Lonely Planet(and Other Guide Books).

[Neeranam]

When I came to Thailand years ago, I had a copy of the Lonely Planet. Subsequently, I went to Khao San Road and stayed with other backpackers, was scared of riding on buses as there were lots of 'razor' thieves and other crazy myths. Eventually I sold it and forgot about it til now, 16 years later.

I have a relative visiting who has a copy of the book so I read some of it. If I han't got rid of it, I'd probably still be living in KSR eating Israeli food, saying chatuchak instead of Jatujak.

Stay away from the tourists if you want to live here and get the most from this wonderful culture.

Also don't take any advice from people on Thailand web forums

[sweetchariot]

Who's that flicking the bird in your new avatar Neeranam?

[Neeranam]

Johnny Cash

[Jai Dee]

Also don't take any advice from people on Thailand web forums

My nomination for the following award:

[peter991]

I have found there is a big difference between getting your travel information from a book and from a website. Due to the nature of publishing, there's a long long lead time between handing the manuscript to a publisher, getting it printed and onto bookshelves. With a website - it's instant - plus you benefit from feedback.

The online version of Lonely Planet doesn't appear to have anything innocuous to say about Thailand. Just the usual warnings about unsafe travel to the South of the country.

Peter

[Briggsy]

Well, I don't need my LP any more after 11 years but rereading it on occasion, I can appreciate what an excellent job of compiling and writing it Joe Cummings has done. Look how time and time again he manages to strike the right tone between the doom-mongers and the "Thailand is Shangri-La" bunch.

The book is aimed primarily at people who are visiting Thailand and don't live here. I think it is more than competently written.

For crap Lonely Planets, and there are many, try the Philippines edition. Just appallingly shoddily put together.

[madjbs]

The problem is as soon as something gets put in lonely planet it very quickly changes as there is a huge increase in tourists that will now travel to that guest house, cave, national park etc..

[Shuddee]

Also don't take any advice from people on Thailand web forums

My nomination for the following award:

Now I'm a newbie and all, or just graduated from newbie to member with about 20 posts. I found the Lonely Planets to be quite informative on my travels in SE Asia, especially when I first came here on vacation. I remember when I went to Angkor Wat with my host. I was reading the Lonely Planet right out of the book doing my own "documentary" while my friend videotaped me with her digital camera. I still have the videos to this day. I think it's kinda cool to look back on my early times here and see something like the temples in Siem Reap and make sense of the history of them while I'm cooly showing myself talking about them.

[PeaceBlondie]

I don't need Lonely Planet or Rough Guide, etc., after I have spent a week or a year in a place. But I would use it for the 98% of Thailand I have not seen yet, or for 89% of Mexico.

[0Mix1up]

They were recently sold for big $$$

I think

I have an early edition where they actually promote visiting gogos and has a cartoon of a farang with a bg draped over him.

[Kerryd]

Also don't take any advice from people on Thailand web forums

So, I should take your advice, to not take your advice ?

//edit - erp ! forgot an "r" !

Edited February 29, 2008 by Kerryd

[ashacat]

Despite the fact that it is commonly criticised by "know it all expats" I actually think Lonely planet guides are excellent. Great for tourists, obviously not so much for long term residents. When I first travelled around the area, I found it very usefull. Clearly you cannot take every word as scripture and sometimes they may be overly cautious (they have to cover their own backs of course) but they have huge amounts of information on local attractions, food, lifestyle, history, transport etc etc.

What better starting point can you get when travelling to a new country?

[madjbs]

What better starting point can you get when travelling to a new country?

I agree, it was very useful when I came to Thailand on holiday for the first times.

[GuestHouse]

I've still got the first Lonely Planet Thailand guide book (late 80s), its full of foot notes I added, places I stayed/ate and the prices I paid.

It's full of snippets of memories from a time when the only foreigners one ever saw outside of Bangkok/Pattaya/Hua Hin were backpackers - one of my most treasured books - and I treasure books.

[kmart]

After a lovely dinner of banana fritters and phad tai, I fancy getting my hair braided and learning to juggle this afternoon.

[lilBob]

What better starting point can you get when travelling to a new country?

I agree, it was very useful when I came to Thailand on holiday for the first times.

I also agree great for travellers (esp. those on a budget). I used my first couple of trips but after 25-30 trips no longer.however I would use it for visiting new areas/countries. I have used both the Cambodian and India LP and found them very helpful esp. the India one and was told by an Indian bloke that Indians use it for a guide for travelling in their own country

[lazeeboy]

those travel books are so out of date ,they show bars and restaurants that have been closed for years

[Boo]

I still have my one for thailand too, it was very useful for advice on day trips, good places to go for certain things, like shopping, food etc cause as a new visitor you really have to hunt around & sometimes it is nice to just have tried & tested advice to go with, also thaivisa wasn't in existance when i first hit thailands shores, so I say, LP & others of it's like have a use, once you live somewhere then you would not really need to use it again but if I was to go to a region of thailand I had never visited before (like chaing rai for example) then I would flick through the pages of one at a book shop & make a note of suggested good places to eat or stay as well a s asking on here too.

[naka]

those travel books are so out of date ,they show bars and restaurants that have been closed for years

Indeed they do ... particularly when you pick up a twenty year old copy

Naka.

[lannarebirth]

I've never read the Lonely Planet guidebook, but I see many people here having a wonderful time using the Lonely Planet guidebook as their primary reference. I can't imagine what an awful time Fodor's readers must be having. I have a friend visiting who brought the Fodor's with him and it seems evrything of interest has been left out and everything highliighted as worth doing is worth a pass IMO. I mean to say, it's just awful.

Kudos to Joe Cummings for keeping hundreds of thousands of global visitors on the right path when visiting here.

Edited February 29, 2008 by lannarebirth

[roamer]

Find it very useful these days, as a guide where NOT to stay and eat or visit, anywhere mentioned will be colonised.

[Robski]

After a lovely dinner of banana fritters and phad tai, I fancy getting my hair braided and learning to juggle this afternoon.

You haven't got the balls...

[Ulysses G.]

Joe Cummings rules!

[GuestHouse]

^

Well I think he used to, but times are moving on. These days my first port of call for Travel Information (particularly accommodation) is Travelfish.org.

And then there are the nasty allegations of how he came by the content of his Burma guide.

Joe Cummings has moved on, and so has Thailand.

(Interestingly the name ''Joe Cummings" is an auto-banned phrase on the Lonely Planet website - I guess he stayed around too long).

[torrenova]

I would still purchase one if I was going to a country that I did not know and had not travelled to before. For sure, you hit the net for other sources of information but I've found them good for restaurants, hotels and thigs to d0. If you don't agree, then what would you use in its place ?

[JetsetBkk]

Also don't take any advice from people on Thailand web forums

Well, especially not from anonymous people.

[howtoescape]

Ive never owned one, but when me and my brother travelled his LP was a good help in finding accommodation, ways to travel etc.....

The problem i have with them is they are often used by fresh out of uni backpackers who spout on about their dislike of anything commercial, whereas if its in their it means it is commercialised.

[Ulysses G.]

Joe Cummings was accused of plagiarism when he wrote the guide to Burma.

Most verily.

I doubt it. I've seen a lot of lies on TV that 100 people will swear are true.

[Ulysses G.]

Actually, I know Joe slightly, but I have friends who know him well.

He is an unusually intelligent, honest and honorable person and the person who kept claiming that he had plagiarized his homemade guidebook was a local who seemed to be an absolute nut and couldn't string two sentences together properly in English. He would post the same paranoid gibberish over and over again on the Lonely Planet website until they finally were forced into using moderators.

My guess is that Joe mentioned some of the same places that he did (it is pretty hard not to) and the Burmese guy became obsessed with the idea that he had been "copied".

My bet is that it is complete b*llsh*t!

[madjbs]

Also, didn't JC get taken to court by this guy and then win, after that LP counter sued for damages and won again.