By Kerri Westenberg
Q: I'm traveling to Cambodia this fall and am looking for the most up-to-date information about where to go. Can you recommend a particular guidebook with the latest offerings/attractions for the area?
A: While the words "latest offerings" and "guidebook" usually don't belong in the same sentence, you are in luck. "Lonely Planet: Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and the Greater Mekong, second edition" came out just this month. (Note to people traveling later: Moon guides are among my favorites, and "Moon Cambodia" will be out in February 2010.)
It is convenient to have a guidebook in your pocket, but you should go to the Web for the most current hotspots. Most of the big names in travel guides offer online info, from Rough Guides to Fodor's. But the real way to tap into the latest zeitgeist of any destination is to read travel forums, which offer takes from real travelers. One of the best and oldest forums is Lonely Planet's Thorn Tree Travel. Virtual Tourist is another one to check out. A post to the Trip Advisor Cambodia forum added this very morning was labeled, "just back report." With these forums, you have to weed through stuff you won't find pertinent, but you are sure to find gems and valuable insights.
