Tuesday’s Travel Essentials: Travel Guide Books

Today’s Tuesday’s Travel Essentials is on Travel Guide Books – I live by them!! I always carry at least one of them at any given time, and yes, it is normally Lonely Planet – though I also use local guidebooks (especially in China) and have bought Rough Guides and Berlitz guides before.

Despite loving the internet and being online as much as I can to update Don’t Stop Living and my social networks, I’m a traditionalist when it comes to stuff like books. I’d much rather have a physical book in my hand than read about it online on a laptop or a phone. I make my own notes in my books and I get really good use out of my travel guide books. I’ll highlight the advantages and disadvantages  of carrying travel guide books, but if you take my lead – just get yourself a cheap copy of the Lonely Planet and off you go – the world is your oyster, and more, don’t forget I have been living a lifestyle of travel for 10 years now!!

Advantages of carrying travel guide books:

– a constant source of information and inspiration on your travels
– contains all the information you need in one place
– you don’t need internet access to read them
– you can plan ahead while you’re travelling
– you can read them on buses and trains
– you can pass them on to other travellers when you finish with them
– you can make your own notes in them
– you can tick off where you’ve been in them
– you can make adjustments to them (price changes, bus timetables etc.)
– the maps in them are excellent
– if you get lost, you can show a local person the map in them

Disadvantages of carrying travel guide books:
– they are bulky

– they weigh a lot

– they use up valuable space in your bag

– the information goes out of date very quickly (especially with regards to prices)
– you might leave them behind in hostels and bus stations

Tips for buying cheap travel guide books – head to Asian cities such as Bangkok and pick up cheap fake or second hand travel books, especially Lonely Planet ones. A good place to get them is at the stalls on Khaosan Road. The Hong Kong to China border (on the Shenzhen side) also has a great cheap shop for buying them. That’s Tuesday’s Travel Essentials for today!

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Jonny Blair