National Geographic Traveler

Before a trip to Iceland last summer, I studied a couple of issues with information on Iceland, and found the advice to be amazingly useful, practical, and accurate. That is just the latest of many times that I have used the information in this wonderful magazine to plan and execute vacations.

Of course not everything or every destination appeals to me, but I can say, without reservation, that every single volume has something of great interest to me. I end up keeping most of these (which is very unusual for me), but only after reading and re-reading them several times!

If you are interested in unique travels, this magazine is a must read!


Best of Class...a Travel Magazine You Can Actually Use   August 24, 2004
Ed Uyeshima (San Francisco, CA USA)
46 out of 46 found this review helpful

I am now on my sixth year of subscription of this magazine, and I continue to enjoy it immensely. When I first read it, I knew the branding of "National Geographic" would mean exquisite, world-class photography, and based on this attribute alone, the "Traveler" edition does not disappoint. The target here though is not the anthropologist, the historian or even the cultural dilettante - it is the middle to upper middle class tourist in need of inspiration and pointers on travel. This is definitely not a backpacker's guide. This magazine is for those who have graduated from Rick Steves' backdoor guides but are not in dire need of an agent to help them plan their itineraries.

The various regular features always seem useful: "Smart Traveler" contains great insight into learning from other travelers' mistakes, or the best places to go for a given time of year; "Place of a Lifetime" spotlights an exotic fantasy place that makes you savor the idea of actually experiencing it firsthand; " 48 Hours" takes a given locale and tells you how to make the most of your limited time. Each issue focuses on one or two particular places and generally do a through job in highlighting what to see, where to stay and eat and a helpful street map is always provided. By comparison, "Travel and Leisure" seems to focus on the trendy and chic, and the articles in "Conde Naste Traveler" seem abbreviated and not very informative. Moreover, both seem overstuffed with advertisements. "National Geographic Traveler" just seems to have the right balance of great, easy-to-follow information and beautiful photography. I'm sure I'll be subscribing for many more years to come.



Earth in all it's Glory   May 3, 2002
KSG (New York, NY United States)
44 out of 48 found this review helpful

By far, the most interesting travel magazine for the nature/adventure lover. It's a totally refreshing take on international travel. No hype about the chicest, trendiest or most expensive hotels - no "Gold" lists, just lots of practical information and glorius photos of planet Earth. And it's not only about whitewater rafting, a recent article on Brazil included great info on the city of Salvador.


Amazing, but...   February 15, 2003
Andrew (Ontario, Canada)
39 out of 42 found this review helpful

This is a great magazine. Informative, insightful, and all the rest. My parents have subscribed for years. When I was last home I read a few issues. I must admit, I'm hooked. I plan to start a subscription very soon. However...

Much of the content of the issues I read is devoted to cities in the United States. I don't mind this (as a non-American) since I love travelling to the U.S.; however, this magazine is wholeheartedly written BY Americans FOR Americans. I love travelling to the U.S., don't get me wrong, but there is an unequivocal bias amongst the pages of this Mag. The articles (all of them) are GREAT! Not to mention the photography! Wow! But if you want a travel magazine that devotes equal content to many countries, this isn't the one for you. I asked my family what they thought, having subscribed for many years: we all agree, if required to guess, 60% of the articles are about American cities, the remaining 40% to global destinations. Just what we feel. Again, a great mag.
~Andrew


Beautiful magazine.   December 4, 2001
25 out of 26 found this review helpful

National Geographic Traveler is a great travel magazine with all the information you would expect about great places to visit, but what I like most about it is the photography. It is absolutely stunning! This magazine is worth getting just for the incredible photography. Plus, there's an annual photo contest where readers share their experiences through pictures.

Now, it is a travel magazine, so I shouldn't forget to mention that the writers really do capture the feel and culture of the places they write about. Plus, they include practical information about where to stay and eat while you visit.

I really have enjoyed receiving this magazine and keep the old issues around for reference.