Black Sea Circuit: The Ukraine & Crimea (Part 1)

The Raven Brothers fired up their twenty year old Volvo and headed for the Black Sea. Follow their three-part adventure, as they attempted to drive full circle around this fascinating body of water at the birthplace of civilization.

By The Raven Brothers

USA Amazon: Black Sea Circuit >

UK Amazon: Black Sea Circuit >

The Black Sea has been the inspiration for endless myths and legends. It was here Jason and the Argonauts were thought to have sailed from Greece to Georgia in search of the Golden Fleece. It is home to stories of a tribe of fierce female warriors known as the Amazons, who were said to have captured men and used them as sex slaves in what is now modern day Turkey. Bands of nomadic horsemen wielding swords once ruled the grasslands of the Pontic steppe and Huns, Goths, Turks and Russians strove for mastery around these colourful shores.

Central Asia - Uzbekistan (PDF Chapter) by Lonely Planet

Download the Lonely Planet Central Asia - Uzbekistan (PDF Chapter)

Central Asia - Uzbekistan (PDF Chapter)

The region’s cradle of culture for more than two millennia, Uzbekistan is the proud home to a spellbinding arsenal of architecture and ancient cities. In terms of sights alone, Uzbekistan is Central Asia’s biggest draw and most impressive showstopper.

- marvel at Central Asia’s most stunning ensemble of larger-than-life Timurid architectural gems, in Samarkand’s Registan

- wander the exquisitely preserved holy city of Bukhara, boasting stunning 15th-century medressas, stylish B&Bs and fascinating history

- look for the ghosts of the last independent Central Asian khanate in Khiva, frozen in time behind mud walls in the middle of the Kyzylkum desert

Coverage includes: Tashkent & Around, Chimgan Ugam-Chatkal National Park, Fergana Valley, Kokand, Fergana & Around, Andijon, Central Uzbekistan, Samarkand, Shakhrisabz, Termiz, Nurata, Bukhara, Khorezm, Urgench & Around, Khiva, Karakalpakstan, Nukus, Moynaq, Understand Uzbekistan, Uzbekistan Today, History, People, Religion, Arts, En-vironment, Food & Drink, Survival Guide, When to Go, Visas & Permits, Itineraries, Fast Facts, Exchange Rates, Resources.

Download the Lonely Planet Jordan - Azraq & the Eastern Desert Highway (PDF Chapter)

Download the Lonely Planet Jordan - Azraq & the Eastern Desert Highway (PDF Chapter)

Jordan - Azraq & the Eastern Desert Highway (PDF Chapter)

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Imagine a space so desolate that not even a boulder or a bush troubles the 360-degree hori-zon. Factor in a ravaging heat so overpowering in the summer that the ground pulses before your eyes and mirages appear in the distance. Welcome to the Eastern Desert!

- hunker down in a bird hide in Azraq Wetland Reserve and watch the drama of a waterhole unfold

- go on safari in Shaumari Wildlife Reserve to spot Arabian oryx, slowly being reintroduced to the area after being hunted to extinction

- admire the risqué frescoes in the bathhouse at the Unesco World Heritage Site of Qusayr Amra

Coverage includes: Azraq & Around, Zarqa, Hallabat, Azraq, Qusayr Amra, Qasr Kharana, Eastern Desert Highway, Umm Al Jimal, Qasr Deir Al Kahf, Safawi, Burqu.

USA's National Parks travel guide by Lonely Planet

USA's National Parks travel guide

Click HERE to buy the Lonely Planet's USA's National Parks travel guide

Crane your neck at giant rock formations in Yosemite, test your nerves on the astounding Going-to-the-Sun Road in Glacier National Park, watch the sunset over the Grand Canyon; all with your trusted travel companion.

USA's National Parks' Top 10

1. Yosemite Valley, Yosemite

2. Going-to-the-Sun Road, Glacier

3. Sunset, Grand Canyon

4. Snake River, Grand Teton

5. Rock Climbing, Joshua Tree

6. Longs Peak, Rocky Mountain

7. The Narrows, Zion

8. Wildlife Watching, Yellowstone

9. Sunrise, Cadillac Mountain, Acadia

10. Bryce Amphitheater, Bryce Canyon

Inside Lonely Planet’s USA’s National Parks Travel Guide:

- Full-colour maps and images throughout

- Highlights and itineraries help you tailor your trip to your personal needs and interests

- Insider tips to save time and money and get around like a local, avoiding crowds and trouble spots

- Honest review for all budgets - eating, sleeping, sight-seeing, going out, shopping, hidden gems that most guidebooks miss

- Cultural insights give you a richer, more rewarding travel experience – history, wildlife, con-servation, ecology, landscapes, geology, politics

- Free, convenient pull-out city map (included in print version), plus over 103 colour maps

Coverage includes: California, Alaska & the Pacific Northwest, Rocky Mountains, Great Lakes & Great Plains, New England & the Mid-Atlantic, The South, The South-west, Florida, Hawaii, and more

Curator: Amy C Balfour

Writers: Loren Bell, Greg Benchwick, Jade Bremner, Jennifer Rasin Denniston, Michael Grosberg, Bradley Mayhew, Carolyn McCarthy, Christopher Pitts, Regis St Louis

Get to the heart of USA’s National Parks and begin your journey now!

Stroll the Walk of Fame with Moon Los Angeles travel guide

From the glittering Pacific Ocean to charming neighborhoods and towering skyscrapers, Los Angeles is a kinetic cultural melting pot.

Moon Los Angeles

Explore the City: Navigate by neighborhood or by activity with color-coded maps, or follow one of our self-guided neighborhood walks

See the Sights: Stroll the Walk of Fame and see Grauman's Chinese Theater, browse hipster boutiques in Silver Lake, or take surfing lessons on Venice Beach. Listen to the classics at the stunning Disney Concert Hall, stroll the quirky Santa Monica Pier, or go back in time at the stunning Getty Villa

Get a Taste of the City: LA is a melting pot of incredible cuisine: think perfect soup dumplings, kogi tacos, and the best mole you'll find outside Oaxaca

Bars and Nightlife: Relax over a craft beer in trendy gastropubs or discover vibrant nightclubs and hidden speakeasies featuring innovative and classic cocktails

Trusted Advice: LA transplant Halli Jastaran Faulkner shares her love of this bright, sprawling metropolis

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Devon & Cornwall travel guide by Lonely Planet

Devon & Cornwall travel guide by Lonely Planet

Devon & Cornwall travel guide

Welcome to the wild, wild west – a land of gorse-clad cliffs, booming surf, white sand and epic, widescreen skies.

Discover botanical curiosities at Eden Project, roam the bleak heaths of Dartmoor, and add lashings of cream to your jam and scones.

Coverage Includes: Exeter, Torquay, Plymouth, Dartmoor National Park, Exmoor National Park, South West Coast Path, Isles of Sicily, Clovelly, Newquay, St Agnes, St Ives, The Lizard, Penzance and more

10 Lonely Planet travel guides for this summer

Where are you heading on your adventures this summer? Not decided yet? Well, why not check out these Lonely Planet travel guides to give you some ideas.

1. The Big Trip

So, you want to experience the ultimate overseas adventure?

Whether you’re a gap year student or young traveller, taking a sabbatical or career break, a parent or guardian wanting to travel with your children, or in retirement and looking for your next adventure – The Big Trip is for you.

2. Croatia 

If your Mediterranean fantasies feature balmy days by sapphire waters in the shade of ancient walled towns, Croatia is the place to turn them into reality. 

Take the cable car up Mt Srđ for a view over majestic Dubrovnik, traverse the exquisite watery world of Plitvice Lakes National Park, sample the best of regional food in Istria.

Coverage includes: Zagreb, Inland Croatia, Istria, Kvarner, Northern Dal-matia, Split, Central Dalmatia, Dubrovnik, Southern Dalmatia and more

3. Experience France

Inside Lonely Planet’s Experience France you’ll travel through vibrant cities, rural villages, majestic mountains and swanky chateaux, discovering the secrets to French style, embarking on your own study of wines and cheeses and immersing yourself in history, art and all things la belle France.

4. Scotland

Scotland has many treasures crammed into its compact territory – big skies, ancient architec-ture, spectacular wildlife, superb seafood and hospitable, down-to-earth people.

Sip the water of life, whisky, in an ancient pub, trace the trails of the clanspeople fleeing Glen Coe, or play a round in St Andrew's, golf's spiritual home.

Coverage Includes: Edinburgh, Glasgow, Highlands & Islands, Inverness & the Central Highlands, Orkney & Shetland and more

5. England

This green and pleasant land, this sceptred isle, this crucible of empire and pioneer of parliamentary democracy: England is eccentric, exhilarating and endlessly intriguing.

Puzzle the mysteries of Stonehenge, wander Oxford’s ancient cobbled lanes, or drink in the gorgeous view from a Lake District peak.

Coverage includes:London, Canterbury, Southeast England, Oxford, the Cotswolds, Bath, Bristol, Southwest England, Cambridge, Birmingham, Yorkshire, Manchester, Liverpool, Peak District, The Lake District, Newcastle, Northeast England and more

Scotland - Edinburgh (PDF Chapter) Lonely Planet

There’s more to Edinburgh than sightseeing – there are top shops, world-class restaurants and a bacchanalia of bars to enjoy. This is a city of pub crawls and impromptu music sessions, late-night drinking, all-night parties and wandering home through cobbled streets at dawn.

Click HERE to buy the Scotland - Edinburgh

- take in the views from the battlements of Edinburgh Castle

- nose around the Queen’s private quarters on the Royal Yacht Britannia

- climb to the summit of the city’s miniature mountain, Arthur’s Seat

Coverage includes: History, Sights, Activities, Tours, Festivals & Events, Sleeping, Eating, Drinking & Nightlife, Entertainment, Shopping, Around Edinburgh.

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Hike, Drive, Stayin' Alive!

by The Raven Brothers

On Amazon >

Out of shape and unprepared, The Raven Brothers return to the road in a collection of ten quests to travel to their dream destinations against all odds! After two decades pioneering new routes across the globe, you would expect the authors of 'Driving the Trans-Siberian' to be hotshot explorers, with a sixth sense and an ability to survive in almost any situation. Think again! With virtually zero knowledge of the workings of the internal combustion engine and very limited skills of wilderness survival, Simon and Chris struggle into their hiking boots and power across three continents by river, tarmac and trail.

Venture to the top of Norway, cruise the road to Damascus, hike the Camino trail into Spain’s Wild West, row the Ganges, explore Frida Kahlo’s world in Mexico City, hangout with the dead in Sicily’s eerie catacombs, crawl deep inside Bolivia’s notorious silver mine, seek lions in Gujarat, wellness in Berlin and journey into the Naga Hills where tribal kings still rule.

Noted by Lonely Planet for their talent to portray an “accurate view of what to expect”, 'Hike, Drive, Stayin’ Alive!' signals a return to the duo writing “buttock clenching” travel comedy with the first in a series of candid stories of adventure by The Raven Brothers.

Great Britain's Best Trips by Lonely Planet

Download Lonely Planet Great Britain's Best Trips

Great Britain's Best Trips

Discover the freedom of the open road with Great Britain’s Best Trips. We’ve selected 36 amazing road trips through Southern & Eastern England, Southwest England, Central England, Lake District & Northern England, Wales and Scotland from three day escapes to three week adventures, and packed them full of expert advice and inspirational suggestions.

Whether you want to wind along roads surrounded by majestic mountains in the Scotland’s Royal Highlands & Cairngorms or discover a rich heritage full of nautical, archaeological and architectural sights in England’s historic south, we’ve got the trip for you.

Covers: England, Scotland, Wales, the West Country, the Cotswolds, Bath, Edinburgh, Stonehenge, Welsh Mountains, Cambridge, Oxford, the northern wilderness, Stratford-upon-Avon, Blenheim Palace and more

Lonely Planet Great Britain

The clue’s in the name. Great Britain packs so much greatness into its pint-sized shores: crumbling castles, soaring cathedrals, quaint villages, timeless landscapes and history galore. Lonely Planet will get you to the heart of Great Britain, with amazing travel experiences and the best planning advice.

Click HERE to buy the Lonely Planet Great Britain travel guide

Lonely Planet writer Oliver Berry tells us why he loves Great Britain. "As a born-and-bred Brit, I've travelled more times along Britain's footpaths, back lanes, byways and bridleways than anywhere on earth - and yet, somehow, every time I set out, I always seem to find something unexpected. Sometimes it's a beach I've never strolled on before, a view I've never photographed, or a hill I've never climbed; occasionally it's a museum I've not visited, a castle I've not explored, or a legend I've not heard. More often than not, it's a pub where I've never drunk a pint. I've been exploring this island for half a lifetime, and I've still only discovered a fraction of the experiences it has to offer."

Gaze at the graceful architecture of Canterbury Cathedral, stride around the ramparts of Edinburgh Castle or through the mountains of Wales, and soak up Roman, medieval and Victorian history – all with your trusted travel companion.

Great Britain Top 10 

1. Stonehenge

2. Edinburgh

3. Bath

4. Isle of Skye

5. England Coast Path

6. The Cotswolds

7. Tower of London

8. Snowdonia

9. The Lake District

10. Hadrian's Wall