Travel Tips From the Library

As someone who used to be an avid traveler I know sometimes half the fun of traveling and seeing new places is planning the trip. Researching online, studying maps, and poring through guidebooks can whet a traveler's appetite and inspire the adventurer in all of us. Guidebooks are wonderful, but can be an expensive investment for a short trip, or a one-time visit. Luckily, the library has a wide selection of guidebooks available to check out, including several titles to download in e-book format.

Finding the most current guidebook is often ideal, since it will have the most up to date information. but sometimes tracking one down in the library system can be frustrating. When reserving the most recently published guidebook on the library catalog, remember to look at the year the guidebook was published. To get the best information, click on the guidebook's title. All the copies available will then be listed, along with the year they were published. When you click "Place a Hold" or "Request It" you should then be asked which copy you want held for you. You can then request the most current one, or an older copy if you wish. The older guidebooks are often just as good as the current ones; you just may wish to verify certain information in them online. Often times things like admission costs to museums, hours of operation for restaurants, and seasonal openings for campgrounds can change at a moment's notice.

Guidebooks are good starting point, but there are many good travel websites, including ones that produce well known travel guides, such as Lonely Planet or Let's Go. Also, in addition to the guidebooks offered on a library's bookshelves, there are digital guidebooks available to download onto your Kindle, or e-reader. Click here to browse available copies. If you're interested in learning the language of the foreign country you may be lucky enough to go to, try the library's language learning source Byki.

Happy Travelling!