Does it seem to you that people are relying solely on information they find on this site and others for trip planning? While this site (and others) are great for information gathering, there is NOTHING like a good guide book to answer your basic, general questions about any city you plan to visit.
I don%26#39;t get it...
Les
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Les68...Perhaps it has become easier to just type in %26quot;What are the hours...%26quot; etc than to actually, oh forbid, purchase a guidebook from a store and actually have to read it?
That said, a bit tongue in cheek, I rely on several guidebooks. Whenever I travel somewhere new, always purchase at least one, or two, or, well. But I never carry one with me cause they are just too heavy. Oh for one the size of a 30%26#39;s,40%26#39;s or 50%26#39;s Nagel%26#39;s or Muirhead%26#39;s.
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I love to hold books, maps and brochures in my hands, drink my coffee, and make notes... I also search for places/sights using Google.com - no telling what you can discover.
for Paris - the tourist office has put their little booklet in .pdf format, so verrrry easy to download and save on your computer. Pick up a copy at the nearest Paris Tourist office - it is so comprehensive you can use it to carry in your handbag while touring. It%26#39;s very lightweight, like a %26#39;Readers Digest%26#39; magazine if you%26#39;re familiar with that size.
%26quot;Paris for You 2006-2007%26quot;
…parisinfo.com/rub7968.html%26id_article=20010
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Les .. I have bought various guide books for my upcoming trip to Paris and France in general.
They are the most popular ones you find in store ... BUT ... the ones i buy are 3 to 7 years of age and cost me $1.00 as library discards or at best a small price at your local used book store.
I did the same thing went i travelled to England 3 yrs ago.
The major tourist sites we all visit are not going anywhere, so the info in those books were still relevant expect for phone numbers that may change, hours of operation and prices.
I read tons of posts about Paris and saved them to my Trip file for further review. Once in town, I know i can pick up current brochures.
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It was really a rhetorical question...I realize many people DO buy books. It just seems like more than a few people post questions here that a good guide book would help them with. Such as %26quot;What should I see in Paris%26quot;, etc. etc.
Makes me scratch my head.
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Les68 .. I guessed that your question might be rhetorical but thought I would share my frugality with respect to buying the guide books.
And why do a lot of people post here and asked the same questions over and over again that is already in the forums, well, they just don%26#39;t read like they once did and love the fast food drive in 7 second news soundbite approach that we are now acclimatized to.
I learned so much reading thru the posts and wished that i had discovered this forum 2 months ago when i decided to go to Paris. It sure would have saved me endless hours of not finding what I needed to know.
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Les68: also seems some try to rely on this site for their directions rather than getting a city map and looking at the metro system map before asking how to get from point A to point B. Granted there are some more complicated direction questions that aren%26#39;t readily apparent from a map, but it really seems some ask before ever looking at a map or in place of using a map (Foreign city maps are readily available in the states from Borders, Barnes and Noble etc).
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My favorite is %26quot;I%26#39;ve just paid $1000 to fly to Paris - what should I do there..?%26quot;
???!!!!!!??? what%26#39;s that about?
If a question seems to be from a %26#39;lazy%26#39; poster I just don%26#39;t bother spending a lot of my valuable time supplying them with basic information. I do have compassion for those who seem overwhelmed by the whole prospect (I was there a few times myself), and it%26#39;s great if someone has made some effort to define their trip and now just needs some extra help.
I%26#39;m still amazed when I get scolded for advising people to use the %26#39;search%26#39; function, which can yield them a lot more information than what a couple of people might feel like typing at a given moment. Evidently, even a tiny bit of internet research is too much work. In these cases, they should just get a travel agent or book a tour and be done with it.
There are some really obscure questions occasionally, which is kind of fun - like a scavenger hunt...
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Removed on: 1:00 pm, February 05, 2007|||
Uh, if you can%26#39;t afford a guidebook, or truly prefer digital format, how about Google!?!?!
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Personally I love planning our trips using the internet %26amp; guide books. I love the Rough Guide books for the in depth info %26amp; web addresses on places we want to visit.
We drive down through France into Spain every year taking different routes every time, using via michelin to plan our possible routes %26amp; then reading about where we want to stay along the way. Then I find the tourist office websites for the places we decide to stay in, check out on TA what has been said %26amp; usually glean enough info from those sources to be able to make an informed decision. I do ask questions occasionally, but only when the answers aren%26#39;t readily available.
A lot of the fun for me is in the planning of our journeys %26amp; if I wanted someone to do it for me I would visit a travel agent.
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