Weight of guide books

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I am planning a long trip, so I am trying out the packing well in advance, paying great account to keeping the weight as low as possible. In this process, I find that my Rough Guide is about the heaviest single item!! So the idea of taking 2 guides (eg Lonely Planet as well) is just not on. I really think the publishers ought to take more trouble to make the books lighter in weight, and not have sections of glossy photos on heavier paper. The amount of info is of course superb and very concentrated, but I am seriously considering taking out about half the book which covers areas that I will not be going to. Does anyone else do this?

[me]

uktrail,

Rick Steves, who sells tourbooks, suggests breaking the books up & taking with you only the parts you will need.  He also suggests giving away sections once you leave the area where you need them.

The way he suggests this: Split the book at it's spine and trim off the gummy part, use a hole punch in the *Outside* edge of the pages (where there is more white space and nothing will be lost where the holes are punched)  Then bundle sections together with wire twisties - the product will also fit into a notebook.  

When taking parts from two books, try not to carry two copies of the same info.  This would also waste weight.  

Also, you might think about having packages of extra clothes mailed to you at places you will be at times in your trip.  Don't have it mailed too far ahead since planned destinations can change.  You just mail home, or give away, clothes you won't need for the rest of your trip.  

Other tips are at www.ricksteves.com/graffiti/home.htm

One downside: Most of it Rick's ideas are aimed at travellers with more to spend.  But there is Hostel & Camping info there, or in his books, too!

Good luck!  

[Kim]

We just took a sharp knife and hacked out the parts we didn't need when we were done.

Some people don't like the idea of ruining their book but if you think about it, by the time you go again there will be a newer edition out.

Kim

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Thanks for all the useful suggestions.

[wanderworthy]

:oRick Steves and Lonely Planet urge us to cut out pages we won't be using. I took both LP and Rick's Portugal and Spain book. I used them all the time.
You will too.

THE SLOWER YA TRAVEL - THE MORE YA LEARN

[LHR02]

Depending on the route and length of your journey you can also save weight if you buy books along the way.  I took with me the guide for the initial country I was visiting, and just prior to leaving I would buy a guide for my next stop and dump the old book when I was ready to go.  I had no trouble finding LP and RG anywhere along the way, although you would be hard pressed to find a Rick Steves.  <br>
Buying along the way also allows you to get the more detailed 'individual' country books versus the more general ones covering whole regions i.e. Central Europe or whatever.  

[snorkelman]

the only problem with cutting up the books is that if you are not locked in to every single hostel and you are kind of winging it, then you are actually screwing yourself if you cut up your books.  

Why?  Well, if you fly by the seat of your pants and decide to go someplace that you did not plan on (believe me, there are all kinds of situations that can arise and change your plans) then you will not have any information on the country that you threw out.  Also, if you have given away the parts of your book that you have already visited, then what happens if you backtrack (for whatever reason)?  

I suggest recruiting a travel partner and each on of you carries 1/2 of the books.  then the weight is not such a big deal.  

[Kim]

We cut ours up after we left each country.

We used the info while we were there and cut it out when we were done.

Most people don't have enough time in order to backtrack-I think you are pretty safe. If that's the case, you can always whip into a bookstore and make some quick notes. We did that in order to find places to stay when all in our books were full.

Kim

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We took a travel book, cut it apart with an exacto knife and then for about $3.00 took it to a print shop and had them hole punch and spiral bind it for us.  This worked very well and kept it together nicely - at half the weight.

[snorkelman]

Keep in mind that photocopying a book will usually be much heavier (the bond paper in copy machines is much thicker than in the books).  \The only exception is if you only want a chapter or two out of a book (and therefore you will be copying only a small portion of the original book).

[me]

another trick: when xeroxing, copy onto both sides of the paper.  this will cut the weight in half - if you will photocopy anyway.