The ubiquitous Lonely Planet guides have finally outgrown the dusty shelves of your local book store and have evolved into their own brand.

Sydney International airport will be the new home of Lonely Planet's first concept store, hosting a wealth of guidebooks, LP branded gear and other hobnobbery catering to a travelers whims. I suppose this location does make sense: Australia is home to the guidebooks and where else are you going to find more travelers than in an airport terminal?

Soon, you too will be craving those Lonely Planet fanny packs and visors as you check out the tour group of 70 elderley people herding past you at the Acropolis. Soon you can look down at your peers who only wear "Frommers" underwear because you know all of the chicks only dig LP boxer briefs.

You're going to have to wait until sometime next year though -- renovations are still underway in Sydney and its going to be another 12 months or so before the LP store is up and running. And after that? Who knows, there may be a store in your local mall within a year.

No word yet either on how much the autographed photos of Matthew Firestone and Willy Volk will cost nor whether the action figures will be anatomically correct. I hear they're all sold out until 2014 anyway.

When I headed to the West Hollywood Book Fair last September, I didn't know which writers I would meet or what to expect. The scope of offerings was impressive, and one book in particular caught my eye. Sacred Places of the Goddesses: 101 Destinations pulled me in for a chat with the author, Karen Tate.

Tate, who lives with her husband, Roy in one of my most favorite towns, Venice, California, is a world traveler, tour guide and an expert on goddesses. She knows exactly where to see their traces and influences.

Her book--part travel guide, part spiritual guide and part chronicle of history, includes each section of the world. [See earlier post review.]

Since we chatted in the shade of her display booth, Tate has been busy launching her weekly Internet radio show "Voices of the Sacred Feminine" and promoting her new book, Walking an Ancient Path.

We talked on the phone last fall, and I've kept up with her various activities ever since. As a person with a lens focused on travel and spirituality, Tate offers a unique perspective about how one can experience the world.

In the traveler's world it's been a bit of drama this week. Plus, there have been lessons in traveling with a wider perspective and an open heart.

On the drama end:

• Iva reported on passengers in China refusing to get off a plane because the flight was canceled.
• In his Letter from Albania series, Jeff presented an intimate look at blood feuds through the experiences of people he has talked with in his travels there.
• From Anna we heard about the drunken Swede who tried to row back home from Denmark
• Grant told us about British Airways passengers who thought the smell of curry meant there were terrorists

On the wider perspective and open heart end:

• Read Part 3 of Jerry's "Talking Travel with Patricia Schultz," the author of 1000 Places to See Before You Die. As she says at the end of the interview, "Life is short--get off the couch."
• And, after you're off the couch, pick up a copy of Sacred Places of Goddess,108 Destinations by Karen Tate who specializes in openness.

For those in search of that little extra umph when they travel--the something more that connects them to self or something bigger than they are, sacred place travel can offer a sense of purpose. Traveling with a contemplative eye can move one deeper into an experience.

Here is a book that offers up sacred places to visit with a twist. In Sacred Places of Goddess, 108 Destinations, author Karen Tate, presents the history of goddess worship, the role of the Divine Feminine around the world, the significance of each particular goddess, and how do you get to the places where you can experience their influence. This is part travel guide, part history lesson, part cultural analysis, --and more. Much more.

Whether it's a sacred, spiritual boost you're after, or just an unusual way to look at the places you are wandering though, here's a book to consider.

Tate's book caught my eye when I was wandering around the West Hollywood Book Festival last September. With spiritual travel showing up on the radar lately, I wanted to point this one out as a fascinating read that presents sites and information you may not come across otherwise.

Divided into sections by continents and countries, the book delves into the archaeological, sociological and historical significance of particular places and their goddess connection. Sites include: grottoes, churches, temples, ruins, particular statues or artwork of note.

If you've read the The Alchemist and want to be a subject of a virtual art exhibition hosted by the man himself -- Paolo Coelho -- the process couldn't be easier. Send a picture of you reading the book, and voila, you will forever be part of virtual art history!

The exhibition is to celebrate the 20th anniversary of The Alchemist, that has till date sold a 100 million copies. Holy gonzoly. So far, 38 people have sent in some cool photos of them reading the book; the photos will be uploaded for the rest of the year.

Coelho is quite the tech-savvy writer dude. He keeps a regular blog, and has the occasional vlog. Obviously, he understands the importance of connecting with his readers, and enjoys the process too.

So take that picture and send it in to: paulocoelhocovers[at]gmail.com, perhaps you will be displayed in a gallery somewhere someday! If you don't have the Alchemist on hand, any of his books will do. Coelho wants to see your face, so be careful not to cover it with his book, and don't stress about quality.

(In the image, I'm holding his book Eleven Minutes, one I enjoyed way more than The Alchemist. I haven't read any others. Urrr...yup, I'm going to send it in.Cheap thrills.)

Ever used Technorati? It's a slick little blog searcher that scours over 100 million blogs for articles like the stuff you read here on Gadling. It was founded by a fella named Dave Sifry and is a highly awarded web site and search engine.

Yeah yeah, another search engine, you say. Well what makes it sweet is that it's made using open source software, similar to Linux or Ubuntu or OpenOffice. With none of that licensing and litigation crap that Microsoft and Apple have to weave around, the software is cleaner and more efficient.

Enough of my own opinion though-- since his departure from Technorati, Sifry has moved on from the blogosphere into the travel guidebook realm. And he's taken the open source roots from his former business into his new venture: Offbeat Guides.

The trick behind Offbeat Guides is that it takes open source data from all over the web, Wikitravel, Flickr, Google Maps and other user generated data and puts it into a form factor (in either PDF or bound, sent to your door) that is tailored to your use. You can pick areas or activities that you like, thus cutting down on all of the superfluous data that you don't need, like Rick Steve's favorite two star hotel in Kalamazoo. Result? Cleaner, more efficient guidebook.

Sounds pretty neat, but if you're going to spend the time putting together a guide like this, why don't you just make a frankenguide?

Offbeat Guides, proper, is still in the invite-only beat (read: super secret -- don't you want in?) phase, but you can sign up for an invite on their site.

I recently sang the praises of this new Traveler's Tool Kit guide on another site, calling it "the guidebook for people who hate guidebooks."

Although co-authors Rob Sangster and Tim Leffel provide less practical information on where to stay and what to do in Central America than, say, Lonely Planet, it leaves you with a greater opportunity to escape the well-worn backpacker trail. The book combines a healthy dose of travel philosophy with just enough practical advice to help you feel prepared. In short, if I were leaving for Central America tomorrow, this is the guide I'd take.

Now, we here at Gadling are offering you the opportunity to win this great new book. Just leave a comment on this post-- something to the effect of "Ooh, pick me!"-- and we'll enter you in a drawing to win. Be sure to include your email address so we can get in touch with you. Good luck!

• To enter, simply leave a comment below.
  
• The comment must be left before Friday, May 23 at 5:00 PM Eastern Time.
• You may enter only once.
• Four winners will be selected in a random drawing.
• Four Grand Prize Winner will receive a copy of Traveler's Tool Kit: Mexico and Central America (valued at $22.95)
• Click Here for complete Official Rules.
• Open to legal residents of the 50 United States, the District of Columbia and Canada (excluding Quebec) who are 18 and older.

How did you decide where you'd call home for your adult life? If you're like most people, the decision wasn't much of a decision at all. Chances are, you found yourself in a particular place through a combination of career inertia and personal attachments.

It seems that not many people give a whole lot of thought to the question of where exactly they're going to spend most of their lives. But economist, author, and Colbert Report guest Richard Florida argues in his new book, Who's Your City, that this is one of the most important and underrated decisions people will ever make.

Recently, I interviewed Prof. Florida about this thought-provoking idea, and he explained why the choice of where to live is more important than ever, why it's a decision so often overlooked, and how to find the perfect city for you.

AH: People take great pains in considering what careers to pursue and whom to marry, but little thought is given to where they will spend the bulk of their lives. Why is that?

RF: When making life decisions, we have always thought of two questions: the "what" and the "who." What will I do (i.e. job, career path, educational training), and "who" will I do it with (i.e. life partner, friends, etc.) Without question, both of those decisions – the "what" and the "who"– mean a great deal to our lives. But there is another decision that has an equal, if not greater, effect on our economic future, happiness, and overall life outcome. The question of "where."

Finding the right place is as important as- if not more important than- finding the right job or partner because it not only influences those choices but also determines how easy or hard it will be to correct mistakes made along the way. Still, few of us actually look at a place that way. Perhaps it's because this seems so obvious that people overlook it or, most likely, so few of us have the understanding or mental framework necessary to make informed choices about our location. In Who's Your City, I provide my readers with a guide for making their place decisions the most successful they can be.

AH: In your new book, you write that, rather than technology "flattening" the earth, the world is actually becoming "spiky." If technology essentially allows people to work from anywhere, why do you claim that the choice of where to live is now more important than ever?

RF: The place we choose to live is the most important decision we ever make, largely because it influences and shapes all the others: from job opportunities and career options to our investments, the friends we make, the people we date, the mates we ultimately choose and the way we raise our families. Place remains the central axis of our time-more important to the world economy and our individual lives than ever before.

AH: What are the best ways to discover whether I'll enjoy living somewhere before I actually move there? Just visit and walk around?

Book lovers and aficionados: if Amsterdam wasn't on your travel plans before, you might want to add it. On April 23, UNESCO named Amsterdam the World Book Capital. The city will hold the title until April 2009, and in that time hopes to inspire dialog and spark debate about the freedom of expression.

Here are some of the World Book Capital's upcoming events that just might be of interest:

May 18: Amsterdam International Literary Festival. With over 1,000 stalls this is Europe's largest book market held in the streets of Amsterdam.

April 23 - June 23: Amsterdam in Words. An exhibition with portraits of 60 authors and quotes from their work that relates to a street, park or site in the city.

June 1 - September 8: Poetry in the Park. Two days of poetry in ten of Amsterdam's parks, beginning with Vondelpark and ending with Westerpark.

I guess it's time to hit the Amsterdam books.

Happy Earth Day! In honor of America's greenest day of the year, we at Gadling are giving away free copies of Green Travel: The World's Best Eco-Lodges & Earth-Friendly Hotels, a new guide by Fodors.

Coming out on April 29th (you get a pre-release!), Green Travel is a comprehensive guide to traveling with a light carbon footprint, complete with beautiful sprawling pictures as well as up to date guide and destination information. It's a must-own for any environmentally conscious traveler out there, and you can get a copy free from your friends at Gadling.

• To enter, simply leave a comment below.
  
• The comment must be left before Friday, April 25 at 2:00 PM Eastern Time.
• You may enter only once.
• Five winners will be selected in a random drawing.
• Five Grand Prize Winner will receive a copy of Green Travel (valued at $21.95)
• Click Here for complete Official Rules.
• Open to legal residents of the 50 United States, the District of Columbia and Canada (excluding Quebec) who are 18 and older.