Maravilloso!May 12, 2004 4 out of 4 found this review helpful
I spent some time travelling in Guatemala and Mexico and found this book invaluable! I spent just a day or two in all the towns I visited and this book made it so easy to find the necessary banks, laundrettes, and good restaurants that we needed! I also found the historical information and town maps very useful. Don't use this book to help you choose places to visit or to plan your itinerary but if you have a route (even if only a vague one) then this book will help you deal with the practicalities you could so easily overlook. Several of my travelling companions had this book and others such as LP and RG and we all found this most practical. Don't use a guide book for your inspiration - take your inspiration from the sights and stories you hear from other travellers! Carrying this book means you can spend more time soaking up the culture and landscape instead of hunting for a bank or hostel. Well organised and easy to use, a must for any backpacker!
Must haveFebruary 1, 2004 4 out of 4 found this review helpful
I travelled in the region for 2 months, and used the LP guide as well. This book was by far the best of any with regards to information. If you want pretty pictures, and colourful maps this is not the guide for you. But it beats any guide with up to date information on transportation, hostels and eateries. REALLY recommend it to anyone!
Not worth buyingJanuary 3, 2004 2 out of 6 found this review helpful
After reading some reviews of Footprint books on other sites, I went out of my way to order this most recently published book on Central America for my upcoming trip. Unfortunately, this book is so general that it is virtually useless. The way the information is organized in the book makes it very difficult to find essential information such as bus scheduling and flight information to help plan an itinerary. The information provided is too brief to be of any use and not specific enough to actually be able to plan anything in advance. You basically have to sit down with the book and an internet connection to visit the websites that they provide, in order to actually get any information. I would not recommend this book to anyone for planning a trip to Central America. Spend your money buying a book for each individual country you're going to visit - don't waste your money on this one unless you're planning to visit the entire region of Mexico and Central America.
