Top 10 guidebooks

1. Time Out

The must-have city guide - irreverent, entertaining and written by locals.

2. Bradt

Go to the places other guidebooks don't visit, eg. Kosovo, Congo.

3. Lonely Planet

(Creative entries aside), concise, entertaining and easy to use.

4. Rough Guides

The backpacker's choice. A broad range of budget-focused information.

5. LUXE City Guides

Sex and the City in a handbook. A mini marvel that fits in your handbag.

6. Footprint

Forget the glossy photos, sober yet jam-packed with details - especially good on South America.

7. Dorling Kindersley

Ones to keep and collect. King of the 3D map - an aesthetic rather than practical pleasure.

8. Good Hotel Guide

Independent reviews - guided by readers' tips. Include discount vouchers.

9. Inyourpocket.com

Death of the guidebook? Pah! They're just diversifying. Print off your own PDFs...

10. (Second-hand) Baedeker

But why go mainstream? For an old-school delight, travel like a Victorian with one of the first guide books.

KATHLEEN WYATT, Times Travel Editor

Top ten websites

1. LonelyPlanet.com/thorntree

The oldest and most illustrious of the travel networking sites.

2. Couchsurfing.com

See a city through the eyes of a local and get a free bed for the night.

3. Timeout.com

Not so much networking, more excellent, contemporary information.

4. Worldreviewer.com

Written by experts with a pedigree, from the Travel Intelligence crew.

5. Doyoutravel.com

Simple, clean, efficient site to post your travel tips.

6. Wayn.com

Biggest networking site still has the verve.

7. Trustedplaces.com

A site that learns your tastes and recommends hotels and restaurants.

8. Gowander.com

A new networking site from Wanderlust, the best independent travel magazine in the UK.

9. Tripadvisor.co.uk

Has its knockers but nothing touches this site for breadth of hotel reviews.

10. Wikitravelpress.org

Print your own guide from wiki's 30 destination guides.

STEVE KEENAN, Travel Online Editor

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