Armchair travelling
Long before The Lady, when I was in my 20s, I had what my friends considered a dream job: I was a Lonely Planet guidebook author. I worked on eight titles in all and travelled from the furthest reaches of Sulawesi to Zulu War battlefields. I ate bugs and dived with great white sharks, climbed volcanoes and, on one occasion, became really quite lost in a jungle. And, yes, I also did my fair share of lounging on the beach. It was a magical two years and I loved (almost) all of it. Of course, Lonely Planet, founded in 1972 by Tony and Maureen Wheeler, has long been synonymous with the unbridled joy of travel and so is perhaps uniquely placed to take you on a whistle-stop tour of some of the world’s most weird and wonderful destinations. So sit back, relax, and head off on a great escape.
Great Escapes: Enjoy The World At Your Leisure (Lonely Planet, £29.99)
2. The ornate Cheong Tze mansion in Penang, Malaysia, was built in the 1880s by master craftsmen from China, for a wealthy Chinese immigrant. 3. Look out for a Nassau grouper, the national fish, when diving or snorkelling. 4. Experience northern Thailand like never before. Hire a motorcycle to do the Mae Hong Son Loop, setting off from Chiang Mai
5. The Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago. 6. El Cantil Ecolodge on Colombia’s lush Pacific coast. The area is fast becoming a haven for intrepid beach lovers, surfers and whalewatchers. 7. Waipoua Forest in Northland, New Zealand, has been preserved since 1952. In the woodland stand the remaining kauri, which, after California’s sequoias, are the world’s secondlargest trees
8. Take in Sri Lanka’s mistshrouded mountains and emerald-green tea fields. Plantations offer tea-tasting tours. 9. Have fun at Barcelona’s aquarium, which has an 80m-long underwater tunnel. 10. Discover northern Thailand by motorcycle – an exciting journey and a unique destination: unforgettable. But always wear a helmet
11. On a trip to Las Vegas, take a gamble and view the South Rim of the Grand Canyon by helicopter. 12. Surfers love the exotic Uluwatu beach in Bali for its waves. You can also spot turtles swimming in the azure waters. 13. Oaxaca’s cemeteries come alive in central Mexico as locals honour the departed during Día De Los Muertos (The Day Of The Dead)
14. Whether you sit down at a restaurant in an old colonial building or graze on street-food from one of the stalls, Hoi An in Vietnam will thrill your tastebuds. 15. Anish Kapoor’s Cloud Gate sculpture in ChicagoPicture credits:
1 - 5 Greg Johnston/Lonely Planet Images; Anders Blomqvist/Lonely Planet Images; Franz Marc Frei/Lonely Planet Images; John Elk/Lonely Planet Images
6 - 10 Jane Sweeney/Lonely Planet Images; David Wall Photo/Lonely Planet Images; Richard Cummins/Lonely Planet Images; Oliver Strewe/Lonely Planet Images; 300
11 - 14 Carol Polich Photo Workshops/Lonely Planet Images; Kimberley Coole/Lonely Planet Images; Richard L'Anson/Lonely Planet Images; Charles Cook/Lonely Planet Images; Peter Stuckings/Lonely Planet Images