The shift from paper guidebooks to just using my phone on trips

I remember spending $30 on a Lonely Planet guidebook for a 2-week trip to Thailand back in 2015. Last year I did the same route with just my phone and a few free apps like Maps.Me and Rome2Rio. The guidebook had good restaurant and hostel suggestions, sure, but things changed so fast - half the places were closed or prices had doubled. My phone gave me live updates on bus schedules and hidden alley food stalls I'd never find in a book. Plus I saved that $30 for actual street food, which is way more fun. Has anyone else ditched paper guides completely or do you still like having a physical book for backup?

2 comments

2 Comments

spencer_sanchez6713d agoProlific Poster

My buddy Mike spent an hour wandering Kyoto looking for a ramen shop that shut down in 2018.

patel.daniel14d ago

Yeah, isn't it wild how fast those guidebooks go out of date? I totally feel you on that, I had a similar thing happen with a Southeast Asia guide from 2016 and every third place was gone by the time I got there. The live updates on your phone really save you from walking around looking for a restaurant that's been closed for two years. I still keep one old guidebook on my shelf just for the pictures and the memories, but honestly I haven't pulled it out for a trip in ages. The street food savings alone make it worth it, like you said, that $30 buys a lot of pad thai and mango sticky rice. Plus you can read reviews from people who were there last week instead of last decade.