Join Ian and Claudia as they backpack around the world for a year, from the leafy delights of New England to the crazy wonders of Rajasthan. Share in their adventures as they camp within the Grand Canyon, trek to the Inca city of Machu Picchu, spend a week on Easter Island, get married on a beach in New Zealand, walk along the Great Wall of China, and come to terms with the sights of India. It is an unforgettable journey of discovery.

Along the way, they reveal the highs and lows that bring the challenges and the rewards of travelling. Whether it be a New Year beach party in Brazil, encounters with spiders and snakes in Australia, negotiating with the police in Vietnam or being caught up in street protests in Kathmandu, their personal day-to-day experiences reveal much about people and places - and raise pertinent questions about global tourism itself.

If you've ever wondered what it is like to stroll the streets of Manhattan, gaze out over jungle treetops from a Mayan pyramid, see Uluru change colour at dawn, clamber over the stones of Angkor Wat, enter the Forbidden City in Beijing, or be surrounded by thousands of rats in a Hindu temple, then open this informative book. Geography, history and present-day culture are blended together into rich descriptions that will keep you turning the pages. If there ever was a treasure trove for travellers, then this is it.