With all the new electronics out there these days, I can't help but wonder if travel blogs will soon take over the guide book.
iPhones, blackberries, iPads, smartphones….
In today's world a person can be in a new city, pop onto the internet in a coffee shop from their laptop or surf the web while standing on a street corner and find the best tings to do in a place by doing a simple search.
Will Travel Blogs Take Over Guide Books?
We have already started using our iPhone for these situations. In Montreal last week, we found our restaurant on the Internet. We didn't walk aroud with our “So and so does Montreal” or our “Montreal by so and so's” latest edition. We used the Internet.
Is the Guidebook Going the Way of the dodo?
Who needs the maps in a guide book anymore?
We have a GPS that will take us to our guesthouse or hotel. The maps in guide books are never detailed enough and it is such a pain to “turn to page 801 for the insert map.” Just book your hotel online from your cell phone, punch in the details to your GPS and follow the directions to your destination.
You can get up to date bus and train information online with the most recent prices.
Maps on the GPS over Guidebook Maps
Anyone that says blogs are not here to stay is gravely mistaken.
The first thing that we do when booking a trip is to search online for phrases such as “Free Things in Paris,” “Things to do in Sri Lanka,” “Adventures in Thailand” When you look up these phrases, the top searches are from the makers of the Guidebooks themselves. They know Blogging is here to stay.
The information is up to date and it comes from people that are either there right now or have been there recently. We can get an honest review of a place from real people.
Guide Books are Changing their way of Thinking
Lonely Planet is always on the cutting edge and leader of the pack in our opinion. They can see that Blogs are the way of the future. They started the BlogSherpa Program.
The Blog Sherpa program picks up the feeds of popular blogs and posts them daily on their website. When you now go to the Lonely Planet Website and search India, you will see the latest blog posts from India in the bottom left sidebar. This is extremely clever on their part.
They can still provide their service and people will still come to their website for the basic information but people can then click through to read up to date blogs from people there right now!
It is a win win situatation for all.
We get to be a part of a respected company and gain readers from their site, and they have up to date information between editions. After all, they can't be everywhere every day of the year.
We are proudly a part of this program as we have always trusted and respected the Lonely Planet Name.
Hence that great idea of Blogsherpa by Lonely Planet
In recent years we have been frustrated with guide books because with the rapid change and development in the tourism world, they cannot keep up to price changes, closures and new businesses popping up.
It seems that any place that a popular guide book recommends is overwhelmed with hoards of tourists – package tours, backpackers and higher end travelers. We have found that some of the restaurants and hotels listed in the guidebooks are lacking in service and quality and have rested on their laurels because they are listed in a book.
This used to work when less people traveled, but now everyone is traveling (which is awesome) but we are all using the same 3 to 5 books recommending the same places that they have always recommended.
What Bloggers Offer?
Bloggers can give their readers honest information about a place to eat that a guide book can't. We can walk into a place anonymously, order our food like a regular Joe and then we can share our experience with our readers instantly.
People surfing the internet can browse several different sources to find out where they want to go. They will have different views and opinions rather than the one view from each guidebook.
With the proper key words, we can make that blog easy for people to find what they are looking for. Say it is a place to eat in lets say, Jaisalmer India. A blog will be able to tell people that “Oh that highly recommended restaurant in their guide that was written 2 years ago is now overpriced and crowded with terrible food and service.”
True story, the number one gem of an eatery in our India Guide book in Jaisalmer was terrible. Just across the square was a wonderful Tibetan Restaurant that was friendly, delicious and cheap! (sadly nobody was in it)
We can follow different niches.
Many guide books don't delve into adventure travel. We didn't know about rock climbing and abseiling in Sri Lanka until we read about it on the Internet. We didn't know about the Mongol Rally until we talked to another Blogger. Many guide books don't offer family friendly advice. People follow family blogs. blogs for that.
Solo Women follow Solo travel for women Blogs, Couples travelling, well they like Couple's travel blogs. Cultural travel or scuba diving around the world, gay travel, men's travel, teen travel..There's a blog for that.
Why wouldn't you want to search for travel advice from like-minded people?
A good blog provides a lot of information
We have always carried a guide book with us during our travels in the past. We have used them as a guide for reference on what part of town to stay in, for their maps and to have an idea of what to do.
Now that we have mastered using our iPhones and in many countries data plans are so reasonable, I doubt that we will be using a guide book very much anymore. They are expensive, heavy and the information is not up to date for today's rapidly changing world.
We can do our research online before leaving home or while we are on the road. You can find free wifi almost anywhere.
Gasp, What if there is no Wifi or Data???
Even if you can't get reception anywhere, you can find it in all the big cities before going off the grid. Besides it can be an amazing way to get back to travelling the way it was supposed to be.
We can get off the backpackers trail, we can travel blind and travel just for the sake of traveling. We don't have to have our noses in our guidebooks, or staring at our smartphone, we can use the information that we looked up on the net before leaving and wander.
With the large pool of talented writers telling about their experience on the Internet, we just may break the “guide book tourist route” and start our own.
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By Lora Bowman May 8, 2017 - 6:33 am
thanks for sharing!
By peter June 2, 2011 - 7:05 pm
Very true. Guide books here go for over $40. If we are traveling to several countries that is a lot of guide books. And people could say that you could get the complete Africa or South East Asia guides, but there is very little useful information in a book that covers so many countries.
By davendeb June 2, 2011 - 9:51 pm
Peter, you raise a very valid point. We have used South East Asia on a shoestring and Africa on a shoestring. There is just way too much information to be put in one book. We find that you need country specific books to really make a guide book worth while and that becomes too heavy to carry and too expensive to buy. I love how companies like lp are putting their books into kindles etc now though. They are adapting nicely. Now they need to figure out a way to update them instantly which I am sure will be coming soon.
By Cooberpedy Australia May 12, 2011 - 4:16 am
This post really give me an insight on the future travel advices, On top of the line blogs have been contributing much Information weather its travel advices or anything else. A guide can be helpful in a way but since we are in the next generation of Information technology, guide books had been set aside.
By mark April 26, 2011 - 12:51 pm
Right now books still have a lot to offer I think, but as the technology of the world improves (3g for instance) I imagine travel sites will get more and more popular. I think a lot of travel books will be replaced by e-books too, simply for the convenience and light weightness.
By davendeb April 27, 2011 - 10:41 am
Very true Mark. And there will be a lot of travel apps. I think that some of the companies that write the guide books will evolve and survive, they will just change the way they share their information.
By Getting Around Shanghai With MTrip - Marketingkonferenz: Around the World Adventure Couple January 31, 2011 - 6:35 am
[…] Filed under China, GENERAL TRAVEL ADVICE5 CommentsA few months ago I wrote a post about How Travel Blogs will Take Over Guide Books. We are travelling now without a guide book and I will admit, I am eating my words. A guide […]
By England Weekend Breaks January 26, 2011 - 10:43 am
Surely a mixture of both works well? Rather than solely relying on one of the other.
My ten pence!
By flip January 25, 2011 - 9:30 am
blogs are indeed here to stay… as technology continues to evolve… information becomes more accessible online to a lot of people…
i tried travelling without a guidebook last 2009 in china, nepal and india and it seems to be fun just to ask around or get information online… although LP and other guidebooks still abound with information that is very useful… they’re heavy to carry and expensive…
and you’re right… blogs are more updated than guidebooks especially for the prices 🙂
By davendeb January 25, 2011 - 9:30 pm
hi flip. We are traveling without a guide book right now and have to admit it is tough. It is just too difficult to buy a new one in each country. Luckily we use Google Maps and the internet a lot and if we go to a new country that we have never been to before, we will buy the online sections of the Lonely Planet and put them on our laptops or iphones. But blogs have been our best bet for finding places to stay etc.
By flights to Africa January 23, 2011 - 4:46 pm
It is good idea to read the travel guide before traveling.
By Dmitrov | Final Transit January 9, 2011 - 9:59 am
[…] To conclude, I’m really thankful to my friend Evgeny for driving me here, and this is just another instance of the wonderful things you discover that aren’t in guidebooks (it can’t possibly list everything). What’s the next big thing? Travel blogs taking over? […]
By krabi November 30, 2010 - 6:31 am
It is good idea to read the travel guide before traveling. It can be helpful a lot. This is very good article about the traveling. I really appreciate it.
By Holiday Cottages Mid Wales October 8, 2010 - 7:14 am
I thinks it is difficult to deny the importance of traditional guide book in process of traveling. But I also admit the fact that books, guide, notes replace by the blogs on the internet. We can find almost everything in few seconds without any cost in latest form. Blogs and article very helpful for the traveler.
This blog is too interesting in the world of traveling. Blogs can also help for the person as a travel agent. So I want say to thanks for this nice post.
Best of luck.
By davendeb October 8, 2010 - 10:05 am
Thanks Holiday Cottages. Very good points. I will admit, we are bringing our China Guide book with us to China. Although only because we had it already leftover from last years plans. For the most part, we are going to do the rest of our travels with our iphone. Buying SIM Cards and data plans as we go and looking for info online. But guidebooks are still very important. I just think in the future with the invention of the iPads etc., people will be using keyword searches more to find things. Eg: Cheap Places to stay in Paris, What to do in Montreal… things like that.
By Buy Aion Accounts September 23, 2010 - 8:18 pm
Interesting post! I really get an idea on how guidebooks can be very helpful. I already lots of travel blogs because it’s one way of figuring out what places are good and safe to stay. Thank you and I hope that you will have another blog coming up.
By Alex August 11, 2010 - 6:23 pm
I am a big traveler, and do so mostly in the summer times, and have definitely noticed that as the blogging community and hype increases, when on my travels, I have been packing lighter by stopping to buy those old guide and converting to the internet! Way more helpful and efficient, and by reading blogs you can get “in’s” like finding the best poutine in Montreal! like, maybe the book doesn’t really know the best place for that, but a native definitely would! So, I am with ya, internet for traveling all the way. 🙂
.-= Alex´s last blog ..Continental ExtremeContact DWS Tire Review =-.
By davendeb August 12, 2010 - 6:54 pm
Hi Alex, yes, travelling lighter is definitely the biggest bonus for us. And now that we are more “hooked up” with our iphones (since using them on the last trip we love it) we don’t need the guide book as much.
By Fresh From Twitter August 5, 2010 - 6:39 pm
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By Spencer Spellman August 5, 2010 - 1:31 pm
I think supplement is a better relationship between mobile and print guide books. I’m a huge tech geek, but I still can’t go w/o a good travel guide book. However, I do believe there needs to be an overhaul. First of all, I think much of travel guide books are irrelevant to the typical traveler. You have like a Caribbean guide book when you’re just going to St. Lucia. So you’re basically getting about $3 out of a $30 book. So I think they need to be a little bit more niche and focused; but of course publishers are going to argue that they’ll lose money from that. The guidebooks that I’ve used the most have been ones that have been more pocket size. I don’t understand why a travel guide book needs to be several hundred pages. There’s too much fluff too, but that’s probably beside the point.
.-= Spencer Spellman´s last blog ..Huffington Post Travel and the Devaluation of Words =-.
By Alish August 5, 2010 - 1:19 pm
Nice piece. For me personally, I read a lot of travel blogs that cater to my specific travel interests. It’s always entertaining to read what’s going on in the world of travel but when I am looking into a specific trip, there are certain blogs I immediately tend to for inspiration and information. When I left to Spain a few months ago I relied heavily on travel blogs – both the authors and articles themselves. I did buy 2 Lonely Planet books but rarely used them while I actually traveled. To me it felt more liberating and enjoyable to toss the guidebook aside, and go outside with just a map and camera on hand. I took a lot of resources and references from the travel blogs much more so than my guidebooks. I think it comes down to what type of traveler you are. Me? I abandoned my itinerary, and followed my gut (usually my nose, I’m a foodie at heart!).
For further travel inspiration and trip planning, I’m now turning to Wanderfly.com hoping it can be a one-stop-shop for the pre-travel phase not only for me, but for my travel buddies as well.
By Natalie Taylor August 5, 2010 - 12:19 pm
Hey Dave and Deb,
Great post! I do agree with you on all accounts about guidebooks (heavy; out of date; suggestions overrun with many readers); that being said, I still love guidebooks and find them useful for getting background information in addition to using blogger’s suggestions or popular websites like Chowhound and Trip Advisor for validation and up to date info. Maybe I’m a book lover, but I just like knowing if something does go wrong with my technology I always have the paper backup. As you menioned, though, the best parts of travel are finding things on your own. That’s why we travel right?
By Gourmantic August 4, 2010 - 2:59 am
I’ve never been one for guidebooks and in recent years, my primary source has been the internet. I get far more reading information from travel bloggers and get a feel of a place from their photographs (they don’t have to be perfect) than anything I can get in print.
You mention niche blogs. These can be a wealth of information, and when you can relate to the travel style of the bloggers writing them, you’ve got yourself a winner.
.-= Gourmantic´s last blog ..The Stonehenge Experience =-.
By Amy @ The Q Family August 3, 2010 - 4:35 pm
Great discussion and I truly enjoyed all the comments.
I am in the same boat that I tend to read more on travel blogs than the guidebook these days. One of the reason is like you mentioned, the trust factor I have for the blogger. I know that if I plan to go to Canada or India, I will come here first for the information. Because I have been following you. I also like the Blogsherpa program from lonelyplanet.com and actually that where I headed first when researching about any destination.
But there will still be markets for traditional guide books just by the fact that there will be off-the-beaten path destination that there won’t be much information on the blogosphere. But it will be interesting to see where we will head in the next 5-10 years.
.-= Amy @ The Q Family´s last blog ..New York City With Kids- The Whirlwind 8 Hours in Manhattan =-.
By Cam August 3, 2010 - 4:15 pm
It’s a great discussion topic. Though it is clear that ‘travel guidebook’ delivery is shifting, I still see a lot of value in the traditional book form. One thing to keep in mind is that many people reading this post, and commenting, embrace technology, but there are many who still don’t have a FB or account, and don’t like smartphones. I know that when travelling in some parts of South America there was no way we were taking out our laptop in public, or using any form of electronics, for fear we may get robbed. I think it really comes down to what purpose the info is used for – ie. hotel & food OR maps & attractions. One thing is for sure, the next few years are going to be interesting!
.-= Cam´s last blog ..The Great Canadian Rockies Road Trip =-.
By Audrey August 3, 2010 - 8:21 am
I go back and forth on this issue. On the one hand, I tend to trust accommodation, restaurant and activity recommendations from independent blogs (or forums like LP’s Thorn Tree). Part of this is that this advice is often more recent than the guidebooks and I know how quickly places change. However, we’ve also found that we’ve done research before on areas we want to go (e.g., Paraguay) and there has been nothing useful out there on the blogosphere. That’s when having a guidebook for basic information on transportation & accommodation is really handy. Also, I do like having a guidebook map since sometimes Google maps (or other mapping programs) do not go into enough detail for some “off the beaten track” places.
That said, it will be interesting to see what we do when we embark for East Africa. Will we buy the guidebooks? Download them on our iPods? Or just go with the advice from other blogs?
.-= Audrey´s last blog ..How To Travel Outside Your Comfort Zone =-.
By davendeb August 3, 2010 - 8:29 am
Very good point about the off the beaten path destinations. As more people travel to these places there will certainly be more blogs about them for sure. It will be interesting to see what you do for your next trip:-)
By Live Richly Round-Up #3 | Live Richly August 3, 2010 - 3:34 am
[…] Will Travel Blogs Take Over Guide Books? Will guide books go the way of the dodo? Dave and Deb discuss the advantages of online travel […]
By Globetrooper Todd August 2, 2010 - 11:58 pm
Guidebooks just work. Not only when there’s no Internet, but because you can pick one up, turn to any page, and find something to do. The web is in some ways too flexible. It’s too easy to get caught up in all of the information (and your email, and social networks, and…). Plus when I’m on the road, I don’t want to live vicariously through others’ pictures and stories, I want to get out and about. And I think guidebooks are more suited to that. They have one purpose, to guide your travels, no distractions
With all of that said, I’d never travel with a book these days. They’re too heavy. 🙂 Plus I love reading thoughtful blog posts. They’re the reason I’m on the road and not working in a corrupt industry anymore. So I owe them everything.
Great post Dave. Loving the photography too (on your other blog).
.-= Globetrooper Todd´s last blog ..Fine Photography From Fellow Troopers =-.
By davendeb August 3, 2010 - 9:02 am
I love your comments Todd. You are always very clever! You have a very valid argument for the guide book. I am enjoying the responses because it is making me get that warm feeling all over again for the poor guide book. It almost makes me want to buy one for our next trip, but then again we probably won’t. We will probably even go so far as to buy a kindle or iPad to read our books on because I am sick of carrying around heavy books in my pack. I want to be like you two and only travel with a carry on for months on end….but then again, I don’t think we can do it, Dave’s camera equipment is one carry on bag just on its own!
By Globetrooper Todd August 3, 2010 - 10:56 am
Hey deb, Kindles are great, Lauren and I wrestle over ours every night. There’s a new model now. It’s even cheaper and smaller and lighter. As for carry-on only: I would forego it in a heartbeat for photos like Dave’s. 🙂
Hope you guy are well. Can’t wait to catch-up again.
.-= Globetrooper Todd´s last blog ..Fine Photography From Fellow Troopers =-.
By Erin August 2, 2010 - 8:43 pm
I definitely think that guidebooks are less necessary now, but I still think they are useful. We don’t have an iphone, and often wifi isn’t available (or is painfully slow) so it isn’t always convenient to look things up while you are there. Even if you do your research in advance, which we often do, it can take ages to trawl through all the blogs to find the information you want. I find the maps the most useful part of guidebooks as it’s handy having something you can take out with you.
I agree that the accommodation in guidebooks usually isn’t the best choice, so it’s better to look up recommendations on line.
.-= Erin´s last blog ..Photo of the Week- Doorway in Cachi =-.
By Are Travel Blogs Replacing Travel Guide Books? August 2, 2010 - 7:48 pm
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By Jennifer Raezer August 2, 2010 - 4:14 pm
Yet another great topic by Marketingkonferenz! We are definitely guidebook people, but we are also avid readers of blogs like this one, local foodie guides, academic books, travel-fiction, and of course (thanks for the mention Trisha!), online cultural guides like Approach Guides.
It will be great to see how the space evolves — especially in terms of cross-content collaboration where a traditional guidebook pulls info from these other sources and vice versa. Apps should turn that possibility into reality very soon.
By davendeb August 2, 2010 - 5:05 pm
Thanks Jennifer! We love your guides as well and think that you are onto something special. Online affordable guides are the future and you are in at the beginning of the shift. I think that you are right, cross collaboration may be the key or Guide books could also up their game and spend more time on their blogs, but then again that would defeat the purpose of the guide book to eh?
By Jessica Skelton August 2, 2010 - 3:53 pm
I am one of those people who likes as much info as much info as possible–from websites to blogs to guidebooks to first hand accounts. I don’t think travel blogs are going to replace guidebooks, but I do feel like they’ll be a heavily used supplement to the traditional guide books.
By Jeff Bartlett August 2, 2010 - 1:13 pm
I’m dabbling in the travel world, but my heart and training lies in photojounalism. I’ve asked countless editors about blogging and they all say one of three things:
1. Blogs are unreliable and opinionated
2. Blogs won’t last long because there is no money in it
3. We’re trusted and blogs aren’t
Its funny because they miss the chance to say, I know, we’re all going bankrupt producing content that is outdated before it hit the streets and we’re now doing everything we can to get things figured out online.
Blogs – for travel or not – offer direct access to the exact information the searcher wants. It is the future of all publication. Sure, some will be more valuable, offer deeper content, and employ thousands of employees, but we’ll keep reading anything that meets our needs. Its foolish to think otherwise.
By davendeb August 2, 2010 - 1:38 pm
Interesting Jeff. You are so right travel guides have been slow to figure things out online. Travel Companies have recently started to add blog sections to their websites, but personally, we have many other blogs that we follow instead of theirs, (even though they show up first in the search engines)
We find that we enjoy the blogs by people that we have come to relate to. As we follow a Blogger over a period of time, we feel that we get to know them and find their word more reliable than an guide book writer that we don’t know.
About Blogs being opinionated, even if a blog post is opinionated, people can join the discussion like they are here and give both sides of the story. When can a guide book give people the flip side of what they recommend. Blogs offer the traveler a community to discuss and debate. People have no problem correcting or calling a Blogger on a mistake or misinformed opinion.
By Globetrooper Todd August 3, 2010 - 12:17 am
Hey Jeff, that’s hilarious about what editors say. I love it. Like standing on the sinking Titanic proclaiming “she’ll be right, she don’t sink”. Then after seeing a life-boat approach they say, “don’t do it, she won’t stay afloat, she doesn’t have enough steel”. 🙂
.-= Globetrooper Todd´s last blog ..Fine Photography From Fellow Troopers =-.
By davendeb August 3, 2010 - 8:57 am
Now that is a funny comparison!
By Shannon OD August 2, 2010 - 1:07 pm
You are so right on – I increasingly find myself leaving the guidebook in my backpack. I still like it as a fall back (the time tables for buses to/from sections can still be pretty handy in a pinch) but for tips on hostels and food – you’re right, the internet is the way to go!
By davendeb August 2, 2010 - 1:42 pm
I think I recall a post of yours where you left your guidebook in your backpack. I can’t remember what it was about though? Was that you I was thinking of? Yes, the to/from sections are good in guidebooks. There is still plenty of good information in guidebooks actually. I just wonder how long until it will all be available online. Come to think of it, I think it is. I can go to Via Rail in Canada online and get instant up to date information that is more reliable and more up to date than my guide book and a blog for that matter:)
By Trisha August 2, 2010 - 12:37 pm
I do think that guidebooks will be around for quite a long while, as long as people want to travel to unfamiliar destinations, but I think that the nature and format of guidebooks will always be evolving to meet the needs of the travelers, and that much of that evolution will be driven by travel blogs and other websites.
One website that offers a very unique approach is, aptly named, Approach Guides (http://www.approachguides.com/), and I also really like some of the smaller, more focused guides that are available as POD at GuideGecko – because they are POD they can be updated by the author more frequently.
Already many guidebooks are available disguised as iPhone Apps (which also means they can be updated often), but I agree with Andy that there will be folks who prefer the standard hard-bound book, at least for a while!
.-= Trisha´s last blog ..Travel Writers- Are You Service Minded =-.
By davendeb August 2, 2010 - 1:49 pm
I agree Trisha. First of all, these companies are just too big to disappear, they will evolve and adapt and figure out a way to keep a presence. Very true about the iPhone Apps. What I am loving about Bloggers, and other sites like Approach Guides and even small companies that are offering iPhone apps is that they are giving the readers another choice. For too long we all only had a few opinions to follow when it came to destinations. Now we have thousands.
By islandmomma August 2, 2010 - 12:24 pm
I made a short hop to England in April, and never thought about using anything but the internet. The trip I’m planning for the Fall, likewise. I only have a few, specialized guides left on my shelves now, and why would I buy another when I could have a darn good night out in some parts of the world on what it would cost me. Mind you, I do have to factor postage into the cost when I buy, living where English is not first language.
Flicking through National Geographic Traveller today though, made me realize that I am still addicted to travel magazines. I think it’s the superb quality of the photos. The ones without good photos don’t interest me. I have stacks and stacks here. Every time I move I cull a few, but inevitably some get plonked back on the pile. Frustratingly, I wanted to find an online copy of an article I read today, so I could share it with friends, but couldn’t. It was a late 2008 magazine. I think the magazines need to co-ordinate their hard copies with the online versions better possibly.
.-= islandmomma´s last blog ..Of Wine and Noches de Sansofé =-.
By davendeb August 2, 2010 - 1:46 pm
Very true. Guide books here go for over $40. If we are traveling to several countries that is a lot of guide books. And people could say that you could get the complete Africa or South East Asia guides, but there is very little useful information in a book that covers so many countries. (we know, we used them both!) The first thing we do now is go online too. We used to go to the book store and browse books to buy about a country. Now we go online.
We still love magazines, but they are quite expensive too at over $7 We are finding incredible photography online and hey, we’re saving some trees while we’re at it:-) Hope you find the article that you were looking for!
By Andy Jarosz August 2, 2010 - 11:40 am
Enjoyed reading this, particularly in light of my own post earlier today suggesting the opposite view. I think many (as you’ve suggested) will move away from guide books, but they will survive for a sizeable group. It largely depends what you want from your guide book. If you’re after a map, some restaurant suggestions and a cheap place to stay then you’ll find far more information online.
Guidebooks provide an intangible pleasure by the very fact that they are real objects. To be received in the mail or bought in the shop, to be browsed in front of the TV or on the plane to wherever, and just as importantly to be given a place of honour on the bookshelf at the end of the trip. The very fault with guidebooks that you mention (their knack of being out of date quickly) is one of their beauties too; I would treasure my book of Iron Curtain era Europe or pre-tsunami SE Asia. I’m fascinated by the descriptions of a country’s internal camaraderie written months before an all-out civil war.
Guide books will always have a place; that place might just be a different one now to what it was before the wired world took over.
.-= Andy Jarosz´s last blog ..Speaking up for the humble guide book =-.
By davendeb August 2, 2010 - 12:11 pm
Ah, but Andy that is not a guide book, that is an historical novel about a country. These would now be considered historical literature books.
Plus blogs can give beautiful descriptions and articles about a place. There are blogs that I follow just because I enjoy their story telling and their experiences. A Kindle and an iPad is also a tangible item too these days – In comparison, people used to prize their record and CD collections, now they have it all on an ipod,computer or other mp3 player…people may one day feel that way about their books. They may all compiled on a nice little hard drive.
Too funny that we posted the exact opposite ideas today. I love it and I love a good debate.
I agree, there will be a place for guidebooks in the future, it just won’t be on quite the same massive scale.
By Keith August 2, 2010 - 11:30 am
Interesting post! I think guidebook publishers need to change their model so they’re positioned more as online repositories of information. Once a company like Lonely Planet redefines its business, it will be up against sites like wikitravel.org and wikia.travel.com. LP, for example, should mobilize its readers to continually submit updates – since there are hordes of travelers around the world – to their online guides. Maybe the era of paid guidebook writers is over.
The time is coming to ditch traditional hardcopy publications because travel moves too quickly for that antiquated system. What hardcopy publications remain in the future will be stylized, collectible things.
.-= Keith´s last blog ..Bloody Good Travel Writing from July 2010 =-.
By alex April 26, 2011 - 12:48 pm
I think that travel sites and the internet in general are amazing, and use them constantly when I travel. But I’m not sure I would go off the beaten track without my trusty LP book. I have been out travelling before and not been able to find any wifi, but a book is always there when you need it.
By davendeb April 27, 2011 - 10:42 am
Good point Alex. We have had luck with buying a SIM card at every place we go. Most of the time it works, but there are times when we are completely without coverage.
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