Choosing a Guidebook

Choosing a Guidebook: Which Series Fit Your Style? (and Budget)

One of the first places most people turn to when they're planning a trip is the travel section of their local bookstore, where you can always find plenty of customers sifting through books about places they may never go. (I'm certainly guilty of being one of those previously mentioned loiterers).

This can be a pleasant way to kill time while a friend is searching for a present in the cookbook section, but if you're in the market for a guidebook, the number of choices can be daunting.

What's New

With people traveling more, and to more places, it's not surprising that more guidebooks are being published. But people are also traveling differently, so guidebooks have started to reflect some of those trends. For instance, with travelers taking more short trips, publishers have created more miniguides that focus on only one city. Travel publishers are also selling more specialty guides, either targeting a specific segment of the population such as families, women, various sexual orientations, or people who don't leave home without their pets.

Deciding which guide to buy

So what's the best guidebook for backpackers? There's no one-guide-fits-all answer to that questions, but here are some tips on choosing a series that's right for you, which will probably vary from trip to trip.

Look at the publication date

Guidebooks aren't always updated yearly, so before you head to the register, check the publication date. It's usually on the page with the copyright information, at either the front or back of the book. Some publishers make this detail difficult to find. I'm sure I don't have to go into detail why having an up-to-date guide is very impotent.

Check the prices.

No, not the prices of the books - the prices listed inside. You may be seduced by the color photographs and the glossy paper, but if all the hotels, hostels, and restaurants it recommends are beyond your budget and there's no information about public transportation, you may need to rethink your choice.

Look at the maps.

Besides your guidebook, no doubt you'll also take along a fold-out map of the country you're visiting, but you probably won't buy a map for every city you pass through and certainly not for every small town. It's a good idea to check out a guidebook's maps to see:how many here are, how well they're labeled, and whether you need a magnifying glass to read them.

Don't be afraid to stray.

Just because you've always bought the same guidebook series doesn't necessarily mean that you have to be a customer for life. People change, and sometimes so do travel guides. Some brands that were previously known as backpacker favorites have been broadening their focus to appeal to kinds now grown up and staying at nice hostels. Shop around, you may discover a new series you like.

You Guide to the Top Travel Guides (a brief comparison)