Someone Unchain Dave - Let His Writing Flow!, 26 Aug 2008
Dave Gorman for me is one of the founding fathers of the recent quest comedy novels that have filled my non-fiction shelves. With his `Are you Dave Gorman' and his `Googlewack Adventure' I was entertained and educated. `Unchained America' follows a similar path to these two earlier books, but with some major differences. Gorman has made TV shows out of all of his books, but whilst previously he adapted them using the photos and short films he made himself, this time he goes out to make a documentary. Unfortunately, this means that the book suffers.

I have not seen the TV show, but having read the book it seems like it was a difficult undertaking. Dave set out across America to go from the East coast to the West with only using unchained stores, gas suppliers and motels. What should have been a fun adventure meeting quirky characters is repeatedly broken up by the importance of filming things. A lot of momentum is lost in the book because they have to stop and start all the time to change film or help the camera woman. For me this book lacked some of the joy that made the others so good. In the second half the narrative does flow better and some of the usual Gorman wit comes to the fore. It is a shame that this wit is few and far between.


More normal but no less hilarious, 15 Jul 2008
Having been a fan of Gorman's since the explosion of the 'Are You Dave Gorman?' project my one fear about his work since is where could he go from there? How many amazing accidents and coincidences can happen to one man?
Thats where this project comes in. No drunken bets, no amazingly serendipitus events - just a man wanting to see another side of life and documenting where that desire takes him.
And it takes him on an incredible journey - by turns hilarious, moving, scary, joyess - but above all human.
Highly recommended as both a travel book and a personal memoir of exploration.

A Book Of Two Halves, 23 Jun 2008
A good idea for a book and it very nearly comes off as a good read.

When Stef is cameraperson there is much more feeling to the book. The detours to visit places make excellent reading. Unfortunately after she has to quit through injury the sparkle goes out of the book.

Enter Andy and it all goes downhill. It becomes apparent that the idea is to get to the finish line as quickly as possible with no thought to what places may actually be missed by this style of travel. They could just as well have flown instead of driving for the last part of the book for the interest shown. If Andy was so desperate to see his daughter why volunteer for the assignment in the first place? DVD sales of the book is all that comes to mind to me. In this case the last part of the book is a let down. All the stars are for the part with Stef in it.



A recommended read, 05 Jun 2008
I have been to the USA five times on holiday and I have had the best holidays of my life there. Therefore, I have an interest travel writing in the states.

Rich Smith's 'You can get arrested for that' is a good book on his tavels accross the USA.

Dave Gorman's idea of chain free travel is a genuine heart-felt idea of giving hope to family run businesses still trying to beat away the corporate big gun companies trying to take over. You have to admire Dave taking on this task as he went through troubled times on virtually the whole trip.

Dave's book is very well written, his use of English is easy on the eye and his emotional feelings throughout the trip are evident because of his honesty. He decribes scenery, people and towns etc in great detail and you do feel your on the trip with him.

I felt, however, that Dave gives a lot of irrelevant info during the book. For example the Mormons business goes way over the top on detail and only a few other times I was left slightly frustrated at the lengty detail given on some history topics.

Overall though I enjoyed this book and would recommend it.

Raod Trip!!, 05 Jun 2008
A truly amazing read which kept me wanting more throughout. I would have to recommend this to anyone with a sense of humor! This being the first book of Dave Gorman's I have read I approached it reluctantly, after in all honesty, not finding myself interested with the ideas behind his previous books. How wrong could I be? The book takes us on a trip through an unchained America, and asking "can you really travel from one coast of the US to the other without giving money to "the man". You really can't manufacture the situations that this trip finds itself in. At times I found it quite hard to grasp the landscape and the scenario's within which the book was placed, this being to the description being too over complicated and annoying at times. Also felt the book was cut short at the end, leaving me wanting more, but I guess that's a good trait to have as a writer. Just ordered the DVD to see the words in motion. Overall well written book, which I'm sure I will be reading again, very enjoyable.

Someone Unchain Dave - Let His Writing Flow!, 26 Aug 2008
Dave Gorman for me is one of the founding fathers of the recent quest comedy novels that have filled my non-fiction shelves. With his `Are you Dave Gorman' and his `Googlewack Adventure' I was entertained and educated. `Unchained America' follows a similar path to these two earlier books, but with some major differences. Gorman has made TV shows out of all of his books, but whilst previously he adapted them using the photos and short films he made himself, this time he goes out to make a documentary. Unfortunately, this means that the book suffers.

I have not seen the TV show, but having read the book it seems like it was a difficult undertaking. Dave set out across America to go from the East coast to the West with only using unchained stores, gas suppliers and motels. What should have been a fun adventure meeting quirky characters is repeatedly broken up by the importance of filming things. A lot of momentum is lost in the book because they have to stop and start all the time to change film or help the camera woman. For me this book lacked some of the joy that made the others so good. In the second half the narrative does flow better and some of the usual Gorman wit comes to the fore. It is a shame that this wit is few and far between.


More normal but no less hilarious, 15 Jul 2008
Having been a fan of Gorman's since the explosion of the 'Are You Dave Gorman?' project my one fear about his work since is where could he go from there? How many amazing accidents and coincidences can happen to one man?
Thats where this project comes in. No drunken bets, no amazingly serendipitus events - just a man wanting to see another side of life and documenting where that desire takes him.
And it takes him on an incredible journey - by turns hilarious, moving, scary, joyess - but above all human.
Highly recommended as both a travel book and a personal memoir of exploration.

A Book Of Two Halves, 23 Jun 2008
A good idea for a book and it very nearly comes off as a good read.

When Stef is cameraperson there is much more feeling to the book. The detours to visit places make excellent reading. Unfortunately after she has to quit through injury the sparkle goes out of the book.

Enter Andy and it all goes downhill. It becomes apparent that the idea is to get to the finish line as quickly as possible with no thought to what places may actually be missed by this style of travel. They could just as well have flown instead of driving for the last part of the book for the interest shown. If Andy was so desperate to see his daughter why volunteer for the assignment in the first place? DVD sales of the book is all that comes to mind to me. In this case the last part of the book is a let down. All the stars are for the part with Stef in it.



A recommended read, 05 Jun 2008
I have been to the USA five times on holiday and I have had the best holidays of my life there. Therefore, I have an interest travel writing in the states.

Rich Smith's 'You can get arrested for that' is a good book on his tavels accross the USA.

Dave Gorman's idea of chain free travel is a genuine heart-felt idea of giving hope to family run businesses still trying to beat away the corporate big gun companies trying to take over. You have to admire Dave taking on this task as he went through troubled times on virtually the whole trip.

Dave's book is very well written, his use of English is easy on the eye and his emotional feelings throughout the trip are evident because of his honesty. He decribes scenery, people and towns etc in great detail and you do feel your on the trip with him.

I felt, however, that Dave gives a lot of irrelevant info during the book. For example the Mormons business goes way over the top on detail and only a few other times I was left slightly frustrated at the lengty detail given on some history topics.

Overall though I enjoyed this book and would recommend it.

Raod Trip!!, 05 Jun 2008
A truly amazing read which kept me wanting more throughout. I would have to recommend this to anyone with a sense of humor! This being the first book of Dave Gorman's I have read I approached it reluctantly, after in all honesty, not finding myself interested with the ideas behind his previous books. How wrong could I be? The book takes us on a trip through an unchained America, and asking "can you really travel from one coast of the US to the other without giving money to "the man". You really can't manufacture the situations that this trip finds itself in. At times I found it quite hard to grasp the landscape and the scenario's within which the book was placed, this being to the description being too over complicated and annoying at times. Also felt the book was cut short at the end, leaving me wanting more, but I guess that's a good trait to have as a writer. Just ordered the DVD to see the words in motion. Overall well written book, which I'm sure I will be reading again, very enjoyable.

Inaccurate, Out of date, but still useful!, 08 Nov 2006
Whilst travelling through Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Argentina, Paragruay and Brazil, I quickly realised that this book was not going to be much help 'in the field'. It is in urgent need of up dating; many of the hostels and hotels mentioned have either closed, renamed or vanished off the face of the earth. I used this guide to plan my trip, but upon arrival it did little more than fill up space in my rucksack. The maps are quite useful...to a point. Most of the restaurants, hostels etc are not in the right place on the map (which i found out to my cost when lugging my rucksack around Ascunsion). However, the layout is accurate and helps to orientate yourself around cities.
The information regarding major tourist attractions is useful also.
My main suggestion to anyone thinking of buying this book is: Buy it, but dont trust it... if you will arrive late at night in an obscure place, try to establish if the hostel you want exists before you set out!

poorly edited, out of date information, 15 Apr 2006
I started travelling with the south america on a shoe string book around south america, and quickly found it to be out of date! Stick to FootPrints guide to SA, loads more info! and its published yearly unlike lonely planet guides!

Fantastic, 01 Apr 2006
I thought this book was brilliant. When travelling in south america - everything you need is included. Some finer details are not included - but thats what local travel agencies and fellow travellers' advice is for.
Bus route information is particularly useful, with recommendations for companies etc - which is vital for south america! Also - restaurants recommended are great, hotels are great etc

Also - to note: Although other books MAY have better aspects - the lonely planet easy way to find the info you want is vital. You need to be able to find the info you want - otherwise you wont use the book.

Good enough, 02 Dec 2005
This is a pretty good book. Not all consolidated LP books are of equal quality, but I was pleased with the accuracy and volume of detail for each country. The crucial thing like border crossing points, times, and rough costs were good. Not much else really matters.

Lonely Planet S.America on a Shoestring, 13 Oct 2005
I used this book for five months of backpacking in S.America and found it absolutely invaluable. Of course it doesn't contain as much specific info on the countries as the individual guides do, but when space and weight in your pack are important you don't want to be carrying around over a dozen books. It offers a great overview of the highlights of the country but I mostly used it to find cheap accomodation and routes/times/costs of the local buses. I can't comment on any of the itineries the author recomends, but I wouldn't use them anyway - decide what you want to see and go it alone!
On a side note, this is a fascinating and varied continent, on which I will always want to return to and would highly recomend to travelers.

Someone Unchain Dave - Let His Writing Flow!, 26 Aug 2008
Dave Gorman for me is one of the founding fathers of the recent quest comedy novels that have filled my non-fiction shelves. With his `Are you Dave Gorman' and his `Googlewack Adventure' I was entertained and educated. `Unchained America' follows a similar path to these two earlier books, but with some major differences. Gorman has made TV shows out of all of his books, but whilst previously he adapted them using the photos and short films he made himself, this time he goes out to make a documentary. Unfortunately, this means that the book suffers.

I have not seen the TV show, but having read the book it seems like it was a difficult undertaking. Dave set out across America to go from the East coast to the West with only using unchained stores, gas suppliers and motels. What should have been a fun adventure meeting quirky characters is repeatedly broken up by the importance of filming things. A lot of momentum is lost in the book because they have to stop and start all the time to change film or help the camera woman. For me this book lacked some of the joy that made the others so good. In the second half the narrative does flow better and some of the usual Gorman wit comes to the fore. It is a shame that this wit is few and far between.


More normal but no less hilarious, 15 Jul 2008
Having been a fan of Gorman's since the explosion of the 'Are You Dave Gorman?' project my one fear about his work since is where could he go from there? How many amazing accidents and coincidences can happen to one man?
Thats where this project comes in. No drunken bets, no amazingly serendipitus events - just a man wanting to see another side of life and documenting where that desire takes him.
And it takes him on an incredible journey - by turns hilarious, moving, scary, joyess - but above all human.
Highly recommended as both a travel book and a personal memoir of exploration.

A Book Of Two Halves, 23 Jun 2008
A good idea for a book and it very nearly comes off as a good read.

When Stef is cameraperson there is much more feeling to the book. The detours to visit places make excellent reading. Unfortunately after she has to quit through injury the sparkle goes out of the book.

Enter Andy and it all goes downhill. It becomes apparent that the idea is to get to the finish line as quickly as possible with no thought to what places may actually be missed by this style of travel. They could just as well have flown instead of driving for the last part of the book for the interest shown. If Andy was so desperate to see his daughter why volunteer for the assignment in the first place? DVD sales of the book is all that comes to mind to me. In this case the last part of the book is a let down. All the stars are for the part with Stef in it.



A recommended read, 05 Jun 2008
I have been to the USA five times on holiday and I have had the best holidays of my life there. Therefore, I have an interest travel writing in the states.

Rich Smith's 'You can get arrested for that' is a good book on his tavels accross the USA.

Dave Gorman's idea of chain free travel is a genuine heart-felt idea of giving hope to family run businesses still trying to beat away the corporate big gun companies trying to take over. You have to admire Dave taking on this task as he went through troubled times on virtually the whole trip.

Dave's book is very well written, his use of English is easy on the eye and his emotional feelings throughout the trip are evident because of his honesty. He decribes scenery, people and towns etc in great detail and you do feel your on the trip with him.

I felt, however, that Dave gives a lot of irrelevant info during the book. For example the Mormons business goes way over the top on detail and only a few other times I was left slightly frustrated at the lengty detail given on some history topics.

Overall though I enjoyed this book and would recommend it.

Raod Trip!!, 05 Jun 2008
A truly amazing read which kept me wanting more throughout. I would have to recommend this to anyone with a sense of humor! This being the first book of Dave Gorman's I have read I approached it reluctantly, after in all honesty, not finding myself interested with the ideas behind his previous books. How wrong could I be? The book takes us on a trip through an unchained America, and asking "can you really travel from one coast of the US to the other without giving money to "the man". You really can't manufacture the situations that this trip finds itself in. At times I found it quite hard to grasp the landscape and the scenario's within which the book was placed, this being to the description being too over complicated and annoying at times. Also felt the book was cut short at the end, leaving me wanting more, but I guess that's a good trait to have as a writer. Just ordered the DVD to see the words in motion. Overall well written book, which I'm sure I will be reading again, very enjoyable.

Inaccurate, Out of date, but still useful!, 08 Nov 2006
Whilst travelling through Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Argentina, Paragruay and Brazil, I quickly realised that this book was not going to be much help 'in the field'. It is in urgent need of up dating; many of the hostels and hotels mentioned have either closed, renamed or vanished off the face of the earth. I used this guide to plan my trip, but upon arrival it did little more than fill up space in my rucksack. The maps are quite useful...to a point. Most of the restaurants, hostels etc are not in the right place on the map (which i found out to my cost when lugging my rucksack around Ascunsion). However, the layout is accurate and helps to orientate yourself around cities.
The information regarding major tourist attractions is useful also.
My main suggestion to anyone thinking of buying this book is: Buy it, but dont trust it... if you will arrive late at night in an obscure place, try to establish if the hostel you want exists before you set out!

poorly edited, out of date information, 15 Apr 2006
I started travelling with the south america on a shoe string book around south america, and quickly found it to be out of date! Stick to FootPrints guide to SA, loads more info! and its published yearly unlike lonely planet guides!

Fantastic, 01 Apr 2006
I thought this book was brilliant. When travelling in south america - everything you need is included. Some finer details are not included - but thats what local travel agencies and fellow travellers' advice is for.
Bus route information is particularly useful, with recommendations for companies etc - which is vital for south america! Also - restaurants recommended are great, hotels are great etc

Also - to note: Although other books MAY have better aspects - the lonely planet easy way to find the info you want is vital. You need to be able to find the info you want - otherwise you wont use the book.

Good enough, 02 Dec 2005
This is a pretty good book. Not all consolidated LP books are of equal quality, but I was pleased with the accuracy and volume of detail for each country. The crucial thing like border crossing points, times, and rough costs were good. Not much else really matters.

Lonely Planet S.America on a Shoestring, 13 Oct 2005
I used this book for five months of backpacking in S.America and found it absolutely invaluable. Of course it doesn't contain as much specific info on the countries as the individual guides do, but when space and weight in your pack are important you don't want to be carrying around over a dozen books. It offers a great overview of the highlights of the country but I mostly used it to find cheap accomodation and routes/times/costs of the local buses. I can't comment on any of the itineries the author recomends, but I wouldn't use them anyway - decide what you want to see and go it alone!
On a side note, this is a fascinating and varied continent, on which I will always want to return to and would highly recomend to travelers.

Good, Bad And Ugly!!, 04 Mar 2008
Lonely Planet - great for maps and local transport but thats about all! As any experienced traveller will tell you, the minute any restaurant, cafe or hotel gets it name in LP then its prices will double and the standards will half!
I also agree with some of the other comments here, why do they try so hard to be cool and why do they tell us what we should and shouldnt do?
An OK book but now and then leave it in your backpack and be adventurous.

Good, but rely on it too heavily, 17 Dec 2004
A good book, which his indispensable when travelling. However, you would be well advised not to rely too heavily on this book, as much of the information can be out-of-date by the time it is printed.

Buy the Let's Go guidebook instead, 13 Oct 2004
I thought it was a struggle to navigate South America using the Lonely Planet shoestring guide for that region, but I knew nothing about frustration and despair until I made the mistake of buying this.

Nothing as trivial as a guidebook should make a person shout and swear in public, yet that is what I was reduced to. I'm not proud of it, but there you go.

Large sections have clearly been updated only cosmetically, since information is often woefully inaccurate despite the fact it should be only a year or so old.

If you want to locate a "scene" or know where the "hipsters" are supposed to "hang," this book and its embarrassing attempts to be cool may be of some use. If, however, you'd like practical information, up-to-date prices, accurate descriptions, and help in planning what can be a daunting trip, just don't bother buying this book.

I sold mine while still on the road and haven't missed it once.

recent, yet not quite enough information, 10 Aug 2004
I've just got back home from travelling about a month in south-east asia, albeit just the countries Thailand, Laos and Cambodia. In this (according to some people) relatively short time, I've experienced that the information is lacking in certain areas. Transport prices and times, usually one of the big pluspoints for carrying a LP with you on your trip, are sometimes incorrect or dated (in this new edition!) and sometimes even lack to mention a specific transport option (nightbus, for instance). Also, I find that the Laos and Cambodia guidebooks are more complete in this respect, however sometimes outdated because they weren't published as recently as the shoestring guide. However, buying a guide that compasses a whole region, you should be aware of the fact that you will always receive some, but not all, information.
The other thing that bothered me about this guidebook (which cost it it's second star) is the moralism that is abundant in it. There's lots of examples where the authors of the shoestring tell you what you "should" or "should not" do. I think it's up to the traveller to makes his own decisions on how he behaves himself while abroad, and although I think there is some improvement possible with lots of people, the shoestring shouldn't play the parenting role in this respect.

Someone Unchain Dave - Let His Writing Flow!, 26 Aug 2008
Dave Gorman for me is one of the founding fathers of the recent quest comedy novels that have filled my non-fiction shelves. With his `Are you Dave Gorman' and his `Googlewack Adventure' I was entertained and educated. `Unchained America' follows a similar path to these two earlier books, but with some major differences. Gorman has made TV shows out of all of his books, but whilst previously he adapted them using the photos and short films he made himself, this time he goes out to make a documentary. Unfortunately, this means that the book suffers.

I have not seen the TV show, but having read the book it seems like it was a difficult undertaking. Dave set out across America to go from the East coast to the West with only using unchained stores, gas suppliers and motels. What should have been a fun adventure meeting quirky characters is repeatedly broken up by the importance of filming things. A lot of momentum is lost in the book because they have to stop and start all the time to change film or help the camera woman. For me this book lacked some of the joy that made the others so good. In the second half the narrative does flow better and some of the usual Gorman wit comes to the fore. It is a shame that this wit is few and far between.


More normal but no less hilarious, 15 Jul 2008
Having been a fan of Gorman's since the explosion of the 'Are You Dave Gorman?' project my one fear about his work since is where could he go from there? How many amazing accidents and coincidences can happen to one man?
Thats where this project comes in. No drunken bets, no amazingly serendipitus events - just a man wanting to see another side of life and documenting where that desire takes him.
And it takes him on an incredible journey - by turns hilarious, moving, scary, joyess - but above all human.
Highly recommended as both a travel book and a personal memoir of exploration.

A Book Of Two Halves, 23 Jun 2008
A good idea for a book and it very nearly comes off as a good read.

When Stef is cameraperson there is much more feeling to the book. The detours to visit places make excellent reading. Unfortunately after she has to quit through injury the sparkle goes out of the book.

Enter Andy and it all goes downhill. It becomes apparent that the idea is to get to the finish line as quickly as possible with no thought to what places may actually be missed by this style of travel. They could just as well have flown instead of driving for the last part of the book for the interest shown. If Andy was so desperate to see his daughter why volunteer for the assignment in the first place? DVD sales of the book is all that comes to mind to me. In this case the last part of the book is a let down. All the stars are for the part with Stef in it.



A recommended read, 05 Jun 2008
I have been to the USA five times on holiday and I have had the best holidays of my life there. Therefore, I have an interest travel writing in the states.

Rich Smith's 'You can get arrested for that' is a good book on his tavels accross the USA.

Dave Gorman's idea of chain free travel is a genuine heart-felt idea of giving hope to family run businesses still trying to beat away the corporate big gun companies trying to take over. You have to admire Dave taking on this task as he went through troubled times on virtually the whole trip.

Dave's book is very well written, his use of English is easy on the eye and his emotional feelings throughout the trip are evident because of his honesty. He decribes scenery, people and towns etc in great detail and you do feel your on the trip with him.

I felt, however, that Dave gives a lot of irrelevant info during the book. For example the Mormons business goes way over the top on detail and only a few other times I was left slightly frustrated at the lengty detail given on some history topics.

Overall though I enjoyed this book and would recommend it.

Raod Trip!!, 05 Jun 2008
A truly amazing read which kept me wanting more throughout. I would have to recommend this to anyone with a sense of humor! This being the first book of Dave Gorman's I have read I approached it reluctantly, after in all honesty, not finding myself interested with the ideas behind his previous books. How wrong could I be? The book takes us on a trip through an unchained America, and asking "can you really travel from one coast of the US to the other without giving money to "the man". You really can't manufacture the situations that this trip finds itself in. At times I found it quite hard to grasp the landscape and the scenario's within which the book was placed, this being to the description being too over complicated and annoying at times. Also felt the book was cut short at the end, leaving me wanting more, but I guess that's a good trait to have as a writer. Just ordered the DVD to see the words in motion. Overall well written book, which I'm sure I will be reading again, very enjoyable.

Inaccurate, Out of date, but still useful!, 08 Nov 2006
Whilst travelling through Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Argentina, Paragruay and Brazil, I quickly realised that this book was not going to be much help 'in the field'. It is in urgent need of up dating; many of the hostels and hotels mentioned have either closed, renamed or vanished off the face of the earth. I used this guide to plan my trip, but upon arrival it did little more than fill up space in my rucksack. The maps are quite useful...to a point. Most of the restaurants, hostels etc are not in the right place on the map (which i found out to my cost when lugging my rucksack around Ascunsion). However, the layout is accurate and helps to orientate yourself around cities.
The information regarding major tourist attractions is useful also.
My main suggestion to anyone thinking of buying this book is: Buy it, but dont trust it... if you will arrive late at night in an obscure place, try to establish if the hostel you want exists before you set out!

poorly edited, out of date information, 15 Apr 2006
I started travelling with the south america on a shoe string book around south america, and quickly found it to be out of date! Stick to FootPrints guide to SA, loads more info! and its published yearly unlike lonely planet guides!

Fantastic, 01 Apr 2006
I thought this book was brilliant. When travelling in south america - everything you need is included. Some finer details are not included - but thats what local travel agencies and fellow travellers' advice is for.
Bus route information is particularly useful, with recommendations for companies etc - which is vital for south america! Also - restaurants recommended are great, hotels are great etc

Also - to note: Although other books MAY have better aspects - the lonely planet easy way to find the info you want is vital. You need to be able to find the info you want - otherwise you wont use the book.

Good enough, 02 Dec 2005
This is a pretty good book. Not all consolidated LP books are of equal quality, but I was pleased with the accuracy and volume of detail for each country. The crucial thing like border crossing points, times, and rough costs were good. Not much else really matters.

Lonely Planet S.America on a Shoestring, 13 Oct 2005
I used this book for five months of backpacking in S.America and found it absolutely invaluable. Of course it doesn't contain as much specific info on the countries as the individual guides do, but when space and weight in your pack are important you don't want to be carrying around over a dozen books. It offers a great overview of the highlights of the country but I mostly used it to find cheap accomodation and routes/times/costs of the local buses. I can't comment on any of the itineries the author recomends, but I wouldn't use them anyway - decide what you want to see and go it alone!
On a side note, this is a fascinating and varied continent, on which I will always want to return to and would highly recomend to travelers.

Good, Bad And Ugly!!, 04 Mar 2008
Lonely Planet - great for maps and local transport but thats about all! As any experienced traveller will tell you, the minute any restaurant, cafe or hotel gets it name in LP then its prices will double and the standards will half!
I also agree with some of the other comments here, why do they try so hard to be cool and why do they tell us what we should and shouldnt do?
An OK book but now and then leave it in your backpack and be adventurous.

Good, but rely on it too heavily, 17 Dec 2004
A good book, which his indispensable when travelling. However, you would be well advised not to rely too heavily on this book, as much of the information can be out-of-date by the time it is printed.

Buy the Let's Go guidebook instead, 13 Oct 2004
I thought it was a struggle to navigate South America using the Lonely Planet shoestring guide for that region, but I knew nothing about frustration and despair until I made the mistake of buying this.

Nothing as trivial as a guidebook should make a person shout and swear in public, yet that is what I was reduced to. I'm not proud of it, but there you go.

Large sections have clearly been updated only cosmetically, since information is often woefully inaccurate despite the fact it should be only a year or so old.

If you want to locate a "scene" or know where the "hipsters" are supposed to "hang," this book and its embarrassing attempts to be cool may be of some use. If, however, you'd like practical information, up-to-date prices, accurate descriptions, and help in planning what can be a daunting trip, just don't bother buying this book.

I sold mine while still on the road and haven't missed it once.

recent, yet not quite enough information, 10 Aug 2004
I've just got back home from travelling about a month in south-east asia, albeit just the countries Thailand, Laos and Cambodia. In this (according to some people) relatively short time, I've experienced that the information is lacking in certain areas. Transport prices and times, usually one of the big pluspoints for carrying a LP with you on your trip, are sometimes incorrect or dated (in this new edition!) and sometimes even lack to mention a specific transport option (nightbus, for instance). Also, I find that the Laos and Cambodia guidebooks are more complete in this respect, however sometimes outdated because they weren't published as recently as the shoestring guide. However, buying a guide that compasses a whole region, you should be aware of the fact that you will always receive some, but not all, information.
The other thing that bothered me about this guidebook (which cost it it's second star) is the moralism that is abundant in it. There's lots of examples where the authors of the shoestring tell you what you "should" or "should not" do. I think it's up to the traveller to makes his own decisions on how he behaves himself while abroad, and although I think there is some improvement possible with lots of people, the shoestring shouldn't play the parenting role in this respect.

If you've got itchy feet and are trying to ignore them... don't buy this book!!!, 14 Aug 2008
One of the best birthday presents I've ever received....

It's not a book to replace individual lonely planet guides, but is a brilliant way to chase away winter blues, or alternatively, if you're thinking about going away somewhere, to have a brief idea of the time to go.

I much prefer leafing through a beautiful book like this rather than researching "when to go" on websites. It is the "big picture" of a country rather than east/west coast specific, but that's all you want or need if you're planning a fantasy trip, or if you're just looking for some ideas.

I've got the hardbook version which I think is better than the paperback one as it somehow makes it more "special" (without sounding naff I hope).

I read that one reviewer had bought it for a friend recovering from an operation and I thought what a fabulous idea.... this would make anyone's day.

Gift received with great enthusiasm, 07 Mar 2008
I had this book sent to a friend who is recovering from an operation as I thought it would cheer her up. I haven't looked at the book at all but she was on the phone to me incredibly excited and enthusiastic about it. If I had given her £100 I don't think she would have been more grateful! She particularly enthused about the quality of the photos and the vast amount of information. All in all, obviously a very good choice!

Fantastic!!!, 21 Feb 2008
First time buyer -
Service was brilliant. Product arrived two days after having been bought.
Wonderful: THANK YOU!!!


A good rough one!, 10 Feb 2008
This is a great book to get the juices flowing when planning a round the world trip. It highlights some countries you may never have thought of and has fantastic pictures to represent each of them. It makes you wish you were going on holiday the next day!
The downfall of this book is its lack of information that is given. It is something nice to browse through a few times for a bit of daydreaming but is nothing too helpful on the information front.

An armchair traveller's perfect book!, 13 Jan 2008
If you love travel and love books, then this is the coffee table book for you! It's big and glossy, and features a double page spread on every country in the world. All nations get two pages, regardless of size, wealth or popularity with tourists. So favourite destinations like Spain, Australia and Thailand are on an equal footing with the likes of the Solomon Islands, Iraq and Burkina Faso.

What it isn't is a guidebook. If you're looking for specific travel advice, you'll need to get a more standard country guide. There is no practical information here, just a few snippets about each country. Rather this is the sort of book you can spend hours with on a wet afternoon, opening at random to discover new countries, or flicking through to enjoy the pictures. For anyone who loves to dream of where to go next it's the perfect present.

Unlike the Lonely Planet guides themselves, the Travel Book steers away from warnings and caveats, although it does mention where nations have problems with security and/or poverty. I found this optimistic outlook quite refreshing, and it is nice to look at countries which might be 'no-go' zones at the moment, but may be able to become tourist destinations in the future. I felt it gave a positive reflection to every country.

The pictures are one of the major selling points, with lots of large, full colour images for each country. There's a good mix for each country, including shots of people, landscapes, cities and landmarks. There are some of the classic travel pictures (the Taj Mahal, Machu Pichu etc.) but mostly there are unusual images giving a different slant on the country and its people than the usual hackneyed tourist images.

For the kind of person who's idea of bliss is thumbing through their atlas, imagining they are on the other side of the world, this book is an absolute must.

Someone Unchain Dave - Let His Writing Flow!, 26 Aug 2008
Dave Gorman for me is one of the founding fathers of the recent quest comedy novels that have filled my non-fiction shelves. With his `Are you Dave Gorman' and his `Googlewack Adventure' I was entertained and educated. `Unchained America' follows a similar path to these two earlier books, but with some major differences. Gorman has made TV shows out of all of his books, but whilst previously he adapted them using the photos and short films he made himself, this time he goes out to make a documentary. Unfortunately, this means that the book suffers.

I have not seen the TV show, but having read the book it seems like it was a difficult undertaking. Dave set out across America to go from the East coast to the West with only using unchained stores, gas suppliers and motels. What should have been a fun adventure meeting quirky characters is repeatedly broken up by the importance of filming things. A lot of momentum is lost in the book because they have to stop and start all the time to change film or help the camera woman. For me this book lacked some of the joy that made the others so good. In the second half the narrative does flow better and some of the usual Gorman wit comes to the fore. It is a shame that this wit is few and far between.


More normal but no less hilarious, 15 Jul 2008
Having been a fan of Gorman's since the explosion of the 'Are You Dave Gorman?' project my one fear about his work since is where could he go from there? How many amazing accidents and coincidences can happen to one man?
Thats where this project comes in. No drunken bets, no amazingly serendipitus events - just a man wanting to see another side of life and documenting where that desire takes him.
And it takes him on an incredible journey - by turns hilarious, moving, scary, joyess - but above all human.
Highly recommended as both a travel book and a personal memoir of exploration.

A Book Of Two Halves, 23 Jun 2008
A good idea for a book and it very nearly comes off as a good read.

When Stef is cameraperson there is much more feeling to the book. The detours to visit places make excellent reading. Unfortunately after she has to quit through injury the sparkle goes out of the book.

Enter Andy and it all goes downhill. It becomes apparent that the idea is to get to the finish line as quickly as possible with no thought to what places may actually be missed by this style of travel. They could just as well have flown instead of driving for the last part of the book for the interest shown. If Andy was so desperate to see his daughter why volunteer for the assignment in the first place? DVD sales of the book is all that comes to mind to me. In this case the last part of the book is a let down. All the stars are for the part with Stef in it.



A recommended read, 05 Jun 2008
I have been to the USA five times on holiday and I have had the best holidays of my life there. Therefore, I have an interest travel writing in the states.

Rich Smith's 'You can get arrested for that' is a good book on his tavels accross the USA.

Dave Gorman's idea of chain free travel is a genuine heart-felt idea of giving hope to family run businesses still trying to beat away the corporate big gun companies trying to take over. You have to admire Dave taking on this task as he went through troubled times on virtually the whole trip.

Dave's book is very well written, his use of English is easy on the eye and his emotional feelings throughout the trip are evident because of his honesty. He decribes scenery, people and towns etc in great detail and you do feel your on the trip with him.

I felt, however, that Dave gives a lot of irrelevant info during the book. For example the Mormons business goes way over the top on detail and only a few other times I was left slightly frustrated at the lengty detail given on some history topics.

Overall though I enjoyed this book and would recommend it.

Raod Trip!!, 05 Jun 2008
A truly amazing read which kept me wanting more throughout. I would have to recommend this to anyone with a sense of humor! This being the first book of Dave Gorman's I have read I approached it reluctantly, after in all honesty, not finding myself interested with the ideas behind his previous books. How wrong could I be? The book takes us on a trip through an unchained America, and asking "can you really travel from one coast of the US to the other without giving money to "the man". You really can't manufacture the situations that this trip finds itself in. At times I found it quite hard to grasp the landscape and the scenario's within which the book was placed, this being to the description being too over complicated and annoying at times. Also felt the book was cut short at the end, leaving me wanting more, but I guess that's a good trait to have as a writer. Just ordered the DVD to see the words in motion. Overall well written book, which I'm sure I will be reading again, very enjoyable.

Inaccurate, Out of date, but still useful!, 08 Nov 2006
Whilst travelling through Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Argentina, Paragruay and Brazil, I quickly realised that this book was not going to be much help 'in the field'. It is in urgent need of up dating; many of the hostels and hotels mentioned have either closed, renamed or vanished off the face of the earth. I used this guide to plan my trip, but upon arrival it did little more than fill up space in my rucksack. The maps are quite useful...to a point. Most of the restaurants, hostels etc are not in the right place on the map (which i found out to my cost when lugging my rucksack around Ascunsion). However, the layout is accurate and helps to orientate yourself around cities.
The information regarding major tourist attractions is useful also.
My main suggestion to anyone thinking of buying this book is: Buy it, but dont trust it... if you will arrive late at night in an obscure place, try to establish if the hostel you want exists before you set out!

poorly edited, out of date information, 15 Apr 2006
I started travelling with the south america on a shoe string book around south america, and quickly found it to be out of date! Stick to FootPrints guide to SA, loads more info! and its published yearly unlike lonely planet guides!

Fantastic, 01 Apr 2006
I thought this book was brilliant. When travelling in south america - everything you need is included. Some finer details are not included - but thats what local travel agencies and fellow travellers' advice is for.
Bus route information is particularly useful, with recommendations for companies etc - which is vital for south america! Also - restaurants recommended are great, hotels are great etc

Also - to note: Although other books MAY have better aspects - the lonely planet easy way to find the info you want is vital. You need to be able to find the info you want - otherwise you wont use the book.

Good enough, 02 Dec 2005
This is a pretty good book. Not all consolidated LP books are of equal quality, but I was pleased with the accuracy and volume of detail for each country. The crucial thing like border crossing points, times, and rough costs were good. Not much else really matters.

Lonely Planet S.America on a Shoestring, 13 Oct 2005
I used this book for five months of backpacking in S.America and found it absolutely invaluable. Of course it doesn't contain as much specific info on the countries as the individual guides do, but when space and weight in your pack are important you don't want to be carrying around over a dozen books. It offers a great overview of the highlights of the country but I mostly used it to find cheap accomodation and routes/times/costs of the local buses. I can't comment on any of the itineries the author recomends, but I wouldn't use them anyway - decide what you want to see and go it alone!
On a side note, this is a fascinating and varied continent, on which I will always want to return to and would highly recomend to travelers.

Good, Bad And Ugly!!, 04 Mar 2008
Lonely Planet - great for maps and local transport but thats about all! As any experienced traveller will tell you, the minute any restaurant, cafe or hotel gets it name in LP then its prices will double and the standards will half!
I also agree with some of the other comments here, why do they try so hard to be cool and why do they tell us what we should and shouldnt do?
An OK book but now and then leave it in your backpack and be adventurous.

Good, but rely on it too heavily, 17 Dec 2004
A good book, which his indispensable when travelling. However, you would be well advised not to rely too heavily on this book, as much of the information can be out-of-date by the time it is printed.

Buy the Let's Go guidebook instead, 13 Oct 2004
I thought it was a struggle to navigate South America using the Lonely Planet shoestring guide for that region, but I knew nothing about frustration and despair until I made the mistake of buying this.

Nothing as trivial as a guidebook should make a person shout and swear in public, yet that is what I was reduced to. I'm not proud of it, but there you go.

Large sections have clearly been updated only cosmetically, since information is often woefully inaccurate despite the fact it should be only a year or so old.

If you want to locate a "scene" or know where the "hipsters" are supposed to "hang," this book and its embarrassing attempts to be cool may be of some use. If, however, you'd like practical information, up-to-date prices, accurate descriptions, and help in planning what can be a daunting trip, just don't bother buying this book.

I sold mine while still on the road and haven't missed it once.

recent, yet not quite enough information, 10 Aug 2004
I've just got back home from travelling about a month in south-east asia, albeit just the countries Thailand, Laos and Cambodia. In this (according to some people) relatively short time, I've experienced that the information is lacking in certain areas. Transport prices and times, usually one of the big pluspoints for carrying a LP with you on your trip, are sometimes incorrect or dated (in this new edition!) and sometimes even lack to mention a specific transport option (nightbus, for instance). Also, I find that the Laos and Cambodia guidebooks are more complete in this respect, however sometimes outdated because they weren't published as recently as the shoestring guide. However, buying a guide that compasses a whole region, you should be aware of the fact that you will always receive some, but not all, information.
The other thing that bothered me about this guidebook (which cost it it's second star) is the moralism that is abundant in it. There's lots of examples where the authors of the shoestring tell you what you "should" or "should not" do. I think it's up to the traveller to makes his own decisions on how he behaves himself while abroad, and although I think there is some improvement possible with lots of people, the shoestring shouldn't play the parenting role in this respect.

If you've got itchy feet and are trying to ignore them... don't buy this book!!!, 14 Aug 2008
One of the best birthday presents I've ever received....

It's not a book to replace individual lonely planet guides, but is a brilliant way to chase away winter blues, or alternatively, if you're thinking about going away somewhere, to have a brief idea of the time to go.

I much prefer leafing through a beautiful book like this rather than researching "when to go" on websites. It is the "big picture" of a country rather than east/west coast specific, but that's all you want or need if you're planning a fantasy trip, or if you're just looking for some ideas.

I've got the hardbook version which I think is better than the paperback one as it somehow makes it more "special" (without sounding naff I hope).

I read that one reviewer had bought it for a friend recovering from an operation and I thought what a fabulous idea.... this would make anyone's day.

Gift received with great enthusiasm, 07 Mar 2008
I had this book sent to a friend who is recovering from an operation as I thought it would cheer her up. I haven't looked at the book at all but she was on the phone to me incredibly excited and enthusiastic about it. If I had given her £100 I don't think she would have been more grateful! She particularly enthused about the quality of the photos and the vast amount of information. All in all, obviously a very good choice!

Fantastic!!!, 21 Feb 2008
First time buyer -
Service was brilliant. Product arrived two days after having been bought.
Wonderful: THANK YOU!!!


A good rough one!, 10 Feb 2008
This is a great book to get the juices flowing when planning a round the world trip. It highlights some countries you may never have thought of and has fantastic pictures to represent each of them. It makes you wish you were going on holiday the next day!
The downfall of this book is its lack of information that is given. It is something nice to browse through a few times for a bit of daydreaming but is nothing too helpful on the information front.

An armchair traveller's perfect book!, 13 Jan 2008
If you love travel and love books, then this is the coffee table book for you! It's big and glossy, and features a double page spread on every country in the world. All nations get two pages, regardless of size, wealth or popularity with tourists. So favourite destinations like Spain, Australia and Thailand are on an equal footing with the likes of the Solomon Islands, Iraq and Burkina Faso.

What it isn't is a guidebook. If you're looking for specific travel advice, you'll need to get a more standard country guide. There is no practical information here, just a few snippets about each country. Rather this is the sort of book you can spend hours with on a wet afternoon, opening at random to discover new countries, or flicking through to enjoy the pictures. For anyone who loves to dream of where to go next it's the perfect present.

Unlike the Lonely Planet guides themselves, the Travel Book steers away from warnings and caveats, although it does mention where nations have problems with security and/or poverty. I found this optimistic outlook quite refreshing, and it is nice to look at countries which might be 'no-go' zones at the moment, but may be able to become tourist destinations in the future. I felt it gave a positive reflection to every country.

The pictures are one of the major selling points, with lots of large, full colour images for each country. There's a good mix for each country, including shots of people, landscapes, cities and landmarks. There are some of the classic travel pictures (the Taj Mahal, Machu Pichu etc.) but mostly there are unusual images giving a different slant on the country and its people than the usual hackneyed tourist images.

For the kind of person who's idea of bliss is thumbing through their atlas, imagining they are on the other side of the world, this book is an absolute must.

Excellente, 09 Sep 2008
I love this book; I really do. Not only is there a whole wealth of interesting USEFUL information about every member country of Europe for travellers, but there's also a background on the continent, including its history, cultures, religions, currencies and loads more.

Excellent organisation means finding the information you want about a country is easy and the way the information is brought across in an energetic and exciting manner that really gets your juices flowing as it were.

Hell I read this book even if I'm not planning to go to the country in question just because is so interesting to read and at over 1200 pages you will definitely get your money's worth out of it.

This is a must for any traveller, 17 Jan 2008
This is the second lonely planet book that I have bought, the first being south East Asia which I found invaluable. The book is a little big not exactly pocket size BUT it can answers nearly everything you need to know without giving too much away so you still get the adventure. Packed full of places to see, phone numbers, where to go for emergency help. Ratings for hostels and much more

All in all this is a great book and I am looking forward to using it later this year when I go travelling Spain & France on my Motorbike.

Scott


fab, 29 Sep 2007
my trip would not of been the same with out this book!! we would of missed so meany good places with out out it!! great for interrailing!

2007 Edition: More Complete, Great for Planning, 05 May 2007
So the latest edition of Lonely Planet's Europe guide is out.
There have been definite improvements over the previous edition!
Most importantly, this book now covers ALL European countries, including little-visited Belarus and Ukraine. It has basic coverage of European Russia, too.

The prices and other practical details really seem to have been updated specifically for this book - unlike in certain earlier shoestring guides, which simply seem to have been compiled by picking info from the already published (then few years old) individual country guides.
So the info in this one is pretty correct as of 2006 state of affairs - that's when it was researched. Be prepared for some changes, of course, especially in some of the still rapidly-changing Eastern European countries.

The contents include the usual practical details all LP guides provide: not just an overview of sights and history, but practical matters like accomodation and transport details, all with actual prices (remember, these do change!), as well as useful info on things like getting visas and crossing borders.
Coverage of individual countries definitely varies though.
You will still find that the most popular Western European countries are covered in pretty good detail, certainly enough for an "All-Europe-Trip", while coverage of Eastern European countries is much more brief, in case of less visited ones really sketchy - hence the 4 stars only.
For more obscure countries like Belarus or Ukraine, this guide only provides detailed info on the capital and at best one or two other towns/cities, or perhaps just a brief overview of the rest of the country.

So this book is great value if you are still in the planning stages of your trip, and simply want to have an overview of the entire continent, prices, visa matters and all, to help you decide where to go.
It will also be an adequate guide to take along if you are planning a whirlwind tour of Europe, concentrating on the more established tourist destinations, with only brief forays to less visited countries.
However if you are planning to spend any length of time in Eastern Europe, I definitely recommend getting LP's separate guide to that region alone - it covers it in maybe three times as much detail as this book.
If you have a specific interest in a few countries rather than the whole continent, get the individual country guides to those ones.
But if you have only a summer holiday to tour the continent, you will probably find this book has enough information for you.

Have a good trip!

Good, 07 Aug 2006
Overall, this book is good.

It gives good background information to all of the major cities and attractions in Europe.

However, on my trip around Europe I found alot of major mistakes. The one that stands out in my memory states that the Eternal Flame (under the Arc De Triomph, Paris) is lit 9am to 5pm daily!

Someone Unchain Dave - Let His Writing Flow!, 26 Aug 2008
Dave Gorman for me is one of the founding fathers of the recent quest comedy novels that have filled my non-fiction shelves. With his `Are you Dave Gorman' and his `Googlewack Adventure' I was entertained and educated. `Unchained America' follows a similar path to these two earlier books, but with some major differences. Gorman has made TV shows out of all of his books, but whilst previously he adapted them using the photos and short films he made himself, this time he goes out to make a documentary. Unfortunately, this means that the book suffers.

I have not seen the TV show, but having read the book it seems like it was a difficult undertaking. Dave set out across America to go from the East coast to the West with only using unchained stores, gas suppliers and motels. What should have been a fun adventure meeting quirky characters is repeatedly broken up by the importance of filming things. A lot of momentum is lost in the book because they have to stop and start all the time to change film or help the camera woman. For me this book lacked some of the joy that made the others so good. In the second half the narrative does flow better and some of the usual Gorman wit comes to the fore. It is a shame that this wit is few and far between.


More normal but no less hilarious, 15 Jul 2008
Having been a fan of Gorman's since the explosion of the 'Are You Dave Gorman?' project my one fear about his work since is where could he go from there? How many amazing accidents and coincidences can happen to one man?
Thats where this project comes in. No drunken bets, no amazingly serendipitus events - just a man wanting to see another side of life and documenting where that desire takes him.
And it takes him on an incredible journey - by turns hilarious, moving, scary, joyess - but above all human.
Highly recommended as both a travel book and a personal memoir of exploration.

A Book Of Two Halves, 23 Jun 2008
A good idea for a book and it very nearly comes off as a good read.

When Stef is cameraperson there is much more feeling to the book. The detours to visit places make excellent reading. Unfortunately after she has to quit through injury the sparkle goes out of the book.

Enter Andy and it all goes downhill. It becomes apparent that the idea is to get to the finish line as quickly as possible with no thought to what places may actually be missed by this style of travel. They could just as well have flown instead of driving for the last part of the book for the interest shown. If Andy was so desperate to see his daughter why volunteer for the assignment in the first place? DVD sales of the book is all that comes to mind to me. In this case the last part of the book is a let down. All the stars are for the part with Stef in it.



A recommended read, 05 Jun 2008
I have been to the USA five times on holiday and I have had the best holidays of my life there. Therefore, I have an interest travel writing in the states.

Rich Smith's 'You can get arrested for that' is a good book on his tavels accross the USA.

Dave Gorman's idea of chain free travel is a genuine heart-felt idea of giving hope to family run businesses still trying to beat away the corporate big gun companies trying to take over. You have to admire Dave taking on this task as he went through troubled times on virtually the whole trip.

Dave's book is very well written, his use of English is easy on the eye and his emotional feelings throughout the trip are evident because of his honesty. He decribes scenery, people and towns etc in great detail and you do feel your on the trip with him.

I felt, however, that Dave gives a lot of irrelevant info during the book. For example the Mormons business goes way over the top on detail and only a few other times I was left slightly frustrated at the lengty detail given on some history topics.

Overall though I enjoyed this book and would recommend it.

Raod Trip!!, 05 Jun 2008
A truly amazing read which kept me wanting more throughout. I would have to recommend this to anyone with a sense of humor! This being the first book of Dave Gorman's I have read I approached it reluctantly, after in all honesty, not finding myself interested with the ideas behind his previous books. How wrong could I be? The book takes us on a trip through an unchained America, and asking "can you really travel from one coast of the US to the other without giving money to "the man". You really can't manufacture the situations that this trip finds itself in. At times I found it quite hard to grasp the landscape and the scenario's within which the book was placed, this being to the description being too over complicated and annoying at times. Also felt the book was cut short at the end, leaving me wanting more, but I guess that's a good trait to have as a writer. Just ordered the DVD to see the words in motion. Overall well written book, which I'm sure I will be reading again, very enjoyable.

Inaccurate, Out of date, but still useful!, 08 Nov 2006
Whilst travelling through Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Argentina, Paragruay and Brazil, I quickly realised that this book was not going to be much help 'in the field'. It is in urgent need of up dating; many of the hostels and hotels mentioned have either closed, renamed or vanished off the face of the earth. I used this guide to plan my trip, but upon arrival it did little more than fill up space in my rucksack. The maps are quite useful...to a point. Most of the restaurants, hostels etc are not in the right place on the map (which i found out to my cost when lugging my rucksack around Ascunsion). However, the layout is accurate and helps to orientate yourself around cities.
The information regarding major tourist attractions is useful also.
My main suggestion to anyone thinking of buying this book is: Buy it, but dont trust it... if you will arrive late at night in an obscure place, try to establish if the hostel you want exists before you set out!

poorly edited, out of date information, 15 Apr 2006
I started travelling with the south america on a shoe string book around south america, and quickly found it to be out of date! Stick to FootPrints guide to SA, loads more info! and its published yearly unlike lonely planet guides!

Fantastic, 01 Apr 2006
I thought this book was brilliant. When travelling in south america - everything you need is included. Some finer details are not included - but thats what local travel agencies and fellow travellers' advice is for.
Bus route information is particularly useful, with recommendations for companies etc - which is vital for south america! Also - restaurants recommended are great, hotels are great etc

Also - to note: Although other books MAY have better aspects - the lonely planet easy way to find the info you want is vital. You need to be able to find the info you want - otherwise you wont use the book.

Good enough, 02 Dec 2005
This is a pretty good book. Not all consolidated LP books are of equal quality, but I was pleased with the accuracy and volume of detail for each country. The crucial thing like border crossing points, times, and rough costs were good. Not much else really matters.

Lonely Planet S.America on a Shoestring, 13 Oct 2005
I used this book for five months of backpacking in S.America and found it absolutely invaluable. Of course it doesn't contain as much specific info on the countries as the individual guides do, but when space and weight in your pack are important you don't want to be carrying around over a dozen books. It offers a great overview of the highlights of the country but I mostly used it to find cheap accomodation and routes/times/costs of the local buses. I can't comment on any of the itineries the author recomends, but I wouldn't use them anyway - decide what you want to see and go it alone!
On a side note, this is a fascinating and varied continent, on which I will always want to return to and would highly recomend to travelers.

Good, Bad And Ugly!!, 04 Mar 2008
Lonely Planet - great for maps and local transport but thats about all! As any experienced traveller will tell you, the minute any restaurant, cafe or hotel gets it name in LP then its prices will double and the standards will half!
I also agree with some of the other comments here, why do they try so hard to be cool and why do they tell us what we should and shouldnt do?
An OK book but now and then leave it in your backpack and be adventurous.

Good, but rely on it too heavily, 17 Dec 2004
A good book, which his indispensable when travelling. However, you would be well advised not to rely too heavily on this book, as much of the information can be out-of-date by the time it is printed.

Buy the Let's Go guidebook instead, 13 Oct 2004
I thought it was a struggle to navigate South America using the Lonely Planet shoestring guide for that region, but I knew nothing about frustration and despair until I made the mistake of buying this.

Nothing as trivial as a guidebook should make a person shout and swear in public, yet that is what I was reduced to. I'm not proud of it, but there you go.

Large sections have clearly been updated only cosmetically, since information is often woefully inaccurate despite the fact it should be only a year or so old.

If you want to locate a "scene" or know where the "hipsters" are supposed to "hang," this book and its embarrassing attempts to be cool may be of some use. If, however, you'd like practical information, up-to-date prices, accurate descriptions, and help in planning what can be a daunting trip, just don't bother buying this book.

I sold mine while still on the road and haven't missed it once.

recent, yet not quite enough information, 10 Aug 2004
I've just got back home from travelling about a month in south-east asia, albeit just the countries Thailand, Laos and Cambodia. In this (according to some people) relatively short time, I've experienced that the information is lacking in certain areas. Transport prices and times, usually one of the big pluspoints for carrying a LP with you on your trip, are sometimes incorrect or dated (in this new edition!) and sometimes even lack to mention a specific transport option (nightbus, for instance). Also, I find that the Laos and Cambodia guidebooks are more complete in this respect, however sometimes outdated because they weren't published as recently as the shoestring guide. However, buying a guide that compasses a whole region, you should be aware of the fact that you will always receive some, but not all, information.
The other thing that bothered me about this guidebook (which cost it it's second star) is the moralism that is abundant in it. There's lots of examples where the authors of the shoestring tell you what you "should" or "should not" do. I think it's up to the traveller to makes his own decisions on how he behaves himself while abroad, and although I think there is some improvement possible with lots of people, the shoestring shouldn't play the parenting role in this respect.

If you've got itchy feet and are trying to ignore them... don't buy this book!!!, 14 Aug 2008
One of the best birthday presents I've ever received....

It's not a book to replace individual lonely planet guides, but is a brilliant way to chase away winter blues, or alternatively, if you're thinking about going away somewhere, to have a brief idea of the time to go.

I much prefer leafing through a beautiful book like this rather than researching "when to go" on websites. It is the "big picture" of a country rather than east/west coast specific, but that's all you want or need if you're planning a fantasy trip, or if you're just looking for some ideas.

I've got the hardbook version which I think is better than the paperback one as it somehow makes it more "special" (without sounding naff I hope).

I read that one reviewer had bought it for a friend recovering from an operation and I thought what a fabulous idea.... this would make anyone's day.

Gift received with great enthusiasm, 07 Mar 2008
I had this book sent to a friend who is recovering from an operation as I thought it would cheer her up. I haven't looked at the book at all but she was on the phone to me incredibly excited and enthusiastic about it. If I had given her £100 I don't think she would have been more grateful! She particularly enthused about the quality of the photos and the vast amount of information. All in all, obviously a very good choice!

Fantastic!!!, 21 Feb 2008
First time buyer -
Service was brilliant. Product arrived two days after having been bought.
Wonderful: THANK YOU!!!


A good rough one!, 10 Feb 2008
This is a great book to get the juices flowing when planning a round the world trip. It highlights some countries you may never have thought of and has fantastic pictures to represent each of them. It makes you wish you were going on holiday the next day!
The downfall of this book is its lack of information that is given. It is something nice to browse through a few times for a bit of daydreaming but is nothing too helpful on the information front.

An armchair traveller's perfect book!, 13 Jan 2008
If you love travel and love books, then this is the coffee table book for you! It's big and glossy, and features a double page spread on every country in the world. All nations get two pages, regardless of size, wealth or popularity with tourists. So favourite destinations like Spain, Australia and Thailand are on an equal footing with the likes of the Solomon Islands, Iraq and Burkina Faso.

What it isn't is a guidebook. If you're looking for specific travel advice, you'll need to get a more standard country guide. There is no practical information here, just a few snippets about each country. Rather this is the sort of book you can spend hours with on a wet afternoon, opening at random to discover new countries, or flicking through to enjoy the pictures. For anyone who loves to dream of where to go next it's the perfect present.

Unlike the Lonely Planet guides themselves, the Travel Book steers away from warnings and caveats, although it does mention where nations have problems with security and/or poverty. I found this optimistic outlook quite refreshing, and it is nice to look at countries which might be 'no-go' zones at the moment, but may be able to become tourist destinations in the future. I felt it gave a positive reflection to every country.

The pictures are one of the major selling points, with lots of large, full colour images for each country. There's a good mix for each country, including shots of people, landscapes, cities and landmarks. There are some of the classic travel pictures (the Taj Mahal, Machu Pichu etc.) but mostly there are unusual images giving a different slant on the country and its people than the usual hackneyed tourist images.

For the kind of person who's idea of bliss is thumbing through their atlas, imagining they are on the other side of the world, this book is an absolute must.

Excellente, 09 Sep 2008
I love this book; I really do. Not only is there a whole wealth of interesting USEFUL information about every member country of Europe for travellers, but there's also a background on the continent, including its history, cultures, religions, currencies and loads more.

Excellent organisation means finding the information you want about a country is easy and the way the information is brought across in an energetic and exciting manner that really gets your juices flowing as it were.

Hell I read this book even if I'm not planning to go to the country in question just because is so interesting to read and at over 1200 pages you will definitely get your money's worth out of it.

This is a must for any traveller, 17 Jan 2008
This is the second lonely planet book that I have bought, the first being south East Asia which I found invaluable. The book is a little big not exactly pocket size BUT it can answers nearly everything you need to know without giving too much away so you still get the adventure. Packed full of places to see, phone numbers, where to go for emergency help. Ratings for hostels and much more

All in all this is a great book and I am looking forward to using it later this year when I go travelling Spain & France on my Motorbike.

Scott


fab, 29 Sep 2007
my trip would not of been the same with out this book!! we would of missed so meany good places with out out it!! great for interrailing!

2007 Edition: More Complete, Great for Planning, 05 May 2007
So the latest edition of Lonely Planet's Europe guide is out.
There have been definite improvements over the previous edition!
Most importantly, this book now covers ALL European countries, including little-visited Belarus and Ukraine. It has basic coverage of European Russia, too.

The prices and other practical details really seem to have been updated specifically for this book - unlike in certain earlier shoestring guides, which simply seem to have been compiled by picking info from the already published (then few years old) individual country guides.
So the info in this one is pretty correct as of 2006 state of affairs - that's when it was researched. Be prepared for some changes, of course, especially in some of the still rapidly-changing Eastern European countries.

The contents include the usual practical details all LP guides provide: not just an overview of sights and history, but practical matters like accomodation and transport details, all with actual prices (remember, these do change!), as well as useful info on things like getting visas and crossing borders.
Coverage of individual countries definitely varies though.
You will still find that the most popular Western European countries are covered in pretty good detail, certainly enough for an "All-Europe-Trip", while coverage of Eastern European countries is much more brief, in case of less visited ones really sketchy - hence the 4 stars only.
For more obscure countries like Belarus or Ukraine, this guide only provides detailed info on the capital and at best one or two other towns/cities, or perhaps just a brief overview of the rest of the country.

So this book is great value if you are still in the planning stages of your trip, and simply want to have an overview of the entire continent, prices, visa matters and all, to help you decide where to go.
It will also be an adequate guide to take along if you are planning a whirlwind tour of Europe, concentrating on the more established tourist destinations, with only brief forays to less visited countries.
However if you are planning to spend any length of time in Eastern Europe, I definitely recommend getting LP's separate guide to that region alone - it covers it in maybe three times as much detail as this book.
If you have a specific interest in a few countries rather than the whole continent, get the individual country guides to those ones.
But if you have only a summer holiday to tour the continent, you will probably find this book has enough information for you.

Have a good trip!

Good, 07 Aug 2006
Overall, this book is good.

It gives good background information to all of the major cities and attractions in Europe.

However, on my trip around Europe I found alot of major mistakes. The one that stands out in my memory states that the Eternal Flame (under the Arc De Triomph, Paris) is lit 9am to 5pm daily!

Read this book, its Fantastic, 07 Jul 2008
I have read this book twice! This book will tell you all you need to know about Venice. Its well written which makes it an easy read, so many books have been written on Venice, but one is clear and broken down into key sections.



So much more than an accompaniment to the TV series, 13 Jan 2008
This is the accompanying book to the TV series, but so much more too!

Firstly, the book is replete with stunning photography by John Parker. These in themselves are enough to merit applause, but Francesco's text is a good read and full of personal insight. He clearly is no lightweight historian, but has delved deeply into his own and his city's past.

The book is in five chapters (one more than the TV series) with titles that explain much of the subject they contain: 1. "Water - From the Waters to the City"; 2. "Earth - The Boundaries of Land Enlarge"; 3. "Air - La Serenissima Evaporates"; 4. "Fire - Venice Burns Its Past"; and 5. "Ether - Life under Uncertainty".

There is a healthy dose of scepticism adopted by the author of traditions in relation to the early history of the city, and his own tentative assertions ring true. He is good on this period, whereas other histories skip over it lightly. He focuses on the physical origins of the city and its political beginnings. It was then not a matter of display or grandeur or empire, but trade and commerce and industry, especially where salt and fish were concerned. It is also a healthy sign that Francesco sheds doubt on the blindness of Doge Enrico Dandolo, the scourge of the Fourth Crusade to Constantinople.

He is also good on the Arsenale, which presently lacks any detailed history in English. It is still very much out-of-bounds to tourists, but it would have been nice, though, to have had plans of its development. And I have yet to see in print those marvellous birds' eye view drawings of the naval base before and after Napoleon's conquest. Francesco is also good on the subject of trade, such as the mechanics involved in sailing convoys, as well as their destinations (but, alas, no map, not even any line drawings of how to distinguish a galley, or a galleass from a navi).

There is more emphasis on how Francesco's own family history has become intertwined with that of the city: this is, after all, Francesco's history of his birthplace! We learn of its involvement in the Tiepolo plot of 1310 and in that of Doge Marin Falier, the only doge to be sentenced to death, in 1355. Francesco provides insightful personal reminiscences too about the time he received his first communion in Saint Mark's Cathedral, about his first experience of a Titian painting, about witnessing the fire at the La Fenice opera house, and about life in his own home, which was the setting for part of Anthony Minghella's film "The Talented Mr Ripley." There is much more.

Many of these recollections appear in the numerous additional textboxes that populate the whole book. These allow the reader to focus in more detail on particular aspects, whether it's the doge's hat, robes and regalia, or the antics of Baron Corvo. Those boxes devoted to the language of Venice proved very useful to me. I always wondered why the Venetians often failed to pronounce the suffixes used elsewhere in Italy; Francesco explains that it is partly down to laziness.

There are, as one would expect, many links to the TV series. He repeats in the book his castigation of the bridge to the mainland as a folly; its name - Ponte della Liberta - he insists is ironical. But there are differences with the TV series too. For example, the painter Turner appears nowhere in its pages, but John Singer Sargent appears in his place.

Francesco's coverage of twentieth century Venice is a pleasure to read, as this is often an overlooked episode in its history, for understandable reasons. And yet, it has a richness of drama all of its own, especially in his family reminiscences of war and peace.

So why only four stars? On the negative side, Francesco mentions books in his introduction, but there is no bibliography to guide the reader further into the details of the subjects raised. And where are the maps? Maps of the lagoon would have been useful for placing the city in its geographical setting and for providing bearings in relation to many places named in the early chapters, such as Torcello, Aquileia, Grado, Ravenna and Chioggia.

This review is of the softback print. Unfortunately, there are errors arising from the reduction in size and pages from the original hardback, for example, the "see above" on page 107 is meaningless, as are the picture credits (although these can be worked out with a little patience). The index is good, but there is no entry, for instance, for either "Messeteria" or "Modone".

How does this book compare with the standard introduction to the history of Venice in English by John Julius Norwich? Although Francesco spends some time to accounts about the city's wars in the east and its political relations with the Italian mainland, there is by far a greater amount of information and history given to the development - architectural, social and economic - of the city itself. For example, space is given by Francesco to the paving of streets and the standard of cleanliness, to clothes and how nobles greeted each other (it would have been nice to have one of Longhi's pictures to accompany these social points); you will look almost wholly in vain for such details in Norwich's history. The downside is that there are only two paragraphs devoted to the role of Paolo Sarpi whereas the more political and wider geographical sweep of Norwich's book devotes a chapter or more to the workings out of the papal crisis of the early seventeenth century.

So, `you pays your money and you takes your choice', but if you are seeking an introduction to the city of Venice as opposed to an introduction to the politics and external relations of the city, then Francesco's must be the better buy. However as great as Norwich's history is, it does spend more than half its time on the coasts of the eastern Mediterranean and the plains of Lombardy, rather than in the city itself (see my amazon.co.uk review).



A pictorial gem almost as good as the dvd set of the series., 07 Sep 2006
This is a really fabulous book to accompany his breathtaking series on his home city of Venice.Its your typical beautifully illustrated volume highlighting the gorgeous architecture and rennaisance splendour that is Venice.

If you missed the 2004 masterpiece that was his history of Venice then YOU MUST buy the BBC dvds to accompany his series, it is withought doubt the finest historical series i have seen in many years.This book is a beautifull reminder of that series both compliment each other beautifully.

It is rare for me to sing the praises of a book so highly,but this guide to Venice makes me want to sing a Puccini aria to the best of my capabilities.

a sense of plenty, 23 Jan 2006
Francesco da Mosto's Venice is full of information, historical, modern, apparent to the firsttime visitor and a discovery to those who know the city.
There is plenty of information and beauty in pictures and text, very suitable for this beautiful city. A good book, which avoids the notions of 'have seen it already'.

Pure Magic - Quattro Stelle!, 23 Jan 2005
Francesco da Mosto's book brings together the threads of history and culture so marvellously presented in his eponymous TV series with a flair for communication that is neither patronising nor overly highbrow - somehow he strikes a balance which is a refreshing change fom the third-hand anecdotes that litter the pages of many guide books. Just when you begin to feel just a little fatigued by the weight of all that history, he drops in a little titbit from his own family's extensively documented accounts and any fatigue is suddenly alleviated. More importantly, unlike many other so-called guides to the city, he asks the awkward but agonisingly relevant question - what will become of Venice? By addressing concerns for its future through the kaleidoscope of its past, Francesco da Mosto has achieved something very unusual - to have breathed a little life into a destination, and a history, that seemed pickled in Aspic until comparatively recently. I've lived and worked in the Veneto for more than a decade and I find myself increasingly asking the kind of questions that da Mosto demands of himself and his readership. Essential if you're going there to live and work, recommended if you're popping over for a holiday, and worthwhile even if you have just a passing interest in chunky coffee-table books about glorious Italian cities.

Someone Unchain Dave - Let His Writing Flow!, 26 Aug 2008
Dave Gorman for me is one of the founding fathers of the recent quest comedy novels that have filled my non-fiction shelves. With his `Are you Dave Gorman' and his `Googlewack Adventure' I was entertained and educated. `Unchained America' follows a similar path to these two earlier books, but with some major differences. Gorman has made TV shows out of all of his books, but whilst previously he adapted them using the photos and short films he made himself, this time he goes out to make a documentary. Unfortunately, this means that the book suffers.

I have not seen the TV show, but having read the book it seems like it was a difficult undertaking. Dave set out across America to go from the East coast to the West with only using unchained stores, gas suppliers and motels. What should have been a fun adventure meeting quirky characters is repeatedly broken up by the importance of filming things. A lot of momentum is lost in the book because they have to stop and start all the time to change film or help the camera woman. For me this book lacked some of the joy that made the others so good. In the second half the narrative does flow better and some of the usual Gorman wit comes to the fore. It is a shame that this wit is few and far between.


More normal but no less hilarious, 15 Jul 2008
Having been a fan of Gorman's since the explosion of the 'Are You Dave Gorman?' project my one fear about his work since is where could he go from there? How many amazing accidents and coincidences c