Travel Books

This book provides the best information for those traveling to South America. It's content is precise, updated, and unique. Further to this, the structure of the book is extremely useful for those that are not looking for the "standard", "packaged" vacation.

In preparation for a trip to South America, I purchased a number of books on the different countries as well as South America in general. By far, the Footprints offered the best information, maps, and tips for successful navigation through the country. Unfortunately, this is such a thick guide that it will not make the trip with us, but it has helped lay the foundation for efficiently exploring all that South America has to offer.

I have traveled in South America four times with this book. It is fantastic for low-budgeters like me. I am a woman, 52. I travel alone. It gives all the info I needed about even small towns. It's by far the most extensive - and the price is so cheap!!

Informative for helping me plan my trip to Peru and Chile. Better yet was that it arrived the day after ordering it. Thanks!

I ordered this product in Peru and paid maximum costs to have it delivered within one working week. A month later the product still hasn't arrived due to importtax of 175% of the price of the book that i have to pay in cash in the capital Lima (while i'm in Puno). Amazon claims it's not their problem even though they do not at all warn you when ordering the product and promise to have it delivered quickly.
Let it be a warning: even though Amazon says they can deliver anywhere in the world, they cannnot!! It is impossible to order a book in another country without leaving your house and paying a lot extra.
It was the last time i ever ordere anything with Amazon unless they make an explicit warning ( not some little line in the general conditions) when ordering to another country then the US.

I took a 6 week trip to New Zealand 6 years ago and depended on two great books that helped me tremendously. One was Frommer's, and the other Lonely Planet. So when I ramped up for a 4-week return visit, the first book I ordered was Frommer's, even though the reviews were not terrific. Well. This book was such a disappointment, and proved virtually worthless in planning my trip, unlike the volume from 6 years ago.

First up, the accomodation section is sorely lacking for (truly) middle-class travelers. As another writer mentions, I was stunned by the abundance of listed lodging in the US$400 - $1000 (and up!) per night range. Yikes!! And I was dismayed by the paltry number of lodgings listed at a more reasonable range of US$150 - $300. I did check out a number of these latter on their websites, as well as the official NZ website, but still found better accomodation for the price through links and connections to elsewhere. I booked 28 nights of lodging in NZ using only 1 suggestion from this edition of Frommers. How disappointing. The other bookings are at some truly wonderful, visually beautiful, upscale places, for good prices at Bay of Islands, Whakatane, Gisborne, Nelson, Hokitika, Haast, Queenstown, Te Anau, and Akaroa, -but none listed in Frommers.

As well, some of the great suggestions for things to see away from the main tourist centers, which I found in Frommer's during my last trip, were absent in the present edition. So, from a lodging perspective and a "see the real NZ perspective," this book is just a complete disappointment.

For a helpful guide to traveling NZ, I suggest The Rough Guide to NZ, and the official NZ website.

Somehow I received and was charged for 2 books. I only wanted 1 book. Any ideas?

I bought this book primarily because it was the most recent book published. I saw some of the bad reviews and figured it was for older version and decided to try it anyways. What a mistake!
I think the writer just find the most expensive accomodation/restaurant and rated it the highest. I'm sure they're great for $500/night. But I think the point is to find good values that we can't otherwise find ourselves.
There were major mistakes too! I went to a company in Franz Josef and not only they got their prices wrong (keep in mind I went 1 month after the release of this book), they also incorrectly say there's a discount when showing the book.
I think "writing" this book is just a way for the author to try the most expensive things in NZ that she couldn't afford herself otherwise.
Save yourself the weight and try a different book.
Oh yeah, don't rely on this book for maps.

A friend and I had 5 New Zealand travel books between us on our trip. This was the best book by far. We would look at the other books then would always go back to the Frommer's. We ended up using it exclusively by the end of the first week. The information was accurate and easy to follow.

I bought this book because it had a good name behind it, but this guide is lacking what I need, pictures and MAPS! Not a great start to a trip to a country I've never been. After recently browsing a book store I found New Zealand by Insight Guides to be much more sufficient! It is under Discovery Channel so it's legit! Overall this book has been helpful but I think the target audience is older and much better off monetarily than I.

This is, by far. the best , most inclusive travel guide I have seen on India. It gives us the kind of information we need to make the most of the relatively short time we will be there...such as attractions, lodging and dining in the cities we will visit.

This is a nice book for getting an overview of India and picking out things you might want to do there, which is no small task in a country so large. It's more extensively illustrated than any other India guide I've seen. However, having been to India, I wouldn't want to use this book for the actual trip. It doesn't contain nearly enough detailed information about transportation, lodgings, and places to sleep, and its maps are pretty much useless. For actual travel I recommend the Lonely Planet guides, of which there are several for different parts of India.

I bought this book to start planning a trip to India that should happen in 2009 sometime. I love these books! The pictures are beautiful and the facts and information help in planning places that I need to see when I get there. I purchased my first Eyewitness Travels guides when I went to Poland two years ago, and will only use this series when planning future trips! They are wonderful!

This is a nice comprehensive travel guide for India with great graphics and suggestions. The only negative would be that it's a little heavy for carrying while on travel. The best use of this guide is probably for reading and note-taking at home prior to travel.

The book "Eyewitness Travel Guide" to India was much more than I expected.
Such beautiful colorful pictures and laid out in a very easy way of finding the material that interests you. The only drawback was the weight of it....so packed full of info. Thought I would take it with me on the trip, but my backpack would be quite heavy. However, have enjoyed reading about the country ahead of time and making notations.

The new July 2008 edition has just reached me. It's a great advance over previous editions (see other reviews on this site). Many text-boxes and references to more specialist guides have been added. Everything has been updated and substandard accommodation deleted. It's very compact, light and easy-to-use - except for the street maps. These seem more difficult to read than ever! Extra plans showing the layout of ruins and of some museums are great. However, the prices given for flights and accommodation are already well out-of-date. Judging by the introductory sections, the guide was completed in about February 2008. Lonely Planet needs to speed-up its printing schedule, although I'm sure the Chinese printers were not to blame for any delay. This is an excellent,compact guide to wonderful countries of great antiquity whose friendly inhabitants are so warm to visitors, putting to shame Western notions of hospitality. While not nearly as comprehensive as the outstanding 1991 Footprint Syria & Lebanon Handbook, it is a quarter of the weight and a very handy introduction to people planning to visit. I won't go without it!

I was so excited to travel through the Middle East as it's not something that happens regularly in the region if you're American. I was wowed by the overall accuracy of the book and while I wasn't taking pictures or shooting video, I was reading my LP guide :).

Aside from a few wrong numbers and a little exaggeration on how "friendly" people are, it was a gold mine of information. The info on Lebanon was great and useful. I only wish I could spend more time there instead of 3 days. For the most part, it really helped in Syria and I stand by the hotel and restaurant recommendations.

This book is excellent it gives very good tips for travelling in these countries. In fact I always buy Lonely Planet travel guides because it's a guarantee that it will be a good book

I can't say I won't recommend this book but I would suggest looking at other travel guides if possible. The Lebanon aspect of the book was much better than the Syria section. The food section for Beirut is knowledgeable and accurate. I was living in Lebanon at the time so I can't speak for the hotel selections accuracy. The book does do a good job on describing the more cultural aspects of Lebanon and what to visit and what is worth a miss.

I spent a bit of time traveling in Syria and I can not give this guide a positive review. This is a complete guess and biased of me but I would think the couple that wrote the book are Lebanese and didn't properly investigate or travel enough to Syria to see the best it has to offer. As with the Lebanon chapter the food section was good, it gives a pretty good description of the eating varieties. The hotel guide was useful in it gave names and phone numbers of hotels in Syria. As for the reviews, well I didn't find them to be accurate or useful in any sense. Some reviews were close and some were completely off base. I do agree with another reviewer that the book misses some really great cultural aspects of the trip that I would have missed if I didn't have friends living in Syria who recommended them.

LP, like all guidebooks, varies in quality depending on the author. While this guide on Syria/Lebanon isn't the worst, it could be much better.

The main problem is that it is extremely limited in its scope. Both Syria and Lebanon, but Syria in particular, have literaly hundreds of sites to see, but you wouldn't know it with this LP. It only gives you the most popular sites and then a few it claims are "off-the-beaten-track" but really aren't. It misses some of Syria's best out of the way castles and ruins. Great stuff that if you only relied on LP, which promotes teh beaten backpacker track, you would never find.

I would give it a 1-star, but it is saved by the hotel recommendations. Syria is a place where knowing what hotels to hit up can be hard, and LP does a good job giving you affordable ones that are tourist-tested.

Still, though, the guide lacks any real historical or cultural insight and really only gives the illusion of leading you down the "road-less traveled."

I lived in Syria for a year and tried to take in as much as possible and thus found myself sifting through numerous guides. The one I found to be the best was Footprints, but they haven't published an updated version since 2001. The new Bradt is quite promising, but if you really want to know what Syria has to offer, you need "Monuments of Syria" by Ross Burns. It doesn't have many glossy pictures, but it does have every single cultural and archaeological site worth seeing in this great country.

I would probably rate this 4.5 stars if I could, but I like it enough to round up. This is an excellent way to learn about the city. The book is divided into chapters that cover neighborhoods. It doesn't focus on the hottest new restaurants/clubs, instead it gives you the feel so that you have a basis for exploration. As the title indicates, this isn't the right book for a weekend tourist but it is great for new Seattle inhabitants.

I'm a Seattle mostly-native (been here for 20 years) and picked up this book so that my guests from couchsurfing.com might be able to use it to get around the city. I used the Not For Tourists New York to get around while visiting there, and figured the local one might be handy too.

It's great! It truly does cover the city from the perspective of a local person, including witty and accurate comments about neighborhoods, restaurants/bars, etc., useful information about how to get around the city and to other nearby cities via public transportation, cool local places that are beautiful/unique but not touristy, etc.

In fact I'm so fond of it that sometimes I carry it around and read it myself for fun even though I'm quite familiar with the city already. It's entertaining for natives and informative for transplants/visitors too. I would definitely recommend it for someone who's just moved here.

Even though it's called "not for tourists", I think that really depends what kind of tourist you are. If you're someone who wants to hang out in the places where local people hang out and do the things they do, I still consider it very useful. None of the tourist books have maps of neighborhoods outside the central tourist area of downtown, so if you want to go beyond the beaten path this is a fine way to do it. The book doesn't have reviews of tourist spots but you could always combine it with a more tourist-y book. I bought some other more touristy books too and found the Lonely Planet to be the best of those.

Amazing breakdowns of the neighborhoods - color maps, lists and locations of businesses and more. Nice glossy pages and more info than a short-term visitor could ever use - we bought it as a relocation guide and it has paid of in dividends for us! It helped us decide on which neighborhood to live in, helped us find businesses and services, and showed us fun places to eat and hang out. Use it for visiting but remember that it is also a fantastic book full of info to help you move to Seattle!

I gave the book, 'Not for Tourists' as a gift and it was received with much interest and delight. The book is very informative, covering various districts in and around Seattle. The information is very detailed and acurate, with good readable maps, great information about the many areas that it covers and a fun book to browse through. I've lived in Seattle for many years and it was great fun reading through this delightful book. I will be purchasing 'Not for Tourists' for my self.

Haven't hiked it yet, but this book gives the most comprehensive look at the JMC, both North bound and South bound. The reason I bought this book was because it gave details on both directions. It doesn't give you a daily guide because it knows that each person will have his or her own pace. The only thing I didn't like is that it spends too much time describing fauna and not the trail.
It is also meant to be a trail companion and to be read on the trail. Why? If I'm on the trail why do I need to read about it? Some of the detail is useless unless you are right there looking at it. However, the description of the trail and the maps are valuable (I especially like the elevation maps given for each section)
It also gives very important information on how to get to the trail, permits and where and when to get them along with some great mileage charts.

Great book for on the trail, a good book for preparation.

This is the new edition of the Morey/Winnett (sp?) book but it's much, much more than that. I've hiked the JMT a couple of times and done a fair amount of hiking in the Sierras. Basically tho I'm a city boy and can't tell one tree from another and know nothing about geology. This book will - I haven't had the chance to hike with it yet - fill in the ignorance and satisfy the curiosity about what I'm hiking past. The author knows her stuff. But, wait, there's a whole lot more. Aside from a large number of GPS coords, more than I've found anywhere on the Web, there's all kinds of info you need to orchestrate your hike - names, addresses, prices, policies, regulations, campsites, side-trip peak-bagging, Harrison maps, informed suggestions - it's all here. One more item - it's only occasionally you read a book that makes you feel the author really worked hard to make it "complete", didn't cut corners, "pushed" when the going got hard - this is one such book. If you're thinking of hiking the JMT or any part of it, buy the book. If you're not thinking of doing the hike, buy the book and discover what you're missing.

Wilderness Press continues to update some of their classic guides regularly and this new version of their John Muir Trail Guide is well written with a new author, Elizabeth Wenk. At its heart, the guide is similar to previous editions in giving a mile for mile description of the trail. I found it very accurate for all portions of the JMT that I have hiked. It also includes new features: numerous GPS coordinates for landmarks, updated regulations, appendices listing campsites, mileages, and resupply points, and new topographical maps from Tom Harrison.

All these new features come at a small cost, however, in that the book is more than twice as large as the previous edition, by Kathy Morey and Thomas Winnett. And while you will need these new features in planning your hike, they are less important on the actual trail. Backpackers trying to save space and weight have a couple of options. One is to simply tear out the sections of the book you will be using. You hardly need the classic South to North directions if you are hiking the other way. Another is to use this edition for planning, but to get one of the older editions for the actual trip. These can be found here (1998) or here (1986). But this book is still worth purchasing. Having it will improve your odds of completing the trail and dramatically increase your enjoyment of it as well.

The previous version of this book was, I believe, considered to be the definitive JMT book, and this new version must be also. In it are all the details anyone attempting or thinking of attempting the John Muir Trail will need to know; what clothes to take, which food is appropriate, permits needed, bear information, a guide to the flowers of the area, history of the trail, geology, directions and even maps and a list of possible campsites. In fact, details are the thing about this book - it's ram-jam with them, and I couldn't think of any detail that I'd like to know that wasn't covered (I've hiked the trail once)!

This is a guidebook for those intending to hike the trail, not an account of someone's experiences, but even so it must get even the most couchy potato interested in getting out and walking! I did find the referencing of the sections and maps a little confusing, but it's a small point. And it might be a little large too, so I'd probably elect to photocopy parts of it, or rip out sections to take on the trail.

...this book contains a lot of useful information, precautions and advices. The author gives also titles of books that are required for the caterer.

Bought this as a Christmas gift for a new Chef interested in starting their own catering business. So far they love it and find it very helpful.

This book is Great! Great! Great! I got it for my partner because I it was something she wanted to do.When I found out that Denise went to CCA (California Culinary Academy)in San Francisco like my partner I new that this book would be great for her. When I told her about it she got so excited that she couldn't wait so we had to go buy it at the bookstore. So far this book has great information.From averages on getting a business license to the supply's you should have to start of. I covers all the little things that you might not even think of when your starting a catering business for the first time. Denise if you your reading this Priscilla and Natalie will definitely be at your seminar in LA next year :)

I read a lot (and I mean a lot, as I have thousands of books in my library), but this is one of the very few business books I've been truly inspired and uplifted by. When I say "the only book you need to succeed in catering" it's not only a cliche, I believe it's really true! In her writing, the author strikes the fine balance between telling you the 'real deal' and hardships of starting your own business, while managing to keep you motivated and telling you about all the positive that can come out of your efforts as well. It is extremely detailed, honest, passionate, and credible. This has truly been a fantastic help to me while I'm planning to launch my own catering business next year. Brava!!!

Although the concept of this book is appealing, it is ILLEGAL by health department standards to cater from any home kitchen UNLESS it is fully licensed and certified as a commercial kitchen. Hopefully, this author is not giving permission to folks to attempt to cook and deliver food from home kitchens, which is completely against health department rules.

Book was delivered in exact condition as described. Would not hesitate to buy from this seller again. Deliverly time was quicker than originally told. A definite plus.

Let me qualify this by saying for a number of years I taught Garde Manger at a Le Cordon Bleu school. I probably own every text book on the subject as it has remained near and dear to my heart as I moved back to the restaurant world.

This is probably the BEST text on this subject I have seen; so much so that I plan to look into their other books. Running the gamut from cold appetizers to a primer on ice sculpting to a discussion of centerpiece carving, this book provides clear concise examples of each process. The full color pictures are fantastic and a welcome addition to the instructions provided. If I was teaching again, this would be my textbook of choice.

I am a current culinary student & at last I have found a book that is a perfect learning tool for my studies. This book is perfect, it has it all, great illustrations, good lay out & very clear instruction. Modern Garde Manger was obviously written by guys that know how to teach their subject. The chapters on meats, game, poultry & fish are the best I have ever seen. This book is truly five star material & I know I will learn so much from it.

Finally someone has written a cooking instruction book that is suitable for the professional and home chef. This book is a must have for anyone serious about learning to cook. It fills in all the holes that will allow you to interpret and adjust recipes from other sources by providing you written and visual instruction along with interesting recipes from around the world. While it was written for the culinary education market this is really the first book any new cook should own. Great wedding or housewarming gift, a valuable reference for years.

I've wanted to be a professional chef long before Iron Chef and Emeril live hit the airwaves. This book will help me to learn what I need to know if I want to make it on to the big time. It's full of expert level information I've never seen before. The authors that wrote the book really know their stuff. The chapters on meat, fish and poultry fabrication have the best step by step photos i've seen in a text book..and I should know. My family has been giving me cookbooks since I could remember, finally I've got a book with new ideas and information I've not seen before. Buy this book for your personal library. It's in a class by itself.

I was in Vietnam (Jan/Feb 2008) and I took with me Lonely Planet and Rough Guide, and the better of the two guides is, by a thin margin, Lonely Planet.

However, there is much to commend Rough Guide Vietnam. It is worth buying just for the section that covers the history, religion (13 pages) and the overall culture of Vietnam. Excellent.

This guide is well laid out; breaking Vietnam into eight sections. Each section has a page that points out the places not to be missed. Each of these sections opens with a very good history and explanation of the area. Rough Guide has an excellent selection of restaurant and eateries (better than Lonely Planet's) with enticing write-ups that tell you what to try, "Goi bo, a salad of banana flower, star fruit and pineapple" or "try stir-fried beef with lemongrass for starters, followed by fried scallops and then che baba - grandma's sweet coconut soup." This guide has a better selection of the discos and clubs than Lonely Planet and it has eight (8) pages of recommended books to consider - Super.

HOWEVER, Rough Guides hardly has any maps, and those that they have are not as good or easy to use as Lonely Planet. It has a cumbersome "price code" system for accommodations, i.e. 1= under to $10, 2= $10-15, 3= $15-30, etc., thus, you have to memorize what the numbers represent or flip back and forth to the legend. Whereby, Lonely Planet shows you the cost in dollars. What an idea! Duh. Only a few accommodations (very few) have webpages. In today's world accommodations webpages are a must. All savvy travelers today want to "see" what a hotel or hostel looks like. R.G. does not breakdown restaurants by cost (Expensive, Moderate, etc.) nor does it give you any prices ranges ($10-15 etc.). Not Good.

In short, the better of the two guides is Lonely Planet, especially if you are going to explore Vietnam and want to get away from the "tourist areas". However, if you are staying in HCMC, Hanoi or other major cities and want the best clubs and restaurants with good eatery descriptions then this is your guide. Strongly Recommended. 4 Stars.

I just returned from a trip to Vietnam (Jan 2008) and was given this book last minute by a friend. This book was invaluable to my trip and compared to the Lonely Planet that I had been using, it was way better. The information was useful, concise and accurate.
The only 2 complaints about it are: the language section in the back does not do a phonetic translation which means if you are trying to ask for tea (tra) you end up saying 'tra' instead of 'ja'. You could flip a few pages to where they list all the proper pronunciations of the consonants but who has time for that? It's a guidebook not a dictionary.
The other complaint I have is that massages were cheap and very good over there and yet were never mentioned in the book (where, how much, what to watch out for etc) The LP book did both. However, comparing the 2 books overall, the RG was still much better!

Used Rough Guide for my 3 week trip to Vietnam. Information is accurate and helpful. Compared to Lonely Planet, the Rough Guide to Vietnam is much better written, has more in-depth historical information, and provides a non-partial perspective to this interesting and vibrant country.

Rough Guide has become one of my favorites. It's value is that it targets a group beyond the backpackers. Vietnam is no exception. The maps are good, recommendations we used were always good. There is plenty of practical information about getting around and still has info the the backpackers, but many suggestions for more upscale restaurants and hotels. This was our primary guidebook for 3 weeks of independent travel in Vietnam.

This book was very good and detailed with accomodations and eateries. The walking tours were very easy to follow and the maps were easy to navigate. I loved the color section on food to encourage you to try some of the food that would otherwise be intimidating.

The biggest disappointment I found in this book is that it seemed that it was written SOLELY from a communist point of view. The book did not address South Vietnam and the effects of the war on the people there. It bashed the French and Americans. I FOUND IT OFFENSIVE AND WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER ROUGH GUIDE AGAIN! That's how's irritating and disrespectfuly it was.

It was really fun and interesting reading and I'd suggest it for all Disney fans! I'd like to know how the writer knows all this stuff! It's amazing that he could gather all of this information. Very entertaining!

This book is a lot of fun, especially if you are about to take a trip to WDW. Lots of interesting information, but chopped up into small bites so it is easy to read a little at a time.

If you love Disney, this book is really fun. Even if you have read a lot of other books and websites about Disney, there will be things in the book that will suprise you. My husband and I found that there were lots of new things to learn. Reading the book was a fun way to add a new dimention to our disney travel. We bring it on the plane and read it to get us motivated for our next trip.

the organization of the trivia could be less test like and more immediate with answers closer to the questions...

Good information and details

Mongello is a long time Disney World fan who has written a trivia book that will give the reader a lot of information that the typical guidebook will not. Of particualr interest to me was info on the age of some of the attractions as well as some history on popular attractions that are no longer a part of Disney World(such as 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Mr. Toad;s Wild Ride, etc).
My only gripe with the book is with the way it's laid out. You'll read a question on one page then have to get the answer to that question 20 pages later. It's not the way one typically reads a book. Still a very good book- 4.5 Stars.