Travel Smart: New Mexico

This is a very useful book. Its format is a spartan setup, with black and white only. However, if you're going to New Mexico, this is probably the one you should buy. I looked at all (maybe ten) of the Southwest/New Mexico books in the bookstore, and walked out with this one because it is obvious that the author really knows the area well, and loves it. He didn't make the mistake of trying to make an encyclopedia. Are you really going to be doing everything those other guide books list? Those are just overwhelming mounds of information. They include the things that are special, and things that are not so special. This book, instead, gives only the best information about what makes New Mexico a neat place to see. Several things make this book easier to use than the others. The descriptions are not too wordy, and are thankfully organized by *where* they are, rather than *what* they are, since that is how a traveler tends to have to plan, anyway. The author doesn't list ten of each kind of thing; he focuses on the main things worth seeing. Don't look for a complete shopping guide from this book, though. There are just the essential ideas to fill up a vacation. It's a good guide for a people who like history, cultural, and nature sites. I also like how the food place ideas include representatives of all price ranges, and how the accommodation ideas cover a few worthy camping spots as well as hotels.

I used this book to help plan a trip to the Southwest. I found it pretty informative with accurate information. The descriptions were accurate as well and it helped to get the most out of the days. I do wish it listed more in the way of hotels but it is really more of an activity book than a complete planner. All in all it was a good book and I would use it again. The suggested schedules were helpful as well.