megamay
Senior Travel Member
Posts: 113
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Post by megamay on Jul 21, 2004 12:47:27 GMT -5
I am trying to follow the packing light philosophy and I am doing pretty well with most stuff, but I have a problem with travel information. I am ADDICTED to guidebooks, and I can't figure out which one to take and which to leave at home.
My husband and I are planning a 3 month trip to nearly every country in Western Europe. I have Rick Steves' best of Europe, which I love, but it doesnt cover everything so I have Let's Go western Europe for more coverage. Those two seem ok, since there are two of us that is only one book each, but then I have the Rick Steves' Mona Winks book.
I was just wondering what kind of travel information you all carry.
On a side note, after lurking and posting for a few months, I finally registered!
Meg
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Post by LHR02 on Jul 21, 2004 14:14:18 GMT -5
Like you, I love my books! On my 'long' trip I could easily have filled my pack with nothing but the books I had accumulated. ;D My best friend who was overseeing my packing literally tore them out of there. Thank god for her! Not all will agree, but what I finally did was take along a good general book (in my case LP western Europe) and one specific for the first country I was going to. A couple of days before I left there I found a bookstore and bought the book for the next country I was heading to and when I left I also left my book. I found LP's in English everywhere and never had a problem with it. They are a bit more than here of course, but I did not find them prohibitively so. Of course I left books all over the place and hate not having them now, however I never had more than two guidebooks with me at any time which kept the weight down. In 11 countries including eastern Europe I never had a problem finding an English language bookstore which had the next book I needed. It's an added expense I know, one I banked for, and having a current book was worth the extra expense to me...as was the minimal weight.
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Post by jennifer on Jul 21, 2004 15:46:56 GMT -5
You can also buy a big complete one and tear out the pages you will need! I know, tearing a book, ouch, but you do what you can to save your poor shoulders and back on a backpacking trip!
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megamay
Senior Travel Member
Posts: 113
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Post by megamay on Jul 21, 2004 16:12:43 GMT -5
yeah I tried the tearing out thing with a guidebook I got at a used book store, but I found that with all the places we are going, there just wasnt that much that I was willing to part with.
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Post by MuvverRussia on Jul 21, 2004 17:51:19 GMT -5
You can also buy a big complete one and tear out the pages you will need! I know, tearing a book, ouch, but you do what you can to save your poor shoulders and back on a backpacking trip! Or you could always just find the relavent books in your local library and photocopy them?  . I normally just take my trusty copy of Lonely Planet's Europe on a Shoestring, as well as Lonely Planet's Eastern Europe. Normally for Western Europe I don't bother with a guidebook, apart from Europe on a Shoestring- I really recommend this book though. As for guidebooks being expensive, a local bookstore by me currently has 2 for 1 on all travel writing (including guidebooks), so they're not too bad- £8 for a lonely planet guide is pretty good ;D. |
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debcsus
Senior Travel Member
Posts: 60
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Post by debcsus on Aug 5, 2004 21:50:06 GMT -5
£8 for a lonely planet guide is pretty good ;D. Wow! No kidding! What is the name of that bookstore? I'll be in London first, I might need to hit that store up! |
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Post by roger on Sept 13, 2004 0:13:05 GMT -5
I found another good use for my lp, I marked beside each country I visited the date and a brief blah blah about the place, good for tenderising streaks, killing large bugs...and small animals lol and if in a tight situation, good toliet paper, good travelling people
roge (Kiwi).
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jessica
Full Travel Member
Posts: 49
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Post by jessica on Sept 13, 2004 12:44:14 GMT -5
good for tenderising streaks  Huh??? What does this mean?--jessica |
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Post by MuvverRussia on Sept 13, 2004 13:00:21 GMT -5
Maybe because they're normally quite weighty you can use them as an emergency replacement for a steak hammer? |
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Post by Libby on Sept 13, 2004 13:58:20 GMT -5
I've actually thought about not taking my Lonely Planet book with me. It weighs a TON!
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Michelle
Senior Travel Member
Posts: 179
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Post by Michelle on Sept 13, 2004 14:52:17 GMT -5
Definitely BRING your lonely planet!!! You will regret not bringing it, trust me.... Yes, it's heavy, but it's worth it!
Megamay - As far as Rick Steve's "Mona Winks", you'll notice if you read somewhere in the first few pages, that you can rip out the pages you need, and then when you get home from Europe, if you mail all the "parts" of the book back to them along with $5, they'll send you a brand new one to replace the torn up one!!! That's what we did, and it saved on space, because we could pack the ripped out pages in tiny places because we could fold them up... And we found Mona Winks to be REALLY helpful!! Don't leave it at home!!!
~Michelle
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Post by rogersnelgar on Sept 13, 2004 16:21:59 GMT -5
your got it right MuvverRussia , I used it in barcelona, had abit of a tough streak, so I left it in its plastic bag and gave it a bash with my LP, turned out really yummy ;D
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Post by MuvverRussia on Sept 13, 2004 17:29:33 GMT -5
lol- I didn't know you were being serious. Maybe that's a contender for the most ingenious (and/or unorthodox) use of a guidebook in 2004.
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oddball
Full Travel Member
Posts: 14
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Post by oddball on Sept 14, 2004 0:45:53 GMT -5
What I do is I find the info about the travel destinations from the Internet, collect it to a Word document, delete all info I don't need, change to a small font and then print it out. Then I have a travel guide with all (and ONLY) the information I'm interested. Cheap, compact and light to carry. I know it doesn't compare to Lonely Planet etc, but I have never felt a need for more comprehensive guide.
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Post by rogersnelgar on Sept 16, 2004 15:37:19 GMT -5
serious....us kiwi's are always serious MuvverRussia lol...NOT, did really use my LP, the europe on a shoe string one, really heavy. still got it here...not looking the best to ware, but still readable, oh I have bought a tenderiser
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