Let\’s Visit Asia

Travel Guides: Books Or Online?

by Ruth on July 13th, 2006

How many travel guidebooks do you own? Because I love travelling, and the idea of travelling, I own quite a number of ‘em. Guides, picture books, maps, pamphlets, brochures… Places I’ve been to, places I want to go to, places I planned to go to but somehow never quite made it. They’re all there, occupying a significant space on our shelves. They have been interesting reads at the time, but I’m pretty sure that while they still provide a good overview of some destinations, they will hardly be helpful in things such as places to stay, room rates and other such things that changes quite quickly with time.

For that, online travel guides are best.

And for travel to Asia, one of the best online travel guides out there is Travelfish. Like co-founder Stuart McDonald says,

So why do travellers spend almost US$60 on more than two kilograms of out-of-date guidebooks, when they can get everything they need online and it won’t cost them a cent?

Indeed! And $$ aside, online travel guides such as Travelfish is your best bet if you want up-to-date information about the place you’re headed to. No more outdated hotel reviews. No more confusion about prices. No more looking for recommended restaurants that are no longer there. Why?

“A guidebook writer can best hope to read their review in print nine months after they wrote it. For Travelfish researchers, it can be as little as nine minutes — all they need is an internet cafe.”

So if you’re bound for Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam, be sure to check Travelfish out. Try out the trip planner, or if you have a specific question, sound off at the message board. In fact, I’m headed there right now…

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POSTED IN: Asia Travelogues, Asian Hotels and Resorts, Getting There and Away : Asia, Travel Tools and Gears