Lonely Planet, the most comprehensive guide book series, gives indispensable practical advice, and is especially useful in figuring out transportation within a country. It guided me in traveling around India’s Himalayan towns—from Kalimpong to Darjeeling to Pelling to Gangtok and back to Darjeeling—by shared jeep. Without Lonely Planet I would not have known about the existence of shared jeeps, where travelers team up to drive the five-hour distances between remote mountain towns at the cost of 70 rupees—less than two dollars—per seat.
For meals, activities, trekking, sports, travel health, travel warnings and shopping, Lonely Planet rules. When it comes to accommodations, however, I find its recommendations reliably off-base. Hotels and guesthouses, perhaps by virtue of their appearing in the guide tend, to be overcrowded, or overpriced, or way too budget for my taste.
When looking for a place to stay I usually turn to the beautiful D.K. Eyewitness Guides, which simplify finding great hotels in every price range. In Gangtok, I stayed in the Chumbai Residency, which features marble floors, fantastic food and jaw-dropping views of Kanchenjunga, after reading about in it D.K., and learning that I could ask for a 50 percent off-season discount.
Excellent feedback on Lonely Planet. I love their maps, in particular – much easier to navigate than, for example, Rough Guides. I find talking to other travelers (with the same taste/budget as my own) to be the best resource for accommodation. Thanks, Lynn!
Erin Reese’s first book, Bindi Girl: Diving Deep Into the Heart of India is available for Kindle, iPad and other digital media through Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Bindi-Girl-Diving-Heart-ebook/dp/B004SBP6X8. The print version is due out later this year.
Great review on both of those guidebooks- when we are in the market for a travel guide we usually go with Eyewitness Travel or something with lots of pictures in it. That way we will know if that particular destination is worth our time which is such a valuable commodity when on vacation. We like to go to the most beautiful destinations we can find.
nice interesting post
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