Why to get that bulky guide? To not miss out on scenes!
Thinking about winging your world wide travel? May want to think again.
Internet research is an amazing tool afforded us by travelers who have been where we’d like to go. But, odds are, they haven’t been everywhere you’d like to go. If you’re thinking about spending some time exploring a particular country and trying to find the best places to go, the best place to start... might be Barnes and Noble.
Everyone knows to visit the Louvre and the Leaning Tower, but getting off the beaten path can be a far more exciting chance to gain the real cultural experience you’re getting at. Those big, bulky travel books are an exhaustive resource to make sure you don’t miss a thing in the seemingly giant country you’re planning to visit.
Step one is to decide where you want to go, and step two is to decide what you want to do when you get there. Planning can be exciting and exhausting at the same time, but it’s worth the effort to check out all the recommendations in that travel guide. I don’t mean you have to read it like a novel, but make sure you get the gist of all the things you’re destination country has to offer.
Consider this: A few years ago I visited Italy with my family. We booked a tour and hit all the major places; Rome, Venice, Florence, etc. We saw everything that most tourists in Italy get to see. But when my new boyfriend (now husband) showed me his photos of Italy, it was a completely different view. He had managed to see all the great things we saw, and some I didn’t know existed. Climbing to the overlook at Cinque Terre is something I sorely missed out on. Had I read through that Lonely Planet that I actually DID purchase, perhaps I would have that same amazing scenic memory that he has.
If you’re doing open ended travel and don’t want the bulk of taking 15 Lonely Planets with you, don’t regret doing the unthinkable: tearing those important pages out. No, you won’t get to resell the book on e-bay, but you also won’t get bogged down with the weight of carrying them with you.
Of course another, newer option is to get that e-reader you’ve been thinking about. You can store tons of guide books on there, as well as notes for your trip, and even some entertaining novels for those inevitable flight delays.
So don’t miss out on scenes that most people will never get to see... do your homework with some smart travel guides.
This travel tip was written by Valerie Stewart
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