Own Rick Steve's Italy 2009... buy 2012 or is 2009 good enough?

Frank, ain't BBC great? Deleted words, can't post a link with '?' in it, ... But, back at the ranch, I never use guidebooks for accommodations. The Internet has far better information, for free. First, at least for Rick Steves in Germany, he rarely covers where I go. Secondly, I've found that town websites (www.town.de) are the best source of information, particularly when it comes to economical places. In three cases (out of maybe 40) I have stayed at a place recommended (at the time) in his guidebook, but I found it on my own. As for restaurants, I find it enjoyable walking around the neighborhood reading menus. A couple of times I have followed the recommendation from where I was staying.

Unlike other book companies, RS updates his books every year, though even then they're a year or so behind (e.g., 2010 book was assembled in 2009). His books tend not to vary much on content, such as places to visit or maps, though occasionally he'll significantly revamp parts of a guide (especially hotel recommendations). If you want somewhat current prices and the latest on his particular thoughts on a place, get the new book. The price of $12 to help guide a vacation that costs a whole lot more than that is in my opinion worth it.

Some books are only reknewd that often, others (like RS) are revized annually. (spelling cause of editor deletions) Sites pretty much don't move, but prices, hours, advice and deals do. Bus lines change numbers or cease altogether. New hotels and restaurants come, old ones go. People die. Businesses change hands. Is it worth it to have more up to date info? Only you know for yourself. Is it worth the money to go out of thw way somewhere to find it is not what you hoped? Only you know the time value of money to you. At least you can go to a library to see one that's a bit newer and compare, or a bookstore (are there still any of those in the US?) to see a new one.

Come on -- you are spending hundreds if not thousand of dollars on a trip and you are not willing to spend an extra $12 to insure the latest information even if only 10 or 20% of the book is new. We use the older books when we are not concerned about update information related to restaurants and lodging. Afterall walking tours, old sites, etc. don't change much over time.

In the long run, $12 bucks ain't a huge amount of money and, in my opinion, worth the investment. Are you going to any specific cities in Italy? Maybe it would be more worthwhile to purchase the updated city specific guides, rather than the overall Italy book. Even with an updated guidebook, I would still check the info against the internet. As mentioned, even the 2012 book is still a year old.

I have gone to Paris every year for the past 4 or 5 years.... I buy updated guides every year. "I want to get the most out of our vacation" and using a 2009 guidebook are not compatible terms IMHO.

I find the s on recommended hotels and restaurants to be worth the price of a new guidebook. Hotels and restaurants that have declined in quality or service are removed and new finds are added. For me, avoiding one bad stay or one bad meal is worth the $13 or so I pay each year for a new guidebook. My Italy 2012 is on its way from Amazon as I write this. Edit: the "s" in first sentence is supposed to be updates, but for some reason it keeps deleting the "update" part of the word.

Get the updated book, it is no more than the cost of 2 people eating at McDonalds and could save you a ton of money, time, etc.

I wouldn't disagree with all the others who have suggested you get your hands on an d book. But here in Minneapolis we have these things called libraries that loan books for free. My first two trips to Europe used library books. To me, the best value of the book is to help paint a broad picture of how much time to spend where. Frankly, the book can be several years out of date and still accomplish that task just fine. Up-to-date details like opening hours at sites, Restaurants and lodgings, are less useful to me because; 1) I eat where it's convenient and never had any trouble finding food. 2) being a family of five, we hardly ever use Rick's lodging suggestions - they are rarely conducive to families on a tight budget, except for hostels. 3) Opening hours and costs at sites can change at any time - including during the 8-12 months that the newest book is "new". I always trust the internet for that information more than the book.

If you plan to use the guidebook, you may as well spring for the latest edition. For the latest details, however, I recommend that you check the Guidebook Feedback and Updates section of the Graffiti Wall at http://www.ricksteves.com/books/feedback/index.cfm

Does Rick have a large staff that's updating the books yearly, or do they only change "typos?" I can't image Rick has the time personally to update each book ever year. I have to purchase five books for the file countries we're visiting: England, France, Germany (Bavaria), Switzerland, and Italy. Pete
Charlotte, NC June 2012: England, France, Germany, Switzerland, Italy

Buy new RS guide books whenever you travel to Europe and help support this web site. Thank you.

I tend to agree with the others, in terms of buying a new Guidebook. I'm sure the costs for your trip will be thousands of dollars so even if you have to uppdate five books, the costs for Kindle editions are cheap compared to that. One point to mention - I'm not sure the 2012 Kindle edition for Italy is available yet. They're typically about three months behind the print version. I haven't checked on the status of books for the other countries. Regarding the Guidebook revisions, you may be interested in having a look at This short video. Rick does in fact do some of the work in revising the books. Happy travels!

Go on eBay and buy a year old one for 4-5 bucks including shipping.

I think we're going to buy a Kindle and load up the five or six books. Thanks for all your suggestions!

"Does Rick have a large staff that's updating the books yearly, or do they only change "typos?"" Sort of. Some of the information is probably obsolete by the time the books go to presses, but in my experience, his company makes one of the most thorough, honest efforts on yearly updating in the travel publishing business. But even they sometimes let outdated info slip through the cracks. On the opposite end of the scale, it seems like Lonely Planet sometimes doesn't even bother to proofread their books year to year. I have a 2009 Netherlands edition that mentions the Rijksmuseum undergoing significant renovations "sometime in 2007". But if you want accurate, up to date information on prices, rail schedules, bus lines, hotel rates, museum opening times, etc... always go to the relevant website.

Tom is correct. He does have a huge staff - sort of. It is mostly you and I. This site does have many loyal followers more so than many other travel sites and especially the large guide books like Fodors and Lonely Planet. Now, our other frequent Germany poster likes to rip on Steves' followers as near mindless lemmings but his followers provide a very useful service not available on other travel sites. Go to Books (3rd from right at top bar), then Guidebook feedback and from there you should be smart enough to figure it out. You can post corrections and suggestions. I know the staff follows because we have sent in a couple errors, corrections, changes that we found and the staff always acknowledges the input. Second, Steves uses a lot of local guides so I am sure he is getting up to date info from them. And finally, his guidebooks are very selective as to what is cover so it is much easier to update this limited materials rather than a huge guide book trying to cover everything. In our experience his guidebooks are the most accurate for what is covered.

I won't speak to the question of 2009 versus 2012, but I want to say I went to Spain six weeks ago with two guide books (one of them Rick's) on my IPad, and I'll never do that again. I found them very unwieldy to use in that format on the street, and I ended up reading sections in the morning, then heading out from my hotel. Obviously, I forgot many details, and did not have as satisfactory a trip as in the past with paper guide books.

I have always traveled with anothe couple.I buy a book the year prior to leaving and then when the new book comes out I buy it and give the year old book to the other couple. In comparing the 2 books I find there is much same information but there are also many changes(new lodging added and some deleted) but Steves also arranges the book different each year,

If you are going to follow Rick Steve's or any guide book, then be sure to have the most current one. It will save a bit of frustration for changes. For me, I use current books only for quick reference & really love to compile my own itinerary surfing the web.

I go to the library and check any/all books on the region I plan to visit. These all work fine for planning purposes. I then buy, and travel with, the most current version of the guide that will be the most valuable for my trip. If my itinerary is well defined, I'll cut up that guide into only the parts I need to save weight. Like Lee said, I generally avoid lodging and eating recommendations from a guidebook. Even if they are great recommendations at the time they are printed, the recommendation itself turns the place into a tourist trap - clientelle changes and the business changes to suit the new clientelle. By the time you get there, hotels have AC and ensuite baths (and have doubled their prices) and restaurants have ditched local cuisine in favor of the food customers ask for (and doubled their prices).

Ok, on one hand I agree with Charlie,, supporting the website by buying or using RS products is not a bad idea,, BUT,, I also support this website by suggesting people use or consider Rick STeves tours or guides when they ask on OTHER forums for tour or guide suggestions. I rarely use a guide book,, I read them to get ideas for sightseeing , and to read background history ,, but I never ever use them for hotel or restaurant suggestions, sorry thats just how it is for me. I much prefer using websites for up todate information on times of admission and prices. Almost any tourist site has its own website, ( hey Notre Dame has one,, so does any site I have ever seen listed in a guidebook. I would not buy a new book unless you plan to use it as a resource for accomadation or restaurants. The sight locations and history do not change from year to year. I do not need or use prices for sights, if I want to see the Coliseum I don't care what the price of admission is,, I am going,, so if prices have gone up 3 or 5 euros,, would that really make any difference? Not to me. I use this forum and others and have culled so many awesome tips or ideas,, that for me,, guide books are becoming a bit passe,, I have a library of them,, don't need anymore. Exception would be for a first time visitor,, i do suggest reading a good guide book,, and I do recommend RS books for that,, not for the uptodate info,, but for all the general travel advice and tips!

Good question. I personally do not use Rick's books for hotels. I will look at his restaurant recommendations, but rely much more heavily on hotel recommendations and other sources. I do use his books for determining what I would like to see and do, which does include information on hours of operation, local transportation, walks and other tours, and perhaps guides. A book one year old would not concern me. But if my book were three years old, I probably would buy a new one. Things change. Even the most current book is going to have some information that is dated three months after the book goes to the printer. But the older the book, the more dated information it will contain.

to put it simply, the at minimum one likely error in information you'll encounter from a 3+ year old guide book will probably cost you more in time, frustration, or out of pocket expense than the purchase price of the newest version.

Buy the new book but not on the Kindle. Cut the book apart by section and carry the part of the book for the area you are in. I relied heavily on RS so that worked well for me. That and a compass. Carrying the big blue book isn't cool.

I would go ahead and buy the new 2012 book. It will give updated information for many sites, etc. In addition, many lodgings and restaurants noted in Rick's books will give you discounts if you have the current year's book. So, if you go to any of these places, the discounts you receive will more than make up for the inexpensive cost of the book anyway.