I just got back from Spain and Amsterdam. In planning the trip, I bought the latest RS books for both, and the information from Rick Steves was again very helpful and saved us time and money. To try to save space I also purchased versions of both books for my Kindle to be my travel companion and left the books at home. I also tore pages from an older RS "Best of Europe" and put them in the RS binder each time I changed cities as a paper backup. By the time I was traveling, I was very familiar with information in the RS books and could usually quickly find it again in the books. I found the Kindle hard to work from while traveling, especially when I was on the move and wanted information quickly. Also, the maps were too small to easily read and I couldn't enlarge them as with other digital data from the internet. I was glad I had the paper backup though the "Best of Europe" information was more limited than I really wanted from the books I had at home & on the Kindle. I have read some criticism in the Helpline for the RS maps not being detailed enough, but I found they provided an excellent overview to find places for which I was interested and relationships to other places and nearby streets which I could not always find from other maps. If needed, I could then usually find the detail or other information I wanted in other maps. So, while digital has its advantages, there still is a place for me for books. I don't think I will use the RS Kindle versions as my travel companion again--the books don't take up that much room and I could quickly find the information I needed.
Posted by
New York, NY, 10025
392 posts
I agree with you about having both. Usually I am a big fan of digital, but it's hard to find info on there sometimes. I will bookmark pages on the Kindle, but when there are a lot of bookmarks it's still hard to find things. We usually buy hard copies of Lonely Planet and then keep RS or anything else I happen to have (I love reading guidebooks) digital.
Posted by
2081 posts
hi, i have purchased RS books and others. I will use and bring what i think i will need on my trip. I also have a binder i make up for my travels. I has my reservations and any e tickets printed. I know its oldfashion for some, but it allows me to review and view what im going to do day by day. If i need a special map, i will just google it and print it for that particular area. most of the google maps will have tube stops listed. If not, i will try to view or download the local transportation map and hand plot them for reference. if i can find/plot a decent map of the area im interested i will transfer all of the relevant info ie Hotel, museums and such i want to do/see on that map to minimize clutter. also, since i dont bring along a stuff bag to bring stuff home, i choose to ship my souvenirs and books home. once im done with any of my guide books, it will be in the next shipment home. by shipping stuff home,i make more room for stuff to buy and carry if i choose. It maynot be the least expensive options, but it works for me. afa electronics, i think they are great, but imo, embronic in terms of what applications and things I would want/use. So im holding off buying anything for now. i will pass on what i thought was a funny experience. I was walking around Victoria Train Station in London and a young (god im old now) Japanese couple was trying to ask me for directions to the Victoria Bus terminal. That day i chose not to carry my map with me, so i was trying to tell them the bus terminal was south of this station. they didnt believe me and thought i was crazy. So i gave up, but was made it funny was that they had an Iphone with the map/compass app on the screen and although it showed the bus terminal and compass, they couldnt find it....
Posted by
2081 posts
this is just my opinion. People put too much trust/belief in media. that includes print and the news. If people want to be sheep or lemmings, so be it. when it comes to RS travel books. They are great and he and his staff put alot of useful information in them. They do ALOT of the homework for you and answers alot of questions. Are they 1000% perfect? no. they are GUIDES NOT GOSPEL! just like any printed material, it takes time to do so and things change! the world is DYNAMIC NOT STATIC. What was current at the time of the writings may not be at the time of printing. Even e media isnt 100% even though some people may think so. Look at google maps at the date those pics/mapes were done. You will see they are NOT CURRENT! I use all of the guide books i buy and google and here as a reference. I dont expect them to be fool proof. If i did, i would be the fool. when it comes to it, part of traveling is in my opinion (imo) is having surprises or those "o crap" i just missed whatever and now i have to figure out what to do next. doing my homework is to minimize those "o crap" moments, but in a DYNAMIC world stuff happens and many times, its not the best, but all you can do is to make the best of it. one of the reasons i travel the way i do is to try and experience how to get around in the cities i go to. I do this for one (1) reason. so i know how to get around the next time. I may forget some details, but it will be familiar the next time. I also, buy my tickets/passes different ways so i can determine what works for me and the way i travel. happy trails.
Posted by
New York, NY, 10025
392 posts
It's a good point that information changes. I like the Pocket Guide app on my iPhone as a supplement for guidebook information. Sometimes stuff you can't anticipate changes while you are on the ground, so it's best to be flexible and to have access to a range of options in case something falls through; the internet helps with that. Our chosen place for afternoon tea was closed in London due to an Olympics event, so we had to scramble to find another place that fit into the short non-Olympics event time we had remaining in London (having afternoon tea in London was one of our honeymoon dreams, which would make sense if you knew us.) I had to use the internet to find out that Fortnum and Mason would be open early enough to accommodate us the next day, and we had a lovely time.