Frequently Asked Questions
Can my travel update be shipped earlier than my trip date?
Yes, you can go to your order page and click 'mail travel update now'. The travel update will be sent to the printer at that point and takes two days to print.
Why is my travel update mailed to me so shortly before my trip?
Just before the travel update gets printed, we pull the latest updates on events, weather, exchange rates and more for your destination, so the travel update has the latest and greatest for the trip. However, you can choose to have your travel update printed and shipped any time after you ordered it.
How long does it take to print my travel update?
The travel update printing process takes two business days.
How long does it take to ship my travel update?
This depends on the shipping method you choose and the country you live in. Medial Mail (within the US) is the best deal but takes the longest, between 7 and 10 business days. International First Class can take between 6 and 9 business days. International Express Shipping and US Ground Service will take between 3 and 5 business days.
Where can I track my shipment?
Your package/tracking number is listed on the right of your order page. However, not all shipping methods offer electronic tracking.
How do I contact someone?
For Customer Service questions, please contact us at product@offbeatguides.com
How many days does it take for the travel update to arrive?
You should receive your travel update two to three days before your trip. If you want it sooner, however, there is a link with the option ‘send to the printer now.’
What are the dimensions of the travel update book?
The printed travel updates measure 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 inches, which makes them very portable! The PDFs are A4, slightly smaller than a normal 8 1/2 x 11 inch piece of paper.
How many pages do the travel update books have?
The number of pages in a travel update depends on the destination. Well traveled cities tend to be larger, while smaller, more obscure destinations tend to be shorter. On average, travel updatebooks are 100 to 150 pages.
How up-to-date is the information in your travel updates?
The information is up-to-the-minute and is constantly being updated.
What should I put in the "where are you staying" step?
You can either enter your hotel name or the address of where you’re staying. By giving us this information, we can generate maps that are centered around your precise location.
What if I don't know where I'm staying?
This is an optional step so you can skip it and we will generate general, citywide maps for you.
I never got an email when I signed up/requested my password!
Try checking your spam or junk mail folder. We've tested our email system with all the major providers, however, it's possible some of our email may still be getting flagged as spam! If you find that our emails are getting tagged as spam, or you're not getting them at all, please let us know!
What browsers do you support?
We don’t know of any compatibility issues with any modern browsers. That means that we work with IE6, IE7, Firefox 2, Firefox 3, Safari, and Opera. If you experience trouble with your browser please tell us about it by visiting our Get Satisfaction page.
Where does your travel update information come from?
We pull our information from dozens of locations and we're continuing to add more. Sources include Wikitravel, Wikipedia, Yahoo Finance, AccuWeather, Google Maps, and Eventful. If you run a site and would like to have your information included in our travel updates, please drop us a line at partners@offbeatguides.com. We're especially looking for folks who have really interesting live event information for cities or regions. It doesn't have to be worldwide to be worthwhile!
What if you don't have a travel update for my destination?
If we don't have enough information to build a quality travel update, we will inform you of this and actually advise you against building it. If you couldn’t build a travel update, let us know and we will research your destination. You can also go to sites like Wikipedia or Wikitravel and add information about your hometown, or other places that you know.
I'm interested in contributing to your travel updates. How do I apply?
If you're interested in writing for us, please email recruitingauthors@offbeatguides.com with your resume, two writing samples, and regions you have expertise in.
What is the Offbeat Guides Affilliate Program?
The Offbeat Guides Affilliate Program is designed to enable you to sell Offbeat Guides from your web site and to make a commission. For more information, see our Affilliate Program.
I've found an error in my travel update. How do I notify Offbeat Guides about it?
Tell us of any errors or feedback you may have about our travel updates by going to our Get Satisfaction page.
I'm seeing a lot of bugs.
Yow, sorry! That's very normal for beta and we're in our beta program! Please bear with us and send us feedback on our Get Satisfaction page. We're fixing bugs as fast as we can!
I'm having log in problems. What do I do?
First, try to get a password reset email at the "Forgot your password?" page. You should receive a new password shortly via email. If that doesn't work, please email product@offbeatguides.com and we will get back to you as soon as we can with a new reset password.