Get a guidebook

A guidebook could be invaluable in the planning and preparation process, not to mention on the road. There are many guidebooks out there to choose from, all with different strengths and weaknesses. The budget-minded traveller will want to choose a budget-minded guidebook. There are tons of guidebooks out there: Lonely Planet, Let's Go, Rough Guide, Footprint, Up Close, Blue Guide, Bradt, Insight Pocket Guide, Neos, Ulysses, Moon Handbook, Fodors and Frommers. Even the Dummies series has a few books out there on the more popular travel destinations. The Lonely Planet guides seem to be unequalled in world wide coverage while Fodors and Frommers tend to cater more towards the well-moneyed tourist and away from the cockroach infested hotels. Some of the guides produce different versions of books for the same area - catering either to the budget traveller or otherwise. Many of the more common guides also produce theme guides such as those for people interested in particulars like culinary experiences, bed and breakfast touring or, say, scuba diving. Rough Guide and Lonely Planet even offer overview guides for the traveller going to certain places for the first time, like Asia or Africa.

Choose a book that has the type of content you are looking for - some guides use flowery words to emphasize reasons to visit a town, whereas other guides are better at pointing you in the right directions once you decide to go to that town. Some guides write in paragraphs full of wit and charm while others highlight pertinent information for handy reference. Some melt all the information together and others break it down under headings and use bold and italic print to help you find what you are looking for. Some have great and detailed and easy to read maps, others don't. Some have pictures, some don't. Most have introductory sections giving overviews on the travellers 'need-to-know' subjects of culture, language, transportation, accommodation, health and safety, visas, passports and other red tape for that particular destination. Some guides also include interest sections on the history, nature and people of the area. Flip through some different guidebooks in the bookstore before you make your choice. Read through the full sections on a couple of towns and see if the information is comprehensive and in a format that works for you. Imagine a typical day of travel and see if the guidebook can guide you through that day. Remember that the format of guide that is best in the planning process may not be best for you while on the road. If you really want to see if you have found the right guidebook for you, try waking up at 3 a.m. and reading the guide while standing on your head. If you can make sense of it then, you have probably found your match.

An important consideration in choosing your exact guide is the scope of it. Large books covering large areas are not only heavy, but also tend to only skim over areas without adequate coverage, for example single guides covering all of Europe or Africa. Try to purchase a guide that focuses in on your area of travel as pointedly as possible. If you are going on a trip that will cover a large area, think about investing in a book that focuses only on the area you will be starting in, then sell and buy more pertinent guides as you go. You will often encounter fellow travellers who will be happy to trade, or booksellers who facilitate guide trading.

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