Independent travel experiences can feel very empowering and invigorating.  Or not.

 

Planning your own trip plan and schedule can be a source of worry and a hassle. In your quest for knowledge to build that  perfect trip, you could end up spending hours  reading travel advice articles and visiting official tourism websites for your destination and then still not really have a plan beyond a few ideas.
 

But there is an easier way. Just get a guidebook.  They all are fairly similar in content format to give travelers the inside scoop on attractions, history, culture. A good guidebook helps plan your trip in advance, and is your onsite pocket resource. 
 

For guidebooks, we personally use and recommend Lonely Planet guides.  They are information-rich, plus their eBook format easily downloads like an app on mobile devices as the perfect pocket tour guide.  Lonely Planet has 500+ travel resources from printed guidebooks to downloadable digital eBook guides.