guidebooks

No guide book covers everything you need. I myself use many books for planning, but only take one or two guides with me on my trip. There are ways to slim down the load, such as: Take your guide books to Kinkos (or an office/copy place). have them slice the binding off and punch the pages for spiral binding. Before they bind it, take out the sections you know you're not going to use, then have them put the book together. You can reassemble when you return home and have a "whole" book. Or, just rip out the parts you want to take and leave the rest at home. Or, consider getting the electronic versions of the guides if you have a Kindle or other e-reader. Or, use a program like TripIt to organize the suggestions you want to follow and don't take the books at all.

I almost never carry a whole, intact guidebook. Sometimes I might take one that has the most information that I think I will need, and supplement with pages from other books (photocopies). Particularly in the UK, you won't have a problem asking directions or calling for information along the way.

Susan, If you have all of the Guidebooks, I'd suggest using all of them for your planning, but travelling only with the Great Britain book. It likely provides enough detail for the places you'll be visiting. If you're travelling with a Netbook, iPad or whatever, you can make notes from the other Guidebooks. As someone else mentioned, most of Rick's Guidebooks are now available as E-books, in a variety of formats. If you have a Kindle, iPad, Kobo or other reader, simply download the books as those will be much easier (and lighter) to travel with. If you're travelling with a Netbook or Laptop, you can also download the free Kindle Reader for PC or Mac, and then download the appropriate books from Amazon. Cheers!

When we travel I take one guide book, whichever seems most useful, usually a Rough Guide. I rip out the relevant sections of the other ones, either bag or binder clip them, then toss them out when we finish with the area. I don't find old guidebooks particularly useful, but consider them disposable, like magazines. I also copy all of my internet notes into a file stored on my netbook...... I have one guidebook on a kindle app but find using it rather cumbersome. Guidebooks are something you want to thumb through; that's harder to do on a kindle.

Susan, Are you asking if the Rick Steves Great Britain guide covers everything that is in the Rick Steves England guide and the Rick Steves London guide? You don't need to buy all three. You could just buy the one that covers all the areas you are visiting. So for example, If I were travelling to Scotland and England, I'd only buy the Great Britain guide. I'd then rip out the chapters that I needed. There is a ton of overlap between the guides. The London section in the Great Britain guide is not as detailed as the London guide, but it should cover most of what you need. For example, the London guide will have more London restaurant and hotel listings and some additional sightseeing than are in the London Chapter of the Great Britain guide; however all the major sights in London will be included in the Great Britain guide.

Further to CL's comments, I spiral bound my books for the first time and it made life on the road a million times easier! I had them cut the spine on two books. Then they spiral bound two with the parts I needed and two with the leftovers. It only cost me $22. The ability to have the book open on itself is priceless and I will do it every trip forward. As far as whether you need all those copies, I will say that I was traveling in south of France with only the RS France book (and Frommers France), and wish I had in fact brought the RS Provence and French Riviera guide. There was some info I knew to be in the other that I didnt have. It wasnt critical, but I`m an information junkie and missed it.

Thanks all for your responses. We've traveled with Rick's books several times and we rely on them for the step-by-step museum/walking tours, lesser known entrances, etc. Trying to narrow down our guidebook choices for this trip is a little daunting - we'll be traveling for several months through several countries. I'd love to think the e-books would meet our needs, but I really don't want to drag around my iPad during the day while we're touring on foot. It would be nice if the GB edition included EVERYTHING and smaller/individual guides were available for those on shorter trips/with limited needs. Just a thought!

I plan for each destination, I like to have notes on sites and lodging choices (especially phone numbers). Eating is totally by local reccomendations (not by guidebook). I reduce my needed information to the minimum number of pages, put it in a ziplock bag dedicated to that city/stop, use it while I'm there, then discard it (save the reusable bag). I also carry one general guidebook, usually a Rough Guide or Michelin Green Guide - something more exhaustive. Rick's books are highlights only and worthless if you stop somewhere not on his itineraries.

Susan I know that this is not part of your thread here, but you have just said, we'll be traveling for several months through several countries Obviously the UK is for one of those months. Just to ask if you have your visas under control, are up on the Schengen requirements, and have what the UK authorities will want to see for a protracted stay? If so, great. If any of this catches your eye then shout out and we can help.

Nigel - Thanks for your input! I am aware of the Schengen Agreement and time constraints. We'll be working on our precise timeline this weekend and are planning to submit our visa applications in the next ten days or do. We're looking to arrive at the end of June/beginning of July. If you happen to have details re: necessary documents, etc, for our extended stay (app. one month) in the UK, I would welcome your help. I'm headed to the bookstore on Friday to pick up Rick's 2012 books for GB/UK.
Again, my thanks to all for your advice.

I think you misunderstood Nigel. If you're a US citizen (I've no idea where in the heck New Bremen is) and you're not going to be working or studying, you can stay in the UK something like five or six months - - you said only about a month.

Hi Ed - Nigel also mentioned "what the UK officials will require for a protracted stay". FYI: New Bremen is in Ohio - land of many snowbirds.
Thanks.

Then I'm missing something. I'm forever showing up on their doorstep with twenty bucks in my pocket, no proof of how I intend to leave, and they still let me in.

Susan, the one month in the UK is not the catch point, but they may ask other questions if they see your return ticket for, say 9 months from now, and twig that they don't have any proof that you will leave the UK before then. Schengen visas from the US are paperless.

Got it - thanks!