The Big Trip

by Lonely Planet

So, you want to experience the ultimate overseas adventure?

Whether you're a gap year student or young traveller, taking a sabbatical or career break, a parent or guardian wanting to travel with your children, or in retirement and looking for your next adventure - The Big Trip is for you.

Advice and information in this comprehensive companion, now in its 4th edition, has been thoroughly revised and updated to include expert tips and recommendations that will help you create and enjoy a once-in-a-lifetime dream adventure abroad.

We've also added a new section about how to use your time away to turn your life's passion into a new career, with advice on gaining professional accreditation in climbing, mountaineering, diving, sailing, snowsports, wildlife guiding and more. There's also a chapter on accessible travel by Martin Heng for specialist destination and travel advice for those with a disability.

Improved accommodation advice now covers everything from cheap and cheerful digs for budget backpackers to higher-end hotels for those wishing to spend more.

Experiences include:

Blackwater rafting through eerie glow-worm-lit Waitomo Caves in New Zealand Attempting a Tibetan kora (pilgrimage) around Mt Kailash, Asia's most sacred mountain Surfing your way along Hawaii's best beach breaks Getting down and dirty at the Boryeong Mud Festival in Korea Discovering your top temple at Angkor Wat in Cambodia Volunteering on a marine conservation project off the coast of Madagascar Learning to speak Italian at an institute in the heart of Rome Stirring your soul along the sacred, ghat-lined Ganges in Varanasi, India Learning to make Balinese dishes worthy of paradise Climbing to Bhutan's iconic cliff-clinging monastery, Taktshang Goemba Taking a tandem hang-gliding flight from Pedra Bonita over Rio de Janeiro Qualifying to teach everything from English to skiing, diving and mountaineering The Big Trip is your ticket to all this and more:

Essential pre-trip planning: health, safety, kit, costs, tickets (new tips such as five apps to keep
you safe, nine best ways to save on air tickets online) Volunteering and working abroad: from freelancing and fruit picking to yacht-crewing and teaching Regional overviews, maps and a diverse range of road-tested itineraries Tips and stories from experts and travellers, who range from teenagers to seniors and those travelling with their kids Comprehensive directory of essential resources About Lonely Planet: Lonely Planet is a leading travel media company and the world's number one travel guidebook brand, providing both inspiring and trustworthy information for every kind of traveller since 1973. Over the past four decades, we've printed over 145 million guidebooks and grown a dedicated, passionate global community of travellers. You'll also find our content online, on mobile, video and in 14 languages, 12 international magazines, armchair and lifestyle books, ebooks, and more.

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction, Reference, Coffee Table Books, Ebooks, Unfinished

352 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2003

About the author

OUR STORY
A beat-up old car, a few dollars in the pocket and a sense of adventure. In 1972 that’s all Tony and Maureen Wheeler needed for the trip of a lifetime – across Europe and Asia overland to Australia. It took several months, and at the end – broke but inspired – they sat at their kitchen table writing and stapling together their first travel guide, Across Asia on the Cheap. Within a week they’d sold 1500 copies and Lonely Planet was born. One hundred million guidebooks later, Lonely Planet is the world’s leading travel guide publisher with content to almost every destination on the planet.

Reviews

[Swecha · Rating 4 out of 5]

good! check out before planning a huge trip b/c it has really good route ideas.

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good insight into overall logistics of trip with breakdown of each region

[Camilla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ser ut til å vere ei god oppslagsbok eg nok kjem til å slå opp i igjen etter kvart som eg skal ut på tur for å få tak i gode tips og kva som er viktig å tenke på.

[Kirstjen · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book really gives a lot of information on how to travel for novice travelers and for young adults. It isn't really targeted toward mature people, or people who have been travelers for decades but who are looking to make a massive travel plan in the future. I am looking to travel constantly for the first couple of years of my retirement, and this book really did not provide any insight into anything related to that. I've been a traveler for my entire adult life, and I can't say that I really learned anything from this book.

If you are a wannabe traveler, and you are a young adult, this book might be something you would want to explore.

[Cell · Rating 3 out of 5]

本書的主題是關於gap year
所以裡面提供的旅程絕大多數是較長期，涉及到跨國甚至是環球
本書編排與其他書不太一樣的地方是在於：
先說明行前各種注意事項
再提供各種交通、住宿、以及支應這趟旅程的手段及選項（實習、以工換宿、au pair、教當地人語言、志工）
最後才提供哪些路線可以走
與一般旅遊書先決定地點再告知注意事項不同

我讀的是2015年出版的第3版，後續有2019的第4版及預計2024的第5版
這版有些資訊已經過時了，像是
有些提到的航空公司已經倒了QQ
中東國家看到護照上有以色列的章會拒絕入境的情況可能在改善中
大概看不到照片中新疆維吾爾人在市集的日常場景QQ等等（是說連過境香港都會怕）

原本想只看圖片就當作看完，但看了一點文字後就停不下來
越是不能出國就越想出國

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't know what gap years are, it's the year following high school. Oriented towards young, adventurous, first time travelers. I no longer fit any of those groups. Probably a good book for the target audience.

[Ashley Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informitive!

Very big on information. It gives a good guide on how to start planning for you trip alongside with some handy tips. If you really need help finding out where to start planning, this is the perfect book for you.

[Rebecca Pearce · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very informative. With a few beautifully captured photographs.

[Andjelka Jankovic · Rating 4 out of 5]

A savvy travel advice compendium rather than ‘guide’ book — appreciate the practical pointers and no agenda tone.

[Roderick JingYun Huang · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super helpful if you want some ideas for a gap year

[Mandii DiNozzo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Comprehensive packing list, super helpful jobs agency list. Highly recommended.

[Monica Fox · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easily my favorite guidebook of ALL TIME!

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This could be very helpful for someone who's never travelled before, and who wants all the generic information condensed in one place. However, a lot of the information is readily available online, and more updated.

[Tyr · Rating 2 out of 5]

The information provided is exactly the same kind of information that you could have easily found on the Internet search.

[A. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Only useful if you know absolutely nothing about extended travel.

[Am Y · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is useful not just for students planning gap year trips, but for anyone of any age interested in going on a travel adventure around the world. There are tons of resources: websites mainly, but also useful information and advice on what to expect or how to go about doing something (e.g. finding a job as an au pair overseas, volunteering in developing countries, etc). There are also suggested routes for various parts of the world (e.g. Southeast Asia, Europe, etc) which is particularly useful if you're planning to go from one country to another in a region and are not sure where to start from, where to go next, and where to end. I borrowed this book from the library, but if you're buying this, I would say it's definitely worth the money.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I picked up this book I expected it to be another boring guidebook, that you would force yourself to read so you wouldn't end up dead in Cambodia. This was the complete opposite! It was witty, and I often found myself laughing along with it, which is something you would never expect to do with a guidebook. It had great tips for travelling alone, especially as an alone woman (a fake wedding ring is useful).

Even though this book is meant for people travelling in their gap years, it's a book everyone should read when travelling, by themselves or with others.

[Katie Marquette · Rating 5 out of 5]

My copy of this book is filled with post its, notes, and folded corners to mark an especially important spot. If you're planning any sort of extended trip, especially if you're like me and need to do it on the cheap, this is the book for you. Endlessly helpful in providing tips, safety rules, and ideas for excursions. There's even a list of websites to go to when looking for a cheap (but not completely disgusting) hostel. Great book, and one I'll be lugging around with me for quite some time.

[Immanythings · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are a student planning a Study Abroad or just looking to go abroad and learn some new things, this is a great reference. This book will help you get started and help you understand what you need to prepare for. Its full of beautiful pictures from all over the world, cultural do's and and so much more. This is the 2011 edition, there is a newer version for 2015.

[Tomorn n. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of helpful information around the globe!

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the Lonely Planet and the books they come up with! With that said, this book shall be my guide and I shall have my gap year soon! LoL.

[Krystal Tubbs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book with helpful tips for inexperienced travelers.

[Kaila]

what's this? a travel guide with a section on accessible travel for people with disabilities? is this the future?
Great book full of info for all travelers.