Fodor has new pocket guidebook series

NEW YORK -- Fodor's Travel Publications is out with a new series of compact books called Fodor's In Focus guides.

The $10.95 pocket-size paperbacks measure just over 4 by 7 inches and are under 200 pages -- perfect for tucking into a purse or for those who like to travel light.

The series debuted in December. Books out this winter are guides to Aruba; Los Cabos, Mexico; Puerto Rico; Savannah, Ga., and Charleston, S.C. (both cities are covered in one guide); the Bahamas; and Bermuda.

The books list options for a variety of budgets and interests, including must-see sights and local secrets, along with reader recommendations from Fodors.com.

The guides start with a quick list of "Top 5" attractions. The Bermuda list recommends the side streets and maze of back alleys in the town of St. George's; the Dockyard's Maritime Museum; the Bermuda Aquarium, Museum & Zoo; the Crystal Caves, and the Paget Marsh nature reserve.

Just remember that the island known for pink sand and green golf courses is not in the Caribbean - Bermuda is much farther north, about 570 miles east of North Carolina and just 700 miles south of New York City. That means the plane trip is a quick hop from cities in the Northeast and mid-Atlantic, but the weather is mild, not tropical.

The Fodor's guide says high season in Bermuda is April-October, with summer temperatures as high as 90 degrees, but winter temperatures range from 55 to 70 degrees - perfect for golf and tennis but probably too cool for most visitors to be tempted to swim in the ocean.

Fodor's also recently announced a deal to deliver its content for free to mobile users with AskMeNow, a mobile search company. AskMeNow allows users to text a question or search term to A-S-K-M-E (27563) and get a response not unlike what you might find if you were searching the Internet. The Fodor's affiliation means that answers to travel-related questions may be drawn from Fodor's material.

AskMeNow does not charge for the searches, although regular message and texting rates apply. Some carriers add a charge, but users will be asked first to OK the charge before proceeding.