I found this book while browsing my library's online directory and it sounded similar to a previous lonely planet book that I have recently read. This sounded like less of a gap-year book and more of a 'big trip' book which is exactly what I have been looking for. Unfortunately, at the time it was out on loan so I had to reserve it and wait patiently for the reservation email to arrive. The edition I read was the 2nd edition which was published in 2011 so the information was quite up to date.

The book starts off with the usual planning information regarding visas, flight booking, medical care etc. There was nothing really new here but it did include some useful tables when comparing the different round the world (RTW) tickets available on the market. It also goes into some detail about how adding certain destinations into your itinerary can really bump up the costs of your RTW ticket. The best part of the book, for me at least is the large section dedicated to destinations to consider and some of the routes through these regions. This starts with a RTW trip and then goes on to include all the major regions of the world. Each region has 4 or 5 suggested route variations along with stopping points along the way and details of places to visit while there. The best thing about these route suggestions is that there is a lot of variation so every traveller should find something to suit.

These regional sections contain a lot of information ranging from suggested reading, basic costs, highlights, activities, festivals, nature, nightlife, courses, working and any possible issues you may face. Also inserted into these sections are little travel tales from people who have done these journeys in the past. The writing throughout is informative but very lighthearted which makes the book easy to read. ( )

Depressing ( )