Lonely Planet releases American road trip itineraries
The author in Texas, photo by Justin Winokur
Lonely Planet has been releasing a free roadtrip itinerary each week, from its new title USA’s Best Trips: 99 Themed Itineraries Across America, due out in September.
The itineraries are available in .PDF form until the end of August (Labor Day to Americans). If you’re in the States and want to test their road trip savvy, give it a go!
(Just as an aside: I actually trusted Lonely Planet more than I’d thought, until I read the Perth section of a recent Australia guidebook…the things it suggested you do for fun and the neighborhoods it suggested you visit were so laughable as to make me question every other time I’ve ever thought LP was giving me the goods.)
July 20th, 2010 at 12:27 am
I think it is rather funny looking at the Lonely Planet guides from a local perspective or at least from the perspective of someone who has at least spent time in that location. I bought a Lonely Planet guide once, never used it. Other peoples travel blogs and actually asking around were better sources of information. Will have to look up Perth out of interest 🙂
July 20th, 2010 at 1:14 am
Never been much of guide book person myself. But it would be a good idea to read some from places I’ve lived for a time (see what made it in) Have logged around 600,000 road miles(mostly on my own) over the last 10 years in the USA/Canada.
July 20th, 2010 at 10:32 am
Interesting spin on guidebooks. Hopefully, the guidebooks are up-to-date and well written. There was controversy surrounding a LP writer a few years ago.
July 22nd, 2010 at 9:26 am
I still liked my first Lonely Planet book the best, the Wheelers’ saddle-stitched pink-colored “Across Asia on the Cheap” that preceded the formation of Lonely Planet. Alas, the Iran thing prevented me taking off on that trail after my first year of teaching in England.
Living in Mexico, I talked to someone who had met a LP reviewer, who told him that when a new edition comes out, they REQUIRE changes of recommendations…meaning that even if all four hotels recommended in a place are still top picks, two have to be dumped for novelty.