Bill Bryson is one of the most famous travellers on the planet but there are parts of Asia he hasn't yet explored, one reason he is so thrilled to be a guest lecturer aboard luxury ship Silver Whisper's world cruise in 2012. In January 2012 Silversea's Silver Whisper will set off from Fort Lauderdale, USA for a 115-day World Cruise concluding in Monte Carlo. On this impressive odyssey, her passengers will visit 45 ports in 27 countries stretching from the Caribbean and South America to Africa, the Far East, Arabia and Europe. Bryson will be on board 3 - 14 March when the ship sails from Singapore to Shanghai. Bryson's witty and wonderful books have sold more than ten million copies and been translated into over 45 languages. His best-selling travel books include The Lost Continent, Notes from a Small Island and A Walk in the Woods. His science book, A Short History of Nearly Everything won the Aventis Prize of the Royal Society. The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid is an autobiography of his childhood in Des Moines, Iowa. Since those early days in Iowa he has picked up many accolades for his work including an OBE. His latest book is At Home: An Informal History of Private Life.