DK Eyewitness Travel Guide: Cambodia & Laos

As with all "Eyewitness Travel" guides, this one on Cambodia and Laos provides colorful photographs, sample itineraries (e.g., a week in Northern Laos, two days in Phnom Penh, two weeks along the Mekong), regional information, and practicalities. Sections are divided by region and include overview information on religions, peoples, landscapes, architecture, and other cultural highlights. "Practicalities" address specifics on lodging and dining, language basics, detailed maps, as well as information on transportation and banking, personal health and security, and communications; this is useful not only for planning but also while traveling as Internet service can be unpredictable. This guide is good complemented with others such as those from Lonely Planet and Rough Guides, which typically have a bit more detail but are spotty on visuals.