Travel

Travel Guides are a Godsend and a tremendous amount of research has gone into them, but they can be a little patronising at times.

Don't cling to them religiously, as many travellers do. They are not the bibles that they are made out to be, and are often out of date before they are published.

To get the most out of guidebooks, use them sparingly for basic orientation, then discover the towns and cities on your own.

The information on museums and places of interest are great when all other signs look foreign.

But when it comes to hotels and restaurants, every one to their own taste and budget. Believe me, the gems are never in black and white for all to see. If word gets out, the bargains rise in price with popularity and the 'recommended' places are usually full of foreigners - us, the tourists.

Wandering around on your own, you will be delighted when you discover reasonably-priced, quality rooms and gourmet restaurants dishing up a local ambience; without the need for reservations.

Just because it isn't in the book, doesn't mean that you are entering a hell-hole, or a den of thieves. More often than not, you will encounter a haven of tranquillity that didn't see you coming.

Don't be the type who can't wait to to write to say that 'it wasn't like they said in the book'. Open your eyes, and explore for yourself!

The publication date should be printed on the inside page of the book.

Lonely Planet usually gives the first publication date, the date of publication of the copy in your hands, and when reprinted with travellers' updates.

They have an army of followers who freely update their books; often without credit. The biggest of credits, must go to Tony and Maureen Wheeler, who started it all with their overland trip through Southeast Asia.

Don't be fooled by the rogues at Hachette, who took it all a little further.

Le Guide du Routard, Vietnam (in French), which I bought near the end of 1996, boldly stated 1997/98 on the cover, and even had ©1997 inside.

Ok, we're not talking Turner Broadcasting repeating yesterday's news here, but even new seems old already.

As an example of how quickly things change:

I wanted to praise a particular hotel in Hanoi that offered us a beautifully furnished, spacious double for $20 a night (a bargain), and a delightful restaurant not far from the station whose food and service were excellent for the moderate price. Well.

The Cuu Long hotel changed our room, after two nights, and only told us about it when we came in at eleven in the evening. (We paid $15 for the smaller room, and moved on the following morning).

And, after going out of our way to return to the Hanoian Bar + Restaurant, because of a special dish that was so tasty two days before, the noodles on the next occasion tasted like pre-packed Pot Noodles, without enough water added to them before being fried.

So take the guides' recommendations with a pinch of salt.

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Which Guide Is Best?

This debate is always served up with a large dose of opinion, and our list does not serve to put one guidebook above the other.

Besides, we have no money for lawsuits.

Lonely Planet

If you're travelling on a shoestring, then LP is probably the one for you. My favourite guides to China. India and Asia. but many people use them for Europe too.

Lonely Planet guides cover general history and give good detail about the places to visit. The 'Getting There and Away' sections are always good for the border crossings. Plenty of simple maps to give you an idea of where you are, and of course they always hunt out the cheapo cafes with the best banana milk-shakes; if you're prepared to trust the milk in some of those countries.

Use the prices as a reference point only, as some of the guides are a few years old, and as I've already pointed out, a lot can change overnight. Some Lonely Planet recommendations might even have closed down.

The Let's Go guides attract the young crowd looking for the low-down on nightlife as well as what to see during the day.

I used the Rough Guide to West Africa. in lieu of Lonely Planet. Maybe not so good on the map score, but I found the music section and other cultural snippets more worthwhile than some of the opinionated comments in Lonely Planet.

Footprint Handbooks

The South American Handbook (updated annually) is the daddy in this series; quite possibly the 'Mother of All Travel Guides'.

I first used this guide to South America when it was still a 'Trade and Travel Publications' title and included Central America and The Caribbean .

The hardback travel guide contained so much information that even the thin paper and fine print wasn't enough to save it; as The Caribbean and Central America sections became guidebooks in their own right.

Moving into 2015, Footprint have now printed 80 travel guides to hundreds of destinations; introduced city guides to London, Dublin, Edinburgh and Rio de Janeiro; and even a Surfing Europe (2nd Edition).