Monday, June 29, 2015

The Rough Guide to Travel with Babies and Young Children,

From pre-trip planning to pre-empting and dealing with challenges when away, The Rough Guide to Travel with Babies and Young Children is the ultimate comprehensive guide to hassle-free family travel. With the low-down on everything from planning your itinerary and accommodation to what to bring and how to pack it, the guide is packed with tips on painless travel by plane, car, bus or train, as well how to deal with delays, queues and travel sickness. Insiders’ tips from destinations all around the globe ensure you’ll know what to expect when you arrive. You’ll find thoroughly researched and accessible advice on coping with the challenges once you’re there, from eating out with toddlers to getting enough sleep. Ideal for busy parents, the guide comes complete with listings of resources, websites and further reading, plus handy checklists, first-hand stories and advice from travel industry experts and parents who’ve been there and done it.


This guide amply makes the case that, with proper preparation, globe-trotting can have a transformative effect on the whole family. --Chicago Tribune

This down-to-earth resource for traveling with tykes offers the ultimate blueprint to plan a relatively snarl-proof trip...[D]e Francisco s commonsense, psychologically insightful narrative is an A-to-Z list of travel suggestions and to-dos, from planning, paperwork and packing to tips on traveling by jet, car or train. This guide has you covered from the moment you settle in for your holiday to daily activities and challenges parents face when shepherding children. --Book Page


With a doctorate from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Fawzia Rasheed worked as research scientist with the Medical Research Council (UK) before working in the UN as a Senior Policy Adviser. In the course of her travels and work, Fawzia has taken her children along wherever possible. Her eldest son started his travels at 6 weeks and celebrated his first birthday on his fifth continent.

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15 of 15 people found the following review helpful.
5Finally--a great guide for real family travel
By Tim Leffel
As the author of several travel books, I often get asked for recommendations on books covering the very different world of traveling with young children. Until now, I've usually sent people to blogs or websites on the subject because none of the books available really covered the subject with any depth. Way too much of the practical advice deals with either car trips to grandma's or well-worn paths to Disney World and Hawaii. What about the people looking for a richer experience?

This book is different. Rough Guides are geared to travelers who want to do more than skim the surface of a destination and this family travel guide goes beyond the simplistic advice about keeping your little ones occupied on the road. Travel with Babies and Young children convinces you that almost anything is possible, but is not afraid to point out the hurdles and sensitivity issues you will encounter along the way. After its 209 pages of advice, rundowns, and stories from other travelers, your family will be ready for whatever the world throws at you all. As someone who got his daughter a passport when she turned three, I found the tips here to be right on the money.

This will be my de facto gift to new mothers and fathers from now on.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful.
3Nothing special
By B. Santaro
I've traveled, sans, with, and as a child, and have a multicultural international family so that might bias me, but I didn't find this book to contain any advice that was extraordinary. For those who are visiting someplace far and unfamiliar, some of the information regarding basic customs might be useful, but do parents really need to be told to bring items to entertain kids, or that trains and airports can be interesting place for kids to explore within reason and supervision. This has more common sense broad advice, not detailed from the trenches this is what to do in this location information, and it glazes over broad areas. If you desire something more specific or hidden ideas for actual situations and products look elsewhere.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful.
2None of what you need, and everything you don't
By One Less Road Kill
I guess I was looking for a book with more travel ideas and locations than one that lists the obvious essentials of traveling with a baby. We have a nine month old baby and were hoping to get some ideas on specific baby family destinations, and instead we have a book that lists all of the obvious things you already take with you on a trip to the grocery store. Thanks for the tip on taking diapers and formula on my next trip to Asia?? I have no idea where to stay or what to do once I get to "Asia" but at least I will remember to take my stroller. If your looking for a book full of tips you could easily get in a magazine article this is for you. If you want something more specific I guess for now my best suggestion is google.

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Sunday, June 28, 2015

Top 10 Marrakech (Eyewitness Top 10 Travel Guide)

DK Eyewitness Travel Guide: Top 10 Marrakech will lead you straight to the very best this city has to offer. This pocket-size guide is divided by area with restaurant reviews for each, as well as recommendations for hotels, bars, and places to shop. Rely on dozens of Top 10 lists, from the Top 10 museums to the Top 10 events and festivals, hikes, and more. There's even a list of the Top 10 things to avoid.

DK Eyewitness Travel Guide: Top 10 Marrakesh includes:

  • Must-see souks
  • Jewels of Islamic architecture
  • Tranquil parks and gardens
  • Beaches and sights for Essaouira
  • Desert areas
  • Attractions and fun places for children, and more!

You'll find the insider knowledge you need to explore this city with DK Eyewitness Travel Guide: Top 10 Marrakesh and its pull-out map.

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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful.
5Small, portable, great photos
By Kathy
This book was clear, easy to use, portable and included a map and tips for getting around as well as customs to be aware of for us foreigners. It also had restaurant and shop listings.

The info is the same type that you would find online but nicely packaged in a compact book that you can read on a short flight and then carry with you to get around. It wouldn't be for someone who wanted to backpack or do anything more exotic than stay in a riad for 3 days and see, literally, the top 10 sights in Marrakech.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful.
5Concise and covers many, many subjects
By Deanna
Wonderful little book. Concise and packed with loads of information including a handy folded map. It is just the right size to take with you while traveling.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful.
5Made the trip easy
By Galena Kathy
I like the top 10 format. It focuses the priorities and then makes the visit easy. The Marrakech book worked well for us and we had a great trips a result. We had a guide but due to this book we added a few sights the guide would have skipped that we were glad to see.

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Saturday, June 27, 2015

The Dream Killer (The Dreamer Chronicles) (Volume 2)

When the world's greatest minds lose their wits, only one girl can bring them back ...

12-year-old Sarina wants one thing and one thing only: to win a place at a prestigious art school in Paris. Delayed by her dreamlike heroism in a parallel world, she must now double her focus on reality. But dizzy spells and blackouts plague her efforts, and she fears she'll be confined to an institution like her two mentally ill great aunts.

When her friend Nathan and his mentor Professor Harrison make a shocking scientific discovery, Sarina may be the only person who can save the world's greatest minds. She must make a choice: concentrate on her impending art finals, save the world, or somehow retain her sanity while attempting to do both.

The Dream Killer is the second thrilling installment in the sci-fi/fantasy series The Dreamer Chronicles. It features wall-to-wall action, heart-pounding suspense, and a whiff of mystery mixed in with compelling science, art, and magic. Kids aged 9 and up, as well as adults, will love a series that's full of delightful surprises. Add the book to your digital library or your bookshelf today!


Born in Australia, Robert was whisked back to England where he spent his childhood. After many years complaining about the weather, he did the only sensible thing, and moved back to Australia. Queensland actually. Where he enjoys walks along the beach with his wonderful family.

(Pssst. He still complains about the weather if it gets too cold!)

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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful.
5Strongly recomended for young science readers.
By Rod Matthews
I was keenly anticipating the sequel to Sarina's Nightmare. In The Dream Killer, we find our heroes - Sarina and Nathan - caught up in a mystery that threatens to affect the intelligence and creativity of everyone on planet earth.

Once again, Sarina is forced to put her art ambitions on hold as we follow her in an adventure that keeps accelerating her further and further into peril.

I loved this follow-on from the first episode of the Dreamer Chronicles. The characters are every bit as believable as before and are forced to confront their own fears in what becomes a gripping sci-fi thriller. Kids will love it, bring on Dreamer Chronicles Part III.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful.
5Love this sequel!
By hathahealing
Sarina's back and we thoroughly enjoyed following her adventures again. We normally read these books before bed and my niece is getting ready a little faster to give us time to get an extra chapter in! She loves these books for the action & suspense. I have to say one of my favorite parts was the Fact or Fiction Author's Notes at the end. Scanlon explains real scientific references used throughout the book and gives links for further information. These books are fantastic for getting young readers excited about real science. Careful you may find yourself accidentally watching Contact Juggling videos on YouTube for hours!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful.
5Sarina's adventures continue ... leaving this reader eagerly anticipating the next episode
By Kay
I am glad there will be more to this story in the (hopefully not too distant) future ... The second installment of The Dreamer Chronicles delivered everything I had looked forward to since reading the first book, and more ... Robert Scanlon's writing is full of delightful surprises - his books have something for readers of all ages. I loved the inclusion of the end notes and the fact that through artful storytelling Robert is inspiring young readers to learn, grow, imagine, create ... These books deserve a wide and large audience.

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Friday, June 26, 2015

The Complete Old Fools Trilogy

Previously published separately, this is the omnibus of the first three hilarious ‘Old Fools’ books, bundled together into one 626 page volume. It begins with Book 1: ‘Chickens, Mules and Two Old Fools’ (Amazon UK Top 100 Bestseller), followed by Book 2: ‘Two Old Fools ~ Olé!’ and finishes with Book 3: ‘Two Old Fools on a Camel’. The books span the time from when Vicky and Joe relocate to a tiny, crazy, Spanish mountain village, to their year teaching Arab children in Bahrain as the Arab revolution erupts. Includes Spanish and Arabic recipes.


Victoria Twead is a New York Times bestselling author.

In 2004 Victoria Twead nagged poor, long-suffering Joe into leaving Britain and relocating to a tiny, remote mountain village in Andalucía where they became reluctant chicken farmers and owned the most dangerous cockerel in Spain. Village life inspired Victoria's first book, Chickens, Mules and Two Old Fools, which was quickly followed by more, all of which fast became Amazon bestsellers.

Victoria and Joe continue to enjoy life keeping chickens, writing, helping authors publish their books, sampling the local wine and living alongside their colourful neighbours.

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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful.
5Wonderful
By Christina Giulianotti
I love this series of The Old Fools - (not so old and no fools really). I came upon it when it was included in Amazon's Daily Deals - which I also love!
A fun autobiographical journey through a variety of countries.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful.
5delightful reading!
By MW
Just love reading these delightful books. Thoroughly entertaining. Vicky has great insight into people and culture. Her writing is light and humorous. Can't wait to read more of her work.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful.
5Best easy read I have enjoyed in ages!
By chehalis626
My sister told me about the Old Fools books. I looked them up on Amazon and was enthralled immediately. Having up and moved across the USA to retire I wanted to see what there experiences were moving to another country. The author paints vivid pictures of the village and all the characters who live there.

You get to experience their feelings/ emotions and the interaction between not only Vicky and Joe but also the friends and family.

I hope the author writes more books along this line because it was so enjoyable that I found myself setting up at night to finish parts because I couldn't put it down. Well written for sure.

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Thursday, June 25, 2015

Tahiti & French Polynesia (Country Travel Guide)

Nobody knows Tahiti & French Polynesia like Lonely Planet, and our 8th edition offers the best of these island paradises. Whether that's diving in the Tuamotus, floating away the day in Maupiti's lagoon, exploring the market in Pape'ete or hiking in the Marquesas - you decide.

Lonely Planet guides are written by experts who get to the heart of every destination they visit. This fully updated edition is packed with accurate, practical and honest advice, designed to give you the information you need to make the most of your trip.

In This Guide:

No Hype luxury spas and resorts independently rated and reviewed
Dedicated diving chapter located the best sites in these pristine turquoise waters
Expanded coverage of the islands' historic sites and ancient temples


From Antarctica to Zimbabwe, if you're going there, chances are Lonely Planet has been there first. With a pithy and matter-of-fact writing style, these guides are guaranteed to calm the nerves of first-time world travelers, while still listing off-the-beaten-path finds sure to thrill even the most jaded globetrotters. Lonely Planet has been perfecting its guidebooks for nearly 30 years and as a result, has the experience and know-how similar to an older sibling's "been there" advice. The original backpacker's bible, the LP series has recently widened its reach. While still giving insights for the low-budget traveler, the books now list a wide range of accommodations and itineraries for those with less time than money.

If the magical islands of French Polynesia are on your itinerary, here is the perfect traveling companion. Its 29 maps highlight 4WD vehicle tracks, walking routes, and dive sites. The guide features a thorough history section, food section, accommodations for any budget, and useful Tahitian and French language sections. This book also includes all the archipelagos: the Societies, Tuamotus, Marquesas, Australs, and Gambiers--with extensive information in inter-island travel. The authors have personally tested all of the dive sites. --Kathryn True


…Lonely Planet, the intrepid traveler's bible...' --Los Angeles Times, April 2005


Who We Are
At Lonely Planet, we see our job as inspiring and enabling travellers to connect with the world for their own benefit and for the benefit of the world at large.

What We Do
* We offer travellers the world's richest travel advice, informed by the collective wisdom of over 350 Lonely Planet authors living in 37 countries and fluent in 70 languages.
* We are relentless in finding the special, the unique and the different for travellers wherever they are.
* When we update our guidebooks, we check every listing, in person, every time.
* We always offer the trusted filter for those who are curious, open minded and independent.
* We challenge our growing community of travellers; leading debate and discussion about travel and the world.
* We tell it like it is without fear or favor in service of the travellers; not clouded by any other motive.

What We Believe
We believe that travel leads to a deeper cultural understanding and compassion and therefore a better world.

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48 of 49 people found the following review helpful.
3Good, but needed more
By A Customer
I've used many Lonely Planet (LP) guides and found this one to be lacking their usual detail. I got the sense much hotel information was pilfered from Web surfing the basic info, rather than first-person investigation. While still a good book to take, next time (and there will be a next time because Tahiti is wonderful) I'll be sure take another guide along with it, and to thoroughly read actual travelers' online reviews. I'll also know the questions I need to ask before booking. My sense was that the reviewers weren't seeing things through the fresh-eyes of a first time traveler. The details, such as directions accommodation features were often lacking.
One thing I've always liked about LP is that they will list small locally owned budget places - that are occasionally hidden gems - whereas many other guides only list "approved" chain-type accommodations. However, in this book key information about lodging was missing. For example, it's very uncommon to find window screens in Polynesia despite a lot of mosquitoes, yet it is not standard for the book to say if there are screens or mosquito netting at each location (sometimes there are neither). Screens would be a big selling point for me. In Lonely Planet's India guide - which I was quite happy with - they deliberately note whether hotels have air-conditioning or not; in this guide this rather important information (for the tropics) is randomly added. Sometimes we'd get there and they'd have AC and sometimes they wouldn't. A more specific example is a pension primarily described as "friendly" - which it was in spades - with no mention that there's one bathroom shared with 8 people and that doesn't have hot water. With what prices are in Tahiti, poor information is very costly. One "resort" (our over-water bungalow splurge) was merely described as "competitive with other luxury resorts." Come to find out it had bedbugs and no air-conditioning.
If level of detail can be evidenced by pages numbers, note that LP's Hawaii guide (five main islands) is 615 pages, while their Tahiti guide (50+ islands/atolls, with ten commonly traveled) is a only 287 pages.

36 of 44 people found the following review helpful.
3Was it really only a bad dream?
By A Customer
I was flabbergasted to find out that one of the most popular guidebooks in the world was not able to accurately describe our accomodation (The Blue Lagoon in Vaitape, BoraBora) as it later turned out to be ... namely, a disaster! In the guide we could not find any details about the REAL condition of the bathroom or the rest of the pension. We also had to share our room with a mouse (rat?) of undefined size (we met him only through his "leavings" and scurryings) and the traffic of wasps coming and going from their nests in our room. The shower was black and crusty, as was the toilet. Walls and floors were peeling, the air was filled with an overpowering stink of decaying fish and dirt, and we were afraid to get into our beds. The exterior of the building looked like a Tijuana flophouse. We traveled all over the South Pacific, staying in many different hotels and pensions, and never did we encounter such a horrible variance from the description in the guidebook. I mean, this is Bora Bora, an expensive, upscale resort area, and it seems incredible that such lodgings could even exist there. They would have to be more accurate in their evaluations of accomodations and be prepared to warn travelers of nightmarish places like this one!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful.
5New edition is great!
By C. M. Richards
This new edition of LP's Tahiti and French Polynesia guide was invaluable on my recent trip. The details of the out of the way islands like Maupiti are wonderful, the writing is funny but clear and informative. It had details of local places and special spots that were not in the old one. I read up on the writers and one of them is an American woman who lives there, I could really tell that she understood the perspective of a tourist. I carried this book in my purse for the two and a half weeks I just spent there and referred to it often. Especially for the directions, cultural details and local customs that I needed. I felt like I had a local friend as my guide. I also find it comforting that they take no freebies from the hotels.
We stayed in small pensions and loved it, no one has screens in Tahiti it seems, but the guide did mention electric mosquito devices which was helpful, it also gave food details on the half-board places, and on the whole seemed accurate and well researched. The enthusiasm of the writing is infectious and I totally fell in love with Tahiti and the other islands we visited, I felt like I really got to know it better than I would have alone because of this book.

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Wednesday, June 24, 2015

Lonely Planet Kenya (Travel Guide)

Lonely Planet: The world's leading travel guide publisher

Lonely Planet Kenya is your passport to all the most relevant and up-to-date advice on what to see, what to skip, and what hidden discoveries await you. Watch the wildebeest migrate across the Mara's plains, get close to the elephants in front of Mount Kilimanjaro, or wander the Lamu backstreets; all with your trusted travel companion. Get to the heart of Kenya and begin your journey now!

Inside Lonely Planet Kenya Travel Guide:

  • Colour maps and images throughout
  • Highlights and itineraries show you the simplest way to tailor your trip to your own personal needs and interests
  • Insider tips save you time and money and help you get around like a local, avoiding crowds and trouble spots
  • Essential info at your fingertips - including hours of operation, phone numbers, websites, transit tips, and prices
  • Honest reviews for all budget - including eating, sleeping, sight-seeing, going out, shopping, and hidden gems that most guidebooks miss
  • Cultural insights give you a richer and more rewarding travel experience - including customs, history, art, literature, cinema, politics, landscapes, wildlife, and cuisine
  • Over 60 local maps
  • Useful features - including Month-by-Month (annual festival calendar), Walking Tours, or Travel with Children
  • Coverage of Nairobi, Mombasa, Rift Valley, the Central Highlands, Masai Mara, Lake Victoria, Isiolo, Maralal, Lamu, Marich, Mt Kenya, Aberdares, Southern Kenya, and more

The Perfect Choice: Lonely Planet Kenya, our most comprehensive guide to Kenya, is perfect for those planning to both explore the top sights and take the road less travelled.

  • Looking for more extensive coverage? Check out Lonely Planet's East Africa guide for a comprehensive look at all the region has to offer.

Authors: Written and researched by Lonely Planet, Anthony Ham, Stuart Butler, and Dean Starnes.

About Lonely Planet: Started in 1973, Lonely Planet has become the world's leading travel guide publisher with guidebooks to every destination on the planet, as well as an award-winning website, a suite of mobile and digital travel products, and a dedicated traveller community. Lonely Planet's mission is to enable curious travellers to experience the world and to truly get to the heart of the places they find themselves in.

TripAdvisor Travelers' Choice Awards 2012 and 2013 winner in Favorite Travel Guide category

'Lonely Planet guides are, quite simply, like no other.' - New York Times

'Lonely Planet. It's on everyone's bookshelves; it's in every traveller's hands. It's on mobile phones. It's on the Internet. It's everywhere, and it's telling entire generations of people how to travel the world.' - Fairfax Media (Australia)

Most helpful customer reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful.
3A new format and its not good
By Josh
Lonely Planet has changed their format a bit and added lots of gimmicks such as more photos, along with highlights and when to go, etc.... But sadly they have really skimped on the things we really want to know - hotels, restaurants, sites, safari companies and transportation. I think I will have to opt for the Rough Guide instead.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful.
3Not My Style
By Photo Bug Traveler
I found the Frommer's Guide (which is a few years old)much better written for info on lodging/where to stay whihc is what I was most interested in to plan this trip and returned this book..

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful.
4Mzuri Sana! = Very good!
By Melisa Siegel
As usual Lonely Planet hits the mark with accurate info delivered in humorous ways. I used the Kindle Fire version which was easy to navigate, and even the maps were helpful.

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Tuesday, June 23, 2015

Phaic Tan (Jetlag Travel Guide)

Condition: New: Title: Phaic Tan: Sunstroke on a Shoestring Publisher: Chronicle Books LLC Subject: Travel, Geography & Exploration, Humor Publication Year: 2006 Topic: General Language: English Author: Rob Sitch, Santo Cilauro, Tom Gleisner ISBN-10: 0811853659 Format: Paperback ISBN-13: 9780811853651

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20 of 21 people found the following review helpful.
5The best (and only) reference for your trip
By J. Fraser
If you are planning a trip to Phaic Tan, you won't find a better reference guide than this one. While looking for ideas for travel for our 75th wedding anniversary, we stumbled on this book full of gems. What better get away than a visit to the Pha Phlung province?

Surprisingly comprehensive, we've shared the joys of Phaic Tan with many of our friends via this book.

The one minor quibble I have with this book is that I would have liked to see more coverage of the northern neighbor, Phic Shun. Tour books of these countries are like the countries themselves, hard to find.

Check out the publisher's website for more details...

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful.
4Not as good as Molvania, but still very funny
By grouchy
"For too long now Phaic Tan has been closed off from the outside world, a country visited each year by just a handful of hardy travelers, aid agency workers and hostage negotiators. But now, thanks to this fully up-dated Jetlag guide, everything you need to know about planning a trip to Phaic Tan, birthplace of the trouser press and irritable bowel syndrome, is here."

This is the introduction to a country formed by mixing equal parts of Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, China, India, Indonesia and Cambodia, stirring for a few minutes and served over ice.

I was excited to see and read the sequel to Molvania. Molvania I read overnight; I could not put down the book. It was almost impossible to take a break from the poignant descriptions of Eastern Europe. Having finished the book, I chuckled for days just by thinking about it. And for Christmas, I gave all my friends a copy. As all sequels, this book falls short from the first version. If Molvania is "Police Academy I" then Phaic Tan is "Police Academy II". (OK, I just carbon-dated myself.) I read it over a few days, this was a book I could easily put down. Certainly, the jokes are there, the non sequiturs are abound, but few are as entertaining, poignant, bizarre, and funny as in Molvania. While Molvania came through as a much more homogeneous Eastern European backwater with all its pollution, rudeness and post-socialist agony, Phaic Tan is more a mosaic of the beaches of Vietnam, trekking in Thailand, discovering remote islands in Indonesia, getting lost in China, shopping in India, and being ripped off a few times anywhere in the world. This does not mean that the book is not funny or entertaining or that it is not worth reading; simply Phaic Tan is not as hilarious as Molvania.

Phaic Tan continues making fun of travel books of the Lonely Planet ilk, the obsessive middle-aged backpackers, and the all-too-snobbish middle school teachers. It is a good read; no doubt, you will enjoy it.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful.
5An armchair traveller's delight
By Robin
Fans of the previous fake country guide 'Molvania' (ISBN 1585676195) will enjoy this new 'phaic' guide to a sun-drenched nation nestling somewhere in Asia. This knockout new edition is produced by the same Australian folk who discovered Molvania. I loved the first book mainly because it looked so convincing but wait till you see 'Phaic Tan', this is satire of the first order.

For a start it is printed on glossy paper and in color throughout with excellent photo selection, maps and graphics, the design is first class, too. The first chapter, Getting Started, in eighty-eight pages gives you a complete run-down on Phaic Tan including a page schedule of what you'll see on PT/TV, one of the country's three TV stations, a spread of food photos 'A Taste of Phaic Tan', has a reference to snake wine which is often served with its own tourniquet. The countries four main regions get a chapter each and there is an index in the back.

Like real guide books I don't think it's necessary to read this one cover to cover but rather to dip into the pages now and again, after all not much is going to happen in Phaic Tan over the next few years so this guide book will always be up to date.

Oh yes, do try and avoid the south of Pattaponga, the city map on page 154 clearly shows a gas refinery next to the Syon Yup fireworks factory and remember there is only one hospital, world-class apparently!

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How To Live For Free: The Definitive Guide

Follow Deepak Tailor on a journey to discover how to live for free. For three years Deepak travelled to the distant corners of the world, found a growing global movement and interviewed hundreds of inspiring people. From the founder of LatestFreeStuff.co.uk, the UK's most popular freebie website, learn how to turn your life around, reach your goals and make any part of it free. Packed full of tips, action lists and resources, How To Live For Free will make the biggest change to your life, more than any other book. Among hundreds of topics, discover: - How to attend free restaurant tastings - How to get free clothes and beauty treatments - How to receive freebies from brands - How to forage and cook wild game - The man who lived in luxury flats for two years free of charge - The man who built his own island - How to up cycle furniture - How to sail a yacht and travel the world - The ultimate hitchhiker's guide - The best free living apps - How to get free cinema, theatre and festival tickets - How Deepak gets a free private driver everywhere he goes - How to upgrade your wardrobe for free - And much, much more.

Most helpful customer reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful.
3Living for free
By Michael D. Shepard
Great ideas for saving money. A US version would be better.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful.
1Good Book for Others, Just Not Me
By Angela Santana
This book does have some good ideas for those who are looking for ways to live for free, but these ideas are not for me. I do not have the time nor the patience to do what this book suggests.

I am not saying that you shouldn't get this book. By all means, grab it, but just know that you have to invest quite a bit of time into taking advantage of the advice shown here. Good luck to you!

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful.
5Especially good if in the UK
By Larro Pierre
Really a lot of good ideas if one is needing to, or desiring to live on the cheap. Some parts won't be of any interest to the reader, but everyone should come away with something of value!

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Sunday, June 21, 2015

The Rough Guide to Cape Town, The Winelands & The

The Rough Guide to Cape Town, the Winelands, and the Garden Route is the ultimate travel guide to South Africa's most captivating city and its surrounding region. Full-color photography illustrates the finest of Cape Town's colonial architecture, vibrant neighborhoods, and iconic setting.

This guide will show you the best this cosmopolitan city has to offer — from fascinating museums, cutting edge fashion, and fine dining to whale watching, bungee jumping, and wine tasting. It's no wonder that Cape Town is an award-winning city, and The Rough Guide to Cape Town, the Winelands, and the Garden Route uncovers it all. Easy to use maps for each neighborhood make getting around easy. Andm detailed chapters feature all the best hotels, restaurants and bars, live music and clubs, shops, theater, kids' activities, and more.

You'll be sure to make the most of your time with The Rough Guide to Cape Town, the Winelands, and the Garden Route.


Reliable, Readable Rough Guides Conde Nast Traveller

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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful.
5A month in South Africa with 2 great books, 2 good maps & a GPS
By Julie W. Snyder
My husband and I spent the month of February touring South Africa by car. Our daughter had been there six months earlier and we used two of her books. The Rough Guide begins with a chapter entitled "Basics" and covers Getting There, Getting Around, Tours, Health, Media, Festivals (by the month), Parks, Reserves, Crime and Personal Safety, and Travel Essentials. This chapter was an excellent introduction to the country of South Africa.

The next large section is a "Guide" to Cape Town starting with the city centre and then describing some of the surrounding areas. The "Listings" section contains accommodations, restaurants, nightlife, theatre, shopping, sports, gay & lesbian Cape Town, and Cape Town for kids. We started our trip in Cape Town and the maps of the city in the Rough Guide were detailed and accurate. We walked a great deal in the downtown area and used this book on a daily basis.

The last large section is devoted to "Beyond the City" and this includes the winelands, whale coast, the garden route, little Karoo, and Port Elizabeth. We were in Cape Town for four days, then picked up our rental car at the airport and traveled north along the Atlantic Coast, then began our westward trek starting with the wineland area. We continued through the interior then south to a safari camp east of Port Elizabeth. After the safari we drove west along the Garden Route back towards Cape Town. The Rough Guide was a good reference, for information along the coast as we drove in areas close to Cape Town ending our month visiting the "real" Cape of Good Hope".

We always do a lot of reading and planning before we go, so it was great to see the places come alive in our travels. Rough Guides are known for their no nonsense, factual and explicit details for the world traveler. There are a few pictures, but this publication excels in its detailed maps. I enjoy maps and travel with a small compass so I can orient myself with each map.

This book was one of four items that we utilized before, during and going through our pictures once we arrived home. In addition to this book I have written reviews on the following items:

1. South Africa Country Road and Touring Map
2. The Rough Guide Map of South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland
3. Insight Guide of South Africa
4. AC Power Travel Adapter plug for South Africa and Nambia - Dual Plug in ports

We also purchased a GPS South Africa Garmin in Cape Town ( $170 USD). The chip we ordered from a company through Amazon did not arrive in time as they lost our order. You cannot buy a chip for the Garmin in SA, it was a costly error.

I would heartily recommend any of the above items and studying them prior to your trip to South Africa for planning purposes.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful.
3Not bad, but not great either.
By Kelsey
This guidebook was a good overview of the area, but not as great as some other guidebooks I've used for other cities. It may be a personal preference thing, and I can't quite nail down what I don't like about this book, but the organization wasn't great and didn't make it easy to jump from activity to nearby activity. Also, in didn't go as indepth as I would have like about a lot of the different activities and how/where you can book them or have any reviews of different businesses offering them. The maps were also a bit confusing and one larger built in overall map of the city/surrounding area would have been really helpful in deciphering their smaller soomed in versions of just one neighborhood. If you're headed to cape town, I'd try a dfferent book.

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful.
5Wonderful Book
By Robert S. Joy
The book is written as a very easy read with tons of information. I've visited South Africa 20 years ago and I found the information useful in the book ad could relate to many personal observations made in the book.

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Saturday, June 20, 2015

The Rough Guide to Morocco

Practical tips on everything from the best-value hotels and restaurants to transport and roads. Lively accounts of the monuments and sites with informed treatment of Moroccan culture, past and present. Evocative descriptions of the routes and landscapes from mountain pistes to age-old caravan trails across the desert. Comprehensive coverage of trekking in the high Atlas, windsurfing on the Atlantic coast and bird watching in the lakes and estuaries. Full colour photos and more than 70 maps.


Mark Ellingham originated the Rough Guides series and now spends most of his time on the online development of the books.


HIGHLIGHTS

The attractions of the individual regions are discussed in the chapter introductions. Broadly speaking, the coast is best enjoyed in the north at Tangier, beautiful and still shaped by its old "international" port status, Asilah and Larache; in the south at El Jadida; at Essaouira, perhaps the most easy-going resort; or at remote Sidi Ifni. Agadir, the main package tour resort, is less worthwhile – but a functional enough base for exploration.

Inland, where the real interest of Morocco lies, the outstanding cities are Fes and Marrakesh. The great imperial capitals of the country’s various dynasties, they are almost unique in the Arab world for the chance they offer to witness some city life that, in patterns and appearance, remains in large part medieval. For monuments, Fes is the highlight, though Marrakesh, the "beginning of the south", is for most visitors the more enjoyable and exciting.

Travel in the south – roughly beyond a line drawn between Casablanca and Meknes – is, on the whole, easier and more relaxing than in the sometimes frenetic north. This is certainly true of the mountain ranges. The Rif, which can feel disturbingly anarchic, is really for hardened travellers; only Chaouen, on its periphery, could be counted a "holiday spot". But the Atlas ranges (Middle, High and Anti-) are beautiful and accessible.

Hiking in the High Atlas, especially around North Africa’s highest peak, Djebel Toubkal, is in fact something of a growth industry. Even if you are no more than a casual walker, it is worth considering, with summer treks possible at all levels of experience and altitude. And, despite inroads made by commercialization, it remains essentially "undiscovered" – like the Alps must have been in the last century.

Equally exploratory in mood are the great southern routes beyond – and across – the Atlas, amid the oases of the pre-Sahara. Major routes here can be travelled by bus; minor ones by rented car or local taxi; the really remote ones by four-wheel-drive vehicles or by getting lifts on local camions (lorries), sharing space with the market produce and livestock.

The oases, around Tinerhir, Zagora and Erfoud, or (for the committed) Tata or Figuig, are classic images of the Arab world, vast palmeries stretching into desert horizons. Equally memorable is the architecture that they share with the Atlas – bizarre and fabulous mud (or pisé) kasbahs and ksour, with Gothic-looking turrets and multi-patterned walls.

CLIMATE

As far as the climate goes, it would be better to visit the south – or at least the desert routes – outside midsummer, when for most of the day it’s far too hot for casual exploration, especially if you’re dependent on public transport. But July and August, the hottest months, can be wonderful on the coast and in the mountains; there are no set rules.

Spring, which comes late by European standards (around April to May), is perhaps the best overall time, with a summer climate in the south and in the mountains, and water warm enough to swim in on both the Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts. Winter can be perfect by day in the south, though be warned that desert nights can get very cold – a major consideration if you’re staying in the cheaper hotels, which rarely have heating. If you’re planning to hike in the mountains, it’s best to keep to the months from April to October unless you have some experience of snow conditions.

Weather conditions apart, the Islamic religious calendar, and its related festivals, will have the most seasonal effect on your travel. The most important factor is Ramadan, the month of daytime fasting; this can be a problem for transport, and especially hiking, though the festive evenings do much to compensate. See "Festivals" in the Basics section following for details of its timing, as well as that of other festivals.

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31 of 31 people found the following review helpful.
4Covers the whole country in a depth unmatched by other guidebooks, and up-to-date too
By Christopher Culver
During a recent visit to Morocco, hitchhiking across the whole of the country from north to south, I used the 8th edition of THE ROUGH GUIDE TO MOROCCO (published October 2007) and its main competitor, the 2007 edition of Lonely Planet Morocco.

For the independent traveler who wants to explore Morocco in depth, the Rough Guide is clearly the best option among current guidebooks. It is much more detailed than the Lonely Planet, covering charming smaller towns left out of the LP and other guidebooks. If you are planning to go from Morocco to Mauritania overland, the Rough Guide is extremely helpful. While Lonely Planet didn't even update their Western Sahara cover in the latest edition, Rough Guide gives information on the new opportunities for those without their own vehicle. (Be aware, however, that the Mauritanian visa must now be requested in Rabat, not in Casablanca as RG advises.) Unlike Lonely Planet, which is now abandoning its traditional demographic of backpackers on a budget, the Rough Guide has as much guidance for shoestring travelers as for people with money to spend.

If you are curious about Morrocan history and culture, the Rough Guide makes other guidebooks look like they were meant for rude and insensitive package tourists. It contains a hundred-page supplement which not only explains the whole of Moroccan history and its prominent writers and artists, but it even gives some short pieces by Morrocan traditional storytellers. The Rough Guide does a good job throughout of trying to put tourists in contact with the locals. The hammams (Turkish-style baths) listed in the book are those frequented by ordinary Moroccans, not expensive spa-type locations as in other guidebooks. I was unhappy, however, with the Rough Guide's mention of hitchhiking. While it does mention it as an option, and doesn't try to scare people away from it, it suggests that it is difficult and requires payment. That's odd indeed, since hitchhikers consider Morroco one of the easiest countries on Earth, and my usual waiting type was just a couple of minutes, and I didn't have to pay a dime.

If you are an independent traveler, the Rough Guide is probably the only book you need. Lonely Planet does have a whole section dedicated to trekking, but even for those keen on trekking this may not be worth it. All in all it's funny how the Rough Guides, held in scorn for so long because they contain ads and are published by a major corporation (Penguin), now seem the best guidebooks for solo shoestring travelers.

33 of 34 people found the following review helpful.
5The new edition is excellent
By J. A. C. Linden
I have no experience with the previous edition, and until now I only used the Lonely Planet on Morocco, but I did some tests on issues I had found missing in the Lonely Planet and the new Rough Guide passed the test excellently.

For instance the Lonely Planet had hardly anything on the nice road between Taroudant and Ouerzazate, in between two Atlasses, so almost fully skipping saffron paradise Taliouine and carpetters paradise Tazenaght, while the Rough Guide does not assume you will pass that road through Marrakch, which requires crossing the High Atlas twice.

And even on the road from West to East behind the Anti-Atlas through Tissint etc. the Rough Guide has a feature.

It is more weighty than the Lonely Planet, but that is because it has more information, and that is what one eventually needs.

Neil in Amsterdam

30 of 37 people found the following review helpful.
2Unfulfilling
By Amazon Customer
As we loaded our backpacks hours before our jet departed Vancouver, my partner and I debated about whether to bring Lonely Planet's Morocco guidebook, or the Rough Guide. In the end, mostly due to weight considerations, we left the Rough Guide at home. I would advise any first-time traveller to Morocco to do the same. It's a tired, rambling, incomplete guide, full of inconsequential information and generic descriptions. Hotel prices, strangely, are not listed. There is scant reference to Morocco's massive social ills. And there are too many references to writer Paul Bowles, who, I admit, is the be-all-and-end-all of western Moroccan ex-pats. But enough about him, already. Lonely Planet gets all the promotion it needs from other reviewers, so I was hesitant in writing this review. But for those looking for a more concise, insider view of Morocco, LP's the way to go.

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