When a travel book is reviewed on Amazon.com as being "a great choice for a traveling grandpa" or renamed "1,000 Places To See For Boring Millionaires" than you'd probably skip over it. Right?

Think again.

Back in 2004, Christmas arrived shortly after Tim and I shared the news that we'd be going around the world. One of the presents sitting under the tree for me on Christmas morning was a book called 1,000 Places To See Before You Die. (Aside from this particular title, there are also several other 1,000 list books available too.) Flipping through the pages while still cozy in my pajamas, I was not only excited by many of the places described inside, but I was touched that my parents were taking our travel plans seriously.

Little did I know that morning but that present would change our upcoming trip entirely. In fact, if it hadn't been for that book, Tim and I would have never thought to consider Turkey in our travel plans. We would have missed the wonders of Istanbul and the stark beauty of Cappadocia and we wouldn't have gotten engaged...well, at least not in Turkey. (For those curious: The entry in the book that prompted us to add Turkey to our itinerary was one that told us about taking a balloon ride over the amazing fairy chimneys in Cappadocia.)

1,000 Places To See Before You Die comes in at nearly 1,000 pages (quite fitting, I suppose) with loads of details about many exotic places and interesting sites described throughout. There are well over 100 countries highlighted in the book and just about any experience you can think up (and many you never would have imagined) are detailed too.

But I've read many other travelers' reviews of the book (and those amusing reviews on Amazon too) and have repeatedly discovered it's not a popular choice. (I've also discovered some folks take list books way too literally.) Specifically, it's seen as an unrealistic book for any "serious" backpacker. The critiques point out that many of the places and experiences described in the book are out of most people's reach. As a result, they write-off the entire book as a waste of time.

I think those reviewers are missing out on a fun resource. One of the best parts about traveling is dreaming of visiting faraway places, foreign people, and exotic experiences. Traveling is about imagining possibilities. And before you can travel, that's mainly what you do: imagine, daydream, and brainstorm about all the places and experiences you might want in this life. And how do you do that? You read travel blogs for suggestions, you look at pictures online for interesting sites, and you scour your library for any and all travel books all the while looking for inspiration.

Traveling isn't about following word-for-word the suggestions of any book, or any other traveler for that matter. It's about traveling in a way that works best for you, not what works best for someone else. When someone buys a Lonely Planet guide, chances are they aren't going to visit every place it lists, but they will get a good idea of what is and isn't possible from it. Any guide's job is to do just that: guide you. And so what better way to be guided and inspired than by a book called 1,000 Places To See Before You Die?

I will agree the author often highlights very expensive hotels and restaurants in each destination. But when highlighting a restaurant or a resort, she usually goes on to explain what else in the area. Sure, the other attraction might only get a brief mention. But it is often mentioned which gives any "serious" backpacker enough information to hop online and do a bit of research prior to their trip.

(I would also point out the book focuses mostly on Western countries. There are around 600 pages dedicated to the US, Canada, Europe (mostly Western Europe), Australia, and New Zealand. But there are only 300 pages dedicated to Africa, the Middle East, Latin America, Asia, and the Caribbean. Even someone not steeped in a traveling lifestyle can see that's a great disparity.)

There's rarely going to be a travel book for everyone, every budget, and every style. And this particular travel book certainly has its drawbacks when you look at it critically. But when you open your imagination up just the tiniest bit, it can be quite easy to be taken to the faraway lands mentioned on its pages. At the very least it's a great resource for someone new to traveling who is looking for inspiration. Just remember to see the book as a traveler's guide and not the traveler's bible and you'll be fine.

(And for the record, it's still great for people more experienced with traveling too. When we start daydreaming about where to go next in the world, this book is one of the first I pull off our shelves for ideas.)

For several months after that Christmas, Tim and I pored over the book, reading about those far off lands, looking things up online, and getting ideas, lots and lots of ideas of possible places for us to visit. Did we consider staying at the $600 per night hotel the book says is located right next to Machu Picchu? Of course not. But reading the book made us remember: yes, we definitely need to visit Machu Picchu (and stay at the $20 per night hotel in the nearby village).