Travel Books

There are four guide books that the Hopeful Traveler feels will best fit most travel needs. These are Frommer's, Eyewitness, Access and Fodor's. However there are many many guide books to choose from and there may be another book best suited to your purpose. The suggestion is to visit your major bookstore and review these books. Also when unsure about where to visit or just thinking about a trip, these books serve a valuable purpose of having a bundle of information at your fingertips. As much as the on-line search is easy, finding the information in one source can be unwielding.

The four recommended guide books are easy to use covering all aspects of travel from basic traveler needs to the more common researched information (hotels, sites). Frommer's and Fodor's are similarly designed in this manner. Eyewitness guides are colorful with lots of pictures and puts the information about what to see and do at the forefront. Travelers basic information is at the back section. Access guides compiles all the information by neighborhoods.

These books are updated regularly but the informaton may change little within one year. After checking out a book at say, your local bookstore, check out amazon.com to see if the book has been discounted to your favor compared to the in-store book price. Because the information contained in one book may be more than you need, some people have recommended that you head over to your public library and see if these books are available and photocopy the pages you need.

By the way Frommer's and Fodor's publish some of their guide information online (frommers.com, fodors.com). Most of the basic information found in their guidebooks can be found on their websites. If you find you're printing far too many pages from these websites, it may just be wise to invest in a hard copy of the guide. The Hopeful Traveler keeps the guides as souvenirs of a trip. If you're done with yours, pass it on to friends or donate it to your local library.

It should be noted that Frommer's and Fodor's publish guides for more destinations than Eyewitness or Access.