Frequently asked Questions (FAQs)

In 1982 we published our first guidebook, The Rough Guide to Greece and since then we’ve become an authority in travel worldwide. In 2017, Rough Guides was acquired by APA and in 2018, we launched a travel marketplace to connect travelers directly with local tour operators across the world.

Rough Guides is a trading name by APA Digital AG, a Swiss registered media company.

TAILOR-MADE TRIPS WITH ROUGH GUIDES

What is a tailor-made trip?

Just like the name suggests, a tailor-made trip is one based on your preferences, wishes and comments.

Here’s how it works: You select your travel dates, route, type of accommodation and so on, then a local expert, armed with excellent travel supplier relationships all over their native country, creates the ideal itinerary for you.

You can then book this itinerary straight away with your local expert, or tweak it further until you’re ready to book.

Who are the local travel agents?

The local experts work for carefully selected tour operators in your chosen destination. The Rough Guides team have handpicked each company and implemented strict quality standards to ensure a consistently high service, no matter the destination.

The Rough Guides platform facilitates the contact between you, the traveler, and the local tour operator. The booking contract will be entered into by you and the local tour operator, according to the terms and conditions of the tour operator.

What kind of trips can I book?

Every destination is different. Iceland is the ideal country for self-drive itineraries in a rental car, while a typical itinerary in Sri Lanka includes a private driver guide. Some countries do not charge a steep single supplement for solo travelers, while others do.

Simply fill in the form here or have a look at our highlight trips published in each destination tab to explore offers and find a trip that’s just right for you.

Where can I travel to tailor-made?

With Rough Guides Tailor-Made Travel, over 70 destinations are at your fingertips. From Argentina to Costa Rica, Italy to Iceland, or Sri Lanka to Vietnam – select your destination at the start of your enquiry.

In case your desired destination is not included, feel free to email us at trips@roughguides.com and let us know.

What are the payment and cancellation policies?

Each local travel expert will detail their payment and cancellation policies before enabling you to put down a deposit for your trip.

The deposit usually varies between 20 - 40%, with the remaining balance due around 75 days before your trip. However, as each trip is different, these policies may vary greatly so don’t hesitate to get in touch with your local expert to find out more.

Do you offer international flights?

Our local experts can book local flights as part of your itinerary, but given the number of different options available for international flights we recommend you book these on your own.

How do I get in touch for tailor-made trips?

Simply fill in the short form here to send us your details and preferences about your upcoming trip. One of our Rough Guides Travel Team members will then get in touch before connecting you directly with your personal local expert to quote your trip.

Who can I contact for other questions about tailor-made trips?

Our Travel Team is happy to hear from you for any travel- or book-related questions. Please email trips@roughguides.com with your enquiry.

ROUGH GUIDES BOOKS AND EBOOKS

How can I find a specific guidebook?

If you know the title of a book you are looking for, the best way to find it is to type the title in the search bar at the top of the online shop webpage.

You can also use filters at the top of the product listing page to find your book by country, series and format (printed or ebook).

Which ebook formats are available?

Our ebooks are available in epub format, the most widely supported eBook. Epub files can be read on a variety of devices, including computers, smartphones, tablets, and most eReaders including Kindle devices. To read an ePub format ebook, you need to install an ePub reader on your device.

Here are some options for epub readers for different devices:

How can I download my ebook after purchase?

After you purchased an ebook, you will receive an order confirmation email and a separate email with a download link for your ebook. This link is valid for 3 days.

After this period, you can log in to your account and download the ebook (not a complementary free-ebook) from your order list in the section "My Shop Orders".

To download complementary free ebook, you got with printed book: go to https://shop.roughguides.com/free-ebook and fill the form. Once you have entered the unique code, you will automatically see the corresponding ebook. Follow the steps shown on the screen. After that you will receive an email with free ebook version and you will be able to access your ebook files at all times by logging into your account on www.roughguides.com and visiting the Shop Orders tab.

Please note: The ebooks available to purchase from Rough Guides online bookshop are typically anywhere between 30MB and 120MB. We recommend that you download your ebook over WiFi or check your data allowance with your mobile network provider to ensure it is sufficient.

How can I buy a printed book or ebook in the Rough Guides shop?

Here is a quick step-by-step guide to show you how to place an order via our online shop:

  1. Choose your desired item on the listing page or detail page and click "Add to cart" or "Buy now".
  2. From your cart Cart or after you click ‘Buy Now’ you can proceed to the checkout.
  3. Log in or create an account, then enter your delivery and billing address, select your delivery method and payment method and review your order.
  4. After payment, you will receive an order confirmation email, and if you bought an ebook a download email, or if you bought a printed book a delivery notification after your order is dispatched.

Which payment options can I use in the Rough Guides Shop?

You can pay with credit card: Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and via PayPal.

To which countries do you ship printed books?

Currently, we ship printed books to delivery addresses in the following locations

  • United Kingdom and Northern Ireland
  • USA (except Pennsylvania, Indiana, Mississippi, Tennessee and Oregon)

We are working to add more countries to ship printed books.

If you would like to order a book outside these locations: most of our guidebooks are available as ebooks, which we deliver worldwide by email.

How long will it take to receive my order from the Rough Guides Shop?

If you’ve ordered an ebook, it will be delivered to you via email immediately after your purchase.

For printed book orders, we offer DPD next day delivery in the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland and standard (2-8 days), priority (1-3 days) delivery options in the USA.

Please be aware that the delivery times are based on when your item was dispatched and not when you ordered your item. Unless stated otherwise, we intend to send items on the next available business day.

Currently we do not provide a tracking number for your order.

How much does it cost to ship my order from the Rough Guides Shop?

If you ordered an ebook, it will be delivered by email without any cost.

For printed books please see in the tables below which shipping costs apply to your order. Orders with both more than 3 printed books and an order value above 50 GBP or USD receive free shipping.

United Kingdom and Northern Ireland

USA

Where can I find my orders in the Rough Guides shop?

The first option is the section "My Shop Orders" in your account. When you place an order in the Rough Guides online shop, you create an account. Here you can access your order information such as order number, items ordered, see your delivery status and download your ebooks.

A second option is your order confirmation email. After your purchase you will receive an order confirmation email with your order number, your order details and a link to your order in your account. This email also includes download links for ebooks in case you bought any.

How can I return items purchased from the Rough Guides Shop?

1. Return of printed books

A. Damaged items

In case you received a defective or damaged item(s), please do the following so we can help you quickly

  • take pictures of the damage / the damaged parcel
  • send an email to our support team at "mail@roughguides.com" with the subject "Return damaged book"
  • include your order number and invoice number
  • if you live in the UK, also include the despatch note number from the document inside your parcel
  • please also state if you would like to receive a replacement or a refund

B. Changing your mind

You have the right to return your purchased item(s) within the period of 14 days from the date you received your product, during which time you can change your mind and receive a refund. Please note that this does not apply to digital products.

To process your return please contact us at mail@roughguides.com within the 14-day period and provide your order details, specifically your order number. Please be aware, if you do want to return an item, you will need to cover the cost of return postage. Your refund will be processed by the same method as your original payment after receiving your returned items.

We cannot refund any credit card fees or import duties.

As we cannot process your refund if we haven’t received your item(s), please keep the proof of your postage in the unlikely event any problems arise during the returns process.

2. Return of ebooks

You can return your ebook ONLY if it’s defective.

First, check if your ebook is defective.

For other issues such as your ebook

  • does not show the content correctly
  • is the wrong title, series, edition

please send an email to our team at "mail@roughguides.com" with the subject "Ebook issues". Include a screenshot and your order number to help us understand what is wrong. We will be in touch for a refund or replacement.

How can I contact Rough Guides about a shop order?

You can contact our shop team at "mail@roughguides.com".

To help our team reply faster, please copy and use one of the following email subject lines:

  • "Book shop: orders, shipping, returns"
  • "Website: general usage and technical problems"
  • "Guide books: corrections and other questions"
  • "Tailor-made travel"

Also please provide as much information as possible about your issue, including your full name, order items and order number. The team will get back to you as soon as possible.

General Rough Guides shop and guidebooks information

How often are the Rough Guides’ new editions released?

In the wake of Covid-19 and its impact on the travel industry as a whole, we remain flexible with our upcoming publishing schedule. We can confirm upcoming editions for the next six months, so feel free to reach out to mail@roughguides.com with the subject "New releases" to hear more.

I want my business to be listed in your guidebook or on your website

All listings in our guidebooks, and on the website, are compiled by the personal recommendations of the authors. We cannot guarantee your business will be listed. In case your business is listed we will not charge for the inclusion in our travel guides.

You are welcome to send your details to mail@roughguides.com with the subject "Rough Guides listing" and we will share these with the authors who will be in touch directly in case they are interested.

I found an error in a book / your online content

Would you like to report an error in one of our books or in our web content? Awesome! We work hard to ensure our guides are accurate, and appreciate you helping us with fixing the errors we missed.

To report an error inside a printed guidebook, please send an email to our support team at "mail@roughguides.com" with the subject "Book correction". In your email, please include the book title, edition or ISBN and page number, plus your correction.

To report an error in our content, please send an email to our support team at "mail@roughguides.com" with the Subject "Correction for online content". Please include the URL and a screenshot of the error, plus a description how to fix it.

Free ebook with purchase of a printed book

We offer a free complimentary ebook with the purchase of our print copies since start of 2019. Every print copy includes a unique download code that can be entered on www.roughguides.com/free-ebook

To download complementary free ebook, you got with printed book: go to https://shop.roughguides.com/free-ebook and fill the form. Once you have entered the unique code, you will automatically see the corresponding ebook. Follow the steps shown on the screen. After that you will receive an email with free ebook version and you will be able to access your ebook files at all times by logging into your account on www.roughguides.com and visiting the Shop Orders tab. If you have any trouble accessing your ebook, please email us at mail@roughguides.com with the subject "Free ebook issues".

ROUGH GUIDES PERSONALIZED EDITIONS

Which guides can I personalize?

We offer Rough Guides coffee table books for personalization only. You can find the full list of them at www.gifts.roughguides.com.

Which formats of personalized editions are available?

We offer print editions of personalized books only. Each book has dimensions 216x279mm, and is individually and professionally printed on premium high-quality FSC® certified coated paper with full-colour imagery, endpapers and hardcover with matt lamination.

How does personalization works?

First, you fill in the personalization form dedicated to each personalization title and provide us with your personalized elements for the cover, your picture on the title page, your dedication or personal introduction and your text for the back cover. Please mind your text will be proofread for spelling errors only. We won’t change your style or your sentences at all.

After the personalization form, you will continue to checkout and after the payment is processed you will receive a few email notifications: Order Confirmation, Your book is being printed and Your Book is on the way! Please note that once we have started printing your book, no further changes will be possible.

How long does it take to get my personalized edition?

The production process is split into 3 stages with the estimated times provided below:

  • Order check and personalization of your book - approximately 3 working days
  • Printing of your book - approximately 5-8 working days
  • Delivery - depending on the country and shipping option selected - 6-13 working days

Can I see my personalized edition before it is shipped to me?

Currently, we don’t offer a preview option for your customized book just yet, but you can have a look at some samples that have already been personalized here:

To which countries do you ship personalized editions?

Currently, we ship personalized editions to delivery addresses in the following locations

  • The United Kingdom and Northern Ireland
  • USA (except Pennsylvania, Indiana, Mississippi, Tennessee and Oregon)

We are working on adding more countries to ship printed books.

How much does it cost to ship my personalized edition to me?

We offer the following delivery options at the prices listed below:

The United Kingdom and Northern Ireland

  • Non-trackable priority mail: £5.51; 7-8 days
  • Trackable express delivery: £10.70; 5-6 days

USA

  • Trackable expedited shipping: $12.94; 9-11 days
  • Trackable express shipping: $20.94; 7-8 days

Where can I find my orders for personalized editions in the Rough Guides shop?

You can see it in the following eMails sent to you only:

  • Order confirmation,
  • Your book is being printed
  • Your book is on the way!

How can I return my personalized edition?

Once you sent the order, you have a 2 days cooling off period in which you can cancel your order. After the 2 days cooling off period, the order can be cancelled under the following circumstances:

  • If we have failed to deliver the personalized edition within 50 days after the date you placed the order;
  • In the case of a faulty personalized edition at the earliest opportunity after you have discovered the fault or defect (provided that you shall be deemed to have inspected the personalized edition as soon as reasonably practicable after delivery and in no case longer than 14 days after receiving the product).

Can I change my personalized pages before the personalized edition is shipped to me?

If you would like to change some elements from your personalization form, please contact us as soon as possible at mail@roughguides.com providing the order number, your name and the email address you provided in the personalization form. No changes will be accepted after you receive the mail with information that we started to print your personalized edition.

I want to collaborate with Rough Guides

If you are looking for a commercial collaboration such as bespoke publishing and content creation, brand partnerships, sponsored content, please visit our commercial trade website for case studies, collaboration opportunities and offers.

Working with Rough Guides

We’re delighted to hear that! Follow us on LinkedIn for the latest job offers and company updates.

I want to collaborate with Rough Guides

If you are looking for a commercial collaboration such as bespoke publishing and content creation, brand partnerships, sponsored content, please visit our commercial trade website for case studies, collaboration opportunities and offers.

Working with Rough Guides

We’re delighted to hear that! Follow us on LinkedIn for the latest job offers and company updates.

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updated 11/8/2021
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