15

Whilst its frustrating to pay out for a guide book when the latest one is released straight after I think we get a little obsessed with how up to date it is and how up do date it can possibly be. In my experience the original LP's were fabulous because they were so motivating. You could pick up a book of a destination you'd hardly dreamed of and read the introduction and realize just how possible it all was....not just possible all of a sudden but "why aren't you doing this NOW?!"...that really got me to a lot of places, and I know with the original "Yellow Bible"- Tony & Maureen's guide to SE Asia, boy did that kick things off!

16

Good Point Boomer...

I agree that just reading the preface and intro to a country gets you dreaming and anticipating a new country, culture and exotic atmosphere. For books, heck I was taking my MOON Chris Baker 2001 to Costa Rica until 2006, then got a new one back then, I guess there is a new one now, but 90% can still be the same, accept prices and places to eat/sleep, some get better, some get worse.

I took my first trip with an IPad to Turkey a few weeks ago, we didnt get a Data SIM car for it there, but downloaded the LP Guidebook, and I went to the Library and got the DK Eyewitness Turkey book from 2007, which really covers the cultural/history and beauty of the country, they don't cover hotels/transport/cafes for the most part. It was great, filled in as a guide at many of the cultural museums. It also helped us pick what looked interesting based on our interest, which this trip was all about the christian and muslim sects that dominated Istanbul over the years. We also downloaded an free cultural overview on Istanbul as well. It was also super handy on the 9 hour flight, had my tunes and shows and Apps for poker, chess, etc...

Now we are driving to Florida in two weeks, and will take our time through some areas I have not been, Nashville & Memphis, so will use the IPad and turn on the ATT wireless data for the month $30 all on line, so we have access to everything from the car, as it will be a boring drive in winter.

What is nice is the new mini Ipad or even the ITouch, great wifi/internet, great camera, small, stores books, movies, pictures, use ICloud to back up everything too. The issue in Latin America, do you want to carry a $500 tablet? Everyhwere else int he world, its not so much a target. I would not whip it out on a bus or in a cafe or even around a budget hotel...

I also think it is very important, to know, or grasp, the history of a country, which can allow a travelers to grasp why things are the way there are, attitudes, social actions, etc...every country in CA region sure has a colorful history, thats for sure.