eBook Reader or Paperbacks?

Take the Nook. The books weigh too much, will weigh you down, you'll end up leaving them behind - nice to share, but kind of a waste of money.

I bought a Nook and love it. I've traveled in the US with it, but the purpose for buying it was for travel to Europe. I'm so tired of dragging 5-7 books, reading them all, and having NOTHING to read!

Just make sure that all your books are downloaded to the Nook before you leave the US, you cannot download in Europe yet. (I guess the new Kindle allows this)
I'd also recommend getting a reading light for it for late night reading in the hostels and on trains.

Just like anything else you own,just take care, watch where you place it, make sure it's put away. I'd make sure you have a cover for it (if you don't already) to protect it in your backpack. It's like a camera or a phone. If you are rushed, or careless, anything you own can get left behind, not necessarily stolen.

my husband has a nook, i have a kindle, and we both agreed that they were the single best items we brought with us on our recent trip. paper weighs a LOT! have a great trip!

Netbook + e-reader + iPod Touch = iPad

Just sayin' ;-)

I just returned from 40 days in Spain and Morocco and took my sony e-reader. I loved it. I was travelling on my own for most of the trip so the reader was great. I even had downloaded chapters from lonely planet on to my reader ( I also had the a Rick Steves guide book). My reader is something that I will be taking on every trip I take. I read super fast and there was no way I could have taken enough books for my trip.

I love my Sony e-Reader for travel. I'd take your reader - loss/theft is a risk but it'll be small/light enough to keep in your day bag. (It's at risk any time you take it our of your house, and if you never take it out of your house you may as well buy dead-tree books instead.)

Well, I must say, it looks like I've been swayed to take my Nook! Being a tech guy, I'm totally cool with that. It's too bad the 2011 Rick Steves ebooks aren't out yet, but at least I tore up my paper guide books to make a REALLY slim set of guides.

As for other guides/translators/phrasebooks/etc, I will be using my iPod Touch to take care of those items.

Thanks for all the tips, feel free to post more!

Matt

Netbook + e-reader + iPod Touch = iPad

huh?

A netbook on it's own can be used as an E-reader. Amazon Kindle software can be installed on any netbook running windows. Same deal with the Sony e-books.

Netbook=Ipad

Michael, if you read the entire thread you will notice that the original poster mentioned he will be bringing a netbook, e-reader and an iPod Touch with him on his trip. I simply stated that one iPad does all three of those things excellently. If you don't agree it can do all those things well, that's your opinion. But, it is just another option (albeit an expensive one) for him to consider that will save weight, accessories, cables, adapters, plugs, etc.

I swear, every time I mention the word "iPad" on this site, people get sooooo upset and defensive. I have no idea why

I wasn't defensive or upset???? I never said one was better than the other. Anything an Ipad can do a netbook can do as well, and vice versa. The point I was trying to make is that traveling with an Ebook may be redundant if one is also bringing along another device that has the same capabilities. I don't own stock in Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, Sony, Dell, or HP;)

Haha, thanks for the iPad tip, but I'm good. I'm a fan of my netbook and I got the Nook so I could get .epub files and get books from my local library. That, and I stare at a computer all day and night, so I wanted the eInk interface to read instead of a backlit screen. But enough about technology, I think the general consensus here is that ebook readers (whichever you choose) are the way to go!

Matt

I'll agree - I travel with my Kindle now, and wouldn't dream of going back to the days of lugging multiple paperbacks alone. What's even better is that you don't run the risk of running out of books and having to spend a fortune in an English language bookstore overseas. :)

Bookstores are doomed. They've already started disappearing. The e-readers will kill them. Sad, but inevitable. At least it'll save millions of trees. Now, if someone could just come up with an electronic substitute for toilet paper...

i am a bookie!! i am taking a book and will leave it at what ever hotel i am at.
too many electronics, i fear

Matt, I have the Sony Pocket Reader, and I carry it practically every day,traveling or not, in my purse. If you have that size, it won't be a problem to carry in your daybag.

I packed at least 6 books on my trip last summer... as I finished, I left it somewhere with a note saying that it was free and needed a new home. I pay around 25 cents to $1 for most of my books, so it wasn't a big deal. As well, it made space in my bag for stuff to bring home, rather than just starting off with empty space that I might have been tempted to fill. I don't think books are going to vanish. Bookstores in favour of online stores, yes, and likely cost more.... but there are too many people such as myself that hoard books and can't resist picking them up.

I can't argue with the value of electronics and the logic of an ebook over multiple paperbacks. But we don't read because it's logical. Reading is an emotional pursuit. I think I would have a hard time getting emotionally invested in an ebook. One of the greatest pleasures of traveling and staying in small hostels and B&Bs is the shelf of cast-off books free for the taking. I would take two books with you and trade them in as needed. I think some things in life should remain "old school".