I am looking at doing a fly drive vacation next month and wanted a good book for me to read before hand. I have seen the Lonely Planet books and they look quite good. I want something maps out tourist sights, places of sceneic beauty etc. Has anyone read the Lonely Planet books? Are they worth buying?

1,000 Places to See in the U.S.A. & Canada Before You Die by Patricia Schultz

1,200 pages and $5.99 at Amazon right now.

My wife and I have used it to plan a few 3-4 day weekends over the last year or so.

Haven't checked out the Lonely Planet books, though -- so I can't comment on their contents.

I always loved those the best. Another good one is the Insight Guides from the Discovery Channel.