Dec
11
Why Online Travel Guides Rock
December 11, 2009 | Leave a Comment
Online travel guides are cheap. Most paper guidebooks cost the earth, while there are hundreds of good online travel guides available for free. Of course, there are thousands of bad ones too, but even they’re free, unlike guidebooks. IPhone apps and downloadable PDF travel guides are normally cheap … from a couple of dollars up to around $20 from legacy publishers like Lonely Planet.
Print guidebooks tend to be out of date before they hit the shelves. The traditional publishers’ research, writing, fact-checking, typesetting, printing, binding, shipping, retailing cycle is very long … sometimes more than 12 months between someone walking out of a cafe and the information hitting the bookshelves. Online travel guides tend to be more-up-to-date, as a the production costs of an online guide book are quite low, changes can be made more easily.
A connected web of information is vitally important for online travel guides. Because we all have particular areas of interest, a good online travel guide will point you towards trusted information sources and allow you to dig deeper with one click. As more new media publishers connect with services like Augmented Reality, curated video libraries and photo pools, there will be plenty of expert and crowd-sourced advice readily available.
Weight is a serious issue when travelling. Online travel guides are as light as the machine you use to read them, whether that’s a mobile phone or a laptop. This saves both weight and space in your bags, allowing you to pack lighter and still have more information. Walking down a street with a guidebook singles you out as a tourist, but looking into a screen is unlikely to draw attention in any city.
The variety and quality of online travel guides are growing rapidly. Many traditional publishers have been slow to move their information online, fearing the cannibalism of their paper book sales, but now they are rushing to provide downloadable PDFs and smartphone apps. As more independent publishers spring up and large companies put their information online, you’ll be able to find more information, better suited to your needs and at the right price for you.
Looking to find the best deal on online travel guides, then visit http://indietravelpodcast.com to pick up a free Saigon travel guide.
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