You asked at the right time, cause I'm gearing up to do some traveling myself.
I wouldn't recommend Lonely Planet books until you are certain where you will be going,what your budget is, etc. My two reccomendations:
Buy the book "Vagabonding" by Rolf Potts - This book really opened my eyes to the endless possibilities of travel. It is a great resource. I'm currently teaching english in South Korea to save up money for travel (it pays well), which I found out about through this book.
and my second suggestion:
go to the Boots N' All travel forums: Everything you need to know about traveling in any part of the world is right here. Just sign up, read the forums and post away.
Travel Forums - BootsnAll Travel Network