Travel dreams in the pages of a book

NEW YORK — It's time to start thinking about travel in 2008, and several new books are out to guide you around the world.

"100 Greatest Trips," Travel + Leisure ($20) offers offbeat itineraries in otherwise familiar places. In New York, go shopping in Harlem at Atmos, the Japanese sneaker store, and N, a designer emporium.

In Mexico, follow the tequila trail in Jalisco, where the agave plant used to make the drink is grown.

And in London, eat your way around Borough Market, where you can grab a venison burger at Westcountry Venison and a house ale at Brew Wharf.

"The Practical Nomad: How to Travel Around the World" by Edward Hasbrouck (Avalon Travel, $22), offers information on everything from budgeting to luggage to health issues to air travel. It can even help you make the decision to get up and go, arguing that world travel will enhance your career, be good for your children and cost less than you might think.

"Bluelist: The Best in Travel 2008," Lonely Planet ($23) is a planner, an inspiration and ultimately, a conversation, since fans can visit www.lonelyplanet.com/bluelist to submit their own lists of must-see places. The book includes a section on events around the world by month, like the mimosa festival in January in Montenegro and the snow rodeo in Essex, Mont., in March.

A special chapter on "Travel Islam" explores cultures and countries of the Muslim world, from camel-racing in the United Arab Emirates; to the 14th-century Alhambra in Spain; to Dahab, a diving and windsurfing town in Egypt.

"Bluelist" also offers a list of "bests" — from "best-value destinations" such as Nicaragua and Laos to "best brews" — beer headquarters from Pottsville, Pa. (Yuengling), to the Mussel Inn, New Zealand's "remotest boutique microbrewery."