Anybody out there remember travel? You know, that pre-COVID activity where you go to a distant place for discovery and adventure? Where you immerse yourself in a different culture, try some different foods, maybe even try to speak a few words of a different language? Due to the long COVID shutdown I’ve practically forgotten what it means to travel.

This lovely new book recently crossed my path, Lonely Planet’s Wonders of the World. It stirred my imagination and set me dreaming of places I long to visit. Wonders of the World is jam packed with gorgeous photos and features 101 destinations across all the continents. Many of them are well known, some less well known, and some totally unknown (at least to me). Some are big city picks, some are the great outdoors. Each destination also features a short and longer itinerary for the surrounding area.

Here are a few picks that really resonated with me. I’m a history buff so I would dearly love to visit Petra (Jordan), Angkor Wat (Cambodia) and the Mayan site Tikal (Guatemala.) But I also love the natural world, so destinations like the Norwegian fjords, the California redwoods and Canada’s Haida Gwaii also deeply appeal to me. Truly, there is something for everyone in this book.

I have to admit I’m not quite ready to travel just yet. We may be done with COVID, but I’m not sure COVID is done with us. But in the meantime a person sure can dream. And do come into the library! We have a tonne of travel books and DVDs (for all ages) to get you and your family inspired for your next travel adventure– whenever and wherever that may be.

— Penny D.