A travel guide or guidebook is basically “a book of info about a place designed specifically for the usage of tourists or visitors”. It will in most cases contain information on sightseeing, lodging, restaurants, local transportation, and other relevant activities. Maps of various detailed and contextual information may also be included. In some cases, the guidebook may be sold in bookstores or online as a hard copy.
The idea of creating a travel guide can be attributed to the early traveler and philosopher Plato. His idea was that a person should “know where he is going, why he is going there and what he plans to do”. With this in mind, he developed a “Platonic ideal” of a traveler – one who is solitary, seeking knowledge at no cost and seeking out experience rather than being content in a certain place. This Platonic ideal has resonated through the ages with travelers. Many travelers would rather go somewhere rather than sitting in a hotel; many would rather see the world by foot than ride in a vehicle. With this in mind, the birth of the travel guide came about.
One such travel guide to the world is Fodor Thackeray’s The Travel Guide to Europe. An English traveler, Sir Francis Scott Key wrote The Captain’s Guide to Europe in 18akura. In this book, he provides a vivid overview of destinations around the globe. The book is essentially a road map to adventure and has a variety of its own quirks.
For example, one section of the book includes a note that the “best time to visit Portugal is in summer, from June to September or in winter from October to March”. Although it is possible to obtain these kinds of weather conditions in Portugal during different months, it is not mentioned in the actual guidebook. However, the author does note in his dedication that he has taken information from many sources and compiled it into his own travel guide. Some people who bought the original Captain’s Guide to Europe noted that the author took information from several different sources and constructed his own atlas around it. This atlas includes Portugal, Spain, Holland, Belgium, France, Russia, Poland, the Ukraine, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland, the Greece, Turkey, Egypt, Tibet, Nepal, Bhutan, India, and China.
Other famous travel guides of Europe include: J.M Barrack’s The Long Road Home, R.W. Smith’s Burma Mystery, W.B. Johnson’s Into the West, and Anna Christie’s Sir Francis Drake. While some of these guides do cover the same countries and have similar information, the information is often very different.
When comparing travel guides to European travel, there are many differences. One of the most important differences is the amount of time and effort put into writing a quality travel guide. European travel guides generally take much longer to write than the ones you purchase from the store, and they are generally written with more detail. If you plan to go on a trip to Europe, then consider buying yourself or someone else a quality travel guidebook. The information provided within these books will make your trip much more enjoyable, even if you already know where you want to go.