Book Review - Insight Guides to Cruising and Cruise Ships by Douglas Ward

Thinking about taking a cruise? Perhaps you're new to cruising? Or maybe just deciding on your next ship? This is an excellent guide for understanding cruising and getting high-level insights to all the cruise lines and the ships that are available in 2025 (when this book was published).

If you're new to cruising, start with the Introduction section which gives a nice overview of what cruising is and some good first cruise experiences. Plus some what to expect type things.

The "Cruising Uncovered" chapters has lot of great advice, tips and question-answer type nuggets. Considering using a travel agent? There's a nice list of 6 questions to ask a travel agent. Considering travel insurance, check out the "7 Tips to Get the Best Travel Insurance" side bar. Be sure to read the "5 Rip-Offs to Watch Out For" so you don't end up having a huge bill at the end of your vacation. "7 Money-Saving Tips" has some useful tips when booking. If you want to keep your trip under budget, check out "10 Things Not Included in 'All-Inclusive'" so you can avoid spending too much extra on these experiences or activities.

If you're a history buff, there's a chapter on "The Chronology of Cruising" which has a lot of interesting information.

The next section, "Choose The Right Cruise" offers suggestions based on destination and/or ships. Choose Your Ship discusses the different sizes and classes and advantages/disadvantages. I like the side-bar "10 Cabin Locations to Avoid". Sometimes, if you book too late, you really can't avoid these options.

"Types of Cruising" section has lots of good chapters - "Cruising for Families", "Cruising for Solo Travelers", "Cruising for Seniors", "Cruising to Suit Travelers with Additional Needs", "Expedition Cruising Uncovered", and more. Lots of good tips and information on all these different segments.

"The Cruise Experience" section talks about Life Aboard the cruise ship, Entertainment, Excursions, Casinos, Spas and Wellness, and more. A lot of ships charge extra for these experiences (see the "10 Things Not Included in All-Inclusive" mentioned earlier.

Now, "The Cruise Companies" talks about the Major and Smaller Cruise Lines in brief.

"Practical Information" is great. You can find the useful "What To Do If" chapter with question and answers that almost everyone will ask at some point. And a chapter on "Cruising and Safety" which I hope none of us will ever need.

"The Ships and Their Ratings" comes next. You can find almost every cruise line and a selection of their ships listed there with points on Ship, Accommodation, Food, Service, Entertainment, and Cruise Experience as well as information about the ships themselves.

Overall a great book to borrow from your local library to get an intro into cruising and to narrow down some possible trips/ships to take.

Title: Insight Guides Cruising & Cruise Ships 2025: Cruise Guide eBook
Author: Douglas Ward
ISBN: 978-1839054259
Pages: 408

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Book Review - You Are Here: Around the World in 92 Minutes by Chris Hadfield

If you are a fan of satellite what-is-this type photographs, you will love this book. Astronaut Chris Hadfield put together this book based on photographs he had taken from space. Chris has a good sense of humor and the book is well written. I really enjoyed the introduction he wrote.

The book is divided out by location - Africa, Europe, Asia, Oceania, North America, and South America. The end of the book has a handy photo location map.

Many of the photos are thought-provoking such as the border between Mexico and the US or different times of day in Manhattan (9:23am vs 3:45am). Some photos feature interesting landscapes or natural damage (such as the San Andres Fault). You will see punctuation marks. Photos that look like constellations in the sky. Different views of ice or snow in cold climates.

Overall this is a great book to leave on the coffee table for all to enjoy.

Title: You Are Here: Around the World in 92 Minutes: Photographs from the International Space Station
Author: Chris Hadfield
ISBN: 978-0316379649
Pages: 208

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Book Review - Lonely Planet - The Big Trip

When I first found this book I was just looking for some overseas tips like obtaining visas, exchanging currencies, transportation, etc. Even though the subtitle suggestions gap years and long term travel plans, this book is so packed full of tips and ideas that anyone who travels will find it useful.

Pages 8-17 feature full-color photographs of some exciting and bucket-list experiences.

Part One focuses on "Travel Smarts" such as the things I was originally looking for - passports, visas, money and costs, health and safety, packing, getting to these destinations, getting around, and what to do when you return home.

Part Two offers interesting ideas on travelling solo, with partners or family, with kids, etc. And then transportation tips and accommodation tips. Then, if you do plan to stay in a location for more than a brief vacation, finding jobs or ways of making money. Or, more unconventionally, finding volunteer work to learn more about the culture and people of the places you are visiting. Followed by some educational opportunities.

Part Three is the fun part - where to go? Get suggestions for a whole round-the-world adventure or focus on one of the continents. Or, even if you don't plan to leave your location, find new things to explore in your home country. Each location section consists of getting there and around, points of interest, festivals, health and safety, websites and books for research, prices, itinerary maps, and so much more.

Part Four at the end of the book has directory listings of websites that were mentioned throughout the book in a convenient pull-out section.

This book was published in 2019 so be sure to verify information before setting out. But, overall, definitely a keeper guide to add to the collection.

Title: The Big Trip (Lonely Planet)
Author: Lonley Planet Authors
ISBN: 978-1788681292
Pages: 352

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Book Review - Lonely Planet Epic Drives of the World

If you ever wander around the travel section of your local library or the bookstore there is a small section on road trips and awe-inspiring drives. That's how I came upon this big book of drives around the world.

For those of us who enjoy road trips and admiring views from the window of a vehicle, this is a great guide. The book covers six continents with bucket list routes such as Crossing the Kalahari (in Botswana - which is also on my bucket list for safaris), The Pacific Coast Highway, India's road from Srinagar to Manali, the Black Forest High Road of Germany, and more. Beautiful photography. Well written and clear. The only negative is that it was published in 2017 so some of the data might need updates (always check ahead before starting your journey to be sure areas are still accessible).

Title: Lonely Planet Epic Drives of the World
Author: Lonely Planet
ISBN: 978-1786578648
Pages: 328

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Book Review - The Bucket List Wild (1000 Adventures Big and Small: Animals, Birds, Fish and Nature)

If you've ever gone into your local library and seen someone just wandering around, checking out the reshelving carts or checking out the end caps of the book aisles, then it was probably me because I love to "chance upon" interesting books. And this one here is no exception. I found it randomly while searching for more atlas-type books.

Basically, this book lists out over a thousand places or experiences related to "the wild" such as animal spottings, habitats, geological formations, and more. It can provide some interesting trips or just give you new knowledge on why animals behave as they do.

The book is broken out by geographic regions and then lists the unique experiences that can be found in those locations. In addition to tourist experiences, there are also suggestions on what we can do to preserve and protect these phenomenon or even how to join conservation type travel.

And even if you don't plan to do any major travelling, I found the pictures and education to be enjoyable.

With most books, always verify current conditions and travelability on a location before making plans to visit.

Title: The Bucket List: Wild: 1000 Adventures Big and Small: Animals, Birds, Fish, Nature
Author: Kath Stathers
ISBN: 978-0-7893-3445-9

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Book Review - Lonely Planet's The World's Great Wonders

Whenever I visit my local library, I always end up wandering the aisles and browsing the returns carts for interesting books that just "pop out". And that's how I found this fascinating book. It's a little bit older, published in 2014, but the information as a whole is still relevant. For more specific details about places, I would further research before heading out. Covid has negatively affected a lot of places/tours so research first.

This book deep-dives into 50 of the world's greatest wonders such as the Taj Mahal, the Great Pyramids of Giza, and even the Aurora Borealis with details about how the wonder was created or formed, suggestions on getting there, and things to do while you're there. Lots of full-color photographs and diagrams. Tons of facts. Overall, a really great book for both travelers and researchers.

Title: The World's Great Wonders: How They Were Made & Why They Are Amazing
Author: Lonely Planet
ISBN: 978-1-74321-430-5

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Book Review - The Best Places for Everything by Peter Greenberg

While I was browsing through the Travel section at my local library, I wandered further up the aisle and I found this large volume of inspiration by well-known travel author and television travel show host, Peter Greenberg. The book is a bit outdated (published in 2012) but many of the places are still operating. Always be sure to check ahead of visiting for operating hours, fees, entry restrictions/timed tickets, etc.

So basically this book is a guide to some of the "best" locations for different categories (like Best Beer) based on Peter Greenberg's extensive travel experiences. Listings include both domestic spots and international spots. Also, there are suggestions for finding deals and callouts for interesting related things to do/try.

Here are a few categories you can find in this book: Outdoor Adventures (including Bird-Watching, Fall Foliage, Zip-lining, Whitewater Rafting, etc), Great Foods and Drinks of the World (Chocolate!), Educational Travel (Digging for Fossils, Literary Travel, etc), Shopping (like Specialty Shopping and Street Markets), and so much more.

Title: The Best Places for Everything: The Ultimate Insider's Guide to the Greatest Experiences Around the World
Author: Peter Greenberg
ISBN: 978-1-60961-829-2

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