Laurel Hutchinson
Reference Librarian

            About a year ago I wrote an article announcing the updating of the library’s travel guide collection.  At the time, we were buying the current editions of travel guides for many new locales and replacing older versions of some of the “usual” destinations, some of which were more than ten years out of date.  This year, you’ll find a new surprise in the travel section – DVDs - and lots of them!

            We have purchased a wealth of travel DVDs that cover a truly amazing chunk of the world, from old tried-and-true destinations throughout the US and Europe to countries most of us have never heard of.  Fans of Rick Steves need not worry, as we’ve built up our collection of his series to include all 70 shows of “Rick Steves’ Europe” and “Rick Steves’ Italy’s Cities and Countryside”.  Monty Python fans won’t want to miss “Michael Palin: New Europe”.  We’ve got “Museum City Series” DVDs that feature cities such as Paris, Rome, and Vatican City, and the world-class museums you’ll find in each.  Several DVDs describe travel by cruise ship, including “Cruising QE2 to the Orient” and “Royal Caribbean’s Voyager of the Seas”. 

It looks like I’ll be an armchair traveler for a few more years, but I look forward to learning what I can about places I’ve never been and even those I’ve been to and would like to know more about.  For inspiration for your own travel plans - whether you’re planning to leave for vacation the day the kids get out of school, working on a class assignment, or just curious about other parts of the world, the travel section here at Hickory Public Library is a great place to start.  Try watching:

• 1,000 Places to See Before You Die
• Classical Destinations – An Armchair Guide
• Museum City Series – Seville Jewel of Andalusia
• Romantic Inns of America – The South  (we also have in this series California & New England)
• Pilot Guides Egypt
• Gods’ Lair Samos & Patmos
• Sun City – South African Paradise
• Touring Great Festivals of Europe