Are you going to a new city?
Things are always more interesting if you know what they are and why they're important. Try the city's tourist website or write a letter to their travel bureau asking for information. Then you can read about the city's history and landmarks so that instead of staring at a boring statue of some guy on a horse, you'll be admiring the statue of the legendary Erwin the Petulant, erected for his heroic role in the Battle of the Rampaging Goldfish.

Many cities have tourist information centers that provide not only fun trivia about the area, but also schedules, brochures of local attractions and lists of tours that can help you plan your visit. Even if you already know someone in the city who can show you around, a professional can add a detailed an accurate commentary to your trip.

Are you going to an art museum?
Look up the style or styles of art shown in the museum. Is it a modern art museum? Are they big on impressionists? Are they doing a huge exhibit on Van Gogh the week you're there? Ask the librarian at your local or school library if there are any full-color art books that you can borrow. Then you will find out firsthand the difference between seeing a great work on a page and looking at the actual paint that the artist touched.

If there is any one specific artist whom you like, try reading his or her biography before your trip to get some added perspective. Art museums usually only tell visitors the title of the work, the name of the artist and sometimes the date, so browse the museum's website or send an email asking about explanatory pamphlets or headphones that you can rent to get the full-detail audio tour. If you go for the headphones, ask how long the recording is and make sure you understand how to operate the system so that you spend your time enjoying the exhibits and not fumbling with your virtual guide.

Are you going to a natural history museum?
Science, natural history and anthropology museums are usually pretty good at providing easy-to-read texts and captions next to their displays. Therefore, you probably don't need to look as many things up before your trip. What you might want to do is visit the museum's website and check out its floor map to see which exhibits seem interesting. Most website might also tell you if there are any special exhibits or programs that will be there the same time that you are. If any one display really fires up your neurons, however, you should probably check the gift shop to see if they have a book or program that can tell you more about it.

Are you going to a park or other natural setting?
Even if you're only going to the beach, you can find books on the kinds of birds and plants that live nearby. Remember, a book entitled Seashore Wildlife of New Jersey probably won't do you much good if you're going to Baja California.

Are you going to another country?

If you don't already know the language, then you can probably pick up a few useful phrases in a learn-at-home lesson book or audio set. At the very least, you should know how to say please and thank you and how to ask for help in an emergency. ("Where's the bathroom?" is also a good one to know.)

Even if it's the same language, it might not be the same language. British visitors to the U.S. get very confused when Americans talk about haircuts with "bangs" instead of "fringe." In Mexico, "el camión" means "bus," but in Chile it means "truck." That can be useful if you're planning to take the 84-Q bus back to your hotel.

Are you going to be able to find your way back?
While you're picking out travel books for your trip, make sure to get a tourist map. Before you leave on your trip, try marking the location of your hotel and of all the sites that you want to visit. This will help you figure out the best way to get where you want to go and get the most out of your trip.