Recently I received a call from a reader who was upset about an incident at a budget hotel in the Times Square area of New York City.
She had responded to an advertisement and booked a room through a toll-free telephone number. When she arrived she was shocked to find a person passed out on the lobby floor. She also found that the hotel had many permanent residents, some of whom she found intimidating.
The reader didn`t stay there. She grabbed a taxi and headed for ”the first decent hotel the driver could find.”
The budget hotel has recently been sold and, it`s hoped, the situation will soon improve. But budget travelers don`t have to travel blind when using low-cost accommodations.
For many areas of the world there are well-researched guidebooks, written by staff members who have taken a close look at budget facilities.
The best guidebooks for independent budget travelers in Europe and North America are the ”Let`s Go:” guides produced annually by Harvard Student Agencies.
This series started 28 years ago when a group of Harvard students produced a 20-page pamphlet of tips for friends traveling to Europe. That pamphlet has evolved into an 11-book series, which covers key cities and tourism areas in Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, the Soviet Union, the United States, Canada and Mexico.
They are excellent guidebooks because each year student researchers are sent out to re-check facts and search for new information.
Thirty student researchers contributed to the 1988 edition of ”Let`s Go: Europe.” Few other guidebooks have the manpower to be so current and thorough. And if the researchers think a hotel or area is sleazy, they`ll say so.
They also look for tips on how to get around by public transportation, student and youth discounts, where to cash travelers checks late at night, economical restaurants and night spots, where to find a laundromat, how to use foreign telephones and whom to contact in an emergency.
Two guides have been added to the series this year. ”Let`s Go:
California and Hawaii” and ”Let`s Go: Pacific Northwest, Western Canada and Alaska.” Each cost $10.95.
The 1988 edition of the popular 877-page ”Let`s Go: Europe” ($11.95)
has 47 maps and covers all European countries plus key tourism areas in Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Morocco, Tunisia, Turkey and the Soviet Union.
You`ll learn where to find accommodations in Istanbul for $3 a night or ski in the Alps for $7.50 a day. It`s a large guide to carry, so consider removing only the chapters you need.
More detailed guides are produced for specific areas of Europe. For example, ”Let`s Go: Italy” is available for $10.95. This year`s edition includes information on Malta.
”Let`s Go: Israel and Egypt” ($10.95) has increased its information on Jordan and added more details on border crossings, Egyptian currency regulations and hiking and work/student programs in the Dead Sea area.
The 1988 ”Let`s Go: Britain and Ireland” ($10.95) includes new information on Nottingham and Sherwood Forest, and on ferry schedules from Harwich to Scandinavia and northern Germany.
The new edition of ”Let`s Go: Spain, Portugal and Morocco” ($10.95) has added information on the Canary Islands, and the new ”Let`s Go: France”
($10.95) has expanded its coverage of central France, the islands off the Brittany Coast, Paris accommodations and visa regulations.
This year`s 883-page ”Let`s Go: U.S.A.” ($11.95) also includes 54 pages on major cities and park areas in Quebec, Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia.
The 1988 edition of ”Let`s Go: Mexico” ($10.95) also includes information on Belize. The series is published by St. Martins Press and is available from retail bookstores.
