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Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!allegra!bellcore!decvax!decwrl!dec-rhea!dec-tools!bennison
From: bennison@tools.DEC
Newsgroups: net.travel
Subject: Re: travel tip
Message-ID: <139@decwrl.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 7-Jan-85 10:11:42 EST
Article-I.D.: decwrl.139
Posted: Mon Jan  7 10:11:42 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 9-Jan-85 05:45:28 EST
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Organization: DEC Engineering Network
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---
>When contacting tourist bureaus ask for complete listings of lodgings with
>prices and detailed maps.  Usually the complete listings are free and some-
>times the maps cost a small amount but are worth it.

Good luck!  I tried this with Canada and Great Britain.  No such thing!
A book listing all the bed and breakfasts in England would be the size of
the London phone book.  There is no government supplied road map of Great
Britain that comes close to the commercially available maps, such as
Michelin, for detail and ease of use, period!  Maybe other countries are
different, but I'll remain skeptical.

>If you just ask for general information they will send you the junky tourist
>literature that they hope will convince you to buy a tour.  If you are travel-
>ing on your own you have to tell them that and give dates and ask for specific
>information.  

I have talked myself blue trying to tell them exactly what information I 
wanted about which places or regions.  Very frustrating.

>My experience has been that going through an American travel
>agent for foreign accommodations and tours just about doubles the cost of
>doing it yourself when you get there or going through their US representative
>before you leave.  

There have been recent articles on the net concerning the difference between
a good travel agent and a bad one.  I've never used one myself.  I always make
my own arrangements with excellent results.

>Regarding books and bookstores, 
>1) They are designed to make money for the author and publisher.

So I go to the store before traveling and spend $25-$50 on books and maps.
Big deal!  Have you ever seen anything negative written about a place in
a government brochure?  I've never seen one with a rating system of any kind.
Government tourist bureaus are designed to make money for the country, not for
any altruistic reasons.  I don't see much difference in motives, but at least
the author and publisher are under no pressure to avoid embarrassing this region
or that city, and are, therefore, more likely to give them a bum review when 
they deserve it.

>2) They are designed to appeal to a specific audience (budget, luxury, etc)

I am a specific audience.  I want to be appealed to.  I want to be able to
say, "give me a guidebook that would be of interest to a moderately affluent
but not rich person travelling with a wife and two kids by rental car who wants
inexpensive but clean accomodations, interesting historic and scenic sights,
and good regional food."

>3) They contain material that is at least 1 year old and not guaranteed.

One year old!  One year old!  My god what do you want?  I'd take a ten year
old Michelin guide to Paris over a brand new French government brochure on
the same subject any day.  If you think the foreign travel bureaus guarantee
their information as accurate I think you're dreaming.

>4) They can only comment on those places which they have time to visit.

There are all kinds of guide books.  If you want infinite detail, look at a
Blue Guides.  They don't miss anything.  I prefer the less detailed more 
selective but still very complete guides, such as the Michelin.

>5) They miss many if not all small but nice places.  

These are not covered in the government brochures.  There are just too many of
them.  In Europe you can't go to the privy without stumbling over one or two
of them on the way.  Give me a break!

>In some places like Northern Europe, I have never found a place that was not
>clean.  The only choice is price and convenience.

I've found some gawd-awful dumps in Northern Europe, believe me.  But once you
get somewhere you can usually find very decent accomodations.  The question is,
once you get somewhere, are you SOMEWHERE in which you really have any 
interest in being.

>P.S.  That junky literature about tour routes is great in planning your own
>route and gives you an idea as to what one should look for.

I never said it couldn't be useful.  I always order the stuff myself for 
planning purposes.  But I've always found it necessary to supplement it 
heavily with commercial material.

    				Vick Bennison
    				...decvax!decwrl!rhea!tools!bennison
    				(603) 881-2156