I personally read several different types of books about my destination, buy the few that suit my style of travel best and then choose the topics or areas that interest me and read those sections several times.  Guidebooks have improved on their coverage of lesser known areas and smaller towns.  Often, it is the suggestions of other visitors or locals who may direct you to special places not covered in the books. This is where the bulletin board comes in handy.  In addition to guidebooks, other books can give you a sense of an area, its history or customs.  The more knowledgeable you are when traveling, the better the experience.

So what does this have to do with budget travel?  These books can save you time and money and give you a general idea of what to expect.  As a simple example,  say you are going to London.  If you have done your homework, you know you will not be finding a Days Inn or budget hotel for $49.95! However, if you are totally ignorant you could waste invaluable time searching for that nice $49.95 hotel.  By the same token, you may feel that spending money on books is a waste and contrary to the budget travel philosophy.  Remember that old adage - Time is money? Enough said!  My personal philosophy is that if I have gleaned one bit of useful information, it was money well spent.

The objective of this feature is to give you a general overview of the different travel books out there.  Of course if I haven't personally visited a particular place, I can only evaluate certain characteristics such as ease of use, practical information and general tone; whereas if I have visited a destination I can be much more opinionated about such things as accuracy and truthfulness.  On the other hand keep in mind that other old adage- one man's junk is anther's treasure.  And since we are not travel clones what I may find exciting, interesting and worthwhile; you may find boring and a waste of time or vice versa.

I hope you enjoy this feature and if you have feedback, feel free to e-mail me 
You can find a list of travel books and some of my picks at the book  stop.