Your Trip Starts Here by Lonely Planet

This is a travel guide like no other. The subtitle states that the book is for Journeys of self-discovery: how travel helps us grow indicating that there is a bigger purpose to travel than merely sightseeing. It's hefty thing, a large format hardback and not something you would easily throw in your backpack. That is not its purpose.

The book is organised by geographical chapters of the continents but also has journey themes. These include Culture, trips that look at the Mexican Day of the Dead, Australia's Lurujarri Heritage Trail and Pilgrimage trails, for example. Sport picks out the best places for canoeing, cycling and rafting; Wildlife & Nature focuses on the best journeys in Africa, Borneo and the Galapagos Islands; and my favourite, History, which retraces significant Celtic journeys, D-Day sites in France and Jewish Warsaw, in Poland.

It's all about discovering new places and expanding the mind: ultimately, self-discovery. Each entry suggests how the journey might change the traveller by using symbols such as a heart, book or hands indicating emotional or spiritual growth, knowledge, and physical skills or experience. The journeys are personal and sincere.

Everything is well written by a knowledgeable team backed by beautiful, full colour photography. Even the cover is creatively embossed. A book to immerse into, absorb over time. This is a stunning book that will stay with the reader for a very long time.

---

Published by Lonely Planet on 29 September 2023.
​Advance review copy supplied by the publisher.

Buy from Amazon

​The Global Shelf​