Rick's Guidebook sales? how frequently

That was vthe only time I've seen that $5 sale.

They made money on me. I bought the Istanbul book in 2020 for $5 and took the 2022 Best of Istanbul tour and Best of Turkey tour!

I've seen good sales on Kindle editions, which I've picked up in occasional sales for $1.99 and $3.99. Very likely editions that were about to be replaced.

ETA: I'm seeing several Kindle editions on sale now for $3.99.

Thanks for the feedback. I see the Kindle sale. It's also on the Canadian Amazon site. Thanks again.

And I just picked up a Kindle copy of the Greece guidebook for $3.99!

douglas, you probably picked up a recent edition. Usually the sales are for guidebooks that are a year or more older. And they come and go on Amazon. Sometimes there will just be few, but other times, there will be a dozen or more. That sometimes happens with other guidebooks as well.

As for Kindle, with digital media, wouldn't all copies be for the most recent edition?

Another option is if your library offers loans via digital downloads - I wanted to look at the RS Sicily guidebook the other day and had it five minutes later - free loan for 3 weeks. But the library is also a great source for guidebooks in physical media - although not always the latest edition.

Markcw, I am actually asking for a friend. I don't know if she uses Ki fle, but I know she is also an avid library user. I think she was hoping for another $5 sale.
I use my library for guides all the time; particularly in initial researching. I would then buy the current book of whichever publisher I found that best suited my plans for that trip.
After a Spring demo on one of our Zoom travel meetings, I started using Wanderlog app. I now read from the guidebook and place stuff of interest into a trip plan. I love how it is linked to Google and tells me when something is closed on that day, or similar suggestions, links to a map and the website, so I can check times and pricing.
I may never buy another paper travel guide again.
Right now I have Norway, a transatlantic cruise that ends in Barcelona with a day's there and the Azores, and a 3 week trip to Uzbekistan for Autumn 2025 in the app. Guide books for Uzbekistan are quite out of date as pre-covid, with no new edition expected until November 2025, so the app has helped a lot to give a current picture of things.

The sales generally happen right before a new edition comes out. You can find out the planned release date by looking at the page for the guidebook you are interested in, under the "product details" tab. For example, the current London guide book has a July 2024 publication date and a future release date of Summer 2026 (https://store.ricksteves.com/shop/p/london-guidebook) Kindle versions are for most recent version, but sometimes you can grab the soon-to-be-out-of-date version for a lower price, or on sale (often people here will post when there's a sale brewing). You just have to keep an eye out.

Your friend may also want to try second hand shops, either in person or online (such as AbeBooks or GoodwillBooks). Rarely are they current versions but they might find something within the last decade. I've picked up many travel books this way. Amazon sells used books, you have to click on the "other sellers on Amazon" link (on the right side under the Amazon pricing info). Often the resellers are second hand/Goodwill type shops.

I’m pretty sure the $5 sale was a one and done to unload guidebooks during the pandemic. I bought books for everywhere I may want to go and will finally be putting one of them to use in a few months.