Travel guides: Whats your favorite?

[Dancingfish Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Dancingfish]

Planning our trip to scotland and thought I might pick up a travel guide. There are so many to choose from! Do you have a favorite "go to" travel book that you choose before trips?

[rklein01 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close rklein01]

No contest - - Scotland The Best.

[CarolF Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close CarolF]

I haven't been to Scotland but I rather like the Lonely Planet Books.

Scotland Travel Information | Lonely Planet Destination Guide

[bigfrank Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close bigfrank]

Look at the Rick Steves books.

[Faust Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close Faust]

LONELY PLANET
For me it’s the bible of travel books.
Lonely Planet: the world's best guidebooks, travel advice and information

[Faust Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close Faust]

Scotland

YouTube - Scotland

[Faust Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close Faust]

Before you buy a travel book, go to the travel section in the liberty check out a few travel books on Scotland. That way you know which book fits your needs.

[TimeshareVon Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close TimeshareVon]

Vacation and Hotel Reviews, Travel Photos and Pictures, Travel Deals - IgoUgo for the most up-to-date unbiased travel information. Sometimes you can't find remote or off the beaten path locales, but they are the best for current information since all journals and reviews are written by other "common" travelers who write out of the love of travel.

I also enjoy Frommers and Lonely Planet as well, although sometimes their info is not current.

I forgot to mention the "Revealed" books for Hawaii. They are outstanding!!

[wombat Member Find all posts View Profile Close wombat]

I always like a combination of Dorling Kindersley (DK) and the Rough Guides. The DK books provide very good visuals of what to expect, but little in terms of actual specifics (eg opening hours of museums, costs, how to get there, etc). The Rough Guides are the reverse -- little or no graphics but chock-full of very useful instructions and info. Use them both, and you'll get a pretty good idea of your destination.

[Carolinian Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close Carolinian]

1) Lonely Planet

2) Rough Guides

[reloader Member Find all posts View Profile Close reloader]

Rough giudes are quite good but i would say that forums are even better as you cant beat local knowledge.

[Laurie Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Laurie]

In this order, the first 2 being requirements for almost every trip:

1. Rick Steves - for text, humor, substance, and narrowing down choices (depth). Most often, this guide-writer matches our own interests most closely - but occasionally he skips or dismisses areas we have loved the best.

2. Dorling Kindersley (DK)/ previously called Eyewitness Guides for photos, extensiveness (breadth), and regional maps.

3. Often I choose a third one after spending some browsing time at a Barnes-&-Noble section, seeing what strikes my fancy. Sometimes I buy a Michelin guide, sometimes a Thomas Cook, sometimes the Knopf guide - sometimes more than one. To me, guide books are the most important travel tool, no point in skimping, plus I may enjoy reading thru them several times before a trip, and often after a trip too.

I've tried, but for me Lonely Planet has just too much info with few photos, I can't wade thru them and the type is too small for such intensive text.

[Carolinian Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close Carolinian]

While I like Rick Steves' philosophy of travel, I have never particularly liked his guidebooks. Too many times when I go to Barnes and Noble and pick up his guidebooks and look in the index for places I want to go in a country they are simply not there in Steves' guide, but they are in Lonely Planet, Rough Guides, and Let's Go. That is a fundamental weakness in Steves' guidebooks.

Another series I like for city guides is the In Your Pocket series, which are free once you get there and can be ordered ahead of time from Destination City Guides By In Your Pocket for a fee. Unfortunately, while they do Northen Ireland, they don't do Scotland yet.

[x3skier Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close x3skier]

Frommer's and Rick Steves. I have used both and find them well written and easy read. I especially like Frommer's single city ones that are smaller in size.

Cheers

[RavenManiac Member Find all posts View Profile Close RavenManiac]

I visited Scotland last year (you'll have a great time)...I found the Lonely Planet book to be helpful...but honestly the best materials I picked up for the trip were things I found there. Make friends w/ the locals and they'll tell you all the best stops. For instance, I never would have planned to visit the Edinburgh Zoo...but our taxi driver said it was a must see so we worked it in. Definitely some good advice!!