Professor Howard J. Wiarda, a leading academic expert on foreign policy, comparative politics, and international affairs, is the author of more than eighty books. Wiarda has traveled to many of the world's most troubled and exciting places. Now, in the more personal accounts of his global travels, he recalls his foreign research adventures, the countries visited, and the people he met and interviewed along the way. Wiarda's new four-volume set, Exploring the World: Adventures of a Global Traveler, details his travels and foreign adventures since 2006. In these travel books, he tells the stories that lie behind the research, offers his impressions of the countries and regions he has explored, and considers how and why some have been successful and others not. Volume I in this new series tells the story of Wiarda's 2010 circumnavigation of the globe. Volume II focuses on Europe and the continued importance of European regionalism-despite the bumper stickers advertising "Europe Whole and Free." Volume III deals with Latin America and questions whether the region is really as democratic as we would like it to be. Volume IV provides Wiarda's analysis of Asia's economic miracles while also recounting his recent visits to the Persian Gulf and his assessment of modernization and development in the Islamic world. Insightful and entertaining, Wiarda's travel narratives offer commentary on important and interesting sites all over the world.

This collection of 50 classic tales of travel and adventure from "National Geographic" magazine traces the growth of the National Geographic Society as it explored the unknown and brought it to readers eager for knowledge of "the world and all that is in it."

In this mix of memoir, guidebook, and travelogue, a married couple documents the year they took off from work and traveled the world together. Wait for me . . . Who knew these three words said to a near stranger would start an international travel adventure? A Year Off is one part memoir, one part travel essays and one part travel guide, documenting the story of Alexandra and David Brown, a couple who decided to take a year off from their jobs and “regular lives” to travel the world together after only knowing each other for four months. Each chapter tackles a different part of the journey, including: -Practical takeaways for how to take the same leap and travel, like tips on budgeting, planning, pacing and adjusting to culture shock -A look into David and Alexandra’s story as they traveled the world together and got to know one another -Colorful memories of their travels, like a dramatic kayak ride in Milford Sound, New Zealand, an emotional evening in India, a life-changing meal in the Loire Valley, France, a hilarious makeover in Romania . . . and many more This inspiring book is for all the dreamers, would-be adventurers and endearingly practical professionals looking to scratch the travel itch. With many gorgeous photographs and actionable travel advice, A Year Off captures all the beauty and magic of the wanderlust spirit, guiding readers on how to take the same leap and showing them just how doable a journey this type of round-the-world travel is. Praise for A Year Off “In A Year Off married couple Alexandra and David Brown chronicle a trip around the world and provide advice for travelers who may want to follow in their footsteps. Filled with personal stories, useful takeaways, beautiful photos and great design, chapters like “Identity Crisis” and “Financial Freak-outs” make it clear that the Browns haven’t airbrushed their story.” —BookPage “Have you ever dreamed of quitting the rat race and taking a year off—and then swiftly jolted back to reality? If so, A Year Off will give you the inspiration and the courage to make it happen in real life.” —The Independent

The first travel book for the sisters!

This annual bestseller ranks the hottest, must-visit countries, regions, cities and best value destinations for 2020. Drawing on the knowledge and passion of Lonely Planet's staff, authors and online community, we present a year's worth of inspiration to take you out of the ordinary and into the unforgettable. As self-confessed travel geeks, we regularly ask ourselves: where are the best places in the world to visit right now? It's a very hotly contested topic at Lonely Planet and generates more discussion than any other. Best in Travel is our definitive answer. We also reveal how well-planned, sustainable travel can be a force for good: for the environment, for local people and for yourself - and include ways to help lower your carbon footprint and protect the areas you visit on your travels. Inside Best in Travel 2020, you'll discover: The top 10 countries, regions, cities and best value destinations The best new openings The best new places to stay The best new food experiences The best sustainable trips for families How to minimise your carbon footprint How to help local communities and businesses How to give back on your travels Hiking for meditation About Lonely Planet: Lonely Planet is a leading travel media company and the world's number one travel guidebook brand, providing both inspiring and trustworthy information for every kind of traveller since 1973. Over the past four decades, we've printed over 145 million guidebooks and grown a dedicated, passionate global community of travellers. You'll also find our content online, on mobile, video and in 14 languages, 12 international magazines, armchair and lifestyle books, ebooks, and more. Important Notice: The digital edition of this book may not contain all of the images found in the physical edition.

These are real-life tales of moms and dads braving the unavoidable struggles of travel--flight delays, lost luggage, middle-of-nowhere engine breakdowns, and middle-of-everyone emotional meltdowns--to share new experiences with their kids. As all of these parents will tell you, traveling with kids is never easy. But the benefits can be invaluable.What could be more important than introducing our children to cultures where families, not so unlike our own, look and live and speak and eat differently than we do. What could be more useful than giving them the tools to deal with the challenges encountered on the road.Taking risks, overcoming challenges, discovering beauty, and opening our minds and hearts. These are the things we hope for each time we pack our bags, load the car, or board a plane. This is why we leave home and head into the unknown. No matter how old we are, each of us wants to be filled with awe and to feel fully alive. And we want to share these experiences with the people we love the most, so that these moments of wonder might live on for years to come.- Travel tips for the age groups 0-3, 4-6, 7-10, 10-13 as well as thirteen and up are laid out in detailed chapters. Also for older children from the ages of eleven to thirteen for example, travel provides an opportunity to deepen a connection, or to reconnect, with a child that might be spending more and more time away from you.- Reif Larsen, author of the novels The Selected Works of T. S. Spivet and I Am Radar, speaks in his essay about rediscovering nature with his children around their home during the current travel restrictions.Family Adventures provides inspiration and guidance for vacations long and short; creating memories that last a lifetime.

For every woman who has ever been called outdoorsy comes a collection of stories that inspires unforgettable adventure. Beautiful, empowering, and exhilarating, She Explores is a spirited celebration of female bravery and courage, and an inspirational companion for any woman who wants to travel the world on her own terms. Combining breathtaking travel photography with compelling personal narratives, She Explores shares the stories of 40 diverse women on unforgettable journeys in nature: women who live out of vans, trucks, and vintage trailers, hiking the wild, cooking meals over campfires, and sleeping under the stars. Women biking through the countryside, embarking on an unknown road trip, or backpacking through the outdoors with their young children in tow. Complementing the narratives are practical tips and advice for women planning their own trips, including: • Preparing for a solo hike • Must-haves for a road-trip kitchen • Planning ahead for unknown territory • Telling your own story A visually stunning and emotionally satisfying collection for any woman craving new landscapes and adventure.

A breathtaking celebration of Instagram's premier solo female travel community, featuring 200 striking photographs—most of them all-new—plus empowering messages and practical tips for solo travelers. “For those with passports full of stories, this book carries you away to every dreamy corner of the earth. I can’t stop flipping through these visually incandescent pages to see where I’m capable of traveling to next!”—Caila Quinn, The Bachelor contestant and lifestyle and travel influencer From backpackers in Peru to artists in Berlin to storytellers in Morocco, Dame Traveler celebrates the diversity and bravery of women from around the world who are not afraid to think (and live) outside the box. The revolutionary Dame Traveler Instagram account was founded by Nastasia Yakoub, who was born into a strict Chaldean-Middle Eastern community where women are expected to marry young and put aside other personal ambitions. But at the age of twenty, Nastasia embarked on a solo trip to South Africa to volunteer at an orphanage in Cape Town, which sparked a love of world travel. Recognizing a void in the travel industry, she founded Dame Traveler, the first female travel community on Instagram, now more than half a million strong. Nastasia herself has traveled to sixty-three countries on solo adventures, sharing colorful photos of her tantalizing travels along the way. Dame Traveler celebrates these women with a photographic collection of 200 stunning images paired with inspiring captions, 80% of which have never been seen on the Instagram account. Organized into sections on architecture, culture, nature, and water, each entry features travel information, plus tips, advice, unique solo-travel experiences, and wisdom from contributing globe-trotters to embolden the next generation of Dame Travelers.

Inspiring true story of a single mum and daughter who traded a conventional life for one lived fully, travelling the world together. What if you followed your heart to a life that made you truly happy? When her daughter Emmie was 6 years old, Evie Farrell left her corporate career, sold or donated almost everything she owned, rented out her house and, hand-in-hand with Emmie, began an epic two-and-a-half-year backpacking adventure that would change their lives forever. Evie farewelled a nasty break-up, long hours in a demanding job, a hefty mortgage and snatched hours with her daughter for a new life lived outside the lines, spending every day with Emmie exploring the world beyond the suburbs. They camped on the Great Wall of China, hung in train doorways in Sri Lanka, swam with mantas in Indonesia, donated much-needed blood in Cambodia, spotted wild orangutans and pygmy elephants in Malaysian Borneo, prayed in Buddhist temples in Taiwan and were chased by monkeys everywhere. In their journey toward happiness and self-acceptance, they learnt more about each other and the beautiful world around them than Evie ever expected. Backyard to Backpack is the inspirational true story that will have you asking yourself, what might be if you took a chance, stepped off the path of expectation and created your own adventure?

"This is the account of twenty-three years of wilderness wandering, sea voyages and overland treks to survey the earth, with no home or possessions other than what fit in my trusty backpack. There was no specific destination in mind except to visit countries, not the airports and luxury hotels but the country itself, to experience local culture and ways of life. This entailed sleeping in tribesmen's huts and cheap hostels and using local transportation whenever possible: traversing jungle roads packed eighteen souls to a single Peugeot station wagon in Guinea-Bissau, boating the length of the Amazon snacking on roasted piranha, and hitchhiking across Iraq during the war. I've floated on dilapidated ferries across surging estuaries, ridden horseback or in military trucks across deserts and plains, followed the course of rivers, crossed wastelands, bused and trekked through deep jungle, traversed mountain ranges and lounged on the remotest beaches. I adopted local customs and ate local food: roasted goat's eye as the guest of honour at a Mongolian tribal feast, alligator nuggets, mystery kabobs, ‘bush meat' ubiquitous to certain regions of Africa ... but drew the line at wheelbarrows brimming over with smoked monkey corpses. A man's got to know his limitations." --Mike Spencer Bown In 1990, Calgary-raised Mike Spencer Bown packed a backpack and began a journey that would eventually take him through each of the world's 195 countries and span more than two decades. From relaxing on the white sand beaches of Bali to waiting out blizzards in Tibetan caves, Bown trekked from country to country, driven by a desire to see the world in the most authentic way possible, not to just collect stamps on his passport. Eventually, he began to earn international recognition for some of his more unconventional destinations--such as a memorable trip to war-torn Mogadishu. The World's Most Travelled Man is an eye-opening account of the universal human experience as seen from each corner of the changing world. Blending a romantic connection to nature through solitude and the social examination of culture, Bown fully immerses himself in each experience, however diverse, dangerous or dirty, veering way, way off the backpacker circuit to see the world through an unparalleled perspective. The World's Most Travelled Man is a journey of global proportions shared with the humility of a man who simply wants to satisfy his own curiosity and live life to the fullest.