I am a meticulous planner & gatherer of information before leaving on a trip. I print out my notes to take with me. I take maps + guide books for each destination.

This fall my husband & I wil be traveling to Europe for almost 4 weeks. We will be carrying some electronic devices with us: GPS, e-readers & for the first time, a lap top.

I need some convincing NOT to take guide books since we will have access to information via internet. Please help me wean myself from books & lighten my suitcase! Do you think I can do without? What would I miss by not having them? By the way, I sampled guide books on my Kindle and they were terrible!

Thanks for your thoughts!

So, which of those electronic devices will you feel comfortable taking out on the street so you can check a map or recommendation?

I travel with my IPhone but don't like to keep taking that out as the previous poster said. I also travel with a carryon only, so really limit how much stuff I take. Travel guides stay home, BUT I cut out pages that I want and take those with me. So I have the maps,info that I want, but not a bunch of weight of the rest of the book that I don't need. I've been doing this for about 8-10 years and it works well for me.

I'm also a meticulous planner.

Take guide books that you feel are important.

Every morning or night before, I study the guidebooks and try to memorize most of the next day'e events.

As with everything else in life, ya pays your money and ya takes your chances.

thursdaysd: You make a good point! The answer to your question is: none! Guess I should have worded our plans more clearly: We will be packing these electronic devices to use on our trip ... !

I will have Knopp MapGuides for Paris & London + my notes to carry in my shoulder bag in the city. Hopefully whatever my notes don't cover, I will be able to check on the laptop at the apartment/hotel before going out for the day.

In rural France where we will be traveling by car, our first stop in towns will be the Tourist Information Office to pick up local maps, etc.

mms: You have suggested a practical strategy to take only pertinent sections of guide books. Thank you!

Rastaguytoday: And you have illustrated that it doesn't have to be 'one or the other'. You have found guide books to be a good resource.

So, thanks everyone for your replies! I think I will take a few well-chosen guide books (sections, only!) on our trip!

I've tried to go without my guide books a few times, and I've always regretted it. There's no substitute, at least not yet.

I always cut up my guidebooks, and discard sections as I move on. Since I don't shop, my luggage is lighter on the way home than when I leave, lol.

If you'll be in areas where Rick Steve's has a Snapshot Travel Guide, take that along as it's pretty compact and definitely more lightweight than other travel guides.

I never travel with guidebooks or electronics either one. Just a small packet of copies and notes I put together in advance. I pick up streets maps when I get to a new place. BUT I'm usually in major cities where information is readily available "on the ground" at your hotel or tourist bureau, and I'm not the kind of person who just *has* to see any one thing.

Looks like folks take information of one form or another (guide books, notes) when traveling. It's a matter of deciding how much info & in which format will be the most useful & practical to take. So, it's back to checking out guide books for me!

Debs: I've not seen Rick Steves' Snapshot Travel Guides before. He doesn't publish ones for Paris or London. Thanks though for the suggestion to check them out!

I'll be making a trip to the bookstore soon! I want to look at Time Out guides.

For my upcoming trip to Germany and Austria I created a 15 page Word document that includes information grouped by geographic location. It has info on places I'd like to visit, addresses, phone numbers, websites, hours of operation, cost, and a short description. I also include addresses of ATM locations, restaurants, shopping, and local tourist information offices. Also included are links to customized Google maps of the places I'd like to go. At the end I have a list of emergency phone numbers (consulates, credit card companies, police, local auto clubs) and dialing instructions for each country. Because I'll be purchasing a SIM card for my cell phone when we arrive, I have names and addresses of places where I can buy the SIM cards and instructions for activating them. My health insurance company had a great resource on their website that I used to search for doctors participating in their worldwide health plan so I made note of docs near the areas I'm staying, as well as the number to call for any authorizations. I formatted the text and paragraphs to make it easy to read and find what I want. My goal was to create my own travel guidebook that included information relevant to my trip and my plans.

I have customized online Google maps for when I have internet access as well as printed versions with "my places" (grocery stores, lodging, restaurants, ATMs, sightseeing, etc.) marked. I also downloaded PDF versions of train and bus schedules, sightseeing membership cards, and other relevant information. I even have a document that explains what different restaurant menu items are and what different kinds of foods are and a quick reference guide to common word translations for English/German. All of these things will be stored "in the cloud" as well as on my smartphone for easy access.

I've spent about 6 months researching this trip and reading other people's travel advice. I hope I'm prepared! I tend to get anxious about things so all this work is to help me feel relaxed and able to enjoy my trip without feeling completely lost!

Of course, if you think I've missed something, let me know! :-0

Hi Traveler_A,

You certainly have created your own personalized guide book! Well done!

I am a collector of information though not as detailed as you! (You are AMAZING!) Like you, I develop a document which is grouped into sections based on where we are traveling. This time I've added a calendar as a side-bar on the beginning page for each destination. I've listed the dates & written in reminders (market days, special local events...), theatre/concert night, dinner reservations, etc. That way I can see at a glance what our plans are and which days are free. It has been an easy way to build an itinerary.

Thanks for sharing how you planned for your up-coming trip! Have a wonderful time in Germany & Austria! You are prepared for every eventuality, I think!

Fodors forums and other websites gave me all my great ideas! Thanks, internet!