Reviews: General Advice Books

In a day when travel writing too often focuses on luxury, Ask Arthur Frommer offers suggestions you can act upon rather than dream about. Reading Frommer's travel advice is like sitting down with a trusted, well-traveled friend who wants to help map out your next journey.

In "Unbelievably Good Deals and Great Adventures that you Absolutely Can't Get Unless You're Over 50," author Joan Rattner Heilman provides detailed information for senior travelers who don't mind disclosing their ages in exchange for some great discounts. From airfares to volunteer experiences on the road, Heilman gives her readers the information they need to explore and seize these age-based opportunities.

Travelers who are new to the frequent flier game should read this book. It provides a primer for piling up mileage--even if you rarely take to the air.

For the first-time budget visitor to Europe, there might not be a more complete handbook on the market. You might think you're ready for your trip, but John Bermont will show you what real preparation is all about.

Billed as a manual for shaping smart travel decisions, this book is packed with practical, easy-to-read strategies for planning, booking and navigating your trip.

Read this review of Tim Leffel's attempt to stretch your travel dollars and your travel philosophy. He says taking a contrarian view to the prevailing attitude of travelers can pay big dividends.

This classic Readers Digest travel book gives readers an off the beaten path look at America. Newly updated and carefully edited, it's an attractive coffee table book and highly detailed guidebook resource rolled into one finished product. Each of the more than 1,000 profiled sites attracts relatively few visitors, so don't buy this book as a standard travel guide. It's a collection of stories about the quiet, charming and rewarding stops you make on the road to discovery that is budget travel.

Author Scott T. Mueller cites statistics indicating 10,000 bags are lost each day in the United States alone. He presents solid and practical advice for avoiding this common, annoying and even costly travel pitfall.

This is not one of those travel books you'll be able to carry with you, and you probably wouldn't want to do so anyway. It is the kind of publication that whets the traveler's appetite for more investigation. The value to budget travelers: a look at some lesser-known pleasures within each destination that could make your trip special without requiring large sums of money. The photography is stunning and the approach takes you to people and places that are worth visiting, largely because you don't know much about them.

Tim Leffel outlines a strategy that is all but lost on most travelers: find an inexpensive destination, and your other money-saving plans become effortless. This short volume identifies 21 nations where your currency will stretch to amazing limits.