Travellers heading to the Middle East are often confused by the number and variety of guide books on offer. Here’s how to select the one that is best for you.
Someone asked me to recommend the best guidebook to Jordan. I’d like to say that it’s my own Globetrotter Guide to Jordan but I can’t. It hasn’t been published yet and besides I don’t think there is such a thing as The best guide book.
When choosing a guide there are a number of factors to consider.
How long will you be there?
Have you been before?
Do you want a lot of detail and background information?
Or do you just want directed to the main attractions?
If I’m going somewhere on holiday my choice is determined by length of stay and whether I plan to see a lot or just laze around on the beach.
My first choice will usually be the AA/AAA Spiral Guides and I don’t just say that because my wife and I are authors of the Spiral Guide to Scotland. I like them because they have detailed itineraries and tours which mean I have very little thinking or planning to do.
Of the others AA/AAA Essential Guides are good for short breaks, Lonely Planet and Rough Guides have a lot of useful snippets and some very good in depth background information. Dorling Kindersley Guides are superbly illustrated, Insight Guides well researched and comprehensive but a wee bit on the heavy side. Globetrotter Guides have less detail but enough to do the job and the fit in your pocket. Bradt Guides are arguably the best books available for the countries they cover.
A lot also depends on the writer. How well do they know their destination and how much research have they done. Unfortunately many guides are now being writen by authors who have never been to the destination. This is hardly surprising when you see the fees that some publishers are currently asking writers to work for. But it means there’s a good chance the guide is rubbish.
Anyway the upshot of this is that I shall be reviewing a broad selection of guide books and telling you what I think of them. If I think they are garbage I will tell you so and I’ll also tell you why.
Currently in my In tray are the Bradt Guides to Palestine, Iraq, Turkmenistan, Syria, Oman, Iran and Armenia and the Insight Guide to Jordan. I’ve got the excellent Walking in Jordan by Di Taylor and Tony Hill and Jordan Jubilee by Ruth.
