Frommer’s “Touring Guide to Australia” ($9.95) by...

Frommer’s “Touring Guide to Australia” ($9.95) by Pierre Grundmann has in-depth features and information enhanced with color photos. For those wanting to save a buck, Frommer’s also offers “India on $25 a Day” ($10.95) by Jan Aaron; “Scotland and Wales on $40 a Day” ($11.95) by Darwin Porter, and “Australia on $30 a Day” ($12.95) by John Godwin. Each guide contains data about hundreds of low-cost hotels, restaurants and tourist facilities (Prentice Hall).

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Don’t be afraid to travel to Third World countries. “Backpacking and Camping in the Developing World” by Scott Graham is a great primer for putting you in touch with a how-to-travel adventure on your own or with a group (Wilderness: $11.95).

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“A Museum Guide to Washington, D.C.” by Betty Ross is designed to make museum-going informative and entertaining. The guide covers 60 museums, historic houses, libraries, art galleries and other public places. Maps are explicit, and the 150 illustrations are sufficient to complement the text (Americana: $12.95).

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California offers the nation’s finest variety and quantity of campsites in its numerous state and federal parks, lakes, beaches and forests. The “Camper’s Guide to California” (Volume 1: Northern California or Volume 2: Southern California) by Mickey Little is probably the best organized on the subject. The guides include hundreds of maps, color photos and site descriptions. Guides are new and worth the $12.95 each (Gulf Publishing).

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“Adventuring in Alaska--The Ultimate Guide to the Great Land,” by Peggy Wayburn, is an excellent introduction to a huge, open land. The guide covers almost every means of travel and all types of lodgings, and includes climate and weather descriptions, scenery, parks and wild lands, excursions, outings, rafting and fishing. Anyone who seeks outdoor adventure will find this guide helpful (Sierra Club: $10.95).

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Ever get the urge to take a side road through unfamiliar areas? Then you’ll like “The Best Roads of California” by Larry Blankenship about 25 high-spirited drives. It describes the types of roads, driving times and scenery, with colorful vignettes. The book is available for $13.95 direct from Road Times, P.O. Box 30218, Long Beach 90853.

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“Getaways for Gourmets in the Northeast” by Nancy Webster and Richard Woodworth focuses on places to stay, restaurants and food and wines in 22 areas. The photos, menus and amenities are enhanced with historical notes. The guide contains 395 restaurants, 175 places to stay and 150 food shops and kitchen stores. It also includes wineries, culinary institutes and food and cooking museums (Wood Pond: $13.95).

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To get to China’s scenery and historic monuments, independent visitors will find “China--A Travel Survival Kit” by Michael Buckley, Alan Samagalski and Robert Straus an excellent source of information. More than 800 pages, it includes maps, color photos, sketches and diagrams (Lonely Planet: $17.95).