Product Review: Off the Beaten Path by Reader's Digest

by Donna Hull on 2009/05/26

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Are you a baby boomer who likes off the beaten path travel? Alan and I definitely raise our hand when asked that question. We like nothing better than to take to the road, visiting sites and attractions that are off the usual tourist scene. That’s why we were excited when Reader’s Digest asked me to review their newly revised and updated book, Off the Beaten Path.

For the last two months, Alan and I have browsed the pages of the coffee table-sized book, looking for places we’ve been and making notes for future trips. Off the Beaten Path, a travel guide to more than 1,000 sites in the U.S., is organized by state with detailed maps and excellent photos. Each attraction includes a description, phone number and website address plus a row of icons at the bottom indicating things like accessibility, pet-friendliness or wi-fi availability. A “Seasonal Events” sidebar, included for each state, alerts readers to festivals and events.

Off the Beaten Path avoids mentioning the well known national parks opting for lesser known state parks and national monuments. For instance, the Arizona section leaves out The Grand Canyon, focusing instead on places like Canyon de Chelly and Chiricahua National Monument. And don’t think you have to travel into the wild to visit many of the attractions. The road trip book includes plenty of quirky museums and road side stops.

Alan and I consulted Off the Beaten Path while planning our recent baby boomer get-away to the Big Island and Molokai’i. The book introduced us to Waipi’o Valley Lookout and Akaka Falls State Park.

You can find Off the Beaten Pathh at your local bookstore ($35) or [amazonify]0762107944::text::::on Amazon[/amazonify]. Or, you can enter my contest to WIN a copy of Off the Beaten Path. To celebrate My Itchy Travel Feet’s first birthday, Reader’s Digest has kindly given me a copy to give away.

So now it’s your turn. Post a comment on why you would like to win Off the Beaten Path. Please include your email for contact purposes. You might be planning your next road trip with this excellent resource. Contest ends on Tuesday, June 2, 2009 at 11:00 p.m. Arizona Mountain Standard Time. Winner will be announced on Wednesday, June 3, 2009. Please see general contest rules.

UPDATE: June 3, 2009. This contest has expired. As soon as the winner acknowledges receipt of my email, I’ll make the announcement.