There are a plethora of travel resources out there. Many of which are repetitive lists of "Top 5 This" and "Must Do Thats", which list the same repeated places with little or no context. There is some really worthwhile stuff out there, but it can be hard to find through the algorithmic swamps.
Below are some in depth resources I've come across over the years, that have proved interesting, reliable, and added to the experience of travelling, be it in the planning stages, or on the ground.
General
Trains.
For anywhere with trains as a travel option, it's hard to go past The Man In Seat 61 website as a guide.
India
Books
Blue Guide India, by Sam Miller.
A comprehensive guide to cultural sites across India, with some welcome reliable comparative writing. When the author rates a site highly, they mean it. This is also available for purchase broken down into Regions of India, so you can be specific if you're not travelling widely.
India: A Sacred Geography, by Diana L Eck.
A wonderful way to untangle the plethora of Hindu gods, their various manifestations, and India's multitude of sacred places. Why are certain temples or sites where they are, what links them, and explanations of why you're seeing what you are in various temples. It can be read as a whole of course, but it's also surprisingly useful as a specific regional guide, given it's dual emphasis on geography
Two books on Indian temple architecture, particularly South India, both available as ebooks.
Southern India; A Guide to Monuments, Sites & Museums, by George Michell
Hindu Temples Of South India, by David Raezer & Jennifer Raezer
History
There are a mass of books about Indian history, especially anything to to with the Raj. However a couple of more localised books if you're travelling in those regions would be;
Coramandel, by Charles Allen. A history of the southern parts of the subcontinent.
India in the Persianate Age, by Richard M Eaton. Particularly interesting if you're heading to Mandu, Bihar, Bijapur and or Hyderabad
Web
A nice site devoted to Tamil Nadu temples, with both some practical info, and photos.
South East Asia
There's a real dearth of more specialist information on the countries of South East Asia, especially if your interests go beyond lying around on beaches. The exception being histories of the Vietnam war, but that is a fairly niche area for travellers fifty years on.
Unfortunately the Footprint Guides, which in my opinion gave the best & most comprehensive balance of places of interest with practical details, for most countries in Asia, are no longer in print. There is a successor website, focused on South America, but some elements live on via Bradt Guides at
Web
Still a reliable independent site, but more so if your taste runs to beaches, diving, trekking & home stays.
A pretty comprehensive website about every, and I mean every, Khmer site
A useful website for Vietnam travel
Books
Cambodia
Angkor & the Khmer Civilisation, by Michael D Coe & Damian Evans
A very readable book for anyone visiting Khmer sites in Cambodia
Burma
The River Of Lost Footsteps, by Thant Myint-U
General Overviews - Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia
Mekong, by Milton Osborne
Published quite some time ago but still a great introduction to the history of countries bordering the Mekong River. Unfortunately the environmental issues he foreshadows have only gotten worse with time.
Japan
Books
Japan, by Steve Wide & Michelle Mackintosh
Though not laid out as a traditional guidebook, and all the better for it, a great resource on travelling, and planning, in Japan.
Web
Japan has by far the most useful official websites I've come across in Asia. Particularly the Prefectural or Regional websites have a wealth of useful tourist information
Google Translate - https://translate.google.com/
Nowhere else in Asia that I've been to has this app been so vital, specifically when it comes to food, menus & ordering
Sri Lanka
Elephant Complex, by John Gillette
A personal travelogue that really does capture many of the quirks & dark history of this complex country
Food - Some general research comments.
Tripadvisor may have it's uses for hotels, but I've found it a recipe for disappointment (pun intended) when it comes to eating recommendations. Heavily weighted to a Eurocentric & US review base it's a good way to eat toned down, over priced, and tokenistic local cuisine.
Using Google Maps to zoom in and check eating reviews near where I'm staying has proved a much better bet. Not necessarily in obsessively comparing scores, but in figuring out which places to avoid, according to a much more local reviewer base, and also often mentioning what a place specialises in.
Tourists, Kyoto
Tourists, Siem Reap
Film Crew, Koh Chang, 1991
