Travel Books beyond Europe

Lonely Planet, Rough Guide, Bradt--mostly it depends on the place and when the book was updated.

Louise, you're not the only person who feels this way. One of the things I love about RS guidebooks is he lets you know when the next edition will be available and so does Lonely Planet. Furthermore, you can buy Lonely Planet books on this website under the Eastern Europe category. When I travel beyond Europe, Lonely Planet is what I buy and sometimes I also order a Rough Guides but I wait until the last minute before doing so in case a new edition comes out. Unfortunately, Rough Guides, Fodor's, Frommers, and Bradt's do not let you know when the next book will come out.

Thank you!

For backdoor/off the beaten path suggestions we've had good luck with the "Backroads" series of guides from DK publishing. We like the DK country guides in general, but we've found that the Backroads series is especially good for independent driving adventures.
Check on Amazon for (slightly) older editions covering whatever country you're interested in - can usually find used copies for just a few dollars.

Louise, I too am a fan of Lonely Planet, DK & Rough Guide. This forum has also been my go to resource for Europe & elsewhere. The “Beyond Europe” category on RS Destination Q & A may be helpful.

Have you chosen an Island to visit in HA? We had to cancel last year at this time due to the lockdown. Enjoy your planning!

I just noticed that you are planning a trip to Hawaii. The perfect guidebook for Hawaii are the Revealed travel guides: https://www.revealedtravelguides.com/.

Definitely the blue books for all of Hawaii.

Robert Young Pelton's - the Worlds Most Dangerous Places. (Yes, I have been to a few. No, I didn't intend to, and I hope never to again.)

That sounds like an interesting story KGC, what were the names of the places?

I did three all expense paid tours of SE Asia, mostly Iraq and Afghanistan, with a few side trips to places like Kuwait (not too bad), and Qatar (interesting). I can't recommend being a tourist in that part of the world.

First I head to my local library (or pre-order them on line for delivery to local library) and check out a variety of publisher's offerings for my country of choice (even if a year or two out of date). Some won't suit my purpose, one or two will. I then buy one of the current year's edition.

DK Guides are the best.

In general, I like Lonely Planet. Lots of info in a small space, relatively comprehensive, uncluttered with glossy pictures and rhapsodic text. I agree with the suggestion to check out a variety of guidebooks if your library has them, see which seem most useful and portable (DKs are beautiful but heavy), then buy the latest edition of whichever works best for you.

The Michelin Green Guides are very good for sightseeing but their hotel and restaurant listings seem to be pretty high-end and sparse (also true of DK).

Some books are useful for inspiration and choosing where you want to go and what you want to see, including those coffee-table photo books if you like them. Fewer books are useful for detailed planning and taking with you. That's where I think RS and Lonely Planet shine.

Agree with you regarding the RS guidebooks! When I'm planning a trip outside of his coverage area I'll go to the library and thumb through the books they have on the area. Then I'll purchase the one that seems the best for my needs for that particular location. Most recently it was the Lonely Planet's Peru.

We went to Hawaii for the first time in 2018. Someone on the forum recommended the series The Ultimate ——-Guidebook by Andrew Doughty. They are individually titled by the name of each island and then the word Revealed. They are wonderful for various islands, I highly recommend.