This summer, while looking for a reference guide to select your annual overseas getaway, we suggest you give this book a miss and instead, take it along as reading material for the journey.

What's on your city bucket list?

501 must-visit cities
Published by Bounty books / Hachette India
Price: Rs 795

This summer, while looking for a reference guide to select youru00a0 annual overseas getaway, we suggest you give this book a miss and instead, take it along as reading material for the journey.

However, if you need picturesque inspiration to yank yourself out of a 9-5 schedule, this book will remind you that life is too short to only focus only on conferences and deadlines.

As is apparent from the title, 501 Must-Visit Cities is one of the books in a series that tells you about the world's best and is written by a panel of expert travel writers.

Hardbound and heavyset, stunning photographs grace this coffee table book, along with short overviews that don't exceed a double spread.

Divided into five unequal regions, with a major chunk dedicated to Europe and the Middle East, it spans some of the largestu00a0 cities (London, Mumbai, Cairo, Sydney) interspersed with smaller yet equally interesting ones (St David's in Wales with a population of only 1,600). Why certain cities like the famed Vatican City didn't make it remains a mystery.

We decided that the best way to gauge how informative the book is would be to head to the city we know best, Mumbai, described as a 'megalopolitan monster' and accompanied with a disappointing day shot of "Victoria Station".

Still, when you readu00a0 the rest of the Indian chapter you realise how fascinating it can be from a non-Indian traveller's perspective, to help set the groundwork. We weren't surprised that Margao (Goa) made it to the list of 20 Indian cities, but loved that it concentrated more on the rich Goan culture instead of a predictable slant towards the heady cocktail of music and marijuana, by the sea.

Every city account is accompanied by a handy factfile and interesting must-knows (did you know that Gustave Eiffel offered his tower to Barcelona but Spain rejected it?). Shortlist the cities that interest you and use this book as a wish list, a reminder of why that promotion can wait but life cannot.

Travel fest with Fantastic Discounts

If you're planning to pack your bag and head into the great outdoors soon, step into the Crossword bookstore for help with your travel picks.

The Crossword Travel Fest, in association with the Lonely Planet Magazine, India will have you browse through guides to aid your travel, watch specially recommended movies and music to entertain yourself in-flight or during transit, read expert travelogues to get a feel of the destination you have in mind, and pick up travel games.

Get up to 33% off on the entire Outlook Traveller series, 10% off on more than 60 best-selling travelogues, 10% off on music titles by bands like U2, Pink Floyd and Coldplay, 10% off on travel games and 20% off on movie titles.