The next best thing to a plane ticket, here are some books for the travel bugged…

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THE AFRICA BOOK: A Journey through Every Country in the Continent (Lonely Planet).

From Cape Town’s gleaming shopping arcades to the remote tribes living on Lake Turkana’s shores to the dire realities of war and famine, this is the most comprehensive and beautiful coffee-table book on Africa ever published. Packed with amazing photos, THE AFRICA BOOK also includes stimulating essays, plus facts and figures for each country.

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THE ASIA BOOK: A Journey through Every Country in the Continent (Lonely Planet).

THE ASIA BOOK is a comprehensive exploration of this captivating continent of contrasts, from the tropical beaches of Bali to the frozen slopes of Everest. Hugely ambitious and stunningly beautiful, it covers Southeast Asia, Northeast Asia, the Indian Subcontinent and the Himalayas, Central Asia and the Middle East.

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LONELY PLANET BLUELIST 2008: The World’s Hottest Trends, Destinations, Journeys and Experiences (Lonely Planet).

Want to know where to find the eeriest places to sleep behind bars, or where to view the most volatile volcanoes? The greatest film festivals around the globe? Leading travel authority Lonely Planet compiles all the world’s hottest trends, destinations, journeys and experiences into BLUELIST 2008.

For more info on BLUELIST 2008, visit lonelyplanet.com/bluelist.

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SIGNSPOTTING 2: More Absurd & Amazing Signs from around the World compiled by Doug Lansky (Lonely Planet).

A great stocking stuffer for travel fiends, SIGNSPOTTING 2 is a hilarious collection of inadvertently entertaining (real!) signs. Click here for a peek inside the book.

Also check out the original SIGNSPOTTING.

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PSYCHOGEOGRAPHY by Will Self, illustrated by Ralph Steadman (Bloomsbury UK).

And for the most quirky travel book on the list, PSYCHOGEOGRAPHY is a collaboration between award-winning writer Will Self and legendary gonzo illustrator Ralph Steadman that explores the effects that the physical environment has on the emotions and behaviours of individuals. Will Self went swimming in the Ganges and surfing on a tsunami. On a recent trip to Toronto this Fall, he also walked from the airport to downtown. Yes, walked.

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Still searching the globe for the perfect present? Check out our other Raincoast Gift Guides.