Travel much...??

[Ta2grrl]

I was wondering which books offer the best information on travelling throughout the world...

I know there is the "Let's Go" series as well as "Lonely Planet"...

Anyone else know of one that may be better...??

I am going to India in January and this travellin' grrl needs some help...!!

XXX

[Roquefort Raider]

I found that the many travel guides available cater to different audiences.

For the budget traveler, the Let's Go books are really useful. They're also very frequently updated and aren't too far off the mark when it comes to prices and such. They also know tell you about the little inexpensive places to eat and to stay.

On the other hand, they're not that big on more lofty subjects like describing the pictures you will find in this or that museum. For that I usually go for the Michelin or the Blue guides. (Better check when they were published, though, because some can be out of date).

Happy travels!

[Sabrina_Fried]

I've found the Lonely Planet series really good for my travelling. I mostly travel solo, and on a tight budget, and that is a good amount of LP's target market.

However I've never found a travel book better than a trip to the local tourist information centre or a helpful local and a bit of participant observation. The problem with books like LP guides, is that they tend to be written by non-local people who assume they are somehow superior to the people who live in the area they are writing about because their writing will shape the opinions of tourists BEFORE they arrive and its reflected in the way they write about local attractions.

The most important words any travel book has ever taught me in any language spoken in a foreign country I have visited is "forgive my ignorance"

That said, I've mostly travelled in western countries where the locals do have a certain amount of skill with English, so my ignorance has always been fairly easy to cure.

Sabrina

[PanzerMega]

I'd go with Lonely Planet.

I used one myself in Hong Kong and it worked well, and while I was in Thailand and Japan I noticed that the most popular guides amongst backpackers were Lonely Planet ones.