This is adventure travel writing at its finest. It pays no attention to the unimportant and focuses on things of deep and abiding meaning. In The Wild Places, Macfarlane has decided to search for the last great wild places in Britain and Ireland, and in the process he uncovers the essence of real adventure. His prose is moving, his blend of history and natural science appropriate, and his journey epic. Has a worthy successor to Peter Matthiessen finally arrived? Bottom line: everything we look for in an adventure travel book: a real-life account fused with history and the Natural, permeated by that ever-elusive Journey element. JourneyGrade: A+

Tony Horwitz is a man on a mission: to set American history straight. To accomplish this, the bestselling author of Confederates in the Attic takes to the road, crisscrossing North America in the footsteps of Vikings, Pilgrims, conquistadors, and a whole host of other intriguing characters, uncovering a fool's gold-filled treasure-trove of centuries-old "facts" that just may turn out to be fiction after all. We have to put a plug in here for one of Horwitz's past works as well: Blue Latitudes, which follows the adventures of Captain James Cook. Not really relevant to this review, but a smashing good read. Bottom line: A Voyage Long and Strange is a grand adventure that captivates and entertains from cover to cover. JourneyGrade: A

How should one act on a first date in Spain? Send out party invites in Indonesia? Give gifts in Saudi Arabia? Ruin a conversation in Cyprus? These and many more intriguing questions are answered in this easy-to-read little book that could prove to be an international traveler's best friend. McCrum shares the dos and don'ts from around the world, from greetings and gestures to food, business, dating, marriage, clothes, and more. Bottom line: No matter how many places you might have visited, Going Dutch may surprise you; perhaps you, yes you, have been doing something wrong the whole time... JourneyGrade: B+

As far as guide books go, we've never seen a book outdo this one. Everything is in full, glossy color (the pages just smell high-quality--you know what we're talking about), it's packed with incredible, detailed maps and stunning photos, and it is breathtaking in its comprehensiveness of Antarctic wildlife, from the Southern Ocean to the icy continent itself. We're trying to find something negative to write so as to appear less biased, but the truth is that we can't. Bottom line: This is the best guide book we've ever seen. Period. JourneyGrade: A+

For those seeking to liven up what may otherwise turn out to be just another road trip, Dan Austin has taken the experience out of the box and mounted it on a framework of pilgrimage. We find this appropriate, since every true adventure involves some sort of self-search, much like a pilgrim's. Over mountains and across deserts, Austin explores Pilgrim Hygiene, Pilgrim Baptism, Pigrim Cuisine, and the magic of the road, among other Pilgrim-associated topics. Bottom line: A fun read full of great ideas on how to add meaning to your journey. If nothing else, the reader comes away looking at the world in a new way. JourneyGrade: B+