Guidebooks, or, how I learned to stop worrying and love tourist traps
Written by Jacinta Lodge
Today, if you don’t mind, I would like to start a discussion. Actually, what I’m doing is trying to pick the collective mind of Europe a la Carte readers, but don’t want to look so needy. So here’s your topic: Guidebooks, or, how I learned to stop worrying and love tourist traps.
Oh yes, a controversial topic and one which I’ve already loaded. I am, as I’ve already mentioned a lot, a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants kinda traveller. I don’t like being organised, I revel in the freedom of not having any idea what today brings. Itineraries are useful bits of paper when I’m getting someone’s address and plans are things used to build skyscrapers. But when you move around in this fashion it really is vital to have a quick, encompassing source of reference to work out where, tonight, you’ll lay your head.
Home on the Road by tpuyol
Of course there is a big problem associated with this: you see only the things that your guidebook tells you are good, and you go to places that are filled only with other tourists clutching their copy of The Book in sweaty hands.
Now the web offers a lot of information, this blog is being one example, but the problem is how to distil it. It can take a lot of surfing around to gather the specifics you are after. If I’m in a small town outside Ljubljana internet access may not be a given – plus on the road I’d rather be experiencing the country than communing with Google.
Where Shall I Go? by The Wandering Angel
The behemoth of all guidebooks, Lonely Planet, is usually the first I go to because I’m familiar with it and can quickly get the addresses I need. Let’s Go and Rough Guide are also hugely popular, but I always had issues with the accuracy of the maps – although I haven’t bought one in a few years now so that may have improved. Regardless of which you pick though, you’ll still find yourself in a sea of other foreigners, not a local amongst them, all looking for an “authentic” experience. I have even switched to German guidebooks to try and avoid this trap, but that’s just resulted in being surrounded by German, Austrian and Swiss tourists and waiters speaking in the Teutonic tongue.
So I need your help. Where do you go for information? What are your favourite, or least favourite, guidebooks? Where are their failings and strengths? Who can help me work out where I should be sleeping tonight, in a small town outside Ljubljana?
Hey Jacinta, it’s a very good question. I’m not sure my answer is very helpful; if I’m travelling in Europe now, I just ignore the guidebook altogether and take pot luck. I used to use Lonely Planets religiously but they got too non-budget/tourist-trappy for me, and no other brand seemed to appeal to me. So for “easy” places like Europe I’ll gather some tips from the internet if I have time beforehand, and then just go for it. I’ll still use a guidebook for somewhere “trickier” like somewhere in Africa, for example. But I’m interested to find out what others think, too!
I like my Lonely Planet book that I got for my trip to Senegal. It really goes into depth. You have to thumb through alot of it because it often tells you to reference to other sections and pages but its good.
When it comes to hard-copy travel guides, I guess I’m a bit of a cliche because I do love Lonely Planet.
But for general travel planning & hostel research, I collect a lot of information online before I go. I think message boards are the best way to get insider info and trustworthy recommendations on a destination. I like the BootsnAll boards because people are always friendly & helpful.
Personally, I usually make my own “guidebook” but cutting and pasting information from my travel sources (wikitravel, etc) and typing in anything important from my various reference books.
I am admittedly a little over-organised but like to enjoy the holiday knowing whatever I need to know is written down somewhere, easy to find.
Jacinta, one of the problems I have with guidebooks is that the print is too small for me to ready easily, I know that this is done to avoid the guide book being really big and heavy but it is a problem especially if the paper is glossy.
I’m like Andy in that I collate my own guide from various sources then I can print at a size of font I can read easily and only have a few sheets in a plastic folder rather than a whole book.
Thanks for your responses everyone!
@Amanda I’ve found I’ve been winging it quite a bit too recently. You certainly sound like a traveler after my own heart!
@Benedict and Donna I can understand the pull towards Lonely Planet – I feel that as well. How do you feel about the recommended places? They usually are reasonable, but do you get the “too touristy” feeling as well?
@Andy Never try traveling with me – I think I would drive you nuts! I have several friends who are also extremely well organised. It’s something I’ve aspired too at various times in the past, but realised that I get more stressed beforehand by the arranging (because I attempt then to OVERarrange then) than I do by the uncertainty during a trip. How do you deal with plan changes – or do you always stick to an itinerary and never vary it?
@Andy and Karen Do you guys have a particular method for creating your own guidebooks? Is it just random printouts from different sources, a single word document, or something else? Random sheets of paper never work for me because I have enough of a pull towards organisation that I need them to be in a particular order, font, style and appearance then….ahhh, I am mess of contradictions at times ;)
I make own guidebooks, too, much like Karen and Andrew.
I copy from other guidebooks what I want or need, and fill in the rest with stuff from various sources, then print the whole thing as a half A4 size booklet. Easy, neat and convenient.
Jacinta,
I’ve actually travelled a couple of times with a Czech friend who is just like yourself. At the beginning of the trip, I had to take a deep breath and try to relax (same for my mate). About halfway though, it finally worked out there I was really enjoying myself and he was getting out of bed in time to get the only bus of the day to our onward destination =)
About making the guidebook, I have a standard set of things I research:
- Flights & Hotel with directions to get to hotel
- Food (very important for me! budget plus if I’m travelling alone, places that would be a bit more suitable)
- Days trips to nearby places
- Attractions
- Public transport networks
Of course there is a lot more too it than headers… like opening days, public holidays, particular things to order on the menu
Having said that, I always leave some spare time for a stroll or wander!
[...] commented on a previous post that Europe is easy, and to a large extent she is right. You can get by with English almost [...]