Travel Guides (books)

It's been a while since I've written here. To be honest I'm not sure if I want to continue this blog since I have a few others. But I guess I'll keep it and update it less frequently.

Anyway, as you would probably have noticed already, I have a pretty extensive list of links to some of my favourite travel websites. I decided to make this post on book travel guides, as there are so many publishers out there and there are some really good ones that remain less known, but pack more quantity and quality than the really well-known ones.

When it comes to travel guides, most of us would have heard of Lonely Planet, and I admit in the beginning I thought they were the main authority on travel. Then when I had a proper look in the bookstores, let's just say... my eyes were opened. So after perusing quite a few different ones, here are my top three travel guide series.

1.
- Time Out -

Time Out does mainly big cities, but you can tell it's their specialty. My favourite Time Out Guides are the ones on London and Tokyo. Also, their Time Out Singapore magazine is really well done. Being a Singaporean myself, I personally think it is pretty small and unhappening there after a while, but the magazine had well written articles that weren't the usual repetitive fare that is usual with Singapore guides. I used Time Out as my main book in Tokyo last year, and I loved it so much because it was jammed pack with info, easy referencing and layouts, and best of all? It was thinner but more substantial than some of the other Tokyo Guides I've seen. It had things for a wide range of budgets, and a good collection of mid-range ones, which is the category I normally go for. I notice most travel guides focus on either budget or high end, and TO Tokyo provided a good balance. I haven't had a chance to use their London guide, but it's supposed to be their strongest one and their website for it looks jammed packed with info. Also, the writing for the articles in TO Guides are quite unique... it's not just shoving facts at you. I actually found the reading of the history and cultural bits interesting... I guess the writers put more personal 'flavour' into the writing?


2.
- Rough Guides -

Rough Guides is a rather new find for me. What attracted me to it was the cover design and the layout of the guide. I haven't really looked at many of them. I bought the Japan one because it is more informative and significantly cheaper than the Lonely Planet one (Japan LP was $59.95 and RG was $39.95 at Reader's Feast). The choice of RG Japan was pretty much a no brainer. One thing I find lacking in Lonely Planet is the use of COLOUR. LP is mostly if not all in black and white, and so it all looks the same and boring. Not that RG is all colourful, but at least they have orange font to distinguish things and some pages of coloured photos. It also had really useful info on places in Japan that aren't found in the 'popular' tourist attraction lists, which is good because I go to experience the culture and daily life atmosphere if you will. I'm not really a trekking off the beaten path with a backpack budget person, but I do like discovering areas in cities and suburbia that may not be known to many tourists.


3.
- DK Travel -
DK~ I find that is it a hit or miss, but they have really stunning visuals and 3D maps, and also their guide to Scotland which I purchased is not big and cumbersome to carry around (*cough insight *cough*)~ I'm using it to plan a possible trip next year. One thing I find lacking is directions to get to a place, but it's good for people who are more visual than readers... not that it lacks in cultural snippets, but personally I'm more of a word person, just that I'm really particular on the text formatting.



Overrated Guides:

Lonely Planet- While still quite informative, I think LP has lost its standing as 'The Guide' since other competitors such as Rough Guides and DK came out. I think they need to have a better layout, and could do some some colour to spice it up. Needs to be more updated in some areas and feature more options. I think that LP is good as a starter guide, but you'd need one or two others just to compare for things that LP might not have included.

Insight- it is really more of a book you read about the country in preparation rather than a guide you tote around with you on your trips. Even though it has some excellent photography (I remember someone's comment that they are like small coffee table books), I think I still prefer DK's compact but visual feast.


OK Guides:

- Fodor's -
I have the Tokyo guide, and I like the fact that they tell you which Exit of the train station to get out for different attractions. I was also attracted to the tips and resources provided in an accessible layout at the end of the book. But I think that the recommendations in here tend to be for people with higher budgets because even their low and mid budget recommendations are not that cheap. Their website, like their guide, has a clean layout, and the people in the forum discussions seem pretty friendly. The Tokyo guide would suit Tourists with a more generous budget, and who don't want to get too much of a cultural shock. That can be seen in the food and hotel recommendations. It makes a good read though, and is not so hefty to bring around. I think that Fodor's would make a pretty good bargain for the first time western traveler.


PS.
I don't pay much attention to maps in travel guidebooks as I'll go and buy a seperate more detailed map of the region I'm travel to~ for example I have a fantastic bilingual street directory of Tokyo which I highly recommend, despite the slightly hefty price. It even shows underground tunnels with were really useful for rainy days~ I buy seperate city or town maps because guide books tend to only show the main streets, and I like to know the names of everything.

The directory in question is the Tokyo City Atlas by Kodansha, my favourite bilingual publishing house~