Apple tablet won't cure travel woes – it'll help you forget them

Before I got on with the task of waiting impatiently at the gate, I was waiting impatiently at a restaurant. I had my usual array of Electronic Companions around me:

A Kindle.

You want to know who loves electronic books more than they love the least-favorite of their children? A frequent traveler. This thing contains every ebook I’ve every purchased on Amazon and the battery lasts exactly 42 minutes past forever. So there’s almost no chance that I’ll pull this thing out of my seatpocket and find that my sole reading material for the next 6 hours of flying time is the Kindle’s FCC notice.

I was doing a little reading while eating my clam chowder.

An iPod.

An iPod Touch, actually, aka “an iPhone without the phone.” On full days of travel, I like to offload the music, video, and gaming onto a separate device. I usually don’t have enough space on my multitask-ey iPhone to put lots of movies on it. And having a working communicator and Internet device on a travel day is so important that I don’t like to run down my iPhone’s battery with endless games of Orbital.

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The Travel Book

Lonely Planet

List Price: $50.00
Price: $31.50
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Product Description

Highlighted by some of the finest photography in the world, this book offers a glimpse of each country’s perks and quirks: when to go, what to see, how to eat it up and drink it in, and ways to immerse yourself in the life and the land. What results is a grand snapshot of our diverse and kaleidoscopic world rather than an encyclopedic reference.

Journeys of a Lifetime: 500 of the World's Greatest Trips

National Geographic

List Price: $40.00
Price: $26.40
You Save: $13.60 (34%)

Product Description

No one knows the world like National Geographic—and in this lavish volume, we reveal our picks for the world's most fabulous journeys, along with helpful information for readers who want to try them out.

Compiled from the favorite trips of National Geographic's travel writers, Journeys of a Lifetime spans the globe to highlight the best of the world's most famous and lesser known sojourns. It presents an incredible diversity of possibilities, from ocean cruises around Antarctica to horse treks in the Andes. Every continent and every possible form of transport is covered.

A timely resource for the burgeoning ranks of active travelers who crave adventurous and far-flung trips, Journeys of a Lifetime provides scores of creative ideas: trekking the heights of Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania... mountain biking in Transylvania... driving through the scenic highlands of Scotland... or rolling through the outback on Australia's famous Ghan train... and dozens of other intriguing options all over the world.

Journeys of a Lifetime also features 22 fun Top 10 lists in all sorts of categories. What are the world's top 10 elevator rides, bridges to walk across, trolley rides, ancient highways, or underground walking adventures? Readers will love evaluating and debating the selections.

Each chapter showcases stunning photography, full-color maps, evocative text, and expert advice—including how to get there, when to visit, and how to make the most of the journey—all packaged in a luxurious oversize volume to treasure for years to come.

Where To Go When (Eyewitness Travel Guides)

DK Travel

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Dave Barry's Only Travel Guide You'll Ever Need

Ballantine Books

List Price: $6.99
Price: $6.99

Product Description


TAKE YOUR TRAVEL TIPS FROM DAVE BARRY,
A GUY WHO IS REALLY GONE!

Complete with maps, histories, quaint local facts (France's National Underwear Changing Day is March 12), song lyrics, helpful hints on how to get through Customs (all insects must be spayed), and tidbits from Dave Barry's own fond vacation nightmares, DAVE BARRY'S ONLY TRAVEL GUIDE YOU'LL EVER NEED is just that. You'll find everything you need to know in this incredibly comprehensive reference, including:

- Air Travel (Or: Why Birds Never Look Truly Relaxed)
- Traveling as a Family (Or: No, We Are NOT There Yet)
- Traveling in Europe ("Excuse me! Where is the Big Mona Lisa?")
- Camping: Nature's Way of Promoting the Motel Industry


Dave describes the dark side of tourism with such comical precision that you'll wonder why you ever bother to leave the safety of your living room. For my money, nobody has ever produced a better snapshot of the Baggage Carousel, "where passengers traditionally gather at the end of a flight to spend several relaxing hours watching the arrival of luggage from some other flight, which comes randomly spurting out of a mysterious troll-infested tunnel that is apparently connected to another airport, possibly in a different dimension."

Once in a Lifetime Trips: The World's 50 Most Extraordinary and Memorable Travel Experiences

Clarkson Potter

List Price: $24.95
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Book Description
Fly-fish in the virgin waters of the Chilean fjords, arriving by helicopter; navigate Alaska on a boat as luxurious as a four-star hotel but small enough to sail where the big cruise ships can’t; embark on a private-jet tour to the great opera houses in Europe with behind-the-scenes passes: experience the classic links of the British Open. Once in a Lifetime Trips is a trove of ideas for travels that are unique, decadent, and off the beaten path.

Each trip is captured through stunning photography and an essay based on in-depth interviews with experts who have firsthand knowledge of the destination and itinerary. Once in a Lifetime Trips goes way beyond what a standard guide offers: these trips are intended to be distinctive events that you will remember for the rest of your life. Chris Santella distills each experience and describes just what makes it extraordinary--whether it’s the culture of the place, a venue’s incredible isolation, or the unique amenities available to the traveler. Organized by destination--on the ocean, on an island, in the jungle, in the mountains and the desert, in the country, in the city, in the sky--Once in a Lifetime Trips is as much a vicarious and thrilling reading experience as it is a source of ideas and inspiration for anyone in search of a remarkable journey.

A Look Inside Once in a Lifetime Trips

Click on thumbnails for larger images

Elephant Safari in Botswana
Paddling Polynesia
The Spice Islands by Phinisi

Hiking the Canadian Rockies
Savoring Siena by Steed







Travel Books for Backpackers

As the first month of 2010 winds down, we're still revving up with the resolutions -- and if you, like us, will be hitting the road this year (and we probably all Read more...

Travel Books for Backpackers originally appeared on About.com Student Travel on Friday, January 22nd, 2010 at 22:00:55.

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