor - as she details her exotic tableau with history, anecdote and impression. Three years later, after a protracted divorce, she embarked on a yearlong trip of recovery, with three main stops: Rome, for pleasure (mostly gustatory, with a special emphasis on gelato); an ashram outside of Mumbai, for spiritual searching; and Bali, for "balancing."
Reviews
"This book (somehow memoir doesn't seem to do justice to what Gilbert has produced) will make you silent in realizing profound and great wisdom before making you blurt sudden laughter upon reading the very next page."
"It motivated me to make my own trip and enjoy life and I liked that."
"This is an uplifting story of a woman who puts hectic life on hold, and allows herself to heal after a difficult divorce."
"I ordered this book since I read the book "Eat, Pray, Love" when it was first published (2007), and I was curious to see how other readers were positively influenced by this book (and see if any of the stories were similar to my reactions)."
"This is an inspirational book that will show you spiritual truths through the authors personal journey."
"Great quality and arrived fast!"
"A shortened version of this book would have been sufficient, but it is awesome to read how impactful Gilbenrt's book has been on a myriad of diverse lives."
"Somehow the massive popularity of this book made me think I wouldn't like it as much."
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Best Polar Regions Travel

Annapurna: The First Conquest of an 8,000-Meter Peak
One of Sports Illustrated ’s Top 100 Sports Books of All Time: A gripping firsthand account of one of the most daring climbing expeditions in history. “Those who have never seen the Himalayas, those who never care to risk an assault, will know when they finish this book that they have been a companion of greatness.” — TheNew York Times Book Review “The most influential mountaineering book of all time.” — National Geographic Adventure.
Reviews
"The book became long and wordy in places but these were no doubt hardy, tough and smart men, with courage to spare."
"This book was fascinating."
"This book is a good glimpse of all the stuff that can go wrong, and how a self-reportedly conservative risk-taker nearly got his entire team killed, and lost major chunks of his body in the process."
"I thought it was a good read full of insights about the mentality of adventurers and mountaineers."
"Also, the extensive use of Sherpas and others natives hired to carry equipment make one realize what a monumental task this was in 1950."
"It was not as "gripping" as "Into Thin Air", but had its own sense of adventure, along with all of the risks involved, especially at that early time in mountaineering in the Himalayas."
"This was an amazing story of unbelievable courage under very difficult conditions."
"A vibrant, visual and interesting story of the hardships while climbing Annapurna."
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Best Travel Reference

Lonely Planet New Zealand (Travel Guide)
Experience Maori culture, be wowed by beautiful glaciers or hike through gorgeous scenery; all with your trusted travel companion. Colour maps and images throughout Highlights and itineraries help you tailor your trip to your personal needs and interests Insider tips to save time and money and get around like a local, avoiding crowds and trouble spots Essential info at your fingertips - hours of operation, phone numbers, websites, transit tips, prices Honest reviews for all budgets - eating, sleeping, sight-seeing, going out, shopping, hidden gems that most guidebooks miss Cultural insights give you a richer, more rewarding travel experience - Maori culture, history, cuisine, arts, music, landscape, wildlife Free, convenient pull-out touring map (included in print version), plus over 90 maps Covers Auckland, Bay of Islands, Coromandel Peninsula, Central Plateau, Rotorua, East Coast, Wellington, Marlborough, West Coast, Christchurch, Dunedin, Queenstown, Fiordland, Southland and more. Downloadable PDF and offline maps prevent roaming and data charges Effortlessly navigate and jump between maps and reviews Add notes to personalise your guidebook experience Seamlessly flip between pages Bookmarks and speedy search capabilities get you to key pages in a flash Embedded links to recommendations' websites Zoom-in maps and images Inbuilt dictionary for quick referencing.
Reviews
"This book was the end-all-be-all for references and recommendations in New Zealand."
"Very informative, with up to date information and good recommendations on activities, restaurants, etc."
"Incredibly helpful in planning my trip to New Zealand."
"Provides most of the necessary information."
"We stuck mostly to the book and had an amazing trip."
"Informative and easy to use and enjoy."
"For trip planning, background history, information about the country and important travel tips to know it is great."
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Best Travel Writing

Walden on Wheels: On the Open Road from Debt to Freedom
Inspired by the frugality and philosophy of Henry David Thoreau, Ilgunas undertook a 3-year transcontinental jour¬ney, working in Alaska as a tour guide, garbage picker, and night cook to pay off his student loans before hitchhiking home to New York. For recent University of Buffalo liberal-arts graduate Ilgunas, however, the sight of $32,000 printed in black and white on a Sallie Mae loan statement yielded a life-changing epiphany. Instead of remaining shackled to his low-wage job at a Niagara Falls Home Depot and rooming with his parents to better whittle away his debt, Ilgunas struck off to remote Coldfoot, Alaska, to get a taste of wilderness living while working as a cook and sometime nature guide. Many years, odd jobs, and escapades later, including hitchhiking across the U.S., paddling a canoe as a “voyageur” across Northern Canada, and joining a cleanup crew in Katrina-ravaged rural Mississippi, Ilgunas was finally debt-free. Inspired by Thoreau’s example of low-impact living, and determined to minimize housing expenses to avoid another mountain of debt, Ilgunas spent the last of his savings on a used vehicle he variously dubs the titular “Walden on wheels” or “a creepy red van.” Replete with colorful anecdotes and disarming wit, Ilgunas’ account is both a goad for chronic debtors and an irresistibly engrossing true-life adventure tale. --Carl Hays " Walden on Wheels [is] a remarkable memoir that manages to stay light on its feet while saying a great deal about the state of modern American society. "Replete with colorful anecdotes and disarming wit, Ilgunas’ account is both a goad for chronic debtors and an irresistibly engrossing true-life adventure tale." " Walden on Wheels , a remarkable memoir that manages to stay light on its feet while saying a great deal about the state of modern American society. Thoughtful and well-crafted, [and] inspiring to read, Walden on Wheels , reminds one that life is made up of the little things, the experiences gained, the adventures survived, rather than the consumables acquired." "Wrapped in a powerfully told, often self-deprecating travel memoir, Walden on Wheels delivers important, even life-changing, insights into navigating your way to a saner life in a sometimes insane, debt-driven, consumer culture." "Among many other delights, Ken Ilgunas offers a fresh, provocative perspective on the student debt debate in his rollicking coming-of-age memoir—a funny and inspirational debut."
Reviews
"A really interesting read."
"I think I can relate to him."
"And it lead him to experience hardship, hard work under difficult circumstances such as cold, wet, long hours in no mans land. He met many different kinds of people as he worked and traveled across country hitch hiking."
"The writing was excellent and very witty and the echoes of Thoreau's Walden were subtle but unmistakeable, including the charts of what he spent on living in the van and the frequent romantic descriptions of nature that at times seemed just a tad over the top."
"This writer has much to say and I predict a great literary future."
"It's inspirational that the author dug himself out of debt in such a unique manner, but a lot of the challenges faced doing it had to be tough including weather conditions, eating and cleaning conditions, safety and security - even moreso than the author had room to document."
"Ken is a very interesting and down-to-earth writer who can really empathize with the adventurous millennial who graduated from university and can't stand being a slave to student loan debt."
"Thank you, Ken, for writing about your adventures."
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Best Food, Lodging & Transportation

Dear Bob and Sue
Dear Bob and Sue is the story of our (Matt and Karen Smith) journey to all 59 U.S. National Parks. Still, another quotes Karen as saying that men who use a laptop while it sits directly on their lap expose themselves to the risk of “cooking their testicles.” For the sake of full disclosure, Karen’s testicle comment offends Matt as well. We also talk about drinking beer and eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Matt and Karen have been married for over 34 years and live in the Seattle, Washington area.
Reviews
"I loved this book!"
"St. Helens, the Columbia River Gorge, the Oregon Coast, Redwood National & State Parks, and Great Basin National Park. I laughed so hard, I had tears in my eyes as I would read aloud excerpts to my husband."
"I loved this account of Matt and Karen's national park adventures."
"I really enjoyed this book ..."
"You not only learn about visiting all our National Parks but meet Karen and Matt and laugh and agonize along with them as they travel."
"While hiking the national parks has never been a goal of mine (though I'd happily watch someone else do it on TV :-), I had a great time reading this book."
"The emphasis upon alcohol consumption and even getting drunk, was puzzling because it - and the childish behavior in hotels, restaurants, out in the parks - conflicted with the authors' claim that they are middle aged adults who have raised a family and are turning 50. I kept reading beyond the point of finding the book somewhat repetitive, and rather annoying in the way that the couple began racing to parks just long enough to get the park stamp, take a quick hike, then mark that park "done" because I wanted to read about their experiences in two of my favorite parks: Acadia National Park in Maine and Badlands in South Dakota. The project was a worthy one but it occurred to me that it was a race, not a journey, done just to turn out a book, or to travel and be able to deduct the cost on their taxes. (I'm thinking I might be wrong about that, but the book gives one that impression: that it's all about getting the passports stamped and to be able to say they did it.)."
"There are a lot of honest and funny descriptions of those kinds of irritations one has to endure when they spend so much time together. The idea that thousands of people are reading about how it seems to be ok to touch things and otherwise think the rules are there for other people is pretty much my last straw."
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