Guide Books
Having a guidebook with you is never a bad idea. Guidebooks can help you find your hostel, show you what attractions to go to, and even how to say basic phrases in different languages.
The biggest downside of guidebooks is that they can be quite bulky and take up lots of backpack space. We suggest getting a guidebook such as Lonely Planet’s Europe on a Shoestring
, which features the highlights of several different countries in one book. Guidebooks usually have maps of the major cities, list main tourist attractions, and show how to get from destination to destination. If you find yourself needing more information on a subject, chances are your hostel will have a copy of a guidebook for your destination. This eliminates the need for you to carry a guidebook for every country you plan to visit.
If you find that you are the type of person that needs the specific guidebook for the country you are in, you can almost always purchase the guidebook when you are traveling. Keep in mind that this can be more expensive, as bookstores in tourist areas tend to overcharge for guidebooks.
Our favorite guidebook publisher is Lonely Planet
. Lonely Planet is tailored towards backpacking trips, but still has plenty of options for bigger budgets.
Rough Guide's is a good alternative for planning your route, but isn't as backpacker friendly.