lascaux

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There are hundreds of tourist sites and experiences that are too crowded, too over-developed or too expensive. They’re the places we always see on TV or as backdrops in movies, or places we’ve read about in books or seen on the covers of travel magazines; it’s always sunny in the photos, and the sites always look pleasant and amazing to visit. But are they?

It’s a question publisher Dorling Kindersley has tackled head-on in The Road Less Travelled: 1,000 Amazing Places Off the Tourist Trail, a book that controversially picks the world’s top tourist sites – and then casts them effortlessly aside in favour of less publicised places. Instead of visiting the Pyramids of Giza, with their “unbroken procession of tourist buses”, the book’s authors say tourists should head to the pyramids of Meroe in Sudan, where they can “have the tombs all to themselves, with little more accompaniment than the sound of the desert wind in heir ears”. 

About The Author

Lynette Eyb

Last three pieces by this author:

Did Ryszard Kapuściński Follow Herodotus' Example and Make Things Up? | Top 10 Ancient Sites in Syria | People Power Could Signal the End of Uluru Tourist Climb

Lynette Eyb is the books editor of Heritage-Key.com. She trained in Australia as a journalist before moving to London, where she wrote for and edited various magazines. She has travelled extensively, exploring the ancient wonders of China, Turkey, Greece, Egypt, the UK and Ireland along the way. Lyn lives in Bordeaux with her partner and their young daughter.

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The World’s Heritage: A Complete Guide to the Most Extraordinary Places is itself an extraordinary publication. Published by UNESCO, it pays homage to all that is great about the world’s historical, cultural and natural heritage. No less than 832 pages – try not to think about the rainforests – have been used to catalogue all UNESCO World Heritage Sites that were listed at the time of publication. That’s a lovely looking, well-designed telephone book for heritage-lovers, a manual for students, a reference tool for academics and a guidebook for armchair travellers the world over (though weighing in at over 1.6kg, it’s much too heavy for the average suitcase).

Keeping it all Digestible

About The Author

Lynette Eyb

Last three pieces by this author:

Did Ryszard Kapuściński Follow Herodotus' Example and Make Things Up? | Top 10 Ancient Sites in Syria | People Power Could Signal the End of Uluru Tourist Climb

Lynette Eyb is the books editor of Heritage-Key.com. She trained in Australia as a journalist before moving to London, where she wrote for and edited various magazines. She has travelled extensively, exploring the ancient wonders of China, Turkey, Greece, Egypt, the UK and Ireland along the way. Lyn lives in Bordeaux with her partner and their young daughter.