Why not plan your next vacation to...

Why not plan your next vacation to enjoy the sights, sounds, smells and tastes of festivals? You’ll find more than 1,000 of the best in “Festivals U.S.A.” by Kathleen Thompson Hill. It’s a guide for all seasons, organized by geographical regions and states, that can be used over and over. A few of the events include jazz festivals, crab races, a garlic cook-off, river-slug cook-off and gold rush days (John Wiley & Sons: $12.95).

Egon Ronay’s Cellnet Guide, “Hotels & Restaurants,” has more than 800 listings covering the best food, wine and service in Great Britain and Ireland. The vignettes in each entry give details and often include photos of the establishments ($19.95, The Automobile Assn., Great Britain).

The 1988 Mobil Travel Guide for “California and the West--Arizona, California, Nevada and Utah” covers almost everything to see and do, where to stay and eat, and includes vignettes of events.

You’ll find senior citizen rates, golf courses, facilities for the handicapped and more. Three pages of discount certificates make the $8.95 tab even more worthwhile (Prentice Hall).

Frommer’s “Honeymoon Destinations” by Risa Weinreb provides invaluable answers for newlyweds. Whether your budget is luxurious, expensive or economical, you’ll find a variety of hotels, hideaways, romantic dining placess and where to enjoy local activities. For couples who have a flair for the original, the guide gives details on exchanging vows at a destination, including requirements for the Caribbean, Bahamas, Bermuda, United States, Canada and Mexico (Prentice Hall: $12.95).

Any golfer traveling to the British Isles who wants a challenge should pick up the “AA Guide to Golf Courses in Britain 1988” ($21.95). It’s filled with information on where to stay and play. Each listing explains fees, clubhouse facilities, course lengths, etc. Descriptions of the terrain are noted--sea views, winds, water hazards, undulation, plus whether you have to cope with bushes or moors.

Frommer’s latest Dollarwise Guides are available for “Germany” ($12.95) by Darwin Porter; “New England” ($12.95) by Tom Brosnahan; “Egypt” ($11.95) by Nancy McGrath; “Canada” ($12.95) by John Brosnahan, John Godwin and Marilyn Wood, and the “Mid-Atlantic States” ($12.95) by Patricia and John Preston. The Dollarwise Guides cover the best hotels, restaurants, night spots and more, in all price ranges (Prentice Hall).

Southern California has many excellent antique stores, but Rita Teif left this area out of her book, “The New York Times World Wide Guide to Antique Shopping.” Reif traveled to 22 cities and visited more than 200 dealers in compiling information worthwhile to a serious collector. Auction houses and antique fairs also are covered with brief historic notes and an overview (Times Books: $14.95).

The Serious Shopper’s Guides have four titles in the series: “Los Angeles” ($14.95) and “Paris” ($15.95), both by Jennifer Merin, “Italy” ($15.95) by Robert Tine, and “London” ($15.95) by Beth Reiber. Each guide covers hundreds of stores with excellent descriptions of their merchandise, addresses, etc. Maps and charts pinpoint each establishment and include enough photos to whet the appetite. Shopping is an adventure, and it should be more fun with one of these guides as a companion (Prentice Hall).

The New Holiday Guides have 15 volumes covering the most popular destinations worldwide, including Hawaii. The average 128 to 160 pages offer succinct information a traveler should find useful. Each one is a concise reference to an overseas area, i.e., “Italy,” “France,” “West Germany” and “Spain,” to name a few. The photos are not impressive, but do offer some hints of what you’ll find (M. Evans & Co.: $4.95).

It’s not a guide but a recollection of an adventure that many armchair travelers will enjoy reading. “Two Wheels and a Taxi” by Virginia Urrutia is described as a “daft adventure in the Andes.” It chronicles a two-week bicycle expedition by a 70-year-old woman. The trip encompassed a rise from sea level to 14,000 feet. The “taxi” refers to a taxi driver hired to follow her in a car and serve as a tour guide, translator and protector, if necessary. It’s a fun-to-read book that could give some important details for anyone considering a visit to the same place (The Mountaineers: $14.95).