Visiting new destinations in the United States can be an overwhelming experience. Things might work a little bit different in this new place and you don’t know how to get around and more importantly how to stay safe. Travel guides are the perfect way to prepare. These guides help us stay safe and make the most out of our trip. They offer so much more than what we can learn and discover online.
There are lots of fellow tourists, things work differently than what we are used to and there is an immense number of different activities to choose from. With large crowds and too many options available, you will have to make choices. We highly recommend properly planning your visit to this great American destinations. The travel books and travel guides in this post are here to help you on your way. We have hand-picked all of these books!
This is one of the United States’ most famous destinations. We are seasoned travelers ourselves and have been all over the United States and other foreign destinations. We know how crowds can make a destination busy but also know where to find the quiet places. All our research has been done using the travel books we recommend here.
- All books have been handpicked by us!
- Books with bad reviews are left out.
- This post includes affiliate marketing links on which we can earn a commission.
Useful links
- Daily Crowd Predictions
- Tours & Excursions
- Hotel Deals
- Best Resorts
- COVID Travel Kit
- Learn how to avoid crowds
- Best time to Travel in 2021
We are a big fan of Lonely Planet! We use Lonely Planet Travel Guides for basically every destination that we visit. This Lonely Planet Hawaii The Big Island is a smaller edition and is purely focused on the most popular Hawaiian islands. The book comes with full colour maps, highlights, itineraries and what we like the most about the entire Lonely Planet series: reviews for eating, drinking, hidden gems and going out. These books are small enough to handle with ease but big enough to contain all the essential tips and tricks for your perfect trip to the Big Island.
If you need a bit more than just the regional edition, you can also go for the more recent ‘Best of’ series by Lonely Planet. This book comes with the colour maps, highlights and itineraries that we are used to from our favourite travel book brand. What is especially useful about Lonely Planet are the reviews for different budgets. The book covers all most popular islands and destinations in the American state.
When we travel, our Fitbit will register well beyond 20,000 to 30,000 steps per day. We are the kind of tourists that simply walk everywhere. Hawaii is home to many different hiking trails and this book will tell you exactly where to go. The book has different walking routes for many different places on the island. The book is printed in a handy format so you can take it on your walks through the island’s breathtaking nature.
According to the authors, the finest guidebook ever written for the Big Island. This all new expanded sixth edition is a candid, humorous guide to everything there is to see and do on the island. Explore with this great author as he reveals breathtaking trails, secluded beaches, pristine reefs, delicious places to dine, relaxing places to stay, exciting waterfalls, colorful valleys and so much more. Every restaurant, activity provider, business and resort is reviewed personally and anonymously. This book and a rental car are all you need to discover what makes The Big Island so exciting.
Fodor’s Big Island of Hawaii is a great travel guide from the best selling series by Fodor. Fodor always delivers qualtiy travel guides that come with handy pull out maps with top attractions that you can’t miss. Most importantly, the book has indispensable planning tools such as major attractions, top itineraries and dining recommendations. Fodor’s local writers vet every recommendation to ensure that you not only make the most of your time, but that you also have all the most up-to-date and essential information you need to plan the perfect trip.
By reading up on history of our travel destinations we can better understand the behaviour of those living in the places that we visit. Every place that we visit has its own unique history. Hawaii has a long and rich history. Although the islands’ history is too extensive to cover in a single book, this book does a good job in summarizing centuries of history in an easy to read accessable book.
A guide for families and outdoor adventurers alike, the Big Island Trailblazer takes you to all of the island’s famous attractions, as well as its hidden spots. It has been updated to include all the changes caused by the 2018 Kilauea eruption.
Nearly twice the size of all the Hawaiian Islands combined, the Big Island presents a challenge to adventure travelers with limited time. Trailblazer comes to the rescue with its trademark organization and clear directions.
Over the years, more and more people started traveling and overtourism became a growing issue. Although the coronavirus pandemic has forced us to change our travel behavior for now, we believe that we will travel again and that the return of crowds is inevitable. This book helps you to Avoid Crowds and is your guide on what (not) to do when it’s busy. The book includes a special chapter on traveling during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.