A Primer to the Latest Guidebooks

One of the smartest items an independent adventure traveler should pack is a well-researched guidebook .

Guidebooks for students, by students, started with a 20-page pamphlet produced by Harvard students in 1960. It has grown into a 912-page annually researched guide called “Let’s Go: Europe.” And now, as many as 100 students scour tourist sites and budget facilities to update the 21 titles in the “Let’s Go” series.

The 1995 editions are scheduled to arrive in bookstores this month. The 1995 edition of “Let’s Go: Europe” is priced at $18.99. A new addition is the 672-page “Let’s Go: Eastern Europe,” priced at $16.99.

Three years ago, a group of UC Berkeley students decided to create a competitive series. This year, their Europe guide is the 928-page “Europe on the Loose--1995,” priced at $18.95. The guide has 112 maps (compared to 81 in “Let’s Go: Europe”) and resource listings for gay and lesbian travelers. Writers also include advice on how to deal with sexual harassment and racism on the road.

The Berkeley series includes Central America ($16.50) and Eastern Europe ($17.50). This fall saw the first Berkeley guide on Italy ($16.95).

Another good source of information for independent budget travelers are books by the Australian publisher, Lonely Planet. This company produces more than 100 different titles. The information is excellent--all the nuts and bolts that you need, from where to catch the bus to whom to contact in an emergency. Two of the most valuable guides are “India--A Travel Survival Kit” ($24.95) and “China--A Travel Survival Kit” ($25.95).

Moon Publications also produces several excellent handbooks covering areas of North America, the Caribbean, Mexico, the Pacific, Asia, the Himalayas, Russia and Egypt. One of the most helpful in the series in the 1,100-page “Southeast Asia Handbook” ($21.95). New and updated guides released this fall cover Montana, northern Mexico, Baja, Arizona, central Mexico, the Yucatan Peninsula, Cancun, Washington, Maui and Hong Kong.