Where can I find "Best Of..." travel guides, with photos, for various countries?
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M$4 Answers
http://share.xmarks.com/folder/bookmarks/OVwv68o61e
in the main folder you will find general travel info sites and a wealth of information. It also drills down to europe and SEA and then to countries including Thailand. This is where you likely find things that are amazing, beautiful and off the beaten track. I will elaborate on some of the main sites to give you a a quick rundown.
www.Wikitravel.com
Basically the best travel information site on the net and is always my first stop. The information is written by the traveling community like Wikipedia so the information is commonly more up to date then guidebooks and small secrets and off the beaten track destinations can be found. The country pages will offer you a quick overview as well as the cleanest "best-of" you will find. All major pages should come with pictures.
www.Lonelyplanet.com
The website of well used Lonely Planet guidebooks. Their site will have basic information on any destination as well as some of the top sites and pictures.
http://whc.unesco.org/en/list
The official list of United Nations World Heritage Sites. These sites are named for historical importance or natural beauty. Any trip UNESCO site is a sure-fire day to remember. It even has a interactive map.
http://www.whatsonwhen.com
Some of the most memorable times traveling are found at festivals when the locals are out and exuded their culture. Whatsonwhen.com is basically a global directory of festivals and events. I dare you to do a search the amount of information they have is stunning.
General sites that give essential info but not top destinations:
http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0781359.html - Information on corruption
http://www.smartravel.org/map.htm - A great way to figure out which vaccines you need
http://www.traveletiquette.co.uk/ - Outlines local cultural norms and rules of behavior all around the world so you can try to blend in and be accepted.
If some of the information is sparse then http://www.wikipedia.org/ is always a good standby and for photos simply pug a search term into www.flickr.com to see the beauty of any destination.
Hope this helps, I know its a lot at once.
100s of hours of reasearch
You can leave an optional "tip" with Mahalo's virtual currency, Mahalo Dollars. If you are asking a difficult question that might require some research, or if you'd like a wide variety of feedback, a higher tip often leads to more answers to your question.
M$
You can leave an optional "tip" with Mahalo's virtual currency, Mahalo Dollars. If you are asking a difficult question that might require some research, or if you'd like a wide variety of feedback, a higher tip often leads to more answers to your question.
M$
or perhaps even better.
http://www.transitionsabroad.com/navpages/resources/besttravelplanningguides.shtml This one lists various guides
You can leave an optional "tip" with Mahalo's virtual currency, Mahalo Dollars. If you are asking a difficult question that might require some research, or if you'd like a wide variety of feedback, a higher tip often leads to more answers to your question.
M$
I usually go in person so I can flip through the books and see what pictures I like the best and then I make my choice. If you buy them online it is too hard to tell if you will like the books.
You can leave an optional "tip" with Mahalo's virtual currency, Mahalo Dollars. If you are asking a difficult question that might require some research, or if you'd like a wide variety of feedback, a higher tip often leads to more answers to your question.
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