LP sells there books by the tone, made for the genral public who wont go more than mile from there resort unless its on tour bus on there week stay. They pay authors to do wright ups on there trip because LP likes the way they wright not on the trip or facts.

LP once was written by a few travelers who really did camp and stay at the nasty little hotels and hostels while they backpack RTW. They were books made for the broke collage kids seeing the world now there made for the same people but there not broke or kids. LP never did wright ups on 5 star hotels now they stay in them more than not.

Riding and camping around the USA I used LP and Moon there books are good for pointing out the most obvious places and most of the towns. Dont use them to find a place to eat or stay. There info is out dated and wrong I used it once to find a camp ground said it was grate place, it was not its in a swamp they allow horses. A smelly swamp filled with RVs the size of my house, generators running, mozys, biting flies, screaming "rich" kids and there even less well behaved drunk parents. I left stayed a little campground on the beach.

Some are giving LP a brake by saying its from there success. I dont they are rakeing in cash for crap work been doing it for some time. LP is from Australia so it gose to reason there for the fat bellied Australia. LP was a grate idea gust like many others chased the cash. A money makeing publisher Lonely Planet | Travel guides, advice, tips and information

All that being said I have lots of LP and Moon books there a source of information that is foolish to ignore not the trusted or useful books once thought. More of an overview or a vacation review. That and I get them for $2 used .

I have never even opened the cover of a LP, preferring my own judgement based on reading a map, miscellaneous books from the library (occasionally), the internet and personal recommendations made to me.
In the latter I would include recommendations made on this website, until proven conclusively to be in error (everything changes with time).

And to think that the BBC bought LP a few months ago: for all that tour guide TV stuff I guess, or could it be because they are making money via the LP books?

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Dave

He said in one case he had not even visited the country he wrote about.
"They didn't pay me enough to go to Colombia. I wrote the book in San Francisco. I got the information from a chick I was dating -- an intern at the Colombian consulate," the newspaper quoted Kohnstamm as saying.

I actually went to Colombia with this Lonely Planet and only just realised now how useless the bloody thing probably was. Just as well I didn't take it too seriously. Cheeky as hell that is.

This is what I do these days, it's a far better way of getting the required info. A bit of googling is a good thing too!

Matt

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*Disclaimer* - I am not saying my bike is better than your bike. I am not saying my way is better than your way. I am not mocking your religion/politics/other belief system. When reading my post imagine me sitting behind a frothing pint of ale, smiling and offering you a bag of peanuts. This is the sentiment in which my post is made. Please accept it as such!

What do you know, the BBC leaps in for the defence:-

BBC NEWS | Americas | Lonely Planet rebuts 'fake' claim

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Dave

Lonely Planet is 75% owned by BBC Worldwide, the commercial arm of the BBC. Sounds like a good reason why they would jump in to defend Lonely Planet's case I would think.

I personally find guidebooks quite useful. Of course some are better than others but I like city and area maps and background information they provide. Probably never used "where to eat" section, though.

Some 5 years ago I found Rough Guide to be generally more user friendly alternative but have aquired some latest Lonely Planet books and seems LP is also progressed. Better maps and paper is now thinner, making books smaller/lighter.

As i said in my original post - i find the country info very handy especially in the planning stages. And to have such a large amount of this general information in one place is a bit hard to ignore. The fact that LP doesn't have every good thing to see and do in a country /city is a great thing ( and something LP claim to do on purpose) If you have all the travel sheep traipsing through those fantastic places you've discovered by following your nose or accidentally found.... that would be terrible and no-doubt destroy a large part of what makes those places so great.

And as far as BBC defending LP.... BBC themselves have proven to be less than truthful (and been caught out in the act)

And a big thing to keep in mind is that they are written with a heavy amount of personal experiences and opinions - which of course will vary wildly.

They serve their purpose, and used wisely are helpful. Let the masses follow the main road and let the intrepid discover the unspoilt!

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'99 R1100GS - In a suitable shade of black

It's not that life is so short, It's just that we're dead for so long....
"The world is a book, those who do not travel read only one page." ~ Saint Augustin