Lonely Planet, Blue List 2007

Blue ListFear not, we won't be reviewing Lonely Planets many travel guides.

Why then review the Blue List, you may wonder? The answer is quite simple: Lonely Planet's sharing of ideas and recommendations worldwide is a terrific idea. They want to stimulate travel discussions to a wide audience and since Qultures' readers also love to travel, then you should know about this Blue List eye-opener.

Unique spots
The Blue List provides a collection of trends, destinations, journeys and experiences for 2007 offering a selection of the best places to go and things to do. The lists are basically a mingling of travellers' postings on the Lonely Planet website with their own recommendations. The knowledge and imagination of the authors, staff and independent travellers are incorporated in a fun and easy manner, and they truly do have a flair for finding spots on the entire Lonely Planet that we either take for granted or just haven't discovered.

There are Bluelists on:

• Cities on the Rise include three Baltic capitals: Riga, Latvia, Vilnius, Lithuania, and Estonia, Tallinn as well as Belfast, Northern Island and Belgrade, Serbia
• "Paid to travel" places for archaeologists, airline crew, English teachers, artists…
• Micro nations such as the Kingdom of Elleore and Christiania, both in Denmark or how about the arts place Ladonia in Sweden or Copeman Emprie in Sheringham, England?
• And many, many more

Dark Tourism feature
This year's edition also has a section on dark tourism focusing on sites with a dark story behind them - from Ground Zero to Auschwitz. Find out more on why Dark Tourism is on the rise, where you are on a darkometer and Dark Tourism ethics.

Original and fun
The book is colourful, glossy and fun. At the same it time it serves as an advertisement for the whole Lonely Planet series, but that's ok when the prize fruits are served in this original manner.

Lonely Planet Blue List, The best in Travel 2007
Publisher, Lonely Planet
Price: UK £14.99, $19.99