For the first time, both of my Moon Belize and Moon Dominican Republic editions are released the same year. Working on both last year was a whole new challenge, but I did it.
My author copies arrived over the last two weeks; I couldn’t be more pleased at how they both look – and not because I appear on the cover of Moon DR in a shot I captured on my self-timer.
The design has improved –you’ll find my updated custom itineraries, hotel picks, best activities, restaurants and much more. Both books are still in full color.
All my professional photographs are included as usual, including on the covers.
Belize’s tourism continues to grow rapidly. It’s amazing to see how many people are talking and writing about it today compared to when I was first blogging about it in 2010 and 2011.
The Dominican Republic‘s tourism industry is also strong and resilient, despite facing some challenges this year when the entire country was unjustly smeared and jobs were lost in hotels that had nothing to do with the incidents, including areas of the country that are hours away from Punta Cana.
In fact, a relative of mine stayed in a Punta Cana area resort during that time on an intergenerational trip with three groups of families and she told me she was so glad I advised her not to cancel because they had the time of their lives. Of course, she took the regular precautions one would anywhere else, starting with picking a solid hotel brand and going off resort for activities. I’ll be back in that region myself next month and will bring you updates on what’s happening there. You can follow along by joining me on Instagram here and here.
I hope you too will look past those few unfortunate resort incidents and untimely deaths, which can happen anywhere and which the FBI just confirmed last week as being due to natural causes. Compared to many countries around the world, the DR is still very safe for tourists. My guidebook is well worth your $15 to plan an immersive trip to this wonderful country full of culture.
In both books, I’ve updated and continuously include new ways to immerse in a wide range of sustainable experiences, from community-based tourism to exploring nature and supporting locally owned businesses and businesses that give back to their communities.
How to Order
To order your copies, use this link from my publisher Hachette Books and choose your favorite book retailer to order a Kindle or print version. Copies will also be on sale in major bookstores in the US.
I leave you with these two videos I created from my most recent travels around Belize and the Dominican Republic last year, while updating my guidebooks.
Where will you go: Belize or the Dominican Republic? Share in the comments below!
