Rating: 
Summary: OVERRATED!
Review: This book is overrated and a waste of your precious time and money. Selections are poorly compiled with little detail. Besides his advice on getting to most destinations is to use certain tour companies - which undoubtedly compensate him handsomely for - which I find obscene. Forget the royalties, I wonder how much he is getting for that!In conclusion: Don't bother, you will just be dissappointed.
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Summary: Impeccable Italy
Review: It's quite clear that Patricia Schultz has actually been to the places she's written about in Italy. She makes no mistakes, and includes many places off the beaten track as well as all the classics not to be missed. Even the food advice, usually not the best in an all-purpose guide, is terrific. I'm buying this book for all my traveling friends.
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Summary: Most comprehensive guide for s/he looking for the best.....
Review: Schultz's vast experience and many kilometers traveled are evident in this wonderful book. It is written clearly and with her quirky style entices you to hop on a plane and take off. I second all of her reccomendations for Italy, living here myself. She is right on target.
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Summary: Awesome Graduation Gift
Review: For graduation my parents have given me the Journey of My Choice.
Where to begin? A trip to our local bookstore followed by more online research had me feeling more confused then ever and afraid I'd spend more time and money choosing and buying a dozen travelbooks to make some sense of where I wanted to go - until I happened upon 1000 Places - released just in time to make my situation a no brainer.
I've pretty much set up a tentative itinerary almost exclusively from having perused 1000 Places. I see this trip as being the first of many, and I see 1000 Places on my bedside table as required reading for the rest of my traveling days - may there be 1000 times 1000 journeys to fill my life. I can't thank my parents and the author enough. College was great but travel is a classroom without walls - and hey, no exams!
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Summary: My Favorite Book Ever
Review: Not only did this book take me to so many wonderful places, obviously many of which I will never visit, but it did so in such an easy, enjoyable, informative way I don't really mind not actually going to them. The author has a wonderful style of writing and presents entries in a full but concise, very digestible way. She has included an amazing array of items - something for everyone's taste, location and budget. Not only does she include the usual reference index in the back but she has also created another fabulous, very useful gloabl index categorized by special interests such as biking, sacred places,music festivals, etc. It inspires the reader and also helps give an interesting overview other than the list of contents - check it out first! I never need another travel book - this will keep me entertained and busy for years! I am giving it to everyone on my christmas list.
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Summary: For the World Traveler!
Review: I have been to over 90 countries and I thought I had visited a large share of the wonders of the world. In fact, I have been to many of the 1000 places but I still have a lot more to go. The selections are great and their descriptions are always correct! It is a great resource to select where to go and to decide on what to see !!!! I am sure this book belongs in the shelf of all the Frequent Travelers as well as in the hands of those looking for a once in a lifetime fantastic experience.
Rating: 
Summary: Somewhat disturbing
Review: I've travelled a bit in my life, but have by no means tried to keep up with trends in travel destinations. The whole contemporary craze for travelling itself has more or less passed me by. As I get older, though, I tend to get increasingly anxious about all the places in the world I haven't seen yet, and a book like this is bound to present me with many travel ideas I hadn't considered. The book's emphasis, though, presents a somewhat disturbing scenario to all potential readers. On one hand, it's good that, by making the list so long, the author is encouraging us to live for a long time, but what about those of us whose time is running out? For an untravelled person in their autumn years, 1000 places is an awful lot to be expected to get through, and attempting it could even shorten whatever time they have left. Conversely, younger, well-travelled people, who have already been to all 1000 places, will be disturbed to learn that they have nothing left to live for...
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Summary: This Is The Perfect Gift
Review: Of the dozens and dozens of presents for their 30th wedding anniversary, my gift of "1000 Places" was my parents' favorite by far - suggested to me by an extremely well-traveled family friend who knew they were at a loss when trying to plan their 2nd honeymoon. I have since gone out and bought another copy for myself - I am not all that well traveled myself, but intend to be, and now I have the best imagineable travel guide ever written - and likely to be the only one I'll ever buy. This one says it all and with all the local suggestions in California and the neighboring Four Corners Area (I'll save all those on the other side of the globe for down the road) I intend to start this weekend - who knew what I was missing???.
Rating:
Summary: Finally, The Traveler's Bible
Review: As a high school teacher I am inclined to make "1000 Places.." required reading for every high school senior who is poised to venture forth into the world - at the very least, a must-read for all geography classes! The degree of painstaking research and organization that went into this 1000-page tome is beyond remarkable, and what wonderful prose where the author's enthusiasm for each entry of her wide spectrum of choices is both engaging and palpable.
"1000 Places..." is balanced in a way that offers countless possibilities for travelers of all shapes and sizes - and most importantly, for every budget. Yes, there are high priced hotels, but who doesn't dream of these once-in-a-lifetime experiences for special occasions, or when splurging for splurging's sake? Traveling off-season and internet discounts now make these landmark hotels suddenly affordable - and who can't afford dropping into these historical grande-dame hotels for a cup of tea and unparalleled people watching? From high tea at The Ritz in London, to Montreux's vibrant Jazz Festival, to the unconventional choice of a visit to Calcutta to experience that country's human condition, I praise Ms Schultz for having compiled a Lifelist unlike any other I have ever stumbled upon before, and with all the factual info to get you there.
Perhaps it would make as much sense to suggest "1000 Places" as required reading for my fellow teachers as well as the students we send off with our blessing.
This book is for everyone.
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Summary: DISAPPOINTING SELECTION OF THE 1,000 PLACES!!!
Review: I purchased this book with great anticipation. After going through it cover to cover, I have been to 270 of the 1,000 places. I was most disappointed to see what constitutes a "place to see before you die"...With over 220 Hotels/Resorts listed and over 130 dining/restaurants listed, this brings down the amount of real "places" dramatically. While food and lodging are integral to the travel experience, to waste 362 listings in those areas alone are a huge WASTE! To include a hot dog stand in Chicago and then skip the ruins of Carthage in Tunisia spoils the credibility of this book. Over 220 hotels could have easily been boiled down to a top ten or stretched to a top twenty...after that they are all the same. Again, this goes for the restaurants, most not worthy of note. Restaurants come and go, where are the classical sites and ruins of the world? Ever think of starting with the UNESCO list? She has included a whopping 56 sites within the title Ancient Worlds. Why so few? I would like to know how many of the places the author has actually visited...Or just included the hype from the press releases she received. The information in the how to sections are good and very helpful. It's the selection of the top 1,000 that is horribly flawed. The author mentions that the list will not please everyone and of course, she is right. For the beginner it is a good place to start, but for the true world traveler with a brain, you will be sorely disappointed with what is missing and what was included in its place. Buy at your own risk and be sure to read between the fluff. Most of these are just over priced hotels and restaurants, catering to the uninitiated.
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