Is Lonely Planet So Lonely?

If you live in the web and don't buy books - you do not need to read this post.

For many many years I was in love with Lonely Planet (don't try to catch me, I'm still in). When I first seen vast shelves of Lonely Planet guides in a small book store on Bondy Beach (Sydney, Australia) in 1996 it was like illumination. Imagine that time: Web does not exist (ok, almost). Russia is underdeveloped country with a huge lack of information about the rest of the world. First Travel exhibitions in Moscow were something like a revolution and first colured pictures of the world beyond the border were the most desired source of knowledge. Heards of informative hungry people attacked every booth with every single brochure, poster of flyer. Students wrote their diplomas basing on those advertising materials. I stopped reading books and read travel flyers and brochires all my spare time. I still keep the vast archive of those materials in my room despite on my wive's permanent complaints. So any little piece of information was like a gem. I remember that Seychelles promotion brochure was hanging on my wall as an icon for my mind escaping. Western people hardly will understand it. I think only Northern Koreans or Cubans are the last people who still wait their time to pass through the same feelings in the future.

Well, the young man deadly hungry of travel information (who earnestly have already had some travel experience) faced that travellers talmuds and his Sydney sightseeing was finished. All my money left in that shop and fisrt dozen of Lonely Planet guides became my friends forever. They went into my bed with me and we were sleeping together bearing out to New Caledonia, Tahiti or Cook Islands.

I loved Lonely Planet for
1) maps
2) exact info necessary to plan any fantastic trip (timetables, transport costs, accommodation costs and choice)

All the technical travel questions had answers in Lonely Planet.

And then, Internet grew up.

The main advantage of Lonely Planet - technical information - became not so actual anymore. I felt like my best friend is in trouble. I think LP itself felt it too and started to develop their online business and non-technical guides (cuisine, medicine, wildlife watching etc).

For me Lonely Planet were the only guides and since now I had to accept that they are not so lonely. I found Eyewitness and Rough Guides.

Now when I want to learn quickly and in details any destination I try to buy 3 guidebooks to answer 3 key traveller's questions:

1. WHAT TO SEE AND WHAT FOR? Eyewitness - for visual presentation - best ever 3D schems, maps, images
2. WHAT DO I SEE? Rough Guides - the best textual content with deep detailed descriptions which you even will not find in the web.
3. HOW TO DO THIS and TO SAVE UP? Lonely Planet - still great source of backpackers information.

Backpacker spirit is what makes LP. Thnk Backpacker - think LP. For many years LP in hands was like backpacker ID. I am not sure (tell me what you think), but I sadly found that the older LP becomes, the less backpacker's spirit they have. Instead of being the guides to "travel for nothing" they become the guides to "travel for "fare" money". Typical mid-age philosophy.

At the end of the day many people will find that LP is now useless due to web and competitors, full of textual content, but I sincerely hope it will not be me. I want to live with that thrilling feelings I had everytime I put my fingers on the next LP book on my shelf which I felt in my early days.

Old friends stay with you. So you are.