After months of being locked up in our houses due to the Corona Virus Pandemic, sitting in front of the screen all day long, full of stress and headache, our wanderlust has risen to the surface, and a vacation is all one needs right now! Be it the beautiful view of Santorini, the crystal clear water of Antalya, a delicate Thai massage, or an adventurous Leh-Ladakh Bike ride, a break can get you out of the little bubble that this pandemic created. But sometimes, vacations start as an excellent idea and then eventually end up being a bummer.
Why do you need a Travel Guide?
Planning for your dream vacation seems like a lot of work but is incredibly important. You will require ample time to arrange for the trip while keeping in mind the requirements of your family. You must plan well in advance. With a little bit of preparation and the help of a travel guide, travellers can overcome their difficulties with much ease. 2020 has been an unfortunate year for travelling. But don’t let that stop you from making travel plans in 2021! And to save your precious time and effort, we have listed down below, the best travel guide websites and books. These will make your travel plans much more manageable and convenient:
The Best Travel Guide (Online and Books) in 2021
Incredible India!
Once you check this out, there’s absolutely no going back! The site opens on a page where you shall find everything you are looking for… Starting from travel information to the vast cultural aspect of the country, this site explores it all.
- It brings before you the kinds of destinations you would want to look at Popular, Spiritual, Heritage, The States, and Union Territories, the land of Buddha, or all of them. Clicking on any one of them would bring you to that particular topic.
- It also shows you the different kinds of places and experiences you would want to have when you’re in India: Heritage, Spiritual, Adventure, Nature and Wildlife, Art, Food and Cuisine, Luxury, Yoga and Wellness, Shopping, UNESCO World Heritage Sites, Museums, and Crafts.
- When it comes to travel information, this site has it all. You get to know it all with just a single click. It provides you with the option: About India, Visa, Currency, Weather, SBM, Bank and ATM locator, Audio Guide, Repository, ITDC Hotels, and IRCTC Tour Package details.
- Another excellent feature of the page is its LIVE SUPPORT CHATBOX. Here, you can clarify any of your difficulties. The site comes in over 9 different languages apart from English. It also provides the State and UT Tourism Websites and Contact Details.
If travelling in India is your dream vacation, do check out this website Incredible India!
Make My Trip
Established in 2000, Make My Trip is currently positioned as one of the leading companies. It provides great offers, competitive airfares, exclusive discounts, and a seamless online booking experience.
- The experience of booking your flight tickets, hotel stay, activities, and holiday package through their website or app can be done with complete ease and no hassle at all.
- They also provide amazing offers, such as on-the-spot discounts, fare calendar, the MyRewardsProgram, MyWallet, and many more for the convenience of the customers.
- The site is entirely user-friendly. There are numerous travel blogs, recommended destinations, holiday packages, and trip ideas for you.
In case you were looking for a user-friendly, comfortable website, Make My Trip one is for you.
Frommer’s Travel Guides
The history of Frommer’s travel guides goes way back to 1957 when Arthur Frommer launched a guide to visit Europe on just $5 a day. Frommer’s is now one of the most trusted names in good travel books.
- Frommer’s has now published their EasyGuide and Day by Day series. These were smaller and easier to read and carry than the typical extensive guidebooks they saw on the market.
- They also have a Complete Guide, Speciality Book, and Shortcut Guides for the type of travel guide you want.
Frommers Website
- Frommers.com is an excellent place to start planning a trip for free. They provide destination information, including city layouts, travel routes, and their top recommendations for hotels and restaurants.
- Furthermore, the site provides several other general contents and articles suggesting brilliant trip ideas for honeymoons, family travel, road trips, etc.
- It’s quite convenient to view destinations( divided upon regional basis and top picks), trip ideas (in slideshows), and hotel bookings.
The Frommer’s Travel Show (podcast)
Pauline Frommer, daughter of Arthur Frommer, hosts The Frommer’s Travel Show podcast, new episodes of which come out nearly once per week or numerous times a month.
Lonely Planet
Lonely Planet is a renowned travel media company and the world’s number one travel guidebook brand. Over the past four decades, they’ve printed over 145 million guidebooks and phrasebooks in 120 languages. You’ll also find their content online and in mobile apps, videos, magazines, lifestyle books, e-books, and more, enabling you to explore every day. The Lonely Planet books were a sensation for a long time, especially with younger backpackers looking to travel on a budget. Lonely Planet books are suitable for independent and adventuresome tourists and those who just want some suggestions but not a directed agenda with a ton of detail.
Lonely Planet Website
There’s no website like this one! Lonely Planet website, you beauty!
This one grabs your attention at once, from travel goals to blogs, recommended videos, to shopping destinations.
- This website lets you explore what’s unique, find incredible attractions, discover the best hotels, and book the amazing experience of any destination.
- Features articles on “Best in Travel 2021” and “Covid travel updates” – making it easier for you to choose your destinations.
DK Eyewitness
Suppose you enjoy reading about the historical and cultural aspects of a place you’re visiting. In that case, these books are just for you! The books feature over 100 destinations with colourful images that are just more than enough to invigorate your wanderlust. DK was established in 1974 by Christopher Dorling and Peter Kindersley. Their first travel book was published in the early 1990s, pledging to show you “what others only tell you.” DK Eyewitness topped the list of best guidebooks at the 2020 Wanderlust Reader Travel Awards. The books are incredibly user-friendly, and the photo-packed books paint a clear picture of precisely what you can expect on your travels. The books cover all the usual travel guide concepts: programs, destinations, maps, dining and hotel recommendations, etc.
Podcast
Produced by the team of DK Eyewitness books itself, each episode of the Where to Go podcast takes you into the world of a particular destination. New episodes are released every two weeks.
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Fodor’s Travels
Eugene Fodor once said, “You don’t need to be rich to travel well.” And that should be a traveller’s basic mantra. In 1936, Fodor wrote his first modern travel guidebook of 1200 pages for British audiences. Fodor’s brings before us over 300 travel guides for over 7500 destinations. Inside these guides, you’ll find insider tips, travel destinations, hotel recommendations, and budgetary tips to make your dream vacation a reality. These are available in paperbacks as well as e-book formats.
Fodor’s Travel Website
- Fodor’s is an excellent place to start planning a trip. They provide destination information, including travel routes and their top suggestions for resorts and eateries.
- Moreover, the site provides numerous usual contents and articles suggesting splendid trip ideas for honeymoons, family travel, road trips, etc.
- The webpage is quite convenient for its users. A single click lists numerous destinations( divided upon regional basis and top picks), trip ideas, forums, cruises, and hotel bookings.
Planning a trip isn’t so hard with this website. Do give it a shot!
Bradt Guides
It’s literally “TRAVEL TAKEN SERIOUSLY”! Being an out-of-the-box travel publisher, Bradt publishes guides for the lesser-travelled, not-so-explored areas of the world. Hence, proving to be “the world’s leading independent travel publisher.” Bradt Guides enjoy the upper hand over other publishers for reaching out to destinations others don’t go for. It is said that “over two-thirds of Bradt guides still have no direct competition from other publishers.” Bradt’s initial book, Backpacking Along with Ancient Ways Peru & Bolivia, was the first to describe the Inca Trail.
In extension to their travel guide books, Bradt publishes a Slow Travel series of United Kingdom destinations, a Wildlife series, and general travel literature. Each guide hits us with knowledge and enthusiastic stories. Bradt’s commitment to wildlife, conservation, and respect for local communities is worth appreciating. Bradt Guides is “championing sustainable travel before any other guidebook publisher.” These are award-winning books “that explore the country with a passion and depth you’ll find nowhere else.”
Bradt Guides Travel Club
Enthusiastic explorers can support Bradt by joining their Travel Club through Patreon. There are three layers: Bradtpacker, Globetrotter, and First-Class Traveller. Each tier offers different subscriber benefits, including kinds of stuff like e-books and access to their bespoke travel planning aid.
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Things to Keep in Mind While Planning a Vacation!
If you are planning your very first vacation, and you don’t know where to start, then keep on reading. We have brought to you some essential things you should think about when planning your first trip:
Trip Duration
The first and foremost thing one needs to determine is how long you want your trip to be. You must plan your trip according to your convenience. The longer time you have, the more freedom you have to choose where you want to go. You may even go on a multi-destination trip. It is advisable to hold a day off in travelling plans that exceed 7 days. This gives a free pass to things like flight/train delays, traffic, weather issues, or just because you wanna stay a day or two more at a particular destination.
Trip Type and Destination
Give a thought on what kind of a trip would cheer you up. You may want a romantic getaway with your loved one, or you might be more of an adventurous person to go skiing or wild water rafting. You may even want a relaxing Thai spa, or you might want to explore the history and culture of your destination. Choose your destination based on the kind of trip you and your family want. Each type has its own benefits and unique attractions.
Season
Once you have an idea of your wanted destination, make sure to check the best season to visit the place to gain the most out of it. Also, check the weather before you plan a quick trip. An excellent site to look on for weather and temperatures is holiday-weather.com.
Budget
Before planning a trip, be sure to check your financial position. Plan a trip according to your budget. And activities at the destination will add to this essential cost; count that too. Try to keep it within your budget. And always keep extra money for last-minute shopping!
Safety
It is advisable to choose safe locations to visit. If you decide on a solo trip, it’s a good idea to read up well about the destination, which is particularly important if you are female. Don’t forget to carry your identity card and beware of fraudulent travel websites.
Tours and Activities
When travelling, take the help of a trusted travel guiding website to book tours and other fun activities and adventures to make your trip a bit more memorable. You can customize it according to your needs and whims. A travel guide will help you through it all. There’s no such template to follow when it comes to planning a vacation. Planning a trip can actually be a lot of fun. To make your trip memorable, it’s always good to settle everything beforehand to avoid any problems later. We hope these guidebooks are helpful enough to organize your dream journey. We hope that this article made you want to travel more in 2021.
