A travel guide or itinerary is “an oral record of information regarding a particular place arranged for the frequent traveler or tourist”. It tends to contain information such as hotels, lodging, eating, travel time, sightseeing, and tips for making the most of your trip. Maps of varying degree of detail are sometimes included along with the information. It can be printed for use in a road trip, hiking trail, or on a vacation. It is also sometimes referred to as a routing manual or travel guide.
The earliest travel guides were hand-written, using mainly maps and bartering for trade between travelers. Fodor (pronounced “foh-duh”) was a traveler from Russia who first used a map of the world to head toward trade and commerce. He created a catalogue of hundreds of points of interest that he wanted to visit and document. He published his travelogues in books which traveled through different lands and displayed many of the destinations he had chosen. Fodor did not have the means of creating audio or video guides today, but he did make recordings of some of his discoveries. These have been used in guidebooks ever since.
Today, there are many different types of European travel guide available on the market. Some are in paper form, while others are available on compact disc. You can find a guidebook that covers all of Europe, an overview of the continent, travel information to help you plan trips, the best time to visit, and much more. These guides can be purchased for as little as twenty dollars, or as much as one hundred dollars. There are even pocket-sized versions of travel guidebooks that you can take with you on the go!