Lonely Planet Videos

If you haven't got the time or money for a trip around the world, we've got the next best thing: let Lonely Planet take you there with their video series. While we are not normally big fans of travel videos (most are poorly filmed, poorly organized and narrated by the world's most boring people), these are truly in a class by themselves.

Each video contains 47 minutes of original footage that explores the destination's sights and cultures with Lonely Planet's trademark emphasis on off-the-tourist-path adventure. The narrators don't recite a deadening script, but talk honestly and informatively about what it is actually like to travel in each place. The videos are $19.95 each. Available so far: