Fodor's Mexico 2002 : The Guide for All Budgets, Updated Every Year, with a Pullout Map and ColorPhotos

Rating:
Summary: Beyond the tours
Review: I found this book to be pretty helpful to cross reference with other travel aids during a recent trip to Mexico. Although it claims to fit all budgets it seems to lean more towards the high end traveler, although this could just be state of tourism now. They cover all the major geographic regions with a heavy emphasis on all the popular destinations. There are plenty of tidbits for the road, several maps, the brief history of your destination and the impact of tourism in recent years. It's all here, emergency numbers, car rentals, taxis, air travel, tours, boat and ferry information, travel agencies and visitor information, and for those like me that need a cyber fix , internet providers! Really there is probably more information than you'll need but I guess they try to cover all the bases. They even provide a rudimentry vocabulary lesson in a section that has other "smart tips." The format is simple and pretty accurate with restaurants being rated for your pocketbook with $-$$$$. All the symobls used are pretty self explanatory but for those that need an explanation there is a key to the symbols used. One complaint I have is that I wish it were a bit more visual with scenery or drawings of the place you are thinking of venturing out to. In defense of the book they do provide a series of color photos in the beginning of the book that covers the major destinations. All in all this is a recommended book for the traveler to use along with some other books or internet research. Hey, if nothing else it makes for good traveling reading if you can't make a certain pit stop along your journey you'll at last know about it and maybe go next time. With tourism such a big part of the Mexican economy there are lots of choices in every town or city and this book wil help you sort through the tourist maze. There are many suggestions for your travel dollar and undoubtedly this book will leave you well prepared for that trip to Mexico.