Did you know the library has books on just about any way that you can think of to see the world? You can find out about travelling fast.. or slow; by foot, by bike, by rail, by boat, or by motorbike. Here are just a few samples to whet your appetite.

Go Fast!!

36 Hours (2012): 125 Weekends in Europe - Dream weekends with practical itineraries from Paris to Perm. Culture, history, natural beauty, fine cuisine, artistic masterpieces, cutting-edge architecture and style-- Europe overflows with so many riches that a lifetime seems too short to appreciate them. But with the right guidance, you can go far in a single weekend . Stylishly written and carefully researched, this updated and expanded collection of the popular New York Times 36 Hours feature offers you 125 well-crafted itineraries for quick but memorable European trips, accompanied by hundreds of color photographs to fire your imagination.

36 Hours (2011): 150 Weekends in the USA & Canada - The ultimate travel guide to the USA and Canada To travel in North America is to face a delicious quandary: over these vast spaces, with so many riches from glittering cities to eccentric small towns and heart-stoppingly beautiful mountains and plains, how to experience as much as possible in limited time? One answer is the quick hit, a jam-packed adventure that delivers a full sense of a single place's opportunities and personalities over a well-plotted two-night stay. The New York Times has been offering up dream weekends with practical itineraries in its popular weekly "36 Hours" column since 2002.

Go Slow!

Go Slow France (2010): Special Places to Stay, Slow Travel and Slow Food - Go Slow France is the third book in Sawday's hugely successful Go Slow series. Discover 47 of France's most exquisite châteaux, B&Bs and hotels chosen as places to 'go slow'.

Slow Dorset, [2012] : Local, Characterful Guides to Britain's Special Places - Slow Dorset is a personal celebration of what makes Dorset special - an invitation to slow down and enjoy its beauty. The author takes you on a personal journey through the county introducing some of Dorset's best kept secrets and hidden delights including little known walks, cycle rides, pubs, local craftsmen and visitor attractions.

Go By Foot!

We have several different series of books that cover walking tours.

We have books that help you tour a city step by step, or a pilgrimage route, like the Camino de Santiago.

We have books with walking tours with a literary theme or those with a walk into history.

You can find them in our catalogue by searching "walking guidebooks".

Go by Bike!

Our books on cycling cover the world - from specific locations such as Oregon and the Kettle Valley Railroad in B.C. to the fifty places to bike before you die.

We also have books on cycling for all ages. Just search guidebooks cycling.

By Rail or By Boat!

The same applies to travelling by Rail; search railroad guidebooks (ignore the first few titles, they can't be borrowed).

For travel by Boat, search guidebooks cruises. You can find cruises everywhere from Alaska to the Caribbean to the Greek Islands.

By Car Or Even By Motorcycle!

If travelling by Car, search using the phrase guidebooks automobile.

If touring on a motorcycle, use the phrase guidebooks motorcycles.

However you go, the library has books to help you plan a great travel adventure! Knowing before you go helps you make the most of your trip. Happy trails!

Camping: Our Favourite Sites in Britain

Time Out applies its expertise to the world of camping with comprehensive reviews of 100 fantastic campsites in England, Scotland and Wales. Each site is illustrated with beautiful photography and detailed information on facilities provided; attractions and activities in the area; the best eating and drinking options; amusing the kids and the general pros and cons of each site. Whether you're after forest hideaways or beachside retreats; beautiful or jolly; remote or urban; with family or just friends, Time Out Camping covers it all, whatever you're looking for.

Walking Palestine: 25 Journeys into the West Bank (Interline Walking Guides) by Stefan Szepesi

With the images of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict so dominant in our minds, walking for leisure is the one activity probably least associated with the West Bank region. But Stefan Szepesi's book wanders well off the beaten track of Palestine as only a synonym for occupation and strife, exploring its inspiring natural and cultural landscape, its intriguing past and present, and the hospitality of its people. The book takes first-time walkers and experienced hikers, as well as armchair explorers, through Palestine's steep desert gorges, along its tiny herders' trails, and over its quiet dirt roads running past silver green olive groves. With side stories and anecdotes on heritage, history, culture, and daily life in the West Bank, the book ventures into the traits and character of Palestine today. Walking Palestine also offers a wealth of practical walking tips, including references to local guides, the West Bank's best leisure spots and countryside restaurants, and charming places to spend the night.

Only Pack What You Can Carry: My Path to Inner Strength, Confidence, and True Self-Knowledge by Janice Holly Booth

Magnetically written by former CEO of a North Carolina Girl Scout Council and award winning CEO for the Western New York chapter of a national arts-in-education organization, this uniquely engaging travel journal describes four keys to unlocking personal and spiritual fulfillment: solitude, introspection, courage, and commitment. Through a series of compelling travel essays and deeply thoughtful memoirs, Janice Booth draws readers into each adventure-ranging from a solo hike through Northern California to galloping across the fields of Ireland to a short stint with the Circus Arts learning the flying trapeze-and shares her secrets to a fuller life through traveling alone. Step by step, she demonstrates why leaving everything - and everyone - behind for a few days (or more!) is the best path to inner strength, confidence, and true self-knowledge.

Also, available in an electronic version.

A Sense of Direction: Pilgimage for the Restless and the Hopeful by Gideon Lewis-Kraus

Irreverent, moving, and thought-provoking, Lewis-Kraus riffs on the perpetual war between discipline and desire, and its attendant casualties. Across three pilgrimages and many hundreds of miles, he completes an idiosyncratic odyssey to the heart of a family mystery.

How to see the great cities of Europe and not spend a lot of money? Try walking the streets.

Calgary Public Library has many books on walking and walking tours. Just recently received are these great guides from National Geographic.

Walking London and Walking Paris are "part of a brand-new series from National Geographic that showcase the world's great cities, These guides are divided into the following sections. The Whirlwind Tours section shows you how to see the entire city in a day or a weekend; what sights will interest kids most; plus, a hedonist's tour that's pure pleasure from dawn to midnight and beyond. The Neighborhoods section of the book presents each city broken down into itineraries that lead you on a step-by-step tour to the best sights in each of the cities' greatest neighborhoods...Travel Essentials provides information on how to get to the city and how to get around, as well as hand-picked hotels and restaurants."

Check out our other guidebooks, such as:

Think about using local transit to get around various cities. Check out the options for purchasing a transit pass for multiple days or stops.

You can also save money in many European cities, by purchasing a European City Card. Thirty-six of Europe’s most popular cities now offer ‘city cards’. Most City Cards offer free public transport, free entrances and discounts in restaurants, shops and entertainment.

Sandeman's New Europe Tours offer free tours of 14 European cities. Their guides operate on a 'tips only' basis.

We have recently received a new book on this transformative walk, Camino Letters by Julie Kirkpatrick.

"It’s very simple: this book is a quiet masterpiece. Wrought of searing honesty, pain, and humour, these exquisite letters walk a path of brave humility and surrender. They ache with agonies, laugh with magic, bless with insight, and open to the whispered songs of grace. They are dances of sorrow, love, and spirit. They are frozen music, sketches of the divine on earth. This book is a gift."

Alison Wearing, author of Honeymoon in Purdah: An Iranian Journey

I'm off then : losing and finding myself on the Camino de Santiago (2009)
by Hape Kerkeling

Overweight, overworked, and physically unfit, Kerkeling was an unlikely candidate to make an arduous pilgrimage across the French Alps. But that didn't stop him from trying, which he describes in this humorous and inspiring travelogue. (Syndetics)

Walking the Camino de Santiago : [from St-Jean-Pied-de-Port to Santiago de Compostela and on to Finisterre] (2009) by Bethan Davies

Smoothing your way with step-by-step instructions, detailed sketch maps and profile charts, this guide lets you into Spain's cultural and culinary secrets, includes a detailed, illustrated wildlife section, and gives you all the practical information you need for a hassle-free pilgrimage. (Sydetics)

What the psychic told the pilgrim : a midlife misadventure on Spain's Camino de Santiago Compostela by Jane Christmas

To celebrate her 50th birthday and face the challenges of mid-life, Jane Christmas joins 14 women to hike the Camino de Santiago de Compostela. Despite a psychic’s warning of catfights, death, and a sexy, fair-haired man, Christmas soldiers on. After a week of squabbles, the group splinters and the real adventure begins. (Syndetics)

The roads to Santiago : the medieval pilgrim routes through France and Spain to Santiago de Compostela (2008) by Derry Brabbs

Brabbs traces the four main routes within France leading to Santiago de Compostella, the third most important pilgrimage destination for medieval travelers. His photographs of the journeys are breathtaking, showing the tiny towns and grand cathedrals where the pilgrims took, and still take, shelter. (syndetics)

A Pilgrim's Guide to the Camino de Santiago: St Jean, Roncesvalles, Santiago by John Brierley

Now updated to include newer maps and photos and weighing less to support carefree traveling, these comprehensive guidebooks to the Camino de Santiago and its offshoots contain all the information needed by modern-day pilgrims wishing to walk the sacred Way of St. James. (Syndetics)

Slow travel is all about getting to know a place and connecting with the people. What better way to see a country than to walk the highways and biways?

The library has some great books that you can check out on walking vacations for locations both near and far.

One of our newest is by Countryfile, Great British Walks. This book features 100 unique walks through the British countryside and has clear, easy-to-follow routes and ordnance survey mapping. It includes notes on what you will see and some lovely colour photographs. It has everything from gentle strolls through the countryside to challenging hikes into the wilderness.

"With its strong binding, attractive photographs, and variety of walks, this guide will make a wonderful companion for enthusiastic country walkers. (Library Journal Review)

You can walk through Provence or Paris:

Or perhaps you would like to walk Down Under.

Or you can stay close to home:

Whether you are a meanderer or a serious hiker, there is something here for you. Happy trails!!