Hillman Wonders of the World – A Review
Hillman Wonders of the World
One of the first travel sites we ever found that really piqued our interest in travelling the world was Hillman Wonders of the World. Hillman is a travel author who has put together this inspirational list of 1,000 of the world’s top attractions. He hasn’t done it alone, but with the help of a team of other world adventurers.
It was set up in 1996. To be honest, it doesn’t look as modern as many travel sites out there. What appeals about it is the full breadth of the world that the site showcases. It is a list to inspire wanderlust in anyone. The home page contains the top 100, and other sites on the internet have created ticklists based on it. These are great to see how many you have visited. It would be good if he could offer more interactive features like this on the site.
He has created travel guides to many of the top locations in the world. We have used them with great success in the past. However, there aren’t nearly enough countries with full travel guides. The site also contains great advice about cruising, and safaris. There are also lots of top ten travel lists that feature things such as bizarre festivals, adventure travel books, and world cuisines. He also gives a fascinating history of the ancient seven wonders of the world.
Top 1000 World Wonders
From the homepage, you can click through to the full Top 1000 World Wonders list. This is arranged by country, in alphabetical order. A quick glance through it will surely give you the urge to visit somewhere you may not have heard of before looking at the site.
The wonders are ranked by ‘medals’. The top 100 get gold medals, with the next 200 receiving silver medals. The rest get a bronze medal. You can click through to his country travel guides, where available. On many occasions, we have been planning a trip to a certain country, and checked the site to see which Hillman Wonders are nearby. This has resulted in us venturing slightly off the beaten path to experience amazing places that aren’t on the usual tourist circuit. For example, on our trip to Marmaris, we ventured out to Pamukkale. This was thanks to this site. Who would have thought this was within easy reach of the scorching beach resort?
What issues does the site have?
The downside to the site is that there is no social interaction whatsoever. The page has no active Facebook or Twitter. Therefore, it is missing out on the chance for people to submit their own recommendations. However, this project is one that can never be considered definitive by its very nature, so this might even be for the best.
Conclusion
Overall, we love this basic but informative site. Hillman Wonders is one of our favourite travel resources in the planning stages. It isn’t the sort of website you can get detailed information like train timetables or prices, but the sort that shows you what the world has to offer to inspire your trip in the first place.
Have you been on this site before? Do you find it inspiring?
