Go Here Instead: The Alternative Travel List

by D.K. Eyewitness Travel

Bursting with beautiful photography, this alternative bucket list takes some of the world's best-known sights, experiences and destinations – everything from over-visited national parks to crowded museums – and reveals more than 100 fascinating alternatives. 

Planning a trip to Rome’s Colosseum? Why not try the ancient amphitheatre in Nîmes instead. A visit to the Grand Canyon is on everyone’s bucket list – but how about adding Namibia’s spectacular Fish River Canyon to yours? And while Japan’s cherry blossoms are hard to beat, the seasonal display of hydrangeas in the Azores is just as beautiful.

Featuring expert advice and practical tips, Go Here Instead will open your eyes to a wealth of new, and more sustainable, travel ideas. We’ve organized the book by types of trip, so whether you’re a wannabe art critic, an outdoor adventurer or you’re into your history, this epic bucket list has an alternative adventure for you. So, why not give Machu Picchu a break and travel beyond the crowds. Go Here The Alternative Travel List is your ticket to the trip of a lifetime. 

Inside Go Here The Alternative Travel List you will

- 100 entries each focusing on an alternative to a well-known destination/sight/experience 
- Stunning photography throughout with color-coded maps and chapters
- Stylized locator maps pinpointing the alternative sights, experiences and destinations.
- A beautifully designed gift book that showcases inspiring alternatives to the world’s most popular sights, experiences and destinations
- Architectural and Historical Sights, Festivals and Parties, Great Journeys, Architectural Marvels, Natural Wonders, Art and Culture and Cities 


About DK

At DK Eyewitness, we believe in the power of discovery. We make it easy for you to explore your dream destinations. DK Eyewitness travel guides have been helping travelers to make the most of their breaks since 1993. Filled with expert advice, striking photography and detailed illustrations, our highly visual DK Eyewitness guides will get you closer to your next adventure. We publish guides to more than 200 destinations, from pocket-sized city guides to comprehensive country guides. Named Top Guidebook Series at the 2020 Wanderlust Reader Travel Awards, we know that wherever you go next, your DK Eyewitness travel guides are the perfect companion.

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction, Reference, Geography

224 pages, Hardcover

Published September 27, 2022

Reviews

[Yvonne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love to travel vicariously and especially to other countries. I don't have a passport so reading books and looking at photos is the next best thing. I know it isn't the same as actually being there in person though.

This is a lovely hardback book and it is great for perusing through, discovering new places and learning new things. This book is laid out in sections after a brief introduction it then goes on to the sections -

Ancient & Historical Sights
Festivals & Parties
Great Journeys
Architectural Marvels
Natural Wonders
Art & Culture
Captivating Cities

This is then followed by the INdex and the Acknowledgements.

Let me give you a couple of examples -
The alternative to Everest Base Camp in Nepal is to visit Annapurna in Nepal.
The alternative to the Sagrada Familia in Spain is to visit the Cathedral of Rio de Janeiro.

From these two examples, you can see that not all the alternatives are in the same country. Now for some who are planning visits to certain countries, I could see this being a bit annoying, but for me, it makes it really interesting. It is showing me other places that have similar features, conditions, terrains or architecture.

Each page has a photo that shows a particular feature of the place mentioned. These are clear and look great as they are accompanied by basic information about the area, region or history. There are suggestions for other similar things for further research or reading as well.

I really like how this is laid out and it makes a great book for flicking through. I think this is more of a coffee table book and it would make a great talking point for people that have actually travelled or those that want to compile a wish list. While I may not have a passport I do have a bucket list of places I would like to see if money were no object.

Lovely book, loads of information and one I would happily recommend.

[AndiReads · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an absolute TREASURE!
Do you have a bucket list, a travel dream, or a wish to see a place you have only read or heard about on TV but the cost or the crowds are just too prohibitiv? Go Here Instead will enable you to come up with alternative plans that more than satisfy that travel urge.

Best yet, the book concept works for any time of traveler!
Via the contents you can choose from :

Best Ancient and Historical Sites
Best festivals and parties
Best man made structure,
Best Natural Wonders
Captivating Cities


The entries include stunning photos, maps, best time to visit and tips that aren't easily found online. If you are an avid traveler, or even someone beginning to dip their toe in the travel world this is an amazing book for you! #GoHereInstead
#DK #DKEyewitness

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some good ideas, some not so great. I wanted to find info on hidden gems, little-known or little-visited places, must-not-miss places, etc. There is some of that, but there wasn't a lot of detail, and many of the ideas just weren't appealing to me (personal taste). Good idea, so-so execution.

[Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fantastic self-proclaimed “alternative bucket list” featuring breathtaking photography and descriptions of alternatives to the most popular tourist destinations across the world. Categories are broken into: ancient and historical sights, festivals and parties, great journeys, architectural marvels, natural wonders, art and culture, and captivating cities. I just wish there were more United States based locations featured - guess I’ll have to be an armchair traveler for now!

Thank you to DK and NetGalley for the digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Todd · Rating 3 out of 5]

All in all, the concept of this book in the era of overtourism is a good one. Of course, the irony is that a guidebook encouraging folks to go to some other place selected by the editors may cause tourism to explode there, too. Nonetheless, there are good alternatives provided for each of the selected famous locations. Separated into various categories, the book has value, and I'm definitely going to add some of the destinations to my travel bucket list spreadsheet.

I wasn't as taken, though, by the formatting or the editing. There were some unfortunate misspellings and grammatical issues, and the main text used a small light font that, while legible, felt like a chore to read.

[MookNana · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fantastic travel resource! This book explores lesser-known alternatives to iconic sites around the world that offer a similar experience, either in architectural style, historical context, etc. but that, for whatever reason, tend to get overlooked in favor of the usual places people visit. Not only is this a helpful guide for trip planning, but it's also just fascinating reading about amazing places to see in the world.

This features excellent photography and substantial background information about each place. There are useful travel tips for the best way to access the proposed site, and advice if you still want to visit the more common destination as well. This would be a great gift for travelers--it's given me lots of ideas for future trips!

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review!

[Jeni · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have always loved DK Eyewitness for travel guides and this one lived up to their previous standard for sure! Built on a great idea, this book focuses on giving alternatives to over-visited locations and events around the world. Broken down into Ancient and Historical Sights, Festivals and Parties, Great Journeys, Architectural Marvels, Natural Wonders, Art and Culture, and Captivating Cities, the book lists commonly visited events/locations and provides at least one (sometimes up to four) alternatives that give the same vibe, along with pictures and a description of what about the alternative site ties in with the "original". Another nice touch is that there is a little section for each location that tells you the best time of year to go to the over-visited locations if none of the alternatives fit your fancy. One aspect that could be seen as a positive or a negative is that the alternatives are not necessarily local to the "original" - they may be in another country or even on another continent. For that reason, this is better used in planning trips than finding an alternative that is local to where you are already planning to travel. This serves as a great resource book for planning your bucket list, especially if you want to be able to go to places that are not so busy with other tourists.

[Colleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you like to travel, Go Here Instead is for you!
The pictures are incredible! The ideas are great!
I love the concept of the book. For example, everyone has heard of the spectacular cherry blossoms in Japan, but you may want to consider seeing hydrangeas in the Azores (Portugal) instead. Go Here Instead provides a mini globe with the location of the suggested destination. But if you have your heart set on Japan, you might want to consider a smaller city than Tokyo. If you are going to Portugal, it suggests airports and a couple tips for planning your trip. And if this is something you would like, also think about Tulips in Turkey or Wild Rhododendrons in Nepal.
Your bucket list will be overflowing after perusing Go Here Instead.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to review Go Here Instead in exchange for an honest review. Also many thanks to the authors (several participated in writing this book) and DK Eyewitness Travel. the publisher.

My only wish for this book is that it had more US destinations. US definitely is well represented in Go Here Instead. But with covid and the purchase of an RV, we are prioritizing exploring the US.

[Nicky · Rating 3 out of 5]

PROS:

-Some of the recommendations are pretty awesome and will specifically avoid crowds.

-They offer tips not only for the alternative adventure but also if you decide to do the original adventure.

CONS:

-Some of the recommendations are to destinations that are more remote, which means transportation and logistics may be more difficult to navigate.

-Some events (IMO) are just too unique or special to be replicated elsewhere and considered equal. E.g. St. Patrick's Day in Ireland or the Lunar New Year in China.

-Some of the recommendations are to notoriously anti-LGBT+ places where it would be really risky to go because you could face detainment, charges, or even death (If it's not clear enough, I'm specifically referring to Uganda). And the authors do not disclose this.

-While I didn't see any countries listed in active war zones, there were definitely countries or local areas where crime is high or needs to be given consideration. E.g. Some stops on the Rovos Rail line are in sketchy areas locals avoid, apparently. And the authors do not disclose this.

[joyce w. laudon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book would make a great holiday gift for a person who likes to travel, even if that person is you. It is filled places to go that are a bit less traveled.

This title is organized by subjects including Ancient and Historical Sights; Festivals and Parties; Great Journeys; Architectural Marvels; Natural Wonders; Art and Culture, and Captivating Cities. For each well known destination, an alternative is offered. To give an example, the first suggestion in the book is to go to the Pyramids of Saqqara and Dahshur, instead of the Great Pyramids. Or, think of Avebury, instead of Stonehenge or the Wellington Fringe instead of the Scottish festival. These are just a few of the 100 ideas.

This beautifully illustrated book is a terrific resource. I want to get out of my armchair (travel) and go away.

Many thanks to DK Eyewitness Travel and NetGalley for this title. All opinions are my own.

[Brannigan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review was originally published on NetGalley.com. I was given an ebook freely by NetGalley and the book’s publisher in return for a voluntary and honest review.

This book is made for those of us who want to see all the fascinating things around the globe, it’s also for those of us who enjoy armchair travel and it’s also for those of us who don’t need to every famous place because we hate crowds spending too much money or can’t travel to every destination.

The book breaks up the locations by; Ancient and Historical Sites, Festivals and Parties, Great Journeys, Architectural Marvels, Natural Wonders, Arts and Culture, and Captivating Cities.

For Example how they do it. Instead of going to Stonehenge where there’s massive crowds and you can’t get up close to the stones so instead goto Avebury a small village about 20 miles north to a much larger hedge that allows to to touch the stones and not fight everyone to see them.

It’s a beautiful book with a ton of pictures with a nice clean layout. A real joy to read.

[Kristin C · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book! The DK Eyewitness series has been my travel guidebook go-to for nearly two decades, so I was excited to learn about this new title. All of the guidebooks are chock full of useful information, beautiful photography and helpful tips. As a traveler who craves authentic experiences that celebrate local culture, I am always looking for new locales that are further afield from the popular, over-crowded tourist sites. Having been to a number of the places featured in this book, I was thrilled to see a well-curated collection of alternative destinations, organized by topic (historical sights, festivals and parties, captivating cities, etc). I will definitely be adding this a hard copy of this book to my travel shelf to inspire my future adventures!

[Courtney H · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love the concept of Go Here Instead. This travel book tells you less-crowded places to go where you can have a similar experience to overcrowded tourist destinations. While this is a great thing for a world traveler who has already visited the common hot spots, I don't think a first-time traveler to any of these areas would want to "go here instead" (e.g., if you go to England you have to visit Stonehenge before other standing stones or if you come to the USA Philadelphia isn't going to give you the same experience as NYC).

Recommended for world travelers looking for less obvious places to visit.

I received an electronic galley copy of this title from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Bill · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is another of the coffee-table books I gather and peruse. I read each chapter heading (such as Ancient and Historical Sights or Captivating Cities) which listed the famous, well-known sites and what the book was suggesting as an alternative. I did look at every page and most of the photos and read a few of the detailed descriptions for places I have been or I might visit. It was interesting and fun to travel the world this way, but the problem is so many of them are realistically not places I’ll probably ever visit. And the alternatives are sometimes even more obscure or far-away that they’re definitely off the possibility list. For instance: instead of Ko Phi Phi in Thailand I should consider Ihuru in Maldives.

[Bozhena Levine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you DK Eyewitness Travel & NetGalley for the electronic review copy of this wonderful book. This book is fantastic and an absolute must have and must read for anyone who loves to travel or is just thinking about it. This alternative list of worldwide places to visit is broken into sections (Best Ancient & Historical Sites, Best Festivals & Parties, Best Natural Wonders, etc) each of which is accompanied by gorgeous photos, maps, best times to visit, and other helpful tips. It would make an amazing gift.

[Sylvia Barker · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book offers great alternatives for world travellers who might be open to exploring some stunning locations that don't always make the Top 10 lists of destinations . Broken into subcategories that allow just about everyone to find something that interests them, this book would make a wonderful gift for a seasoned traveller and great inspiration for the armchair enthusiast.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[James McKinley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book. It reminded me of something that Atlas Obscura would put out. A few sites are obscure, like Kaieteur Falls in Guyana (Plane, or hike for 5 days). Most are reminders that sticking only to the capitol cities and only visiting locations that are featured on currency is only scratching the surface. For every Rome there's a Spoleto, or Bologna. The fall colors change just as grandly in Quebec as in Vermont. A good book if you're planning a trip, or daydreaming of travel.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely photographs, and great suggestions for experiences that aren't the "tourist traps", but are interesting places themselves. I also liked how the book gave tips if you still wanted to go the more well known places.

I always enjoy DK travel books, and this was no exception! Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you DK Eyewitness for the review copy of Go Here Instead. This book offers some interesting alternative ideas of places to visit if you want to avoid the overcrowded tourist destinations.I have actually been to a few of these places and they were definitely worth the visit.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! I really loved this book. Travel is amazing but finding the hidden gems just makes it that much sweeter. This book will help you do that. Beautiful pictures and great tips to help build your next off the beaten path vacation z

[Mari · Rating 3 out of 5]

Diverting (please excuse the pun)

Interesting read, not sure how all of these could actually be considered 'alternatives,' but from the simple idea of more places to travel, not bad.

[Ronda Canary · Rating 4 out of 5]

3:6

[Joni Owens · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don’t get me wrong I may still go to the big name places but this is a cool guide to the little known places too. This would make a great gift!

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is full of great ideas of places to go. That may be a bit more off the beaten track… Also brought back. Lots of good memories.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice list of places in the world, so many to see! I like to get off the beaten track so perhaps this is a good list for that, although I imagine the places are still semi-touristy.

[Camilla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant! Inspiring, surprising, well organized, practical and fun. Riga, here I come!

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great concept for a book and it pointed out quite a few amazing places on the planet that I didn’t know existed.

[Mary Ellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating! Everyone thinks about major sites like Stonehenge or the Louvre, but this book opens your eyes to places to visit instead. The book is divided into sections like "Ancient & Historical Sites," "Festivals," and "Natural Wonders." A good index is included.

[Amber Alvarado Canto · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoy reading and learning about big city (or tourist destination) alternatives because it allows the audience to expand their knowledge of the world. Not only did I enjoy the pictures, but I enjoyed the additional context of the alternatives provided.

[A.L. Renna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Go Here Instead: The Alternative Travel List offers travel enthusiasts off-the-beaten-path recommendations to replace some of the world’s more popular and crowded venues. It treats readers to rich details and a visual symphony of sights that will have you rethinking your entire travel bucket list!

Read the full review: https://travelnitch.org/go-here-inste...