book or not? - TravelPUNK Backpacker College Student Budget Travel Message Boards!

**ED Larry** · 02-28-2005, 08:00 PM

so i am planning a big world tour leaving in aug... and i am wondering -

1. if i should buy guides for all the places i am going (britian, europe, south east asia, oz, New zealand)
2.f i should just get acoule guide (europe & south east asia)
3. should i say fuck it and just see where i end up... take it as it comes....

i am leaning to number 2, but if i just wing it i could end up in some cool places i would never find if i had a guide book.

opinions?

ed

foofiter · 02-28-2005, 08:38 PM

Go for number 2 and read up some on oz and NZ. Just to find at least the cheap places to stay and some cool sites to see and write it down on paper and take that with you. You could even do it in all three areas but guides are pretty damned useful for europe and Asia. This is what I would do in your shoes.

foofiter

**urOZm8** · 03-01-2005, 02:30 AM

I say go with the flow. Ask other travellers for their recommendations and also the locals for the less touristed places.

I prefer guide books that are country specific to help getting off the beaten track. Remember the big city bookshops quite often have guide books in English so you can buy them on your way and not have to buy before you leave home and lug them around.

ev

**Canadian Dude** · 03-01-2005, 03:33 AM

I say go with the flow as well, nothing like getting lost and finding adventure!!! I would recommend having som Maps at the minimum. If your up for it, leave the books at home!

**TimmyJames1976** · 03-01-2005, 05:57 AM

yeah, #3 sounds the best...unless u r on a seroius $ crunch..then #2 for the sake of efficiency

**kingcrazylegs** · 03-01-2005, 09:03 AM

I usually just go and read up on places before I go, and then wing it when I get there. Always works for me!

**worldwidemike** · 03-01-2005, 09:15 AM

Since you don't leave till August, start reading up with some of the individual country guidebooks. Take notes (very important -- you'll forget otherwise) on stuff that you say, "Yeah, I'd really like to do that!" Then, take your notes with you when you go, and a general guidebook ala choice #2.

I know lots of folks wing it, but you'll be mad at yourself if there was something you really wanted to check out while in a country, but forgot about. Or no one told you about.

worldwidemike

**mowark** · 03-29-2005, 12:01 PM

I've actually met some people who buy guides to know where not to go. It makes sense because you and about a million other travellers have the same book. However, they can be of great use in a pinch. It's definitely more fun not to rely on them very much though.

**LostFarmboy** · 04-04-2005, 07:59 PM

I'm taking the KCL approach to my trip - i've read about the places i'm going so i know what i want to see but i have no idea how to get there or what to do once i'm there. Could lead to some cool adventures and i wont miss any of the awsome sights. I had a mate that winged it for a year in south america and it was only right at the end of his time there that he found out about machu picchu, i'd have been seriously pissed if i had spent a year in south america and not seen machu picchu. But he didn't really see many of the other sights because he didn't know about them, he regrets that.

**TheWills** · 04-04-2005, 11:56 PM

totaly go with the flow, just never backtrack. Man waking up and not knowing what country your gonna be in, in the next 24 hours is wild, best times doing that, once you have an anal strict program your limiting yourself, just hop in the drivers seat strap in tight close your eyes and hit the accellerator@!