Sunny Destinations Shine

As soon as the electric blankets are hauled out, trips to the tropics can’t be far behind. Publishers are willing to help with books about favorite destinations, off-the-beaten-path travel, adventures, nature-oriented trips, taking kids along, and just plain relaxing.
Books about warm-weather travel destinations make delightful reading: the beaches are beautiful, the people are fun and relaxed, the flora are colorful, and the skies seem always to be blue. The tough part is that there are so many, for so many different types of travelers. Some people like seclusion, others crowds. Some like to bike, hike, and swim while others are content to soak in the sun. Some like cruise ships and shopping, others want to observe wildlife.
Luckily, there’s a travel book for each of them. You can pick a destination, then find a book for the type of activities you prefer, or you can focus on your interests, find books relating to those interests, then hone in on a specific destination.
At a time when peace is on people’s minds, there are several new books about a country that hasn’t had an army since 1948: Costa Rica. With ideal year-round weather, affordable hotels, miles of beaches, wonderful food—and just a hint of excitement thanks to active volcanoes and a few shifting plates—this Central American nation is popular for vacations and retirement.
Costa Rica, by Christopher P. Baker (Moon Handbooks, 1-56691-344-6), takes a scientific approach to the country, with explanations of plate tectonics, schematics of rain forest vegetation, and maps of various ecosystems. Mingled with the science are ideas for being a park volunteer, taking a “responsible” vacation that will help the environment, and other ideas for seeing more than just the tourist spots. The book, divided into sections about nine regions complete with color maps, leaves no stone unturned, literally: “Costa Rica lies at the boundary where the Pacific’s Cocos Plate—a piece of the earth’s crust some 510 km wide—meets the crustal plate underlying the Caribbean.” Accommodations are exhaustively researched (“Room 25 has a bathroom that you won’t be able to tear yourself away from.”) and listings include phone numbers, names, Web sites, hours, addresses and more.
Bruce and June Conord are busy travel writers, often covering the Caribbean coast of Central America. Their book, Costa Rica, is also in its fourth edition (Hunter Travel Guides, 1-58843-290-4). This tourist-oriented book features bite-size nuggets of information, such as “Top 20 Spots to Visit” and “Costa Rica at a Glance.” Practical precautions, including staying on the path and wearing leather boots to avoid the fer-de-lance snakebite, are scattered throughout the book, as well as insider information on accommodations: “Every Saturday at 10 a.m. there is an open but cutthroat bridge game where you can hone your skills with razor-sharp wits.”
Avalon Travel Publishing has Adventures in Nature: Costa Rica by Ree Strange Sheck (1-56691-242-3) for “active travelers.” The history of Costa Rica, its politics, environment, and more are detailed; chapters range from Conservation Tourism to Nature Adventure Options to Travel Basics. Each of the country’s regions gets its own description of the Lay of the Land, Nature and Adventure Activities, Flora and Fauna, and more. Lodging and food are also covered along with phone numbers, addresses, Web sites, etc.
It’s amazing that more people haven’t just up and moved to Costa Rica; for those considering the idea, Costa Rica Books has published The New Golden Door to Retirement and Living in Costa Rica, by Christopher Howard (1-881233-56-1). This book, now in its twelfth edition, offers real estate tips along with usual and not-so-usual information about the country. The cost of living (a small house sells for about $40,000), where to find affordable hired help (a live-in maid earns around $200 a month), and how to invest (the centralized banking system is pretty darn good) are all explained in the chapter about “Saving Money in Costa Rica.” The author, who has been living there for 15 years, offers ideas for finding “Love and Permanent Companionship,” and writes about the nightlife, newspapers, sports, taxes, and other down-to-earth topics someone relocating needs to know.
Travelers with specific interests will find more books to encourage adventuring elsewhere in Central America. Lonely Planet has a colorful guide for Watching Wildlife Central America: The Best Wildlife Watching in Belize, Costa Rica and Panama, by Luke Hunter and David Andrew (Lonely Planet Publications, 1-86450-034-4) with full-color pictures, thorough descriptions and tips on how to find what you’re looking for, even if you don’t know you’re looking for it.
Roadside Geology of New Mexico, by Halka Chronic (Mountain Press Publishing Company, 0-87842-209-9) satisfies yet another niche group, with mile marker destinations and what you’ll find at each one. On U.S. 64, between Raton and Taos, for instance, there’s a lovely example of “flat-topped, terrace-like pediments, erosion surfaces cut into slightly tilted Pierre shale.”
Off the eastern coast of Central America is the Caribbean Sea, with lots of travel destinations, and books about all of them.
Caribbean Adventures in Nature by Michael DeFreitas (John Muir Publications, 1-56261-452-5) takes travelers through nature preserves, ecological sites, and other off-the-beaten-path destinations in a variety of locales. For instance, in Puerto Rico, “The Guanica Forest Reserve, on the site where the Americans landed in 1898 during the Spanish-American War, is one of the best examples of subtropical dry forest and scrubland found anywhere in the world.” There are birds, green and leatherback turtles, a few manatees, and more than 57 kilometers of abandoned dirt roads at the reserve, which has no admission fee and is 30 kilometers west of Ponce, the main city for lodging and the base for exploring Guanica and three other reserves. Other islands are just as thoroughly detailed, including information on more traditional activities, such as sailing, kayaking, and sun worshipping.
The ubiquitous cruise ships in the Caribbean typically give cruisers eight to ten hours on shore while in port. Hunter Travel Guides’ Cruising the Eastern Caribbean, A Passenger’s Guide to the Ports of Call, by Laura and Diane Rapp (1-58843-205-X) recommends how to spend that time, from the moment you disembark right on through to the outlet malls. The piers are explained, such as the cruise ship terminal in Martinique, which is a 15-minute walk from Fort-de-France, and shore activities like a walking tour in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico. The authors offer cautions about the hills, what to wear, the locals, and more. Laura Rapp’s knowledge comes from her job as a shore excursion manager for a cruise line; her mother Diane has tagged along on several trips.
Of course, you don’t need to leave the U.S. to experience warm-weather travel. There are destinations in Southern states that are exotic enough to feel like real trips. Swagman Publishing has a series of “Backcountry Adventure” books billed as the ultimate guides for anyone with a sport utility vehicle. Each volume (Arizona, Southern California, Utah, etc.) includes GPS coordinates and lots of maps. The Arizona guide (by Peter Massey and Jeanne Wilson, 0-9665675-0-1), at 575 pages, will keep drivers busy well into the next century. Famous soldiers, politicians, cowboys, and explorers get their own mentions, making for a well-informed and historical trip. Or, for drivers who want nice scenery, a “Scenic Views” section makes it quick to pick a route. Directions for the more than 150 trails are explicit down to tenths of a mile, spelling out where there’s a cattle guard, a turn in the track, and a nice view. The GPS coordinates come in about every two miles to reassure travelers they’re still on the right road.
Las Vegas is, of course, warm, yet urban, so Empire Travel’s Avant Guide, Las Vegas: Insider’s Guide for Urban Adventurers, by Dan Levine (1-891603-15-9) explains the goods using funky type and glitzy pictures with blue-green tones. Avant Guides predicts that the city’s future holds a London-themed resort and low-orbit trips to the world’s first space hotel. Current sights include the Neon Museum Boneyard, which is, apparently, where neon goes to die. This two-acre outdoor museum just opened and explains the gases (neon for red and warm colors, argon for blues and cool colors) and says the “Fremont Street Experience” is “worthwhile for anyone with a Ph.D. in kitsch.”
Mars’ Parent’s Guides wants to make sure the whole family has fun, so this series, including A Parent’s Guide to Los Angeles, by Kathie Weir (0-9675127-1-9) gives thorough directions to each destination, hours, how long the wait typically is and helpful tips such as “little ones may be frightened by the sudden appearance of King Kong or the 8.3 earthquake” at Universal Studios.
Other quick guides that cater to various interests—or just make for fun armchair traveling—include Hungry? Thirsty? New Orleans: The Lowdown on Where the Real People Eat and Drink, by Glove Box Guides (1-893329-26-3). This book, part of a series that also looks at Los Angeles and New York City, among others, really does fit in a glove box, and details places to nosh for less than $10 per person, insider information (“These burritos are really huge . . . and they mean it when they say ‘hot.’”), and is organized by neighborhood (map included).
Of special note is a Lewis and Clark Trail of Discovery audiocassette driving series. Listeners can re-live the adventures of the expedition, whose bicentennial is this year. Volumes 9 and 10 are The Mighty Columbia: John Jay Dam to Portland, OR (1-930827-20-2) and The Final Steps: Longview, WA to Fort Clatsop, OR (1-930827-21-0). Included in each one hour-long cassette package are historic travel maps and historical overviews.
While you’re packing for any of the above adventures, consult Smart Packing for Today’s Traveler, by Susan Foster (Smart Travel Press, 0-9702196-5-2). With more than 400 illustrations, this book makes packing look easy. Use what’s in the closet already, mix and match, and keep comfort in mind at all times. The author is a “folder,” but understands that half the world are “rollers,” so she includes instructions for both.
Warm weather travel makes for great reading on cold winter nights, even if readers’ feet remain firmly planted in the snow.

Sidebar:
Get The Word Out; Keep Costs Down
The Travel Publishers Association is a non-profit association whose purpose is to bring travel books of all types to the attention of the travel industry through cooperative marketing. Membership is free and activities (small fees, usually) are on an as-desired basis. For more information, contact Joan Peterson at travelpubs@ginkgopress.com or 608-233-5488.