Review and Giveaway of Iconic Guides

You just arrived at this monumental ancient place you’ve been dying to go for a long time.  You take the tour, like everyone else is doing, and after walking around its most important spaces and seeing its most important features you feel like you want more out of it.  You hunger for more information and wish you could have it accessible.  Guidebooks can help as this source of information, but who want to carry a heavy guidebook and read while they’re exploring such magnificent space?

I’m sure you’ve been in this position before, right?  So did Benedict Davies when he came up with an interesting idea that integrates technology with ancient knowledge.  That’s when he created Iconic Guides – easy to use audio guides in the form of .mp3 files that are supported by any .mp3 player/iPod.

Out with the heavy guidebook, in with the .mp3 audio guides

Today, it’s almost by default that we all travel with our iPods/iPhones/players.  So, why not use them as an intrinsic part of our travels that goes beyond entertainment?  That’s precisely what Iconic Guide does.  It turns your iPod into your personal “guidebook”.

Recently Benedict provided me with two audio guides for The Acropolis and Deir el-Bahari.  After carefully listening to them, I must say that I was impressed with the high quality of this product.  So, this is my take on it:

What does Iconic Guides covers?

Iconic Guides currently covers many sights in Egypt, Greece, and Japan.  It provides independent travelers with insightful, accurate, and up to date commentaries of these ancient civilizations and destinations.  Each audio covers the historic, artistic, architectural, and contextual information, among others.  In the near future, Iconic Guides will expand its collection to include Rome, Turkey, and the Mayan and Aztec Empires in Mesoamerica, among others.

Who makes Iconic Guides?

A team of historians led by Benedict Davies makes Iconic Guides.  Not only they are historians, but they are travelers too.  As travelers, they make their best to deliver what independent travelers look for in these ancient destinations.

How is it structured?

Deir el-Bahari Plan. Courtesy of Iconic Guides

When it comes to flexibility and ease of use, Iconic Guide excels on it.  The audios can be obtained per single sight or in bundles.  Each audio is of high quality and the narration is easy to understand.  Listen to an audio preview.

I liked how easy it is to create an image based on the narration.  This was a key factor for me since I was listening to the audios on my apartment, not The Acropolis or Deir el-Bahari.  So, imagine how helpful they can be when you’re actually at the destination.

Each destination audio guide is divided into small audio chapters that range from 1 to 5 minutes in duration, giving you precise, yet not too complex, information for every single important space.  Each chapter is referenced with a number on a .pdf map that can be printed or simply displayed on the screen of your iPod/iPhone; helping you navigate and understand the place in a logical sequence.

What is its biggest benefit?

Having the flexibility to listen to the audio commentaries without having to rely on a traditional guidebook each time you wanted to look up for something is its biggest benefit.

Another advantage to the audio guide is that it remains yours to keep – you can listen to it before, during, and after you visit these places – something you can’t do if you’re part of a traditional audio tour group.

How much does it cost?

While prices vary depending on the destination and the audio packages, one thing that is sure is that Iconic Guides is a cheaper and more flexible alternative to joining a traditional audio tour group or, more importantly, hiring a local guide.  Prices range from £2.99 for single destinations to £13.99 for bundles (these include a substantial amount of audios).

A personal recommendation…

My only recommendation is based on the size of their collection.  In the future I would love to see more iconic destinations from around the world (which I know they are working on).

So, go ahead and explore the ancient world in an innovative way with Iconic Guides.

Let us know… Do you use audio guides when you visit attractions?  Have they enhanced your experience?

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Giveaway – Would you like to have a set of audio guides for your next trip to Egypt.

Benedict has offered to giveaway to one of my readers a set of 6 FREE audio guides to Egypt!

How could you win it?  Simple…

Leave a comment below, tweet this post, and “like” GloboTreks and the post on Facebook.  And voila, you’re in!  A winner will be randomly selected by September 27, 2010.

Also, in the near future Iconic Guides will be hosting a more comprehensive competition with bigger prizes.  So, stay tuned for more information on it.

Have fun and good luck!

Update:  The lucky recipient of the Iconic Guides Giveaway is Nancie from Budget Travelers Sandbox.  Congratulations!!

Note: there are no affiliate links on this post nor was there any monetary compensation for my opinion.