The very best in Travel guides - Travel briefs

From a country's history to the people and events that made it what it is today - with Travel briefs you get the ideal traveller's guide in a compact, portable format. Just as easy to stick in a backpack as a suitcase, you will find it an invaluable companion when you travel abroad.

Short histories of France and Spain

Whether you're traveling on a cheap flight to Madrid Barajas or Barcelona Airport or you're on your way to Charles de Gaulle Paris, or you're on Brittany Ferries heading for Caen or St Malo, there's time to kill while you're on the ferry or the plane. Travelbriefs are designed to fill that time enjoyably. First in the series are short histories of France and Spain, with short histories of Turkey, the USA and others due to follow very soon. They're an ideal introduction to the history of each country, specially written for travelers. (But just as enjoyable if you're sitting at home and you've got no intention of going anywhere.)

Travellers' tales

We've tried to get the level of detail just right. We tell you about Napoleon and the Empress Josephine, Louis XIV, the French Revolution and who built the Eiffel tower, but we don't go into details about why Monsieur Guillotine didn't (!) invent the guillotine or why Asterix is nothing like Vercingetorix, the real hero of the ancient Gauls. Likewise, if you're off to the Costa del Sol for a short break, we talk about Ferdinand and Isabella, the Inquisition and Christopher Columbus, but we don't grind on about why General Franco's mother may or may not have been indirectly to blame for the Spanish Civil War or exactly how many ships were in the Spanish Armada and was Admiral Medina Sidonia really seasick after all.

Guidebooks and historical context

If you're sightseeing at the Alhambra or taking a weekend break in Seville, there's plenty of wonderful guidebooks to tell you exactly what you're looking at, but what these guidebooks won't do, not as an easy, enjoyable read, is give you a proper feel for the historical context, apart from a very condensed history at the beginning or the end of each guide.

Hints on where to go

Guide Books are place-based; Travelbriefs are history-based.There's lots of places mentioned in Travelbriefs and lots of hints on where to go and what to look at with plenty of maps to help you get your bearings, but these hints arise from the history, not the other way around.

Reading for the gite, the hotel or the time-share apartment

It's all very well knowing that the Cave Paintings of Lascaux are just down the road from where you're holed up in your Gite de France in the Dordogne and are open alternative Tuesdays from June to September (we made that up by the way) but what's really interesting to read about when you settle down to your second bottle of Bordeaux or Burgundy (mise en bouteille au chateau, of course) of an evening is how they're at the start of an incredible story which stretches for more than twenty thousand years from there to the Impressionists. Likewise, if you decide to travel up from your time-share on the Costa Blanca to see the sights of Valencia, it's a lot more interesting if you already know that El Cid, 'He of the Great Beard', was based there during his long campaign against the Moors and exactly why Muslims and Christians were slugging it out in Spain so many years ago - and how this has helped to make Spain the wonderful country it is today.

For armchair travellers as well as intrepid explorers - Travel briefs

Travel briefs are just as enjoyable if you are a retired traveller or have never been abroad. Use them to get a better picture of countries you have visited in the past, or to build up a picture of what a country you don't know is like. Travel briefs will widen your knowledge and horizons in the most painless and enjoyable way.

When you do get the chance to travel to a country - especially if you like to go to out-of-the-way places - you will find the information in the Travel briefs a big bonus.

» Country Guides for travellers: France, Spain and America (US guide coming soon)

Amusing cartoons and informative maps and charts - Travel briefs

You can see the lighter side of a country's history in the original cartoons created for the Travel briefs series. As well as humour, there is plenty of information to get your teeth into - from maps to charts, with timelines and all the essentials to put you in the picture.

History made fun - and tied into the locations so you can visit the places where it happened.

Get more out of your holiday - with Travelbriefs

Don't just be a tourist - with Travelbriefs you will know more about the country you are visiting than some of the natives do. Looking at buildings and towns with an understanding of the past and that country's history is so much more rewarding that you'll never want to do traditional travelling with a standard guide again.

Holidays with Travelbriefs give you so much more.

Amusing and quirky anecdotes - all in Travelbriefs

If you enjoy amusing tales, you'll find plenty of diverting anecdotes in Travelbriefs. And what's more, they are true stories from history. There's no better way to cheer up a holiday.

» Historical tales and anecdotes - all in Travelbriefs

History that makes a country come alive - Travel briefs give you the inside track

Exciting history - the people and personalities who made history, as well as the telling stories that show what really went on.

Travel guides for France and Spain - America coming soon

In the Travel brief series there are currently travel guides for France and Spain with the America guide due to be published soon. If you are a traveller who wants something more than the usual run-of-the-mill guide, you'll love Travel briefs.

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