Getting ripped off in a foreign country is a tourist's biggest grievance, according to research by the AA.

Taking a taxi from the airport to a hotel is usually a tourist's first experience of a destination, but it can often leave a bad taste in the mouth. Taxi touts and conmen are rife but armed with the right fare tariffs and some confidence, tourists can get a fair rate.

In producing its new Key Guides series, the AA conducted extensive research into what travellers really want from guidebooks. Accurate information and real prices are top of the wish-list.

The Key Guides aim to give exact costs of everything from hotel rooms and taxi fares to metro tickets and cups of coffee.

Stephen Mesquita, general manager at AA Publishing, said: "Although the boundaries to travel have broadened enormously in the last decade, tourists still want some security and reassurance when travelling. This was particularly evident when investigating attitudes to spending money on holiday.

"Our research revealed that people don't like nasty surprises when it comes to paying at a hotel, restaurant or for a taxi. They want to know in advance how much things should cost."

Key Guides are packed with information, maps and colour photographs.

As well as providing extensive listings on things to do and places to eat and stay the unique plastic dividers make finding things quick and easy.

The first six countries covered by the guides are the UK, Spain, Italy, Canada, France and the USA.

The AA chose a number of everyday items travellers were most likely to purchase on their trip to help illustrate the cost of living:

A takeaway sandwich is most expensive, but perhaps the biggest, in New York at £3.38 while in Spain and France it would cost from £1.46. In the UK it would cost about £2.50.

A half litre bottle of mineral water would cost about £1 in the UK, 27p in Spain, 13p in France but £1.23 in the USA.

For cheap beer head to Canada where it costs £1.03 for half a litre. In France it costs £1.23, in the UK a pint costs £2.20 but in the USA costs £3.38.

It will cost most to get around in a hire car in the UK at 78p per litre of unleaded petrol, while in the USA it is only 25p and in Canada 32p.

Recording your holiday moments will be cheapest in Canada where a 36-exposure camera film costs between £2.06 and £2.47. Elsewhere film is expensive costing up to £5.33 in France and £4.50 in the USA.

A smoking habit will cost the most in the UK at £4.80 for 20 cigarettes, 44p more than the USA. In Italy it will only set you back £1.66.

A glass of house wine at a restaurant is most expensive in the USA at £5.63, but in France it's about £1.23 and in Italy can be as little as 55p.

City guides for Barcelona, London, New York, Paris and Rome are £14.99 while country guides are £16.99. They are available from www.theAA.com/bookshop and high street bookshops.

Going on a long trip?

How to avoid tiredness:

Carry out any packing of the car the night before you travel: that way you will begin the journey in a more relaxed frame of mind. Get a good night's sleep before setting off on a long trip and make sure you are properly awake before leaving.

Try to avoid setting off during the "post-lunch" dip. It is also advisable not to set off after a full day at work.

Don't drive at night if you can avoid it. Biological clocks encourage most people to be awake in the daytime and to sleep at night.

Plan long trips carefully so you allow plenty of stopping off points where you can relax and maybe have some food and drink. Heavy meals and certain foods, such as turkey, warm milk and bananas, induce sleep.

Don't be embarrassed to pull over and take a nap once you have stopped some-where safe. Two cups of coffee followed by a 15-minute nap is the best tonic until you get proper sleep.

Plan to stop, or swap drivers, every couple of hours. Getting out and walking only has a limited effect.

Two hours continuous driving is the maximum recommended by RAC Risk Management. Don't drive more than 8-10 hours in a day.

Even though sleep related accidents can occur after just a short period behind the wheel, drivers don't suddenly fall asleep with no warning they always have a noticeable feeling of sleepiness beforehand. The most frequent visible characteristic of driver sleepiness is drifting between lanes.

Set the ventilation controls so they draw in cold, fresh air. Aim the air at your face. Winding down your car windows is not as effective and neither action will have a direct result on tiredness.

The hum of white noise from an engine can lull you to sleep. Irregular or variable sounds, such as conversation, help stimulate alertness.