Guidebooks are filled with perishable information, and they're directing you along with many other travelers to the same places. That's the bad news up front. Here's the good news: an up-to-date guidebook that applies to the destinations of your trip will save you time and money. You'll be able to budget for hotels and restaurants. You'll avoid pitfalls. Check out these reviews for budget travel guidebooks.
DK Eyewitness Travel Guides
Courtesy DK Eyewitness Travel Guides
With more than 1200 illustrations, Dorling Kindersley Eyewitness Travel Guides are a feast for the eyes. Beyond the pretty face, these guides bring home valuable information that helps a budget traveler decide where to expend resources of time and money on a major trip. This review focuses on the Portugal volume, but the company publishes guides to many world destinations and smaller pocket guides called Top 10 Travel Guides for major cities and attractions.
Frommer Day by Day Series
Courtesy: Wiley Publishing, Inc.
Frommer's popular Day by Day series appeals to those with little or no experience visiting a given destination. Beyond a simple offering of "how to spend three days in Rome," these books explain the significance of each recommended site in detail that is punctuated with vivid photography and historical references.
Night + Day Series
The difference between a good trip and a great one usually is in the small details. Night+Day, a series from Pulse Guides, strives to show you exactly what to expect in the world's most exciting cities.
Caribbean Ports of Call (Seventh Edition)
Author Kay Showker gears this book for those who have only hours to see a given island or city. She helps them decide how to spend that precious time and get the best value for their investments of time and money.
Budget Travel Guidebooks for Europe
Guidebook authors would be the first to tell you that they cannot keep current on all the latest food, lodging, and entertainment bargains. But they can tell you about well-established budget haunts, and the methods for getting a good deal in a particular area. Here, I've featured guidebooks for Europe. But most of these authors/publishers offer destination guides for all continents.
Adventure Guide Books
Some guidebooks go beyond saving you money--they take you to exotic or off-the-beaten-path locales. These volumes cater to the adventuresome independent traveler. For the most part, I've chosen guidebooks about Europe, but most of these books or publishers deal with all parts of the world. Warning: These guidebooks are not for everyone. Assess your intrepid spirit accordingly!
Lonely Planet's National Parks Series
Lonely Planet has relaunched its splendid National Parks series with some new offerings in 2008. If you plan to explore the outdoors in depth, Lonely Planet guides can help you save time and money on your trip.
Let's Go Travel Guide to Costa Rica
If you want to see the world on a bare-bones budget, there probably isn't a guidebook series any better than Let's Go travel guides. Backpackers and other penny-pinchers swear by the advice offered about where to go, how to get there and where to stay or eat.
