What the e-reader is doing to revolutionize reading on-the-go, downloadable guides are now doing for the traveler. There are many good travel guides on the market, and now you can download most of them before you travel.

One series I’ve always loved (they are smart, witty, and oh so chic) are the Luxe City Guides, which are now available as Luxe City Guides Mobile. This is an app to download to your iPad, iPhone, BlackBerry and many other handheld devices. It’s also worth noting that each app comes with maps as well!

While the company has always provided updates that you could download from your computer, the mobile guides update themselves automatically, which is a great perk. You can also download a free starter app to see potential selections and watch a demo on their website before you buy.

The design of these incredibly chic, accordion-folded, pocket-size guides is as luxe as the information they offer. Not your grandma’s travel guides, these will tell you everything you want—and really need—to know about 31 cities around the world from Paris to Phuket. Not only are they updated each year but Luxe City Guides also offer monthly online updates so that you can be certain the information you’re getting is the hottest, newest, and trendiest there is.

In addition to keeping you in the know about hotels, restaurants, clubs, and shops, they also include practical advice delivered with wit and just the right degree of “attitude.” Here are a few tidbits:

LONDON: “On a budget? Don’t come to London!” “Clued-in Londoners hit bars, restaurants, and clubs on weekdays; weekends in town can get very skanky.”

BERLIN: “On footpaths, keep a peeper out for cyclists and stay out of their way or you could get a verbal bashing.” “Smaller shops and restaurants are often cash only.”

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Most of us have been consulting Zagat’s restaurant guides for years, but not everyone knows that Zagat also rates airlines. The 2009 Zagat Airline Survey was released at the end of October and the results are available for viewing on the Zagat web site.

Almost 6000 frequent flyers (who flew an average of 16 times in the past year) rated both domestic and international carriers as well as 30 domestic airports for various criteria including premium and economy seating, in-flight entertainment, baggage policy, and on-time estimates. Perhaps not surprisingly, it was the newer, smaller carriers such as Virgin America, Midwest, and JetBlue that got some of the highest domestic ratings, and Singapore got the top score for international carriers.

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