He learned Portuguese, Latin and Spain's official language, Castilian, so that he could read geography books and try and map the world.

BBC: News | World | Columbus tops millennium poll

Teach them geography by giving them age-appropriate atlases and travel books for the journey, and hang a large map on their bedroom wall where they can pinpoint their travels, suggests Jennifer Emmett, editorial director of National Geographic Society's children's books department.

CNN: Give children the gift of travel

To support their continuing development and cultivate a reading environment at home, the participants are presented with a book written by the Technical Team (containing poems, exercises, vocabulary, recipes and a map of the country) and a collection of five books donated by national companies and produced by a national publisher.

UNESCO: Country Profile: Uruguay

First, before departure, I gathered a collection of guide books from Lonely Planet and a large fold out map of each city.

FORBES: Looking at the Web from a World Away