Reviews (16)

Bundle with Party Europe
LP is a great book and had lots of awesome ideas. If you really want to have the best time of your life, buy a copy of Party Europe as well. LP tells you where to stay and eat, Party Europe will tell you how to have fun. Great combination. Can't wait to head back to the old country.

Too many countries
The book itself is awesome, lots of useful info.
Essential, perfect for a road trip
I bought Europe in a Shoestring as a preparation for my move from Italy to the UK. The book is an excellent reference for accomodation and eating, plus it gives the essential info on places to see and where to go.
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Subjects:  1. Europe - General    2. Travel    3. Travel - Foreign    4. Europe    5. Travel & holiday guides   

Reviews (18)

RV Trip Review
I really enjoyed the second half of the book more, when the trip actually got started.However, for non-experienced RVers the first part of the book would be very helpful.

A Fun and Useful Book; All that it Lives Up To
I'm in the early stages of planning a major road trip, and Phil and Carol's book is exactly what I was looking for to help my husband and I cover our bases and ensure a smooth transition to life on the road for a while.
We're on the road and loving 'living the dream'
Can two adults really share a small RV for thousands of miles and not drive each crazy?
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Subjects:  1. General    2. Reference - Tips    3. Special Interest - General    4. Travel    5. Travel - General    6. Travel / Adventure    7. Travel / United States / General    8. Travel Guides - U.S.    9. Automobile travel    10. Recreational vehicles    11. Special Interest - Adventure    12. United States - General   

Editorial Review

From Antarctica to Zimbabwe, if you're going there chances are Lonely Planet has been there first. With a pithy and matter-of-fact writing style, these guides are guaranteed to calm the nervesof first-time world travelers, while still listing off-the-beaten-path finds sure to thrill even the mostjaded globetrotters. Lonely Planet has been perfecting its guidebooks for nearly 30 years and as a result, has the experience and know-how similar to an older sibling's "been there" advice. The original backpacker's bible, the LP series has recently widened its reach.While still givinginsights for the low-budget traveler, the books now list a wide range of accommodations anditineraries for those with less time than money.Read more

Reviews (6)

one backtrack mind
this book was extremely helpful and informative. its history and description of the culture and landscape was a great precursor to my visit. my only complaint is that "shoestring" can be so objective. i didn't want to stay in hostels but still was interested in budget options. unfortunately, there just weren't many good suggestions for this level of travel. i think i'll need to write that book . . . "South America on a Cheap but Classy Budget!"

Must have companion ...
A travelers life support system. The consistency of the LP series across various continets is amazing. Some information in the SA edition is a little dated, but the locals indicated that small hostels and food places go in and out of business faster than the book can keep up. I particularly liked Argentina section (I just came back from a wonderful trip), the information was very correct and some of the prices accurate to the decimal. Needless to say, the maps and orientation information was extremly helpful.
BAD BAD BAD
Maps are good, that's all. After 1 year in south america with both Footprint SA and South america on a shoestring, I can say the first one in much better (exept the maps).
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Subjects:  1. Guidebooks    2. South America    3. Travel    4. Travel - Foreign    5. Travel & holiday guides   

Reviews (9)

Lonely Planet- not with this many package tourists.
"Nobody touches the Lonely Planet for budget travel advice," states the back cover of this book.
Great to read but difficult to do so due toVERY SMALL print.
I really like the Lonely Planet guides, and this one is very good regarding the amount of information it contains. My main complaint is the size of the type. Not only is it very small and difficult to read even with glasses on, but the paper is very thin so the words from the reverse page show through. I'd rather pay a couple of extra dollars and have higher quality paper. I also agree with other reviewers who felt that the Indonesia chapter could easily be eliminated, partly because it is difficult to due justice to that widespread country in a chapter.

typical shoestring guide
This guide is really good value, although you notice easily that it covers a lot of countries. South East Asia is big, the book is limited in size and therefore detail is missing. I bought seperate guides for Laos and Cambodia and this benifited my trip greatly.
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Subjects:  1. Asia - Southeast    2. Asia, Southeastern    3. Guidebooks    4. Special Interest - Ecotourism    5. Travel    6. Travel - Foreign    7. Travel Guides    8. South East Asia    9. Travel & holiday guides   

Reviews (5)

Vastly overrated
I recenty returned from a month long trip through Central America, during which I visited all 7 Central American countries, in this order: Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama.I brought two guidebooks with me on my trip: this one and the Rough Guide to Central America.I soon found myself using the Rough Guide almost exclusively and this Lonely Planet Guide hardly at all. This was a surprise and a disappointment, because for the last 17 years I have consistently found the Lonely Planet guides to be the ones most consistently most useful for adventurous travelers.But not this one.Here are some of the problems I had with this guide:
Maps are useless - as are much of the comments
This has rotten country maps - then try to find the "Highlights" to the countries - like Tikal in Guat. is a highlight - but try and find it on these terrible country maps - that have no ABC-123 coordinates - you spend hours scanning miserable maps trying to figure out where the "Highlights" are - and highlighting them yourself - and yes - they're in the same small font as the rest of the map. And if you're gonna rent a cheap car and drive yourself - there's nothing. Acres of bus crap - no road info.

You can't do better
You can't really do better than this book if you're traveling in multiple countries in C.A.Overall, it was an invaluable resource.My complaints are that it almost provides TOO much detail, the kind of things people should find out on their own while they travel.Also, so many people use this book that you'll run into gringos every time you follow their 1st recommendation. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Central America    2. Guidebooks    3. Travel    4. Travel - Foreign    5. Travel & holiday guides   

Reviews (2)

Solid Author
Bill has been around the industry for years and has a collection of some great restaurant marketing ideas from having spent years in the industry and consulting to many restaurant companies.I really respect his approach and background and would recommend this book without reservation. Great Ideas!
I have long been a fan of Bill Marvin's publications and have utilized many of his ideas in my own restaurant.This book is no exception.While many of the ideas presented are geared towards a more upscale environment, I have been able to use more than a few in the restaurant that I operate, which is a unit of a national chain.With a little thought, you can adjust most of the ideas in this book to fit your needs! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Food And Beverage Industries (Economic Aspects)    5. Food service management    6. Hotel And Restaurant Management    7. Industries - General    8. Industries - Hospitality, Travel & Tourism    9. Marketing    10. Marketing - General    11. Restaurants    12. Business & Economics / Hospitality, Travel & Tourism    13. Business strategy    14. Hospitality industry    15. Restaurant & pub guides    16. Sales & marketing    17. BUSINESS/ECONOMICS/FINANCE    18. Small Business - Hotel/Restaurant   

Reviews (5)

Good overall, but very disappointing in places
Lonely Planet is the leader in travel books. This isn't just my opinion, I've met many other travelers who won't go anywhere without the appropriate LP book. Africa on a Shoestring is a great guide, with information on places to stay and what to see, for travelers who don't want to spend a fortune and aren't afraid to get out and actually experience the local culture.
good overview
It took so muchto get there and I found it very comforting having this book to entice me along.Yes it was pretty general but it left us open to meeting people and having more excuses to dig for directions.Many times we were invited into people's homes, the ones that spoke English and French.I always prefer roughing it to clean ironed sheets and air conditioned rooms.Anglin writes well and although there are some holes, there's no book out there that is better for seeing the raw Africa.

Don't head for Africa without Africa on a Shoestring in your pack
As someone who just returned from a solo tour(via local buses, trains and hitch-hiking) through Botswana, Zambia and Namibia with this book in my pack I feel I can review it more fairly than those who have simply looked it over while dreaming about a future trip.
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Subjects:  1. Africa    2. Travel    3. Travel - Foreign    4. Travel & holiday guides   

Subjects:  1. Asia - Southeast    2. Travel    3. Travel - Foreign    4. South East Asia    5. Travel & holiday guides   

Reviews (1)

Usefull stuff in, out with the rest...
I bought this book 2 months ago while planing a trip to OZ & NZ later on this year.
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Subjects:  1. Australia & Oceania - Australia    2. Australia & Oceania - General    3. Australia & Oceania - New Zealand    4. General    5. Travel    6. Travel - Foreign    7. Travel - General    8. Travel Guides    9. Australia    10. New Zealand    11. Travel & holiday guides   

Reviews (15)

A must for any visitor or new resident on a budget.
If ever there was a city where it pays to be cheap, it'd be in New York, one of the most expensive cities in the world - and from a native New Yorker comes a book which packs in over a thousand listings of free opportunities to be found there, from wine tastings and music to dance, games and fitness. From small clubs and select, limited events to low-rent, no-fee apartments, THE CHEAP BASTARD'S GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY is a must for any visitor or new resident on a budget.
Funny with GREAT Information
This book gives great info for the budget minded person who is planning a move to the Big Apple (me).It's written with a sense of humor.Very honest, good information!

Useful in parts, outdated phone numbers
I do not think I have ever returned a book after I bought it (grad school books don't fall in this category). But sadly, I had to return this book to Barnes and Nobel a week after I bought this particular book. The mistake was mine. I did not check to see when it was printed. The copy that I bought for close to $15 in Oct 2006 was printed in 2004...it was 2 years old! No wonder I did not find it useful. For starters, quite a few of the phone numbers were incorrect, and then from there things went downhill for me.
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Subjects:  1. Travel    2. Travel - United States    3. Travel Guides - U.S.    4. United States - Mid Atlantic - New York City    5. United States - Northeast - Middle Atlantic (General)    6. New York    7. Travel & holiday guides    8. Travel / United States / Northeast / Middle Atlantic (NJ, NY, PA)   

Reviews (3)

Great information to help you start planning
My sister and I are planning a trip to Southern Africa in the Spring...although we had both been to South Africa before we did not really know where to start with planning a 'safari' outside of SA...This book was a perfect overview of the different countries, the game you can plan to see, the tourist and weather seasons, and the differences between different types of safaris...we supplemented the information in this book with other sources...but this was a GREAT place to start off...get a good comfort level with the options in Africa...I would definitely reccommend!

A$10 rip off
Slim ,is not the word for this small 190 page "pocket book".
Worth the wait!
I must say how surprised I was at the number of useful tips in this book. It was worth the wait of the delayed release. I'm planning my first trip to East Africa, and the authors brought up topics that had not occurred to me in my months of research. For instance, it includes straight forward talk about situations which may induce motion sickness and how to lessen the effect, and how to make the best use of your guide. It also offers an understanding of the guide's view of tourists. It includes broad advice about sub-saharan African culture that may help smooth the journey even further. Short, but to the point, it was about a four hour read. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Africa    2. Special Interest - Adventure    3. Travel    4. Travel - Foreign    5. Travel & holiday guides    6. Travel / Adventure   

Reviews (7)

Retirement in a College Town
There was some good informationbut the book was not as useful as I had hoped.The maps were not useful at all and the regional breakdown was strange.

Choosing a college town for retirement
Very informative. A lot of very useful information for each town that let's you "comparative shop" each town against the others.
Stop Being Such A Crab!
This is great book! It covers the whole country evenly. It's well-rounded, lively, and has a unique point-of-view: college towns!
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Subjects:  1. Aging - Retirement    2. Asia - Southeast    3. Personal & Practical Guides    4. Reference    5. Retirement, Places of    6. Travel    7. United States    8. United States - General    9. University towns    10. Travel / General   

Reviews (10)

We swam the Grand Canyon
An enthralling, sometimes humorous read of the Canyon's rapids before Powell Dam was built.

High Adventure
This is the first person account of the only swimming trip that went the length of the Grand Canyon. In 1955 two young men , Bill Beers and John Daggett, enbarked on this one of a kind adventure. These guys to do not come across as thrill seekers but a couple of young men seeking high adventure. It is a fast, exciting read. It brings the Canyon and all it's glory to life.

Fun Read Fun Trip Dangerous YES
This was a fun quick read that anybody who has been down the Grand Canyon or has an interest in must read for themselves.I hope to see additional photos and the TV production of this trip. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Colorado River    3. Description and travel    4. Grand Canyon (Ariz.)    5. Swimmers    6. Swimming, Long distance    7. United States   

Subjects:  1. General    2. Special Interest - Adventure    3. Travel - General   

Reviews (1)

Aid to Find Course & Contact Info
Have found this resource (this the seventh edition) to be very useful especially in finding course when traveling.My wife and I have used this to great benefit when traveling out of state, and through it have found some delightful courses, resorts, etc.
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Subjects:  1. Golf    2. Golf - General    3. Reference    4. Special Interest - General    5. Sports    6. Sports & Recreation    7. Travel - General    8. Travel & holiday guides    9. Travel / Special Interest / General   

Reviews (2)

Absolutely the best there is
To be entirely honest, I had my doubts at first about the Let's Go line of guidebooks, but this edition really changed my mind.Having picked up a copy of the newest edition on Let's Go Eastern Europe, I recently set out on a tour of the region and found this guidebook to be exquisitely put together and extraordinarily informative.This is a book which maintains a distictly entertaining personality while still offering the soundest travel advice a budget traveller could possibily hope for.I could not recommend this guidebook more highly - it is quite simply the best on the market today.

sharp, clever, and useful
let's go eastern europe 12th edition was my constant companion on my recent solo travels through ukraine, poland, and the baltics.the book has a great eye for both the wonders and the frustrations of the region--and the best deals. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Europe - Eastern    2. Travel    3. Travel - Foreign    4. Eastern Europe    5. Travel & holiday guides   

Reviews (1)

Fabulous!
This book is an excellent source for anyone who wants to find good, cheap restaurants in and around London.Having already been there many times, I just picked this book up to help plan my next trip (in just over a month!)and have found it to be invaluable.I even see a number of our favorite restuarants already listed!Here are some reasons as to why I am in love with this book:
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Subjects:  1. Europe - Great Britain - General    2. Restaurants    3. Travel    4. Travel - Foreign    5. Restaurant & pub guides    6. United Kingdom, Great Britain   

Reviews (4)

Skip the Fodor's, Get the Lonely Planet Instead
I bought this book and carried it along with me to Morocco, along with a couple of other travel guides.I found this one to be the least useful, and I abandoned it along the way to lighten my load.In my opinion, the Lonely Planet Guide was the best.I would advise against wasting your money on this one.

Good for highlights, short on detail
The guide is very good at giving an overview of what to see and visit andsample itenerarys.However, it is extremely lacking in detail from placesto stay to potential dangers that can be faced in different areas.This,in combination with the Lonely Planet, which is short on overviews but hasextensive details is great.

Railroad from Marrakech to Safi, build by Frenchs
This railroad was build by french near 1930. I want to know about it ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1981-    2. Africa    3. Description and travel    4. Guide-books    5. Guidebooks    6. Morocco    7. Travel    8. Travel - Foreign    9. Travel Guides    10. Travel & holiday guides    11. Travel / Africa   

Reviews (4)

Nice $$ Hotels;Restaurant Reviews; Shopping
I have this guide but I don't take it to Japan.It probably has the best descriptions of all the temples and sights, but practical information, such as "Where is this hotel?" seems to be left out.For example, there is an entire page devoted to a description of Nijo-jo in Kyoto.However, if you're staying at the "starred" (recommended) Yachiya Ryokan in Kyoto, all you have to go on to get there is its address:34 Nanzen-ji fukuchi-cho, etc.At least the Kyoto hotel map will give a general location.Only the hotel map has hotel locations and you have to find it among the other sightseeing maps.On many maps, such as that of Nagasaki, not one hotel is placed. Luckily, the hotels listed are large enough that a taxi driver should be able to find them.
Very good, but there may be stronger contenders
Fodor's was the fourth guide that I bought for Japan. It did not disappoint, but competition is tough and others do a better job in some areas. Gaijin friendly
I used this book on a one week visit to Japan with my 15-year old daughter. While I had been to Japan many times on business, I had always been accompanied by Japan-based associates who delivered me from one destination to another, and refused to let me get lost. I had also not had the opportunity to do any genuine sightseeing. Using this book as our only guide we were able to: 1) Walk from our hotel in Akasaka to the Imperial Palace, seeing the Diet and a couple of shrines on the way; 2) Take the subway and trains to Kamakura for a tour of the temples; 3) Take the subway to Ryogoku to check out the Sumo stables; 4) Buy tickets and ride the shinkansen (bullet train) to Kyoto for a tour of the temples, and return; 5) Take an ikebana (flower arranging) lesson at the Sogetsu Kaikan; And 6) shop in the Ginza and other areas. In all cases, the directions and advice were on target. I highly recommend this book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1945-    2. Asia - Japan    3. Description and travel    4. Guide-books    5. Guidebooks    6. Japan    7. Travel    8. Travel - Foreign    9. Travel Guides    10. Travel / Asia / Japan   

Reviews (8)

grabz1972
I found this book helpful in finding bargains thruoghout the Las Vegas area.Though there were a few entries that were no longer in business or discontinued, for the most part it was very helpful.

"Cheap Eats" not very helpful
I've been to Las Vegas many times for business and pleasure. I did not find this book very helpful. While the concept for a 1 to 777 ranking of restaurant values is a good idea, this book has no information about the restaurants or their food. With ranking by price in various categories, you could use it as a cross-reference to the Unofficial Guide or Frommers. But who has the time? Just use one of those 2 books first -- both are good. This book would be useful to a Las Vegas resident, but is of limited value for a visitor. Prices have really gone up this year, so the information is out-of-date by as much as 50 percent.

OK, But Needs More Details
I guess I expected more than basically just a book of lists. Some better details, reviews, options, etc. would have made this a better buy in my mind. For example, the buffet listings just say dinner buffet, lunch buffet, etc. I would have liked to have seen examples of what types of items to expect or at least the typical number of items. A buffet with 10 choices is a lot different from one with 35 choices. Also, I wonder how much of the book will be outdated within six months. Still it is kind of fun to read about some of the great dining deals and it is small and easy to take with you on your trip. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Reference - Guides (General)    2. Restaurants    3. Travel    4. Travel - United States    5. United States - Pacific - Las Vegas    6. Body, Mind & Spirit / General    7. Wendy Y. Tucker