Travel - Frommers.com

UPDATE ! (See Below.)

Frommer's                  http://www.frommers.com/


I certainly have not traveled as much as I would like to. I’ve been around parts of the U.S. but not much internationally. Sometimes I find myself thinking about where I would like to go if money and time were no object. When I am in the library I occasionally gravitate to the travel guides. So when I discovered a podcast put out by Frommer's, whose guidebooks I have often thumbed through, I thought let’s see how they translate all that very specific knowledge into a podcast form.

What they do is pretty clever and it does impart some useful information in a way that whets your appetite for visiting the country or region that the episode is focusing on. A host, who is sometimes an editor as well, sits down with the author for that specific travel guide, say for example, Morocco. They then have a relaxed conversation about what it is really like to travel in that particular area. And since you are hearing these details right from an experienced visitor to that region, there is a love and appreciation which comes out through the discussion that can’t help but subconsciously encourage you to try and go there someday.



Along with sights to see, other topics were covered in the podcasts I listened to. There was usually some descriptions of the quirks of the local methods of transportation, the ins and outs of eating, bartering in the local marketplaces or what types of clothing are the most comfortable (Long pants and shirt sleeves in Vietnam). In every episode I sampled there was a discussion of how to behave in a way that was most respectful of the local culture. Information like that is probably the most useful of all.

Interestingly, they do not avoid talking about crime or potential political unrest. For instance, during a completely enthralling discussion of the beauties of Ecuador, the author strongly urged tourists to take taxis at night no matter how nearby your destination was. I guess I would add the caveat that these podcasts are taped at particular moments in time and that anyone traveling should try and get the most updated information about any local situations.

On the whole, I enjoyed these podcasts. They each run around twenty minutes and while Frommer's is hopeful that if you do travel, you’ll take one of their travel guides along, there is no heavy handed pitch.
UPDATE: I recently had the opportunity to use one of the Frommer's guides in a real life, hands on situation. I made a visit to New Orleans and prepped for my sightseeing, etc. by using Frommer's Guide to New Orleans. And I must report it was very useful. Using it's listings and reviews I was able to focus in on a restaurant where myself and my companions had an excellent meal (Dante's Kitchen). One criticism, I could have used one overall map. While the area maps (French Quarter, Garden District) were helpful, I found it a little diffcult to connect them as I crossed from one section to another. Other than that, which is more on me than them, thank you Frommer's.