The book itself was nothing more than a summery of the episodes of her show "$40 dollars a day". Though, it does represent Rachael's quirky personality and live life the way it was meant to be attitude. It has some nice quality pictures, and interesting recipes, though few, of the plate she partciularly enjoyed on the trips.

I am a huge fan of Rachael Ray's, and I think everyone would benefit from living life with enthusiasm like she does; and since I'm a "foodie" without being arrogant, I love to eat as much to find about the cultures as for the taste of the foods.
Watching her shows gives people a chance to do just that, learn and have fun eating at the same time, without busting your wallet!

I was surprised to see that Rachael did not include Saint Louis on her trips. and very disappointed in her New York City ones. I mean, it's so easy to save money in the City (I being a life-long New Yorker, can attest to it); without dining like a King.
All you have to do is go to the multi-cultural sections of the City....and can still find very filling and cheap meals to boot.

Okay now onto Rachael herself: what caught my attention with her in the first place is her humble mien; her good-natured attitude and wide smile. She defies the air of arrogance and "celebrity" personas stamped on the Foodnetwork. She brings in a homey and friendly personality to an otherwise stale and coporate network.
For all those who dislike Rachael, "professional" chefs and us normal people alike, why do you do so? There's nothing NOT to like about her, sure, she's isn't a "real" 'chef' like Bobby Flay (rolls eyes and can't stop laughing), she never claims to be. Her 30-minute meals and other shows are designed for people in a hurry, and if "professional" chefs are watching her show--my question is, what the heck are you watching for in the first place? If you dislike it so much, stop watching. Meh, I guess people have to complain about something....

sorry for the rant, but the book isn't really worth buying if you wish to get a real cookbook; for it really isn't a "cook book". But, if you're a fan of Rachael's, then it's a keeper.

I really like the upbeat personality of Racheal Ray as she finds some good food deals here and abroad. I really wanted this book because I love to travel and thought this would be a great companion for when I am in the locales covered. The problem that I have truly with the book are minimal. My expectations were higher, I thought that there would be more pictures of what she ate, and more of the scenery she took in while travelling. I didnt realize that most of the book would be a written commentary on each place the food was at, and how she knew this or that patron, a bio on the owners, or why she chose the spot. I liked all this but I really wanted to see the food and (even though this would eventually be inaccurate) how much her total tabs came out to for each meal. I did appreciate that she chooses diverse cuisine and the standard favorites. She included some recipes which were decent enough but not great pics of the food to accompany it with. For example I loved her Portland Maine lunch on tv- this large, juicy lobster roll that she had trouble picking up with huge pieces of meat, but in the book she just mentioned that for lunch she had one helluva lobster roll. Another example is the enchilada and eggs she had for breakfast in Laguna Beach, the book shows a small picture of it with the recipe, but on the show it looked mouth watering.
I agree with other reviewers, this book is a good companion but does nothing for the TV show. I would recommend the show over the book any day.

I love this book. I enjoy traveling and eating at new and different places. This book was enjoyable to read and informative.

Rachael Ray has so much energy it is fun to watch her show. Reading the book puts you right there even if you can't travel to each town.
I recommend this book to everyone looking for new a varied tastes in eating enjoyment.

I was so happy to receive this book. It has good information for places I can visit when I do get time to travel. I watch Rachael Ray's $40 a day show often and enjoy it alot. Food is one of the reasons I love to travel. It is fun to see new places and try some of the foods in different parts of the world. These little out of the way places are so fun to read about, and reading about places near where I live is also great. I enjoy Rachael's humor and it is nice to see someone with so much energy. I recommend the book and also the show. It was definitely worth the money.

This book has some great recipes, the hummus recipe is awesome, but there is no table of contents or index to find the recipes. This would be a book of great use for frequent travellers to big cities giving I'm sure great places to try out. My travelling friend loved it as a gift, she said it's going to be very useful.