Travel books are an essential part of traveling. They provide the traveler with useful information about accommodation, where to eat and the 'must see' attractions of a particular city or country. They also give travelers an insight into the culture and customs of a place. This ensures that a visitor will quickly become accustomed to a place and to get the most from a visit, however short.
Types of Travel Books
There are a wide range of travel books available. Some books have a general approach and cover most of the main things that a traveler needs to know. Other books are specialized and focus on a specific type of travel or for the needs of a particular group of travelers. This includes travel books for independent travelers, walkers or cyclists, families, adventure travelers, vegetarians and almost any other group of people.
This vast range of travel books means that a traveler can quickly build up an extensive collection of books. While a collection of travel books often gives a traveler much joy as they can be referred to time and time again, and are perfect for 'arm chair' traveling, they can be bulky and difficult to carry around. Many travelers do not want to use precious luggage allowance simply carrying books.
Travel E-Books
Therefore alternative book formats, such as e-books, including the Amazon Kindle or Sony Reader format, make an excellent compromise. A wide selection of e-books can be loaded onto a reading device and carried around, often weighing less than a single paperback book. Most e-books have the ability to show photographs and illustrations, although these may be in black and white. Some reading devices can also play MP3s and this means that audio travel guides may also be an option.
Some publishers allow a single chapter of a book to be purchased in e-book format. This is useful for a traveler who is visiting a single city, for instance, and therefore does not require information on the rest of a country. This can be an economical way to access useful information.
Pros and Cons of Travel E-Books
There are very real advantages and disadvantages of travel e-books. These include:
Advantages of Travel E-Books
- Practical - easy to carry a large number of books, meaning that many special interest books can be purchased as well as general books.
- Accessible - devices such as the Amazon Kindle and Sony Reader mean that many more e-books are available giving travelers a wide choice.
- Instant delivery – many books are purchased from the Internet and are instantly available for downloading. This means that they can be purchased while traveling.
- Additional functionality – reading devices often allow readers access to additional functionality. This includes a bookmarking function which gives a reader instant access, for instance, to information on a specific town from over a wide range of books.
Disadvantages of Travel E-Books
- Photographs and images – while many devices and e-book formats have the functionality to display photographs, these are often in black and white. New generation devices have the ability to display color images, however readers should check first.
- Cost – while e-books can be less costly than paper books, this is not always the case. Buying e-books is very simple and it is possible to run up relatively large bills quickly.
- Difficult to share – paper books can easily be shared among a group of travelers. If e-books are loaded on a single reading device, it is difficult to share the books with others.
While travel e-books have very real advantages, there are also drawbacks to consider. Whether the convenience of being able to carry many e-books on a single reading device outweigh the disadvantages of travel e-books will be a personal decision.
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