The first type of travel guides are brochures, pamphlets, books and other reading material that gives a traveler a very good idea about a certain destination. They will often include such information such as where hotels, restaurants and other facilities used by people traveling are located. They will also give information about these places including their ratings and even prices. Along with prices, travel guides can also be helpful for people who need or want to travel on a budget as they can recommend the best places to go to get the best deals. For people who know where they want or need to go, but have no idea what to do once there, travel guides are perfect for listing the attractions and sites available in that location. There are many types available, which are geared for certain types of travel. Some travel guides may focus on one aspect of a location such as information for families, where other travel guides may focus on information that a person going on business would find most useful. These travel guides can be found in many different places.

For people that have ample time to prepare for their trip, two good sources are the travel and tourism office for the desired destination. By contacting this office, they can give you a package of information all relating to their location. They may even include some coupons. For those that are on the internet frequently, the phone numbers and even email and website address can all be found online with a simple search. Another good source for those who are online is by simply searching using the words "travel guides." There are many sites available to choose from that offer online travel guides which can be printed up, or there are many guides which can also be ordered and usually for free.

The other type of travel guide is actual people hired to take either individuals or groups of people once at the destination and show them around, taking them to the most popular sites and attractions. While those traveling within their own country do not generally need this service, it may be a valuable service to those traveling outside of their country. It can be reassuring to know there is someone with you who knows about the country and the best places to visit.

Travel guides, whether paper or a person is a great source of information when planning a trip. However, along with these guides a person should also consider having available a map. While most travel guides do include some type of map, having other sources of maps such as a road map will make the trip even more enjoyable since the more maps are used, the less likely a person will find himself or herself lost, which can make an enjoyable trip turn bad. Using the combination of travel guides and maps is the best way to make a good trip great!