Guest Author - Ann Carroll Burgess
You’ve been to Magen’s Bay. You’ve surfed Bondi Beach. Cruised the Amazon and maybe even spent a season in the Greek Islands. But have you really done it all? If you’re looking for more. More of the same or more ideas, then you want to run and get your hands on “Off the Tourist Trail.”
This beautiful tome is packed full of ideas that probably have not crossed your vacation radar screen, but they should. You’ll find alternative suggestions for some of your favorite spots. Best of all, if you hurry, you might reach them before they do become another well worn spot in the tourist trail.
The photography is lush and the writing is lively, and the information is solid. This is a perfect addition to a serious traveller’s library. “Off the Tourist Trail” is published by DK.
Volunteer Vacations from Chicago Review Press will lead you down paths you may not have considered. A working vacation may seem like an oxymoron but the results you achieve are priceless. This compendium of volunteer opportunities provides suggestions on everything from building hiking trails to counting fish on a coral reef, teaching young children in Third World countries to mapping rock art in South Africa.
The information is very thorough and straightforward in its presentation. It doesn’t attempt to glamorize any volunteer opportunities and presents both positive and negative in balanced proportion. This is more than just a starting point on learning how to volunteer this is a treasure map to enhancing your life.
Looking for something a little off beat? How about spending your night in a “Bed in a Tree” or maybe a castle, a giant pineapple or the throat of a troll? Author Bettina Kowaleski has compiled an amazing collection of truly different accommodations for bold, and not so bold, travelers. My favorite was the giant suitcase. If you’ve ever felt as if you were living out of a suitcase this is your chance to live in one. This book would make a terrific gift for your traveling friends and relatives in search of the unusual. Another beautiful book from DK.
Clean Breaks is designed for the traveler with a conscious and those seeking to improve their own green profile. But don’t think its only for those who find it easy being green. This book is a gentle nudge in the direction of having it all and not harming the planet. The book contains ideas for every continent and some very practical solutions – how to houseswap, homesitting and even explaining the whole business of carbon offsets in terms you can understand. Think its all yurts and compost toilets? There are even suggestions for New York City! Thanks, Rough Guides!
There you go! Breathtakingly beautiful books to give as presents to good friends, who just may let you borrow them.
