Review: The future of guidebooks
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 10 10, 2011
I'm a big fan of guidebooks for knowing how to get around a foreign city, and while paperback guidebooks are good, Laura Schaefer's Planet Explore books for kids are outstanding.  They are the future of guidebooks, at least for me, and while they were written for kids, I absolutely love them.  I hope Schaefer writes books for every city in the world, because she's really onto something good.  So what's so special about these books?I'm reviewing the Disney World book, so here's why it's so different from any paper back guidebook there is: These guidebooks are made for today's ipads, Kindle Fires, smart phones, or just about any device with the internet. With the internet, you can click the hyperlinks to be connected with any part of the book, or Wikipedia for more fun facts about Disney World.Included in these books, are special codes, initials to give you a clue as what exactly you'll be getting yourself into on certain rides.S is for scaryD is for darkT is for thrillingW is for wetA is for awesome.Combined with a list of places to eat nearby each ride, with such great details, that as a parent, I'd buy one of these guides for myself.At the end of each book, there's a quiz for kids to take, and map of the railway system so you know how to get around.  A list of Disney-sims such as:"Audio-Animatronics: a form of robotics created by Imagineers for Disney attractionsBackstage: areas of a park or hotel that are off-limits to guestsCast member: a person who works at Walt Disney World", and lots more so you can feel like you're an insider in the Disney World.There are travel tips such as, wear sunscreen, what to do if you get separated from your group, and what fast passes are all about and where to get them, if there are two lines, get in the one on the left and lots more.I can't say enough about this wonderful guidebook and how it can transform your trip into pleasure as you go confidently from attraction to attraction, with your own personal guide to show how to avoid all the pitfalls of all the unknowns in a foreign world.  I hope Schaefer makes a guidebook for Las Vegas next, for grownups of course . .  .