Gadling

I have mixed feelings about guidebooks, partially because I hate going to a super lovely secret destination and finding 300 other people there with the same guidebook, but have to admit, I am kind of fond of the Not For Tourists (NFT) guides that have been around for the past few years.

These guidebooks are a library of information, containing extremely detailed maps, overlaid with points of interest, restaurant and other juicy city tidbits -- which is really where they get their name. Not every tourist wants to waste space on the details of the PetCo on the corner of 92nd and Broadway -- they would rather learn about that awesome bistro in SoHo that Ed Norton was seen in once.

To each his or her own.

Fortunately, NFT recently started posting their guidebooks on their website free to download in PDF form. Now, you snark the articles and maps that you want, print them out and build your own frankenbook to take along on your journey.

So how do they make their money? Well, I guess they hope that you'll like the online guides well enough to purchase one of their books. At least give the online version a try and see what you think.

Filed under: Budget Travel, Internet Tools