to cut or to not cut - that is the question!

I use my scanner to make copies of pages. Cutting out pages just seems wrong.

It depends on whether I think I'm going back to the area covered by the book, and how much of the area i am covering. Will I need an d book before I go back?
I tore up RS's Italy 2010 last month and only took a third of the book- much lighter. I too like having paper and books in hand rather than dealing with a screen or batteries. In the spirit of lightening the load and sharing, have left the RS guides behind in my last stop in the lobby of hotels.

Depends on the book. I made color photocopies of ed pages from the EyeWitness Guidebook because it's way too heavy to take in its entirety.

Get a Kindle and take all the books you want! I figure I saved about 8 pounds by not taking RS Italy, Rome and Venice on our trip, as well as a couple non RS books and two or three novels we each read. Downside: The maps/diagrams are hard to reference. I did make photocopies of a few maps out fo the books and tucked them in my city folders, discarding as I used them. Ditto diagrams to accompany RS audio tours of Basillica San Marco, Frari Church, etc. Anything to lighten the load, though!

Don't worry. Travel guides aren't really books - only the latest edition of a frequently updated paperback. Next trip you will want the latest edition anyway. The parts of the book that don't relate directly to your trip are only dead weight. Cut it up, toss it when you are done, and keep your load light.

Cut-up, tear-out, copying... the lose pages started to get to me. I have Kinkos cut the spine off the book and spiral bind the pages I need. I agree it's painful to cut up books (I'm a writer), but better that pain than the pain in my shoulder from carrying the book(s) around each day. I almost always travel with one or more Blue Guides, which are really heavy, and I often have Kinkos split a single guide into 2 or 3 manageable chunks (dictated by location of sites). With this approach, I find I'm much more likely to have the guides with me while I'm touring, instead of leaving them at my hotel for pre/post reading.

EBooks and iPad are the answer, just need more books available. I'm waiting for 2011 versions of RS Venice and Florence.

I rely on notes made as I read several guide books and websites as well as copies of pages from books that I consider important. And I take at least one complete guidebook to the area along as who knows what one will want to do along the way.

You can use your netbook, laptop, and even your desktop computer to view Kindle and Sony ebook files: http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?ie=UTF8&docId=1000426311 http://ebookstore.sony.com/download

It makes it alot easier. My husband feels the same way about books, but the books do become outdated. If you do cut the pages out, you still need to be organized. When we went to Italy, I had the Rome "file", and then tossed it when we went to the next area. I had the same for Venice, etc. I kept the general Italy area with the train maps, and it became very helpful when our train connections were delayed. I did the cutting out because was trying to keep the weight of our luggage down as we traveled. If that is not a concern for you, just take the book. If you do ebook, so much the better.

Dee, My opinion is much the same as yours. I just can't bring myself to cut the pages out of books (although I do like the Kinkos idea). I generally only take one or two Guidebooks and don't find that to be a problem. I'd feel much more comfortable leafing through a Guidebook on the streets of Rome or Naples, than I would an iPad or similar device, so I'll probably be carrying books for quite some time.

"Does everyone cut their travel books up??" Of course not. If you did a survey, I'll bet the cutters would be in the minority. One of the problems reported by those who cut up guide books is: You're over there, when you decide, kind of spontaneously, that you want to explore an area that, oh dear, isn't included in your carefully pre-planned itinerary. And guess what? You threw those pages away before the trip, to save a few ounces. Dang. You're now going to have to explore that new area naked, I mean, without your little blue & yellow book. It's actually happened and been reported here, by folks who sounded like they really wished they'd carried the extra few ounces of paper. Not the end of the world. But something to consider. But if you're the kind who never, ever deviates from your pre-planned itinerary, or who brings half a dozen guidebooks, or who can't stand the thought of carrying a few extra ounces of stuff, then cut away.

I cut up my books by chapter and put a plastic cover on each chapter (similar to the type that you probably used when you did reports in elementary school). Use a razor blade or something similar to cut out the pages. I put all the chapters in a ziploc bag. I only bring the sections for the area which I am traveling to. When I go out for a day of sightseeing, I only bring the sections that apply for that day. A single chapter is small enough that I can keep it in my purse while I am out sightseeing. I find this so much more convenient. I don't carry a big backpack when I am out during the day. I just carry a purse. I don't really get why people are so reluctant to cut up travel books. I rarely look at them when I return home. I still have all the chapters when I return home (just put a rubber band around the book to keep it together). I usually buy a new travel book if I return a couple of years later.

Cut away, less is more!

Those books are heavy. I chop out the parts I know I won't use and leave them at home. Then, as I travel, I pull out sections for that day's events. By the end of the trip, I toss the whole book. If most of the book is still intact, I leave it for the next traveler at my hotel. This lightens my carry-on bag. My library gets each year's issues of the RS books, so I know I will have access to the info once I'm home. And next year I will buy a book for the country I plan to visit.

I was a little creeped out when I cut up my first tour book, but it really makes things easier. Until you get to Japan and realize you left all the right pages homes.

I know these books are d every year, making the book you buy slightly more obsolete. But I just can't seem to cut up a book or leave it at the hotel bookshelf. Because I read this forum everyday, I have found that my old books come in handy, sometimes to even answer a posters question. I also don't mind lending my books at the last moment to those going abroad. I usually get a load of thanks after they come back, stating they used the restaurant recommendations, or something like that. I have photo copied things from other books and brought them with me and threw them out as i went along. For instance, I just go back from Italy. But the Rome, Florence, Venice book is soo much more detailed with walks. I copy the walks, bringing only the Italy book. I am one of those that had a hard time converting from CD to digital music. Now my music is in my computer, my discs are in a garage sale pile. But I just can't seem to get rid of my books in exchange for digital books. there is nothing like turning real pages. to have a book in hand is what I want. I feel reading from a computer gives me A.D.D. It's hard to focus and concentrate when I read from a screen.

Like you, Dee, I can't bring myself to cut up a book. I read about everything there is to do in a certain city and then I take notes on what I want to see - i.e. for a museum, I write the name of it, the address, the hours when it's open, how much it costs, the Metro stop closest to it, and any other pertinent information. This way, my itinerary for each city is on one notebook page, weighs nothing, and fits easily into my day bag.

Ebooks are definitely out of the question. I'm probably the last person in the world who doesn't own an ipod. I'm glad to see I'm not alone there. I'm going to look into the Kinkos idea. Have someone else cut it up = less guilt! I'm not worried about the weight in our luggage (carry on) but I know it would end up in my purse all day and that definitely does make a difference. The less weight in my purse, the better. Thank for all the input.

I've never needed to resort to kinkos. I carefully peel off the cover, then rip the sections needed (or not needed as the case may be) leaving the binding on the sections. Then, using clear packing tape, I tape the sections together and tape them back into the cover. I end up with a book that looks pretty normal, but is much lighter. If that's not clear, I could post some pictures. I am the type that doesn't like to tear up books OR be without a potentially useful bit of info. BUT they do get heavy. So, if I am going to Lucca, Florence and Venice, I'll take all of the Tuscany and Veneto sections, but not Rome, Naples or other points south or north.

Dee, If you're only going to need a small section out of a particular Guidebook, another option to consider is to photocopy and enlarge the appropriate pages. Place them either in a small binder or clear plastic sleeve. I usually photocopy the page with the Map showing the layout of the Hotels in each city, and place the pages in a plastic sleeve (with the current city page on top). When I arrive at the rail station in a new and unfamiliar city, I have a look at the Map and am usually able to get to my Hotel very easily. Of course, this method won't work as well if you need multiple sections from the Guidebook, with many pages.

Does anyone know if Rick Steves' Italy will ever be available on the Kindle? I'd love to be able to get as an e-book for travel purposes, but it looks like I can only download the city versions.

I would never cut the book up.First of all I want it intac when I get home and also many times Ive been able to give info to persons going to areas I hadnt been too but that are in Steves book.

I tore my R.S. Spain guidebook apart, when we were leaving Spain, and crumpled all the pages into balls to use as a cushion for all the decorative spanish tile I purchased and was carrying home! I know that if and when I go back to Spain, I will want to buy the newest edition of the RS guidebook anyway.