Uncommon Guidebooks: Wicked Travel Series

Every guidebook has one. That tiny list of phrases in the back for common tourist scenarios, like ordering lobster in a restaurant or making sure you know the difference between a single and a double hotel room. But what about real life situations, like a creepy guy hitting on you in a bar or a hostile border crossing? Well that's where the Wicked Travel series comes in and fills your vocabulary gaps with offbeat phrases. Unlike your standard guidebook, the phrases within are amusing or useful, or in some cases, both.

The series, written by Howard Tomb, a former New York Times travel writer, focuses on how to handle yourself in all those sticky situations. If you're headed to France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Japan, or Spain, there's a guide for you. And if you're a world traveler, you might want to check out the Wicked Traveler, all seven phrasebooks in one. Any of these books would be a great gift for the favorite traveler in your life. How often do you find a present that not only entertains, but also keeps you out of a foreign jail cell?