Travel guide books are great to read before a trip
By maximax8
@maximax8 (31042)
United Kingdom
January 4, 2013 6:17am CST
I always borrow travel guide books from my local library. I buy a travel guide book for the country or countries I am going to. I bought a Lonely Planet Eastern Europe guide book and like that it contains all the countries in that region.
Which tests standards and they tested guide books find out their recommendations plus scores. For country guides Bradt got 75 percent, Eye Witness guide books got 73 percent and Rough Guides got 73 percent. For city guides Eye Witness got 77 percent. Eye Witness, Lonely Planet and Rough Guides all got 66 percent.
In my young days of traveling I always had Lonely Planet travel guide books. I remember Lets Go travel guide books and that was useful reading for Israel and Jordan. Now I am likely to get the most up to date travel guide book for my trip. How about you?
2 people like this
8 responses
@youless (114117)
• Guangzhou, China
5 Jan 13
You are right. The travel guide books are useful for us to plan a travel schedule well. But today due to the internet, I like to search the relevant travel information via the net and then print it out. Since this information will be update to date. Besides, some apps about traveling is also useful. They can even work like a guide for you.
@mranjaan (136)
•
4 Jan 13
Before travel to any place, we must know how about that place. We have a lot of sources these days e.g, internet, travel guides, travel companies etc.
@Asylum (47893)
• Manchester, England
5 Jan 13
There have been times when I have read such books, but more from the point of curiosity than as a practical guide in preparation for a visit. We all have differing opinions and our interpretations of a scenario will vary a great deal, so what is considering a detriment in some guide books could actually benefit me and vice versa. If you ask enough people for their opinion of something, such as a countries national cuisine, then you will be certain to receive conflicting opinions.
Furthermore a guide book will tend to concentrate on the tourist aspects and I am just as interested in all other aspects of society in other countries. I will only feel that I have some understanding of a place after I have been there and place no value on preconceived ideas.
@maezee (41985)
• United States
4 Jan 13
That's a good plan. When I go somewhere, it seems as though most of the time I try to *wing it* which is a really bad plan and wastes a lot of time when you're there. It's nice to see the big attractions, which I'm sure they outline in those travel books. In the future I would like to talk to someone who LIVES there or has frequented the travel destination, to see if they know any of the "local gems". Sometimes the big attractions are not as interesting or are more overrated than you expected.
1 person likes this
@Archie0 (5654)
•
4 Jan 13
You are right, reading travel guides or in detail about the place you are travelling. Otherwise it is a feeling like an illiterate sitting in a board meeting. I always make it a point before travelling anywhere i read about the place in detail even if my itinerary is well planned. I surf about the places there to see, eat and shop. Also few hidden places which are not always included by few travel guides. I have done this and trust me i had visited a place not included in the travel list and it was a wonderful experience.
1 person likes this
@echo060201 (540)
• China
4 Jan 13
Yes, a travel guide book helps a lot in the travelling, you can get familar with the destination and also some useful information from the book, you can also get some discount in booking the hotel which is recommended by the book.
1 person likes this
@joliefille (3690)
• Philippines
4 Jan 13
I remember when my ex-boyfriend 7 years ago came to visit me in the Philippines from Canada, he always had his Lonely Planet guide book with him. 
Whereas last year when I went to Australia for a long trip by myself I didn't have any of those books because I relied mostly on information on the web.
Whereas last year when I went to Australia for a long trip by myself I didn't have any of those books because I relied mostly on information on the web. @againitsme (1)
• Australia
5 Jan 13
Sometimes its great to read up on a country you intend to visit, but sometimes isn't it just great to go an adventure. I always check with the the Foreign Office, look up the intended country I want to visit, if that checks out safe then off I jolly well go. But I must admit that doesn't go for everywhere. The Lonely Planets books are very informative and sometimes that its great for their local do's and don'ts and places of interest you may want to plan a visit.
