In search of exhilaration, reflection or fulfilment? Lonely Planet reveals the best destinations to connect with your emotions

Discover 240 travel destinations that will make you feel awed, inspired, joyous, adventurous, serene, exhilarated, amused, alone, fulfilled, passion, reflective and enlightened.

Published this December, Lonely Planet’s The Place To Be suggests exactly where to go in search of experiencing a particular emotion. Whether it’s euphoria or serenity, awe or enlightenment, each chapter in this unique book explores a single feeling, with 20 travel destinations and experiences for each emotion and state of mind. Placesrange from wild and natural spaces, to modern and ancient cities, with Lonely Planet’s expert travel writers explaining when to go and how to get there, and the best routes to discovering these feelings.

New Zealand is represented in the book by 4 different destinations.

Waitomo Caves (Awe), Bay of Islands (Serenity), Shotover River, Queenstown (Exhilaration), South Island (Adventure)

Drawing on science, art and literature for the key to unlocking each emotion, this book is a reminder of how powerful new places can be for mental and physical wellbeing, and inspire readers to think about their next journey in a whole new light.

As Lonely Planet says in The Place to Be, “Whether we go for a weekend or a year most of us travel to see unforgettable sights and enjoy new experiences. But, ultimately, we travel in search of a feeling. That feeling might be a sense of awe or wonder that we don’t receive in our daily routines, or it might be a cosseting feeling of calm.”

Be awed by spectacular natural phenomena like the California Redwoods; experience a joyful boost with cat cafes and chocolate indulgences; seek serenity on The Cyclades; find calm oases in the heart of bustling cities; and seek enlightenment through art and pilgrimage.

Lonely Planet’s The Place To Be
Published December 2017 / 304pp, full colour / H270 x W230mm, Hardback / NZD $39.99