Asking weather I bought my travel book too soon.
Hi I just purchased a copy of the 12 edition of 'Lonely Planet-India'.
Was this stupid of me as I will not be going there for at least a year and a half and the 13th edition may be out by then.
Does anyone know how often these books get updated?
Cheers
Seb
Reply to this Hello ThePriceofCheese 😊
I dont think it was stupid. India is a challanging country so the sooner u start reading about it the better.
I dont stress about having the latest edition Lonely Planet because I just use them loosely for suggestions anyway. I will be travelling to India with the 11th edition Lonely Planet Guide next December. I got it for free because somebody was finished with it. I think they get updated around every 5 years but not sure.
Mel
Reply to this Hey Seb,
I dont know about book editions,but I think reading and travelling both are good hobbies to have...and youre combining them 😉 its never gonna harm 😊 dont worry 😊
you can ask me here if you think,being an indian i can be of any help ... 😊
Mel,..you travel by profession or for pleasure? 😊 ......( am i too curious ? ... just asking coz i saw you around a lot, and i wanna be travelling a lot someday like you too 😊 )
Cheers,
Anand
Reply to this Hi Seb,
Welcome to TravelBlog.
I don't think you've wasted your money, for the same reasons the others have given.
The first time I went to Hong Kong I managed to get hold of the new LP guide the day before I left, due out in the shops but hadn't actually hit the shelves at the time - lucky on my part. Even getting it that early some minor details had changed, so you're never going to stay completely ahead.
The best advice I can give is to do plenty of homework and be flexible, or at least prepared for minor changes, when you do go.
Reply to this I travel for pleasure Anand. I used to want to have a job that involves travel but those who have such jobs seem to no longer enjoy travelling so I am glad I did not get that wish. With my last job the company was always short staffed so I used to do lots of overtime in return for more time off so I could travel. Now I have a daugher and the 3 of us live on my boyfriends income. I fit in the travelling with my boyfriends time off work and my daughters school holidays. Sometimes my daughter comes with me and less often my boyfriend also comes too. He will be comming to India with me next December. I hope he enjoys India as much as I did the last time I was there. He doesnt travel much so I hope it wont be too much of a culture shock for him.
Mel
Reply to this 😊 Hey Mel,
Nice to hear form you,
Its great to know that you can really travel as you like without job hassles 😊
well in my case,i did recently (october) take a job which involves travelling...i get to stay at places i go for 2-3 months to abt a year or so 😊...good part- free travel,acoomodation,food etc...bad part-- difficult to get time to see places around. 😊
however i do manage to escape on alternate weekends or so 😊
someday ill like to quit my job and travell all world as a backpacker 😊
last april i travelled north india alone for about 10-15 days😊 that has been my first and only "lonely travel" so far,but the best..its been a really good experience..( i am 24)...i saw a lot i really feel like travelling more and more 😊
Yes,I too,observe india is a cultural shock to many westerners... 😊
we here see a lot of hollywood and stuff on tv so were kinda familier with western world, but i think india wont be seen on tv much there,
so it comes as a shock 😊..."shock", for sure- good or bad may be a matter of perception 😊
tell me abt other places/countries you visited 😊..whats beenur favourite? 😊
Anand
Reply to this do not trust any of their recommendation about accommodation and food, most of them raise the price after shown on the guide book, you can find somewhere much better than them
Reply to this ooooh
really? What so the best thing to do it to just look around when your there im guessing?
Reply to this 😊 well Seb,
generally when they see a foreigner,they raise prices.
Best way is to be prepared with tentative rate info,negotiate hard,to approach hotels direclty rather than thru agents or dealers.
😊
Reply to this Yeah, that is true Seb. Get used to the idea that u will have to stand your ground when in India or be constantly overcharged and end up buying and doing all kinds of things u dont want.
Best thing to do is have some idea of what things should cost. If u happen to be in a situation where u cant find such information ask women or an old man for an opinion. They are generally more trustworthy than the touts who will pester u constantly in India.
Mel
Reply to this 😊 .. Mel's rite....dont ask price to a person whos selling it.... theyll mostly tell u hiked up price 😊
ask third person...great idea Mel 😊...your experience speaks 😊
Anand
Reply to this I think they release another edition every 2 years, but not that much changes anyway. If you were going to buy a Lonely Planet book too early to start looking into, India is probably the one. When researching our RTW trip, it was the country I took longest planning a route as it's so big!!! As for the price hiking, the simple rule is never take the first price!!! We walked away plenty of times, only to have someone chasing us with a better price a few minutes later. Also, be prepared for when you're at a ticket counter as Indians don't like the idea of a queue. I remember queueing for tickets and people were barging everywhere, that much that I started laughing which became infectious for everyone else. I was then ushered through to the front, so probably the best advice in that situation is to keep cool and use your elbows to maintain your position!!! My God, have I got some stories to tell friends when I get home.
Scott
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