The best books to prepare for trips and seek inspiration
That we are junkies of the Lonely Planet travel guides is not new. But our addiction to travel books goes far beyond the guidebooks themselves. We have a whole shelf full of books that help us not only organize trips but also find inspiration when we need it. So in this post, I want to talk to you about what are for us the best books to prepare for trips and find inspiration for new destinations.
It is very common that when one of these books appears on our social networks (or YouTube channel) for some reason, you ask us what books they are, how much they cost, or where they can be found. Well, we are going to collect ALL of them in this post, which we will update little by little with the new acquisitions so that you can use them whenever you want.
These books are perfect as a self-gift if you are a travel lover or as a gift for another person (if you have a traveler friend or relative you will succeed).
The best books to search for new destinations in the world
Where and When: The Lonely Planet Trip Planner
This piece of the book is the first on the list for a very simple reason: it is one of our favorites when looking for inspiration to travel.
If you enjoy immersing yourself in travel books I’m sure you’ll love it. He classifies the destinations by which is the month in which it is best to visit them and then he explains the strong points of each one, highlighting if they are more cultural trips, relaxation, or adventures if they are good value for money if they have the option to enjoy wildlife and nature…
Lonely Planet’s ‘The World’ Guide
This guide is one of the great classics for lovers of Lonely Planet guides. It is a mini-encyclopedia with the basic information necessary to decide if you want to visit any of the 221 countries that it includes.
They are arranged in alphabetical order and each country has a brief fact sheet, a map, weather information, and a brief introduction to the most important cities or points of interest. It also includes a world map at the end.
It is a perfect book to seek inspiration and new destinations. Because they are ALL.
‘Best in Travel’ Guides For Years
If you are a travel book junkie like me, you need this collection in your bookstore.
They are small, short, and cheap books, but VERY interesting. They present the 10 best countries, the 10 best regions, the 10 best cities, and the 10 best destinations with respect to their value for money. All this from every year.
I love them because, in addition to presenting the destinations, the guide proposes recommended itineraries that are super useful.
And at the end of each book, they talk about other news, better accommodation, better gastronomic experiences, sustainable travel, and other advice related to responsible tourism and respect for the environment.
52 Getaways to Discover Europe
This book is GREAT if you like weekend getaways to European cities that are usually cheap to fly to.
In the beginning, there is a map with all the cities included in the book and how many hours by plane they are from Madrid. Something that is super useful because it also works as an index.
The cities are arranged in alphabetical order and it focuses mainly on the interesting plans to do in each city. There is also a lot of information about events, festivals, and cultural offers.
101 Amazing World Destinations
I really like this type of book to seek inspiration from little-known places, but not so much to organize because they are not useful for that.
What I like the most about this book are the large photographs and that I always discover places I didn’t know, so it’s perfect for looking for inspiration.
The book divides the destinations by continent and makes a brief introduction to each of them.
The 101 Wonders Of The World: The Treasures Of The Planet Within The Reach Of All Travelers
As good travel lovers, this book could not be missing from our traveling bookshelf. It’s called ‘The 101 Wonders of the World’ and it reviews the most incredible places on the planet.
In this guide, you will find the best advice on when and how it is best to visit each of them. There are the classics like the Taj Mahal or the Great Wall of China, but there are also other places that are much less known but just as impressive.
This book seems to us the perfect option to discover all those impressive places in the world that we had no idea existed.
One Hour From…: 900 Fantastic Getaways From 50 Spanish Cities
‘One hour from…’ is a brutal compilation of cool getaways from 50 Spanish cities. Because we all know that although international tourism is gradually reopening, it is most likely that in the coming months we will make trips to nearby places. There are more than 900 interesting plan ideas!
This book seems to us the perfect option to discover all those hidden treasures that we have next to us without having a clue that they exist.
Lonely Planet Country Guides
I don’t think I need to tell you much about the Lonely Planet guides because they are super popular and are usually the best sellers for most destinations. For us, despite the fact that they sometimes make mistakes and recommend some shit from time to time, they are THE BEST.
And as you will see later, we tell you knowingly, because we have several brands (Anaya Touring, Trotamundos Routard, National Geographic, Guía Azul…).
If you like photos and more visual guides, of course, you will not like the Lonely Planet guides, but if like us you enjoy preparing trips by heart, they are GREAT.
Lonely Planet ‘Best of…’ Guides
It’s likely that Lonely Planet made the decision to release this series of ‘Best of…’ guides because a lot of people complain about how visually clunky their classic guides are.
To tell you quickly, these guides are a summary of the classic guides but much more visual, with many more diagrams, schematics, maps, and photos.
Lonely Planet ‘…Up Close Guides
If yours are simple guides, that go to nougat and that are also super visual, you will love this simple version of the Lonely Planet guides.
It is usually the typical format with which city guides are made, but you can also find them for regions.
They are small, light, fit in any pocket, and have the basic information to spend a few days at the destination. In addition, all of them include a map that is usually quite useful.
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