Lonely Planet Guides

I have been travelling for a lot of years now, and I remember using Lonely Planet Guides back when they mainly covered the more out of the way places in the world.  They were brilliant to use then, and they've continued that tradition.

The main thing I like about them is that it's almost like reading a novel about where you want to go.  I always buy mine well in advance and use it endlessly as part of my planning process.

I wouldn't travel anywhere without one, and now that their range basically covers almost every point on the globe, I don't need to.