Make the Most of Your Time on Earth

by Phil Stanton, Rough Guides

Make the Most of Your Time on Earth: A Rough Guide to the World with 1000 must-do experiences from around the world.

Make the Most of Your Time on Earth is a book that will inspire everyone. Perfect for both the seasoned traveller and the armchair dreamer, it brings you the very best travel experiences - extraordinary landscapes, jaw-dropping architecture, white-knuckle adventures, and the world’s best beaches. From Intrepid travel adventures such as trekking to the source of the Ganges, cycling the Karokoram Highway and hiking Corsica’s GR20, to suggestions for the perfect places to stay- have you ever tried sleeping in a yurt in Inner Mongolia or chilled out at the Icehotel in Sweden? For amazing wildlife why not look for lemurs in Madagascar or go platypus-watching in Australia. Don’t forget the world’s most spectacular festivals including Queen’s Day in Amsterdam, Trinidad carnival and the camel fair in Pushkar. Whether you are tempted by living in an African village or tagging dolphins on the Spanish coast, there’s all manner of ethical travel experiences to keep those feet itching!

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction, Reference, Self Help, Adventure

608 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

Reviews

[reading is my hustle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I am such an armchair dreamer during the winter, gray months here in Oregon. I cannot get enough of gardening and travel books.

This particular travel book is a great peek into places in this world I would like to visit. It was also a great book to look through with my kids. I gave them each some page markers and asked them to mark the pages of the places they would most like to visit for vacation. My middle child (9 years old) is all for visiting Costa Rica to check out the turtles. My five year old wants to visit Morocco (to fly on a magic carpet, of course!). And, my oldest wants to head down to New Zealand to see the sights having just finished reading and watching the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy (LOL- Murray & Dave are cringing!!),

[Theresa Leone Davidson · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are a good parent and wish to pay for your kid's college education, as opposed to making them take loans, you might not travel. I get that. What I don't get are people who live on or near the shore and only travel places to sit on other beaches. Unimaginative. What I REALLY don't get are people who do not travel at all. Stated reasons: Fear of flying. No money. I get physically ill when I fly. Real reasons: Fear of the unknown and a total lack of intellectual curiosity about the rest of the world. Fear of flying: I do have sympathy for this because I HATE flying but if you really have a phobia, seek help for it. As for not having the money, especially since the birth of the internet, there are always deals to be had that make travel affordable. Cheap flights, hostels, etc. And as for "It makes me sick to fly," if I knew I would have the flu (and I have had it and know how bad it can be) and would be feverish, sick to my stomach, running back and forth to the lavatory, etc., etc., every flight, I would still travel, because IT IS WORTH IT. But again, if you are limited in your thinking, you will use this as an excuse to not travel, which brings me to this book: every reason to actually do it, to see the world, to explore different cities, landscapes, cultures, it is all here. Stanton discusses places well known and places I have never before heard of, and he makes them all sound WONDERFUL. I love to travel and have been fortunate enough to do a lot of it but I will never live long enough to see every special place on Earth. If you love to see different places, if you have that thirst to explore the unfamiliar, read this book - HIGHLY recommend!

[Charlotte · Rating 4 out of 5]

The subtitle of this book is "1000 Ultimate Travel Experiences -- A Rough Guide To The World". It is filled with gorgeous pictures and brief synopses of an incredible number of travel adventures. I took my time reading this, but in the end I still felt fatigued. It's simply overwhelming. I think I would prefer 250 travel experiences, and more detailed accounts of the destinations. Still, a lovely book to accompany my daydreams.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Much better than the more ubiquitous "1,000 Places to See Before You Die"!
First of all, it's more active title, and the pictures are full color. Also the list is more for the adventurous explorer, and less for the lover of luxury hotels. More "Do", less "see".
Also, I was delighted to find that the writing, while limited in length by the planet-wide scope of the book, was engaging and personal. It was like getting recommendations from a variety of travelers with no agenda other than sharing moments they loved.
Inspiration in one volume.

[Noelle Brandau · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really didn't like the way this book was arranged - I wish it was by country instead of by region. Also, I didn't like the way the descriptions were written - sometimes it wasn't even clear what they were even talking about (a site, a hotel, etc). I found it confusing and definitely wouldn't recommend it.

[Sunflower · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are far too many places that I haven't been yet!!!

[Love Potter · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven't read the whole thing yet, just skimmed. So far I have found several places that I want to visit, I'll definitely be referring back to this book frequently. I like that it is organized by region, it makes it easier to find multiple destinations that are in a relatively close proximity to each other.
The pictures are spectacular. I highly recommend it!.

[Seamus Geraghty · Rating 4 out of 5]

More of an encyclopedia than a book

[Gary · Rating 3 out of 5]

I will start by saying, I only skimmed the book. If you are looking for a book to provide a wide range of places to visit on this earth? This is the book for you. It provides a short description of 1,000 places around this world on every continent. The descriptions are short and exciting.

So why only a three stars? The trips described in this book is just not my cup of tea. First, most of the places and activities are not things I would be interested in-some of them are and some of them I have even done. Second, the premise which the editor has concerning things which one should do before you die. Shouldn't ones life be more than places to visit? Isn't there something more to one's life than wandering this earth from pole to pole from ocean to ocean? Hence, the reason for the three, it does not fulfill the premise of the title.

For a little bit more of my thoughts, see my blog

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great coffee table book or pick up and browse while planning a trip to anywhere. Fascinating tidbits about interesting places around the globe. Inspired me to climb Half-dome before my hips and knees give-out. The ultimate challenge that requires iron pumping for upper body strength required to save your life on the cables. For Oregon it promotes the Sand Castle building festival in Cannon Beach and lists Portland as best city to bike in. I still think the Columbia River Gorge is the best kept hiking secret in Oregon and it was not listed. Good. Keep more of the tourists away.

[Abdul · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked the title and the concept, but this is a reference book and not a coffee table book that you open and enjoy flipping through. I hated 2 things: the font is very tiny so you need a microscope to read it; second a lot of weird words and jargon were used. So it appeared like a literary book and not a travel book.

[Amanda Williams]

I didn't really "read" this book per se. It's more of a reference book that I skimmed through and reads bits of. It's one that I will definitely refer to again for cool vacation/adventure ideas. I LOVE the Rough Guide series of books.

[Tim · Rating 4 out of 5]

excellent coffee-table conversation starter. excellent ideas. the parts for mexico and argentina do a pretty great job of picking out the must-dos in each. seems like newer version coming out soon - this from 2010.

[Sj · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting and fun read. It is VERY Europe heavy, but as a person who loves traveling in Europe it is understandable. I still liked to read through and think about the places I hope to one day visit.

[Craig]

I find the whole concept of this new wave of "1001 Things to Do Before You Die"-kind-of-books irritating but this one sounds like it could have potential.

[Nicki]

escape.

[Melissa]

[2007.12]

[Ashley Harrington · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love keeping this book around for its lovely photographs and sheer number of experiences covered, but at times it seems like whole parts of the world have been ignored - Central Asia exists.

[Teachers Travelers · Rating 5 out of 5]

A w e s o m e !!!

[Anfenwick · Rating 3 out of 5]

I keep taking books like this out of the library whenever I get particularly itchy feet and then wondering what on earth you're supposed to do with them? Nice pictures, though.

[Jesse · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's an interesting book to check out. Kinda neat to check it out if you're going to a place, but most of them are rather obvious if you are visiting an area anyway.

[Heidi Mumford]

Great for inspiring your next trip

[Maribel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I checked this book out from the library... It is so beautifully photographed that I would consider buying it. Lots of great ideas for a travel bucket list.