Today we’re heading for Hanoi and I proposed to James to do the un-lonely planet guide experience. James insists that he is different since he is using a rough guide instead of a lonely planet guide. I will let him believe whatever makes him feel good ☺.
James is not unique among travelers. You can easily spot that pretty much all travelers (most of them are from Europe and US) who carry a lonely planet guide and read the book as they walk around. We noticed that travel book market in Vietnam caught up with this travelers’ common behavior. In Saigon, you can see that every street shop has a stack of lonely planet guides to sell (James thinks that they are left-overs from travelers but I think they are photocopy or original. More exploration needed on this point).
I have my own theory of impact of lonely planet guide (or rough guide for James) on traveler’s experience and local culture but I will save it for later. Stay tuned for our un-lonely planet guide experience!
Related posts: