Lonely Planet guides - do you use them?

[Happy Dude]

I'm clearly of the same vintage as Rooflyer and JohnM. I have almost an identical collection right down to the editions. I too only use them to get upfront info when planning a trip (along with various online sources) but I take them for the ride too because I don't have a tablet. The country info/history/customs/food/etc sections are terrific reading anytime too. I make notes in them as I go (very handy for photo references later on) so I never throw them out even if I get a later version.

I've used plenty of other brands too and sometimes there can be specific books way more useful (eg Bryn Thomas' Trans-Siberia Railway). For a city, I like the DK books.

 

[Anna]

I prefer DK Eyewitness Guides to LP because they aren't stuck in that 1960s beatnik mindset of everyone being a budget traveller looking for full moon parties or the like. The DK guides are comparatively heavy though, and the range isn't as comprehensive as LP yet.

I'm another one who doesn't rely on printed guidebooks for accommodation or restaurant recommendations.

 

[seanpodge]

Last time I used on was nearly five years ago (Germany). The guide was $40ish for a book that was published at least 3 years before. I just took notes of the important parts and put it back on the shelf. Now as long as I'm going somewhere with wifi in the hotel, there's little need for a physical book at all. Combined with the strict weight restictions of many LCCs and I'm not shocked that they've quickly gone out of fashion.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

I prefer DK Eyewitness Guides to LP because they aren't stuck in that 1960s beatnik mindset of everyone being a budget traveller looking for full moon parties or the like. The DK guides are comparatively heavy though, and the range isn't as comprehensive as LP yet.

I'm another one who doesn't rely on printed guidebooks for accommodation or restaurant recommendations.

I too have outgrown the LP Guides.

Internet serves my pre-trip research needs, and even during-trip needs, though I might top this up with a pre-trip library trip to browse through LP, Rough Guide, Frommers and the like.

If I buy a guide it is the DK books as they have much better info on what you actually go to see, including their details attraction x-ray 3D plans, city & public transport maps etc.

I a particular trip does not feature major cities then the DK are not that useful..


PS...for those of my vintage, the other attraction of LP Guides in the early days was that there were full of humour, funny cartoons etc and were an amusing collection of a travelers "experience". They are a much drier read today.

 

[Happy Dude]

<snip>

PS...for those of my vintage, the other attraction of LP Guides in the early days was that there were full of humour, funny cartoons etc and were an amusing collection of a travelers "experience". They are a much drier read today.

This is my lament as well. I have a Greece edition that features a review of a hotel where the proprietor, who was named, was referred to as a 'sexual harasser' (or some such). Very bland nowadays by comparison, unfortunately.

 

[Warks]

I well recall my early days of backpacking Europe where almost everyone had a copy of "Let's Go Europe 1989" sticking out of their bag. As a result everywhere mentioned in there was packed with American college kids and the usual Commonwealth travellers. In those days LP was for the off the beaten track travel - they'd never stoop to places with water in toilets - so when it came to my African trek that followed on LP "Africa on a Shoestring" (or 'African in a G-string" as everyone called it) took over.

Fast forward 20 odd years and we just used LP's NZ guide to get around the South Island. Mind you, it was only a reference to look up places to see if there was anything of note there. I agree that much space is wasted on accommodation and fancy restaurants. The necessities like the supermarket and bakery would be more use. Internet access over a lot of the SI is pretty patchy so you can't rely on your device for info all the time so it comes in handy then. NZ is very low key about some of its attractions so we found a few things through it that we would not have otherwise.

Did use a digital guide for South Australia last year. Just printed out the relevant pages.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

This is my lament as well. I have a Greece edition that features a review of a hotel where the proprietor, who was named, was referred to as a 'sexual harasser' (or some such). Very bland nowadays by comparison, unfortunately.

The early guide on India was a riot to read I remember reading out sections to my then gf (now wife) because they were just so funny. When we then backpacked around India and Nepal for 10 weeks we then lived through many of these....

 

[shearsense]

ROFL. Mine are arranged stratigraphically, as you'd expect from a mining person . Older ones at the bottom, newer layers toward the top (mostly).

Probably lithified at the bottom by now

 

[JessicaTam]

For those who do use LP guides, I received an email today for "A (Not so) Secret (anymore) Sale". 50% off everything in their online store. SECRET50 is the promo code.

(And no, I am not affiliated with LP in any way)

 

[Warks]

For those who do use LP guides, I received an email today for "A (Not so) Secret (anymore) Sale". 50% off everything in their online store. SECRET50 is the promo code.

(And no, I am not affiliated with LP in any way)

Nice find. A lot of things were already 30% off but this takes them to 50% off.

 

[JohnM]

For those who do use LP guides, I received an email today for "A (Not so) Secret (anymore) Sale". 50% off everything in their online store. SECRET50 is the promo code.

(And no, I am not affiliated with LP in any way)

While it is a good promotion, if you buy less than about $60 worth, you have to pay for delivery. Book Depository base prices are consistently about 33% off LP Shop RRP and delivery is free.

 

[SoulFood]

They are one of the resources I consult pre-trip....but I don't love them like some do. Unless it's an online version, it's too bulky to carry around so it stays behind. Also a lot of the time the info is already out of date - even if you get the most recent version....it's just not dynamic. Personally I rely on online review websites like yelp/tripadvisor as first preference....then books like LP for additional info.

 

[Himeno]

Nope. Never have. Don't see a reason to.

 

[significance]

They used to be essential, but I hated how heavy they were in my luggage, and the restaurant reviews were always outdated. These days, I rely on Wikitravel and the like instead.

 

[Katie]

The LP New York City, Florida, and US East Coast latest editions, plus Boston and Washington in a pocket just arrived yesterday to add to my LP collection. I got them in the 30% off sale earlier in the week, if only I'd just waited a bit longer for the 50% off sale ....
I also got the eBook bundle for the NYC, Florida, and US East Coast books - got the eBook for free. They were handy to refer to on my iPad or iPhone on our December trip to Europe, though the maps not zooming in iBooks was a PITA.

 

[Skyring]

Not a big fan. Too "texty" for me. I prefer the more visual information displays of the DK Eyewitness guides. My wife just bought me the LP Italian Lakes book in preparation for an upcoming trip. Must have been cheaper than the DK version - that's how she works. Same as for flight selection, but luckily not for buying cars.

I used to have a shelf of these books, now, not so much. My last Barcelona trip I got the library copy and took it with me. An alternative is to wait until you are actually overseas and buy the same book, usually a LOT cheaper than here. Heathrow is a good place to buy them in transit.

The sections on transport and the map(s) are the most useful on the ground. Accommodation and restaurants, I use online review sites instead.

Nowadays, I'm even shying away from hotels in favour of AirBnB. A whole flat with kitchen and laundry for the price of a cramped hotel room.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

. An alternative is to wait until you are actually overseas and buy the same book, usually a LOT cheaper than here.
.

Or just by here from cheaply overseas. ie https://www.bookdepository.com/ etc. This way you get the cheap price plus can research your DKE in advance. And yes I often use library copies.

 

[Nick-]

I did some backpacking a few years back and the lonely planet guide was my south east asia bible. I visited a few "off the beaten track" locations, avoided being scammed and stayed away from the tiger temples and elephant camps instead choosing to visit nature camps and reserves instead. The books definitely helped me make a lot of right choices.

Now though, I tend to buy the smaller pocket sized books when visiting countries for 1-2 weeks. I don't see the point in buying the large bulky books unless planning for a trip over an extended period. I'm planning to visit Vietnam soon for 3 weeks so might be forced into another "bulky" purchase soon

All in all, their usefulness depends on the type of holiday you are after. They're great if travelling solo and for long periods. Otherwise, not so necessary.

 

[RooFlyer]

As an alternative to the bulky books I started buying the PDFs for phone/iPad to take around with me - but the colour schemes are horrible (lots of light blues which don't show up well in daylight) and very hard to quickly find a page or a site when you need to check something).

Now I photocopy relevant pages and leave the books at home or the hotel. Those are for weeks long trips, not the months-long wandering, which I'm definitely over!

 

[TheRealTMA]

As an alternative to the bulky books I started buying the PDFs for phone/iPad to take around with me - but the colour schemes are horrible (lots of light blues which don't show up well in daylight) and very hard to quickly find a page or a site when you need to check something).

Now I photocopy relevant pages and leave the books at home or the hotel. Those are for weeks long trips, not the months-long wandering, which I'm definitely over!

We used to do this and progressively throw away pages as we left and area. Now we scan the reverent pages to PDFs and send them to your Kindle (iPad app) and/or Google Drive, where we store all the other travel documents such as passport and credit card scans, bookings as PDFs and tickets etc.

Weve now given up up buying physical travel books where possible and now buy the Kindle versions from Amazon. Not all travel books are available but most of the major ones are, plus are wine and regional guides.