When you are in a whole new unfamiliar place, a travel guide is your only source of survival, save for the local tourist guide. Obviously, a travel guide is not a mere brochure that you can browse on to make you excited to go to a new country. It has to state the whereabouts in the area that you want to go. If your travel guide does not give sufficient information, then you should find yourself lost in no time. Here is a list of information that a travel guide has to have.

1. After a whole day of walking around cobblestone sidewalks and tourist spots, you will want to rest your weary feet. In an overnight tour or even longer, a good hotel or inn will be your last destination. You will long for the comfort that your bed and sheets back home gives you, so a good place to sleep at is important. Make sure it is equipped with all the necessary stuff, like sofas for chilling out, a coffee table, enough cabinets and drawers and most importantly, your very own toilet and bath. Another thing to consider is the price. Well-known hotels obviously are more expensive, complete with a kitchen, luxurious bath tubs and even a terrace that offers a breathtaking view. Plus, they have a lot more promos like a breakfast-in-bed or lunch buffet and spas or massages.

2. Some travel manuals also have basic language booklets or bits of the important words you will need to know to communicate with the locals. They usually have simple words and phrases like "what", "where", "how much", "I'll take this", "please" and "thank you".

3. If your travel guide contains important telephone numbers like embassies, airport, major airlines, the local police and tourist info center then good for you. It will surely come in handy when you find yourself in trouble big time.

4. Needless to say, travel guides should have a list of tourist attractions of a certain place. These will help you budget your time in order for you to visit all the beautiful places and make your trip a memorable one. If you are lucky enough, you could get a travel guide does not only have a list of the tourist spots, but also of the places that are frequented by the locals. This way, you will absolutely savor the place and feel like a local yourself.

5. And for the times when you want to sample the local delicacies, look for dining facilities which should be found in your travel guide.