How to choose which travel guide book to buy
Guide books make travelling a lot easier, whether you just want the minimum or information, or a complete guide. But knowing which guide book to buy is not such an easy task. There are several ways to find the guide book best suited to you. I am sure you have heard of the Lonely Planet guide books. You will probably have heard of the Rough Guide, or the AA guides. But there are lots of others to choose from. If you use the Lonely Planet you will meet other people who also have that guide book, as you will all be travelling in similar patterns, and staying at the same places. Other guide books list different information. Using a lesser known guide book will lead you to travel in regions where there are less tourists. Which is the best guide book for you and for your intended country of travel? The only way to know is to use a particular edition whilst travelling. However, we obviously need to make a choice before we leave home. So here are some tips that can help you decide which guide book to use.
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Decide what you want from your guidebook
Establish what information you need most from the guidebook. Are you interested in budget accommodation like youth hostals? Are you more interested in example walks. Do you need campsite information? Do you want routes of classic drives? Knowing this before you start looking at guidebooks is going to help you a lot.
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Go to a book shop and look at the books
An easy one to overlook in todays online consumer market. Go to the book shop and look at every book they have for the country you are visiting. Which of these books is offering the information in the format and balance that you are after?
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Ask people you know have travelled
Ask your friends and family which guide books they used when travelling. Look at them if possible. It doesn't matter if it's for the wrong country. Is the format and style of information what you are after?
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Look online for reviews
You're unlikely to know many people who have used a particular guide book. But, websites like amazon.com and amazon.co.uk have reviews of guide books left by their customers. Look at all of the options for a destination, read every review if you can. You will find a lot of people saying they prefer certain books more than well known books like the Lonely Planet and the Rough Guide.