1,000 Places to See Before You Die

Best…gift…ever. And, after a decade, it continues to give.

Originally published back in 2003, this book is a treasure and a bucket list resource for insatiable wanderers. Not long after I first peeled the wrapping paper off of it in 2006, I threw my anal retention to the wind and left the itinerary of a celebratory wander entirely up to Patricia Schultz. This was no easy feat for me—and one of my better life decisions. The result was one of my favorite wanders (to Costa Rica and Belize) and the opening up of a whole new part of the world for future travel. Grab this book for yourself AND give it as a gift to that special wanderer in your life. If you are hungry for more—or prefer to stick to U.S. soil—grab 1,000 Places to See show more in the U.S. show less

"As a travel lover, the idea of this list really appealed to me, but in applying it, the book has fallen short. For three years, when I traveled I looked up the places I was going to see what made the list in that spot. The actual recommendations were very disappointing. They mostly focused on insanely expensive accommodations and restaurants. I ended up being able to visit only a few. But somehow I had great trips without these supposed gems, and it seemed to me that many of the great, cheaper things I did see and do should have appeared on the list over a fancy hotel. Yes, a book like this is bound to inspire controversy; any top 10 list will. At least it gets you thinking about your real travel priorities."

Be warned: this book isn't what you might think it is. Rather than a list of things to see on your world tour, half of the entries seem to be devoted to mega-exclusive rich-list hotels. A quote from the entry on Barbados (pp 858-859) should serve as an example: "Sandy Lane is one of the resort world's classiest acts, its houseproud Bajan staff treating every guest with the same degree of service they gave Queen Elizabeth when she visited... Things are done on a grand scale, from the snow-white Rolls-Royce greeting you at the airport to complimentary Champagne at breakfast and vast marbled bathrooms the size of most hotel guest rooms."

Can you afford to stay in places like this? If so, buy this book. The rest of us will probably flip show more through it for a little vicarious "travel pornography", but this can't quite get rid of the subtle irritation that the editor's idea of "places to see" should be geared to the moneyed traveller rather than to the average one. show less

It's nice to dream and make plans of where to go next. For this the book is fun, but I am a little disappointed and disturbed at the unequal distribution of places between the countries and continents. Dozens of places in the USA (almost 200 pages out of 900) and Europe, but only 11 in Russia, 5 of them in Moscow and 5 in St. Petersburg plus the Transsiberian Railway (that's a total of 8 pages)? You'd think Russia was the smallest country on the planet and only consisted of those two towns connected by a railway...
Also the places listed in Switzerland are definitely not on my list where I absolutely have to take my foreign friends. They're mostly very snobbish places.

Alright, so I'm a little late getting to my seat on this bandwagon. Late or not, I'm glad I made it. I love this book.

First, the relatively brief entries are perfect for someone with the attention span of a caffeinated gerbil (me). However, this aspect also left me wanting to know more.

The downside to this book is that it can leave you feeling a little depressed. Because, honestly, what are the odds you'll get to see each and every place?

Nonetheless, it does leave you with very high hopes and plenty of vicarious excitement.

If you are a fellow travel junkie like I am, this book absolutely belongs in your library. It gives you in-depth reviews on places that you probably have never even thought to discover and now, after reading through it, I feel like I have to visit them all.

As a travel lover, the idea of this list really appealed to me, but in applying it, the book has fallen short. For three years, when I traveled I looked up the places I was going to see what made the list in that spot. The actual recommendations were very disappointing. They mostly focused on insanely expensive accommodations and restaurants. I ended up being able to visit only a few. But somehow I had great trips without these supposed gems, and it seemed to me that many of the great, cheaper things I did see and do should have appeared on the list over a fancy hotel. Yes, a book like this is bound to inspire controversy; any top 10 list will. At least it gets you thinking about your real travel priorities.