BOOK REVIEW: 1,000 Places To See Before You Die

Unlawyer-At-Large has been pondering...don't we all (at least those of us whose inner wanderlust has not been traded in for that inner couch potato) have such a fantasy that someday we will travel to the world’s most exotic destinations, and that before we die we'll get to do it all?

To deal with that question, Unlawyer-At-Large takes a look at 1,000 PLACES TO SEE BEFORE YOU DIE. No, this book is not about morbid thoughts. This is about seizing the day, as in carpe diem. This is about the joys all of us can find in traveling, beginning with a 972-page book guide which, to say the very least, is very organized and well-written. No boring prose. No words wasted.

There is a plethora of travel guides on print written by many experts, but the credibility of the author of 1,000 PLACES TO SEE BEFORE YOU DIE as one of the famous travel gurus cannot be shrugged off. Patricia Schultz, now 54, wrote this New York Times #1 Bestseller, which created quite a delightful stir worldwide since 2003. She is also the co-author of Made in Italy, a former writer for Frommer's, Berlitz, and Access travel guides, and is now a freelance travel writer. Her articles have appeared in Conde Nast Traveler (one of Unlawyer-At-Large’s favorites), Islands, and Harper's Bazaar.

This is a must-have book (notwithstanding the mixed reviews it received) for the seasoned traveler (and you thought you’ve seen everything?), the unseasoned traveler (do not feel intimidated by it), and the dreamer (hmmm, arm-chair traveling is not a lost art and it's free). There is something for everyone here. Ms. Schultz does a convincing job of weaving a very engaging list of "travel wonders" of the world encompassing Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Asia, North America and South America. Hotels, bars, restaurants and watering-holes are included, whether known or least known, “on and off the beaten track,” exactly as inscribed on the book cover.

Last May 2007, Ms. Schultz released another book, 1,000 PLACES TO SEE IN THE USA AND CANADA BEFORE YOU DIE (finally, something which Unlawyer-At-Large has always expected and yearned for, but that is another review to deal with later). Adding another thousand places to see is no joke, but not for the indefatigable Ms. Schultz who, in a recent interview last July 2007 with CNN, said: “People have always loved to travel. People will always love to travel. It's as old as mankind…It's to remove yourself from the same-old same-old, the day-to-day-ness of everyday life, to recharge, explore."

Before Ms. Schultz starts to write another round of thousand places to see, Unlawyer-At-Large urges you to grab a copy of this book to help you get started with planning your trip(s) of a lifetime.

Here is a caveat, though. No travel list out there is ever complete, and this book is no exception. After all, declares Ms. Schultz in the said CNN interview: “The more you travel, the more you realize that you've seen nothing."

RATING: Highly recommended.