Worst guide book?
Jul 30th 2003, 11:26 pm
#1
Guest
Posts: n/a
Worst guide book?
Having recently nominated the Cadogan Guide to Brittany as my own "best
ever" guide book, how's this for the worst?
Spotted Thomas Cook Publishing's guide to Belgium (by George McDonald,
pub 2003 at £8.99) in our local library and took it out because recentl
returned from a second holiday in Belgium.
Text is of little use as it deals with places in astounding brevity,
omitting any comments or even descriptions that might give you any sense
or feel of the place, and indeed omitting some notable "worth-seeing"
locations. Some comments are so trite as to be laughable (e.g., of
Bouillon, which owes its existence to the river, he says "It would be
hard to imagine Bouillon ... anywhere else than on the banks of a
fast-flowing stream.")
Plenty of photos, some v. good but far too small ("large" being 12cm x
8cm, most *much* smaller). Street plans okay but again small - most
tourist offices would provide much better maps, free). Practical
information very basic - the kind of thing every TIO and any half-decent
travel website would give. Accommodation/eating out info almost
non-existent, certainly not nearly enough to offer the visitor anything
approaching a reasonable range of options.
Thomas Cook includes a mini CD-ROM, very well *produced*, but I wonder
why, as it contains little that's not in the book, and the content
almost makes the book look good!
I thought the AA Guides were pretty poor productions until I picked up
this little gem.
Are all Thomas Cook guides this bad?
BS.
ever" guide book, how's this for the worst?
Spotted Thomas Cook Publishing's guide to Belgium (by George McDonald,
pub 2003 at £8.99) in our local library and took it out because recentl
returned from a second holiday in Belgium.
Text is of little use as it deals with places in astounding brevity,
omitting any comments or even descriptions that might give you any sense
or feel of the place, and indeed omitting some notable "worth-seeing"
locations. Some comments are so trite as to be laughable (e.g., of
Bouillon, which owes its existence to the river, he says "It would be
hard to imagine Bouillon ... anywhere else than on the banks of a
fast-flowing stream.")
Plenty of photos, some v. good but far too small ("large" being 12cm x
8cm, most *much* smaller). Street plans okay but again small - most
tourist offices would provide much better maps, free). Practical
information very basic - the kind of thing every TIO and any half-decent
travel website would give. Accommodation/eating out info almost
non-existent, certainly not nearly enough to offer the visitor anything
approaching a reasonable range of options.
Thomas Cook includes a mini CD-ROM, very well *produced*, but I wonder
why, as it contains little that's not in the book, and the content
almost makes the book look good!
I thought the AA Guides were pretty poor productions until I picked up
this little gem.
Are all Thomas Cook guides this bad?
BS.
Jul 31st 2003, 2:11 am
#2
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Worst guide book?
Least favorites:
Here in the US, the AAA guides for non-US destinations are completely
useless. The have a few nice pictures, but that's about it. Surprisingly,
they completely lack transportation information.
And my only Thomas Cook guide book, On the Road Around Northern Italy, is
just as you describe the TC guide to Belgium. I never use it, because it
is of no use.
Interesting thread.
D.
Bill Smith wrote:
> Having recently nominated the Cadogan Guide to Brittany as my own "best
> ever" guide book, how's this for the worst?
> Spotted Thomas Cook Publishing's guide to Belgium (by George McDonald,
> pub 2003 at £8.99) in our local library and took it out because recentl
> returned from a second holiday in Belgium.
> Text is of little use as it deals with places in astounding brevity,
> omitting any comments or even descriptions that might give you any sense
> or feel of the place, and indeed omitting some notable "worth-seeing"
> locations. Some comments are so trite as to be laughable (e.g., of
> Bouillon, which owes its existence to the river, he says "It would be
> hard to imagine Bouillon ... anywhere else than on the banks of a
> fast-flowing stream.")
> Plenty of photos, some v. good but far too small ("large" being 12cm x
> 8cm, most *much* smaller). Street plans okay but again small - most
> tourist offices would provide much better maps, free). Practical
> information very basic - the kind of thing every TIO and any half-decent
> travel website would give. Accommodation/eating out info almost
> non-existent, certainly not nearly enough to offer the visitor anything
> approaching a reasonable range of options.
> Thomas Cook includes a mini CD-ROM, very well *produced*, but I wonder
> why, as it contains little that's not in the book, and the content
> almost makes the book look good!
> I thought the AA Guides were pretty poor productions until I picked up
> this little gem.
> Are all Thomas Cook guides this bad?
> BS.
Here in the US, the AAA guides for non-US destinations are completely
useless. The have a few nice pictures, but that's about it. Surprisingly,
they completely lack transportation information.
And my only Thomas Cook guide book, On the Road Around Northern Italy, is
just as you describe the TC guide to Belgium. I never use it, because it
is of no use.
Interesting thread.
D.
Bill Smith wrote:
> Having recently nominated the Cadogan Guide to Brittany as my own "best
> ever" guide book, how's this for the worst?
> Spotted Thomas Cook Publishing's guide to Belgium (by George McDonald,
> pub 2003 at £8.99) in our local library and took it out because recentl
> returned from a second holiday in Belgium.
> Text is of little use as it deals with places in astounding brevity,
> omitting any comments or even descriptions that might give you any sense
> or feel of the place, and indeed omitting some notable "worth-seeing"
> locations. Some comments are so trite as to be laughable (e.g., of
> Bouillon, which owes its existence to the river, he says "It would be
> hard to imagine Bouillon ... anywhere else than on the banks of a
> fast-flowing stream.")
> Plenty of photos, some v. good but far too small ("large" being 12cm x
> 8cm, most *much* smaller). Street plans okay but again small - most
> tourist offices would provide much better maps, free). Practical
> information very basic - the kind of thing every TIO and any half-decent
> travel website would give. Accommodation/eating out info almost
> non-existent, certainly not nearly enough to offer the visitor anything
> approaching a reasonable range of options.
> Thomas Cook includes a mini CD-ROM, very well *produced*, but I wonder
> why, as it contains little that's not in the book, and the content
> almost makes the book look good!
> I thought the AA Guides were pretty poor productions until I picked up
> this little gem.
> Are all Thomas Cook guides this bad?
> BS.
Jul 31st 2003, 7:33 am
#3
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Worst guide book?
<< Here in the US, the AAA guides for non-US destinations are completely
useless. The have a few nice pictures, but that's about it. Surprisingly,
they completely lack transportation information >>
I thought that the AAA deliberately omitted transportation information because
they wanted you to drive a car.
useless. The have a few nice pictures, but that's about it. Surprisingly,
they completely lack transportation information >>
I thought that the AAA deliberately omitted transportation information because
they wanted you to drive a car.
Jul 31st 2003, 9:29 am
#4
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Worst guide book?
> Having recently nominated the Cadogan Guide to Brittany as my own "best
> ever" guide book, how's this for the worst?
I remember spending a awful night in a Croatian tourist trap, surrounded by
the noise of discos, after following the recommandations of the Lonely
Planet's "Eastern Europe on a shoe string"...
> ever" guide book, how's this for the worst?
I remember spending a awful night in a Croatian tourist trap, surrounded by
the noise of discos, after following the recommandations of the Lonely
Planet's "Eastern Europe on a shoe string"...
Jul 31st 2003, 3:54 pm
#5
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Worst guide book?
Debra Weber Kurt Weber writes:
> Here in the US, the AAA guides for non-US destinations
> are completely useless. The have a few nice pictures,
> but that's about it.
Why does this not surprise me? Most buyers of the AAA guides for non-US
destinations probably never leave the U.S., anyway. They just want some
exotic reading.
--
Transpose hotmail and mxsmanic in my e-mail address to reach me directly.
> Here in the US, the AAA guides for non-US destinations
> are completely useless. The have a few nice pictures,
> but that's about it.
Why does this not surprise me? Most buyers of the AAA guides for non-US
destinations probably never leave the U.S., anyway. They just want some
exotic reading.
--
Transpose hotmail and mxsmanic in my e-mail address to reach me directly.
Jul 31st 2003, 4:30 pm
#6
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Worst guide book?
Mxsmanic wrote:
> Why does this not surprise me? Most buyers of the AAA guides for non-US
> destinations probably never leave the U.S., anyway. They just want some
> exotic reading.
I would have called that statement absurd had I not - just a few days ago,
actually - met a couple at the bookstore here in DC browsing Lonely Planets
to add to their collection... and they've never left North America. They
didn't like the idea of flying and they didn't think they could afford it.
miguel
--
Hit The Road! Photos and tales from around the world: http://travel.u.nu
> Why does this not surprise me? Most buyers of the AAA guides for non-US
> destinations probably never leave the U.S., anyway. They just want some
> exotic reading.
I would have called that statement absurd had I not - just a few days ago,
actually - met a couple at the bookstore here in DC browsing Lonely Planets
to add to their collection... and they've never left North America. They
didn't like the idea of flying and they didn't think they could afford it.
miguel
--
Hit The Road! Photos and tales from around the world: http://travel.u.nu
Aug 1st 2003, 9:35 am
#7
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Worst guide book?
Oh my god is that funny!!!
Talk about armchair traveler!
David
Miguel Cruz wrote in message ...
>I would have called that statement absurd had I not - just a few days ago,
>actually - met a couple at the bookstore here in DC browsing Lonely Planets
>to add to their collection... and they've never left North America. They
>didn't like the idea of flying and they didn't think they could afford it.
>miguel
>--
>Hit The Road! Photos and tales from around the world: http://travel.u.nu
Talk about armchair traveler!
David
Miguel Cruz wrote in message ...
>I would have called that statement absurd had I not - just a few days ago,
>actually - met a couple at the bookstore here in DC browsing Lonely Planets
>to add to their collection... and they've never left North America. They
>didn't like the idea of flying and they didn't think they could afford it.
>miguel
>--
>Hit The Road! Photos and tales from around the world: http://travel.u.nu
Aug 1st 2003, 6:33 pm
#8
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Worst guide book?
[email protected] (Miguel Cruz) wrote in message news:...
> Mxsmanic wrote:
> > Why does this not surprise me? Most buyers of the AAA guides for non-US
> > destinations probably never leave the U.S., anyway. They just want some
> > exotic reading.
>
> I would have called that statement absurd had I not - just a few days ago,
> actually - met a couple at the bookstore here in DC browsing Lonely Planets
> to add to their collection... and they've never left North America. They
> didn't like the idea of flying and they didn't think they could afford it.
>
> miguel
I actually do have a small collection of guidebooks for places I've
never been. Either because the trip was cancelled (hurricane, sudden
work emergency) or because I bought one just because I was curious
about a place. I especially like picking up used guidebooks of random
places. Just for fun.
But then I also have quite a collection of guidebooks for places I've
been. It's fun to look at what sorts of guides have appealed at
different times of my life and for different continents.
X. - who likes to look thru my guidebook collection every so often and
imagine places I have yet to go, or remember where I've been.
> Mxsmanic wrote:
> > Why does this not surprise me? Most buyers of the AAA guides for non-US
> > destinations probably never leave the U.S., anyway. They just want some
> > exotic reading.
>
> I would have called that statement absurd had I not - just a few days ago,
> actually - met a couple at the bookstore here in DC browsing Lonely Planets
> to add to their collection... and they've never left North America. They
> didn't like the idea of flying and they didn't think they could afford it.
>
> miguel
I actually do have a small collection of guidebooks for places I've
never been. Either because the trip was cancelled (hurricane, sudden
work emergency) or because I bought one just because I was curious
about a place. I especially like picking up used guidebooks of random
places. Just for fun.
But then I also have quite a collection of guidebooks for places I've
been. It's fun to look at what sorts of guides have appealed at
different times of my life and for different continents.
X. - who likes to look thru my guidebook collection every so often and
imagine places I have yet to go, or remember where I've been.
Aug 1st 2003, 7:29 pm
#9
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Worst guide book?
XOR wrote:
> X. - who likes to look thru my guidebook collection every so often and
> imagine places I have yet to go, or remember where I've been.
Yes, there's a lot of pleasure to be had from revisiting a place via a
half-forgotten guide book. I find even more enjoyment poring over a
large-scale map and recalling incidents, experiences and journeys when I
"reach" a place on the map whose name I'd never have remembered and so
small it would never merit a mention in most guide books.
Bill
> X. - who likes to look thru my guidebook collection every so often and
> imagine places I have yet to go, or remember where I've been.
Yes, there's a lot of pleasure to be had from revisiting a place via a
half-forgotten guide book. I find even more enjoyment poring over a
large-scale map and recalling incidents, experiences and journeys when I
"reach" a place on the map whose name I'd never have remembered and so
small it would never merit a mention in most guide books.
Bill
Aug 2nd 2003, 7:40 am
#10
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Worst guide book?
[email protected] (XOR) wrote in message news:...
> I actually do have a small collection of guidebooks for places I've
> never been. Either because the trip was cancelled (hurricane, sudden
> work emergency) or because I bought one just because I was curious
> about a place. I especially like picking up used guidebooks of random
> places. Just for fun.
>
> But then I also have quite a collection of guidebooks for places I've
> been. It's fun to look at what sorts of guides have appealed at
> different times of my life and for different continents.
>
> X. - who likes to look thru my guidebook collection every so often and
> imagine places I have yet to go, or remember where I've been.
When I travel abroad, if I know the language of the country I'm in, I
often go into bookstores and buy guidebooks for the USA or San
Francisco. It's fun to see how others look at our customs, what they
think is important to see or to avoid, how accurate they are, etc.
For example, one I picked up in German went on at some length about
how Americans freely start up conversations with strangers (though I
haven't noticed that Germans are much different in this respect). I
have quite a large collection....
> I actually do have a small collection of guidebooks for places I've
> never been. Either because the trip was cancelled (hurricane, sudden
> work emergency) or because I bought one just because I was curious
> about a place. I especially like picking up used guidebooks of random
> places. Just for fun.
>
> But then I also have quite a collection of guidebooks for places I've
> been. It's fun to look at what sorts of guides have appealed at
> different times of my life and for different continents.
>
> X. - who likes to look thru my guidebook collection every so often and
> imagine places I have yet to go, or remember where I've been.
When I travel abroad, if I know the language of the country I'm in, I
often go into bookstores and buy guidebooks for the USA or San
Francisco. It's fun to see how others look at our customs, what they
think is important to see or to avoid, how accurate they are, etc.
For example, one I picked up in German went on at some length about
how Americans freely start up conversations with strangers (though I
haven't noticed that Germans are much different in this respect). I
have quite a large collection....
Aug 2nd 2003, 9:44 pm
#11
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Worst guide book?
[email protected] (Terryo) wrote in message news:...
> It's fun to see how others look at our customs, what they
> think is important to see or to avoid, how accurate they are, etc.
> For example, one I picked up in German went on at some length about
> how Americans freely start up conversations with strangers (though I
> haven't noticed that Germans are much different in this respect). I
> have quite a large collection....
Along these lines.... I recall reading a letter in the Times (London)
from a boy who commented on how Americans are rude and don't say
"goodbye" when they hang up the telephone. I asked my English
housemates and English partner what the kid could possibly be talking
about, as I couldn't think of any phone conversation with fellow
Americans that *didn't* end with some sort of 'goodbye.' They all said
that was the general assumption. We discovered that this assumption
came about from US television programmes aired in the UK. I started
paying attention, and sure enough, that seemed to be a common element
of many TV shows. Most odd. I cautioned them not to assume tv was
representative of American society, else we would start to believe
that "Benny Hill" (which, when I was young, seemed to be the only
British show on US TV) was typical of all Englishmen
> It's fun to see how others look at our customs, what they
> think is important to see or to avoid, how accurate they are, etc.
> For example, one I picked up in German went on at some length about
> how Americans freely start up conversations with strangers (though I
> haven't noticed that Germans are much different in this respect). I
> have quite a large collection....
Along these lines.... I recall reading a letter in the Times (London)
from a boy who commented on how Americans are rude and don't say
"goodbye" when they hang up the telephone. I asked my English
housemates and English partner what the kid could possibly be talking
about, as I couldn't think of any phone conversation with fellow
Americans that *didn't* end with some sort of 'goodbye.' They all said
that was the general assumption. We discovered that this assumption
came about from US television programmes aired in the UK. I started
paying attention, and sure enough, that seemed to be a common element
of many TV shows. Most odd. I cautioned them not to assume tv was
representative of American society, else we would start to believe
that "Benny Hill" (which, when I was young, seemed to be the only
British show on US TV) was typical of all Englishmen
Aug 26th 2003, 4:22 am
#12
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Worst guide book?
We have a book at home that we bought for VW-ing through Greece several
years ago. I can't recall the title or author off the top of my head, but
suffice to say it's no longer in print. A quick perusal, and it looked like
a pretty good book, but when it came time to actually put it to use, the
full flavour emerged. He had maps with towns colour coded for "must see",
"could be interesting", and "skip it", or something of that ilk. For half of
the "skip it" towns, he had descriptions like "this town is well worth a
couple of days of exploration"....go figure. For several "could be
interestings", he wrote stuff like, "a transportation hub with nothing to
offer the visitor". Hilarious. We winged it in Greece anyway, so the guide
ended up as more of a form of unending entertainment than anything else.
As for the worst mainstream guides, Let's Go has to get my vote for the
worst writing on the planet. My all-time favourite entry was for Doolin,
Ireland, where the paragraph ends with, "Check it out, my friend". Gag.....
Bob
--
Travel and Astronomy Photos
http://www3.sympatico.ca/bomo
"Bill Smith" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Having recently nominated the Cadogan Guide to Brittany as my own "best
> ever" guide book, how's this for the worst?
> Spotted Thomas Cook Publishing's guide to Belgium (by George McDonald,
> pub 2003 at £8.99) in our local library and took it out because recentl
> returned from a second holiday in Belgium.
> Text is of little use as it deals with places in astounding brevity,
> omitting any comments or even descriptions that might give you any sense
> or feel of the place, and indeed omitting some notable "worth-seeing"
> locations. Some comments are so trite as to be laughable (e.g., of
> Bouillon, which owes its existence to the river, he says "It would be
> hard to imagine Bouillon ... anywhere else than on the banks of a
> fast-flowing stream.")
> Plenty of photos, some v. good but far too small ("large" being 12cm x
> 8cm, most *much* smaller). Street plans okay but again small - most
> tourist offices would provide much better maps, free). Practical
> information very basic - the kind of thing every TIO and any half-decent
> travel website would give. Accommodation/eating out info almost
> non-existent, certainly not nearly enough to offer the visitor anything
> approaching a reasonable range of options.
> Thomas Cook includes a mini CD-ROM, very well *produced*, but I wonder
> why, as it contains little that's not in the book, and the content
> almost makes the book look good!
> I thought the AA Guides were pretty poor productions until I picked up
> this little gem.
> Are all Thomas Cook guides this bad?
> BS.
years ago. I can't recall the title or author off the top of my head, but
suffice to say it's no longer in print. A quick perusal, and it looked like
a pretty good book, but when it came time to actually put it to use, the
full flavour emerged. He had maps with towns colour coded for "must see",
"could be interesting", and "skip it", or something of that ilk. For half of
the "skip it" towns, he had descriptions like "this town is well worth a
couple of days of exploration"....go figure. For several "could be
interestings", he wrote stuff like, "a transportation hub with nothing to
offer the visitor". Hilarious. We winged it in Greece anyway, so the guide
ended up as more of a form of unending entertainment than anything else.
As for the worst mainstream guides, Let's Go has to get my vote for the
worst writing on the planet. My all-time favourite entry was for Doolin,
Ireland, where the paragraph ends with, "Check it out, my friend". Gag.....
Bob
--
Travel and Astronomy Photos
http://www3.sympatico.ca/bomo
"Bill Smith" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Having recently nominated the Cadogan Guide to Brittany as my own "best
> ever" guide book, how's this for the worst?
> Spotted Thomas Cook Publishing's guide to Belgium (by George McDonald,
> pub 2003 at £8.99) in our local library and took it out because recentl
> returned from a second holiday in Belgium.
> Text is of little use as it deals with places in astounding brevity,
> omitting any comments or even descriptions that might give you any sense
> or feel of the place, and indeed omitting some notable "worth-seeing"
> locations. Some comments are so trite as to be laughable (e.g., of
> Bouillon, which owes its existence to the river, he says "It would be
> hard to imagine Bouillon ... anywhere else than on the banks of a
> fast-flowing stream.")
> Plenty of photos, some v. good but far too small ("large" being 12cm x
> 8cm, most *much* smaller). Street plans okay but again small - most
> tourist offices would provide much better maps, free). Practical
> information very basic - the kind of thing every TIO and any half-decent
> travel website would give. Accommodation/eating out info almost
> non-existent, certainly not nearly enough to offer the visitor anything
> approaching a reasonable range of options.
> Thomas Cook includes a mini CD-ROM, very well *produced*, but I wonder
> why, as it contains little that's not in the book, and the content
> almost makes the book look good!
> I thought the AA Guides were pretty poor productions until I picked up
> this little gem.
> Are all Thomas Cook guides this bad?
> BS.
Aug 26th 2003, 6:24 pm
#13
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Worst guide book?
[email protected] (Miguel Cruz) wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> Mxsmanic <[email protected]> wrote:
> > Why does this not surprise me? Most buyers of the AAA guides for non-US
> > destinations probably never leave the U.S., anyway. They just want some
> > exotic reading.
>
> I would have called that statement absurd had I not - just a few days ago,
> actually - met a couple at the bookstore here in DC browsing Lonely Planets
> to add to their collection... and they've never left North America. They
> didn't like the idea of flying and they didn't think they could afford it.
I bought the LP guide to bushwalking in Papua New Guinea without
considering going there. I just find PNG to be an amazingly
fascinating place to read about, even though I will probably never
visit it IRL.
Bjorn
> Mxsmanic <[email protected]> wrote:
> > Why does this not surprise me? Most buyers of the AAA guides for non-US
> > destinations probably never leave the U.S., anyway. They just want some
> > exotic reading.
>
> I would have called that statement absurd had I not - just a few days ago,
> actually - met a couple at the bookstore here in DC browsing Lonely Planets
> to add to their collection... and they've never left North America. They
> didn't like the idea of flying and they didn't think they could afford it.
I bought the LP guide to bushwalking in Papua New Guinea without
considering going there. I just find PNG to be an amazingly
fascinating place to read about, even though I will probably never
visit it IRL.
Bjorn
Aug 27th 2003, 1:29 am
#14
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Worst guide book?
Worst Books:
Europe on a Shoestring. Dreadful book. Sketchy and patronising.
Lets Go guides much the same.
Insight Guides. Lots of pictures no meat.
Eyewitness guide for those that need lots of pictures. I buy these,
but dont take them with me. Too much irrelevant hotel info and
cutaways of a typical Italian building for example.
I enjoy:
Rough Guides (the bigger tomes). Maps could be better though.
Time Out Guides are the best for cities.
Baedecker Guides the best for anyone taking travel seriously.
Dave
"JX Bardant" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> > Having recently nominated the Cadogan Guide to Brittany as my own "best
> > ever" guide book, how's this for the worst?
>
> I remember spending a awful night in a Croatian tourist trap, surrounded by
> the noise of discos, after following the recommandations of the Lonely
> Planet's "Eastern Europe on a shoe string"...
Europe on a Shoestring. Dreadful book. Sketchy and patronising.
Lets Go guides much the same.
Insight Guides. Lots of pictures no meat.
Eyewitness guide for those that need lots of pictures. I buy these,
but dont take them with me. Too much irrelevant hotel info and
cutaways of a typical Italian building for example.
I enjoy:
Rough Guides (the bigger tomes). Maps could be better though.
Time Out Guides are the best for cities.
Baedecker Guides the best for anyone taking travel seriously.
Dave
"JX Bardant" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> > Having recently nominated the Cadogan Guide to Brittany as my own "best
> > ever" guide book, how's this for the worst?
>
> I remember spending a awful night in a Croatian tourist trap, surrounded by
> the noise of discos, after following the recommandations of the Lonely
> Planet's "Eastern Europe on a shoe string"...
Aug 27th 2003, 2:02 am
#15
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Worst guide book?
David <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Worst Books:
> Europe on a Shoestring. Dreadful book. Sketchy and patronising.
Patronising? What do you mean?
I have used that shoestring guide for about 18 countries in Europe, and
found it to be pretty damn good. It's absolutely packed with info, and is
really interesting to read on long journeys. Not great if you want to
thoroughly 'do' one country though.
---
DFM
news:[email protected]...
> Worst Books:
> Europe on a Shoestring. Dreadful book. Sketchy and patronising.
Patronising? What do you mean?
I have used that shoestring guide for about 18 countries in Europe, and
found it to be pretty damn good. It's absolutely packed with info, and is
really interesting to read on long journeys. Not great if you want to
thoroughly 'do' one country though.
---
DFM
