Maps and books

Should I get a guide, map or ignore everything?

Weeeeeeeell, this is up to you : how much money would you like to spend? how much in-depth would you like to know about the places and the sights you will visit? what other choices do you have?

Guides: Looking at my collection of travel guides, most of them are from "DK", "Rough Guides" and "Lonely Planet". Of course every company has a different style - small or big - has different style and more suitable for different "target group" of the readers, depending on the type of tourism they are interested in. In no case the most famous guides will always have what you ask for, some not so famous guides could have details that could even have a difference significant to your journey( but nothing compares with the advices of the locals who do know really well their place, so get chatty)!

DK : really compact and concentrated information about each place, wide variety of choices from guides that talk about a whole country to guides who are specifically for only one city and the sites of it. Usually, they are big and expensive, include hard cover, detailed maps, good descriptions, maps are split in blocks for every area, colored fully illustrated, time lines and addresses, phones of restaurant, museums and other are included. If you plan to visit a place again and again, it will be a good investment of you!

DK - Cover sample

DK - Explainatory sketches 

Lonely planet : small sized, thin pages, includes a good feedback of information and description about the places and climate, environment, history, religion, traditions, culture, shops, important tourist information, restaurants, hotels, prices, activities per area, a basic glossary, events calendar, nightlife, transport (local and international) and many many advices. The maps are well-designed in black and read, small number of black and white illustrations with some breaks in between of colored pages, good and low price.

Lonely Planet - an inside look

Lonely Planet - Cover Sample

Rough Guides : small sized, thin pages, with black and white pictures, wide range of informative maps, long descriptions about history, places and events. Covers most of the places of interest, concentrated good amount of information in a few lines about the choices you have in museums, activities and places. Its last few pages provide a good feedback in total as well as an extended glossary, correct pronunciation guidelines and important phrases. Trying to make the tourist adapt to the local lifestyle.

Rough Guides - Cover sample

Sneak peak inside the Rough Guides

DK, mainly cultural interest.

Lonely planet, activities and some cultural - environmental  interest.
Rough Guides, general cover of the basic points of interest.

Seriously do not download piracy products!

Of course you can read reviews from other readers or visit a bookstore and decide which guide, suits you the most. Please do not download the guides online for free, support the companies and their work. ;)

"Fuck, we got lost, let's smile!"

Do you want to visit many cities without spending too much money on maps, guides etc? Easy-Peasy, download in .pdf form the maps for all the cities you want and transfer them to your smartphone, problem solved! Otherwise get a detailed map of the big cities from shops around train stations and souvenir shops. You want to go super-cheap? An acceptable solution is to ask from information desks to give you a small map (like the ones with advertisements in them, ask first if they are for free) but do not expect high accuracy and quality printed maps! Some local restaurants may have a printed map on the back side of their menus,
whatever rocks your boat!


One thing - I strongly support purchasing an official book with the European Train timetables each season (includes accurate timetables, train connections from city to city, short codes for trains, telephone numbers, advices etc, for more information: http://www.europeanrailtimetable.eu/home.html), make sure you get the timetable book for the season you need! (sometimes they are printed a bit later than expected, try to contact with a good bookstore or purchase it online)

All the above information include personal opinion, information and experiences I have gathered over the time, and with this post I do not wish to advertise or misadvertise companies and physical persons.

Know what you want. Be prepared. Enjoy

• Introduction
  Who am I and why start blogging?
• A helpful and inspirational guide before you travel by train
  Where to start and what to think before travelling
• How to pack your bag
  Overstuffed and overweight bag, at least keep it overstuffed 
• What to pack in your bag
  You don't need your fashionable clothes in here! 
• Travelling Solo VS Travelling as a group
  Loneliness doesn't always have to feel bad
• Couchsurfing and stay
  Make your stay safe 
• Raildude,ticket purchasing
  How to get the pass,the rules in the train station 
• Maps and books
  Should I get a map, guide or ignore everything? 
• On the way/train
  You can't get bored here my friend 
• Law,stereotypes,different lifestyles and adopting
  How not to end up behind the bars! 
• Types of travellers
  People worth meeting and not 
• Journeys
  Past personal Experiences 
• Additional tips
  Weren't all these enough?
• Self awareness, Self confidence, Passion and Personal awesomeness
  So you think you are not cool enough?