Books forum

Hi Carla,

I'd lean towards the Rough Guides for their sheer readability. The new LP for Laos recently finished their research, so if you're not heading to Laos till second half of the year, that could be worth waiting for.

The footprint to Laos is also pretty good.

Thanks for the reactions already.

At the moment I use a LP (Australia & New Zealand on a shoestring), and I definitely don't recommend 'on a shoestring' guides. I thought it would be handy, 2 LP's in one, focused on the budget, and I supposed that it had less pages because it skipped all the luxury parts, and maybe in general a bit less comprehensive.
But in stead, they just skip total parts of the country. When you go a bit off the 'normal track' they don't even mention it! Esperance for example, most beautiful beaches and National Parks I've seen here in West-Australia, not one word about it!
So therefore I'm maybe a bit disappointed now in LP, as I didn't know and expected that before I bought it.

But the 'normal' LP's are probably better at that point, and they have a easy layout to find something quick. On the other side, the Rough Guide seems nicer to just read sitting on a bus, preparing for all what's coming.

But maybe I'm making a too big point about it, it's just a guide, not a bible, that's true.

Having lived in Thailand for 6 years I see 90% of travellers toting LP. I tend to ask people what they think of the book and the responses are overwhelmingly negative. I have used them a couple times for trips to other asian countries and personally found them out of date and/or otherwise lacking. I used to prefer RG, but recently I've found Fodors has become really good (although i have good reason to be biased, the new versions are waaaay better for people on all budgets)

I've bought the Rough Guide yesterday.

First I decided I didn't want the LP, and the 2 alternatives for me were Footprint or Rough Guide.
I liked the Footprint at first, but it lacked information on how to get to places. For Ko Samui for example it just recommended to take the plane, because that was easy and not so expensive. Uhh, and what if I want to take the bus/ferry? No information about that.

But I'm happy with the Rough Guide, thanks for the advice!

Posted from within Vietnam.

Kittenpooh, you have a good point, but you can find a travel guide that is more to Your taste. I like Rough Guide, because the format is easier to read and they really show you how to arrange your own trips to save money, and they have told about things that I would not have found out on my own.

I like guidebooks as long as they are used in the right way. I use maps in guidebooks even in cities I know reasonably. For cities I don't know they are good for orientation.

Reviews are old (written 1-1.5 years before publication at least) and it's just one person's opinion. When you meet the people who write for LP for example, more than likely you don't feel the overwhelming urge to believe everything they say.

The books are good for busride/crapper reading though.

Up to date info on lodging etc is much easier to find online, featuring multiple voices.

'sheeed

I thing LP have changed due to their corporate structure now. But they have been a very valuable source of info for me. It is easy to grab your book and read up on a place you may not know or have directions to places around you. I want to get to a particular island that is in the book? The information has always steared me right or led me to the source of the answer. The maps are helpful. Check out a place online such as travelfish and make notes in your LP or rough guide. No matter which one you have, it can be helpful and a good place to store your travel notes. I really want maps with me though and it is easier to have them in a guide. But I would never judge people by their travel as I watch others go "look, it's a Lonely Planet type". That just baffles me. I am just happy that someone else wants to experience something great also. Books are a valuable resource of information to add to your eyes and ears.

Just went to the book store to get some guides for my upcoming s/e asia trip.

I compared Rough Guide and Lonely Planet and decided to go with Lonely Planet

(1) because it seemed easier to use and,
more importantly, (2) the Rough Guide seemed really cheaply made, the pages felt like poor toilet tissue that wouldn't hold up well on the road or if it got a bit wet. Lonely Planet seemed a lot sturdier and was generally easier to find information and flick to that page.

Travelfish is an excellent resource, I am going to add notes/print off stuff from this site in addition.

I think it depends on your needs...

A guide book is great for information on where to go, how to get there, and what to do.
They are all inevitably less good on where to stay and eat for obvious reasons. In those decisons you might well be best to simply follow your nose.
The original "Yellow Bible" by Tony Wheeler had limited information on such things and was a very good guide as a result as it made you do your own looking.

As things currently stand my personal preferences are - this site and;
If you are just in a big city try the Time Out guides.
If you are visiting the major destinations then Footprint guides are very good.
If you are travelling around a bit more then I prefer the Rough Guide to LP. It just seems willing to cater to a broader range of tastes than LP.

Posted from within Vietnam.

Hello,

Beside Lonely planet or others book, you can trust in Tripadvisor - an necessary place to come of travelers.

Pay attention in top ten from 1 to 5 best rate, and read carefully their comments. Travelers who experiencing either a bad or a good trip, usually share their feedback to friends all walk of lives.

I myself found our great guide through them :d Good luck to you.