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Tips, tales and highlights from the Lonely Planet traveller community

Holly Jolly solstice

venessapaech Lonely Planet author

ceanandjen

Only a couple of sleeps and it’s Christmas. Time to fire up those chestnuts, glaze that turkey and concoct the new year’s resolutions we’ll be breaking in a month or two.
Every year our Women Travellers branch runs a Secret Santa (also known as Kris Kringle in other parts of the world). They started preparations in…

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Does travel change you?

venessapaech Lonely Planet author

lurifernandes

Does travel fundamentally change you? That’s a question our community members are currently pondering.
Sure, it can alter your perspective on things, at least for a while. But can a trip truly transform you, or is that just feel-good nonsense?
The consensus seems to be that you have to be at least a little open-minded to be changed…

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Street food: the best and the worst

Andy Murdock Lonely Planet author

tacotruck

What is the street food like where you’re from? What is your pick for the best street food in the world?

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10 tips for preventing theft during travel

Andy Murdock Lonely Planet author

pickpocket2

Travellers are often targeted by thieves – it’s sad but true. If you frequent the Thorn Tree forum you’ll hear tales of pickpockets, scams, dishonest cab drivers, items stolen from hotel rooms and similar skullduggery.
When you’re on holiday, you naturally want to relax, but letting your guard down can make you a target and have…

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Your frequently asked travel questions

venessapaech Lonely Planet author

takeomabibelot

Our Thorn Tree forum is the oldest travel social network on the web. It’s been going strong for well over a decade – and new travellers with new questions and stories arrive every day to join the party.
But some things never change.
We’ve pulled together 40 of your most commonly asked questions on Thorn Tree over…

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We went to the moon

venessapaech Lonely Planet author

moon

Today marks the 40th anniversary of humankind’s most awesome trip and our community has the lunar spirit.
The culture vultures on Thorn Tree are sharing their favourite songs about the moon and plans are afoot for some full moon parties.
The travel techies are chatting about the computing power behind Apollo, while some of our Australian branch…

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Other people’s vacation photos

Andy Murdock Lonely Planet author

rosetta_stone_crowd

Have you ever wondered how many times you’ve unknowingly shown up in other people’s vacation photos? What if it was possible to find these photos?

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Musical memories

venessapaech Lonely Planet author

imagine

Moonwalker Michael Jackson, died today. Our Thorn Tree members are already reflecting on their favourite King of Pop tunes. By way of tribute we thought we’d tip our hat to musical memorials around the world, which continue to inspire pilgrimages by adoring fans and curious wanderers.

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Top 5 dream destinations

Andy Murdock Lonely Planet author

Karnak

If you could pick five dream destinations, places you’ve always fantasized about visiting but never have, what would you choose?

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Roll On Down the Highway

venessapaech Lonely Planet author

route66

While the road trip has always been a stand-by for American travel, dreams of travelling the classic routes like the fabled Route 66, the Pacific Coast Highway, and the Alaska highway seem to have rekindled in recent months.

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