Epic Journeys by National Geographic

Epic Journeys 245 Life-Changing Adventures  
Published by National Geographic ISBN 978426220616
Hardcover, $40, 415 pages

National Geographic has published a series of coffee table books that are just wonderful. I reviewed Almanac 2020 here, and this week I received a copy of Epic Journeys 245 Life-Changing Adventures.

This beautiful book is divided into seven regions- South and Central America, Africa, Europe, Asia, Oceania, North America and the Polar Regions. Each section gives you travel tips, such as the best times to visit these places and websites to get more information.

Then you get a day-by-day intinerary for each individual trip in the region, highlights from that itinerary, and an essay by someone who has traveled there. I enjoyed journalist Boyd Matson's essay on his father-son trip, where they hiked the Inca Trail in Peru. They had ten straight days of rain, which turned into a snowstorm. Matson's knee locked up, he lost fifteen pounds, and they were trapped in their tent by the rain, yet Matson and his son say it was the best trip ever.

There are pages that list Top Ten Adventures for things like horseback riding, scuba diving, temple tours, and places to see before they disappear, that are perfect for someone who likes to check things off their to-do list.

Whether you want to mountain bike in the Transylvanian Alps, take a train trip across Europe, scuba dive in the Tubbataha Reef in the Philippines, or kayak in Fiji, this is the book for you. If you are the adventurous type, use this as a handy guide to get across the entire world. If you are more of an armchair traveler, this book will take you along on other people's journeys.

National Geographic is known for their photos, and you'll find page after page of stunning photos of the most beautiful sights in the world. Some of the photos- like the overhead shot of a woman swimming with sharks off Tahiti, the Kazan Kremlin, and gondoliers gliding by the Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute in Venice- literally took my breath away as I turned the page to reveal them.

If you have someone on your holiday gift list who likes to travel, this is a great gift. (And even if they don't like to travel, they'll love the photos.) If you know of a couple who are getting engaged, give them this so they can plan an unforgettable honeymoon trip.  Epic Journeys 245 Life-Changing Adventures would make terrific addition to any family's collection. I highly recommend it.

Thanks to TLC Tours for putting me on this tour. The rest of the stops are here: