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I just received a copy of the Traveler’s Tool Kit guide to Mexico and Central America, and so far, I’m really impressed with what I see. While there’s less practical advice than you’d find in, say, Lonely Planet, I consider that a good thing. The fact that there aren’t scores of hotels and restaurants listed for every town prevents travelers from over-relying on their guidebooks, a mistake most of us have made at some point.
The most attention in this 549-page book is paid not to specific countries– only 13 pages are set aside for El Salvador, for example– but to topics such as choosing a travel partner, how to find good lodging wherever you go, how to stay healthy, and a seldom-addressed but important topic, how to remember your trip.
Co-authors Rob Sangster and Tim Leffel have assembled a great mix of philosophy and practical travel advice in this new edition of the Traveler’s Tool Kit series, and though the book skimps on the nuts and bolts of where to eat and where to stay, that will only lend more spontaneity to your trip. For travelers who feel as if they sometimes rely too much on their Lonely Planet, Traveler’s Tool Kit is a great alternative.
May 16th, 2008 at 1:02 pm
Not to steer people away from Rob & Tim’s book, but also check out “The People’s Guide to Mexico” by Carl Franz. It pointedly contains almost no specific information about what to do and where to go, but instead takes a much more general approach to traversing and living in Mexico. There are a ton of very useful practical tips and a good bit of myth-busting as well from a couple that have spent decades traveling through Mexico. It’s probably my favorite “guide” style travel book I own. In fact, though the book is Mexico-specific, the general attitude of the book can apply to any number of places.
- Nathan
May 16th, 2008 at 3:35 pm
This sounds good. Any guide that doesn’t send me to where everyone else is eating and sleeping is on my short list. I loved People’s Guide to Mexico too!
May 18th, 2008 at 1:28 pm
Thank you guys. Nothing compares to a buch of useful tips already verified in practice by someone traveling.