No more “Travel On a Shoestring?

High Threshold · Post by **High Threshold** » Sat Jun 07, 2014 5:40 am

What happened to Lonely Planet? People like Tony Wheeler inspired me in the late 60’s and early 70’s to hitch-hike round the world: the length of Africa, the width of Europe, Asia, Australia and North America. But where is that inspiration today? No more “How To find the best spots from which to cadge a lift. Cheap hotels and a cheap meal. Borders where one is allowed to cross on foot ¦ and those you can’t. The best cities (or countries) to get a visa for Tramtaria.

It is now difficult to distinguish the differences between Lonely Planet and Frommer’s.

AnneBoleyn · Post by **AnneBoleyn** » Sat Jun 07, 2014 6:17 am

That's the whole new plot, you see. Travel is freedom. Freedom can be a danger to the status quo. In America, leisure time for most is a thing of the past. Everyone working, working, working, trying to stay in the same place. Leisure time is dangerous. Who knows what free people with free time will come up with? Can't be good.

High Threshold · Post by **High Threshold** » Sat Jun 07, 2014 7:55 am

AnneBoleyn;1456588 wrote: That's the whole new plot, you see. Travel is freedom. Freedom can be a danger to the status quo. In America, leisure time for most is a thing of the past. Everyone working, working, working, trying to stay in the same place. Leisure time is dangerous. Who knows what free people with free time will come up with? Can't be good.

Yes, I see! Perhaps if we have enough free time we'll come up with wild and imaginitive schemes such as this:

Korvbrdsbagarn - Brooklyn Burger Buns

Bruv · Post by **Bruv** » Sat Jun 07, 2014 8:01 am

High Threshold;1456587 wrote: What happened to Lonely Planet? People like Tony Wheeler inspired me in the late 60’s and early 70’s to hitch-hike round the world: the length of Africa, the width of Europe, Asia, Australia and North America. But where is that inspiration today? No more “How To find the best spots from which to cadge a lift. Cheap hotels and a cheap meal. Borders where one is allowed to cross on foot ¦ and those you can’t. The best cities (or countries) to get a visa for Tramtaria.

It is now difficult to distinguish the differences between Lonely Planet and Frommer’s.

Have you considered it might be you ?

Not you, personally, just that you are out of the what they call 'the loop'

My grandson has been all over the place.

High Threshold · Post by **High Threshold** » Sat Jun 07, 2014 8:05 am

Bruv;1456594 wrote: Have you considered it might be you ?

Not you, personally, just that you are out of the what they call 'the loop'

My grandson has been all over the place.

It's not so much the "where" as it is the "how" - and who's lending encouragement, or isn't.

AnneBoleyn · Post by **AnneBoleyn** » Sat Jun 07, 2014 10:07 am

I'd be in many places too, despite my dotage, if not for the current costs of airfare, hotels, restaurants. I admire your grandson, Bruv, good for him!

AnneBoleyn · Post by **AnneBoleyn** » Sat Jun 07, 2014 10:09 am

High Threshold;1456593 wrote: Yes, I see! Perhaps if we have enough free time we'll come up with wild and imaginitive schemes such as this:

Korvbrdsbagarn - Brooklyn Burger Buns

Giggle all you want to, but when people aren't broke & exhausted they can be creative to the detriment of those who profit off their Not being so.

Post by **LarsMac** » Sat Jun 07, 2014 1:06 pm

Bruv;1456594 wrote: Have you considered it might be you ?

Not you, personally, just that you are out of the what they call 'the loop'

My grandson has been all over the place.

I can barely get my grandkids to venture past the city limits.

Well, a couple of them have made it to Utah.

Bruv · Post by **Bruv** » Sat Jun 07, 2014 1:15 pm

LarsMac;1456621 wrote: I can barely get my grandkids to venture past the city limits.

Well, a couple of them have made it to Utah.

You either want to or you dont.

He spent a summer in the States at a summer school or something.

I envy him, he is my latest hero.

FourPart · Post by **FourPart** » Sun Jun 08, 2014 12:43 am

The problem is that with so much of a Globally interactive Multi-Culture these days, anywhere you go is just the same as everywhere else - just with different landscapes & weather conditions.

High Threshold · Post by **High Threshold** » Sun Jun 08, 2014 12:54 am

LarsMac;1456621 wrote: I can barely get my grandkids to venture past the city limits.

Well, a couple of them have made it to Utah.

All the way from Grand Junction!?

FourPart;1456649 wrote: The problem is that with so much of a Globally interactive Multi-Culture these days, anywhere you go is just the same as everywhere else - just with different landscapes & weather conditions.

Ha-ha! :wah: No, I can't agree with that, but you need to travel to know what I mean.

High Threshold · Post by **High Threshold** » Sun Jun 08, 2014 7:22 am

The thing is, I was in the book shop the other day so I thumbed through Lonely Planet on Turkey. We're going again in a couple weeks and thought I might find some restaurant off the beaten path that serves some God-Wonderful sheep's head like no other. I was surprised to find a short list of restaurants and hotels off the top-of-the line .... but nothing on the medium and low end. NOTHING.

Post by **LarsMac** » Sun Jun 08, 2014 7:38 am

The problem with those kinds of publications is that somebody publishes a list of those "little-known", "off-the-beaten-path" places, and before you know it everybody has beaten a path to them, and they are no longer "little-known"

Then they have to hire more help and they have to find ways to make their stuff in larger quantities, and find cheaper methods, and if successful, they sell out and retire to the Azores, or something.

The planet is not so lonely as it once was.

Týr · Post by **Týr** » Sun Jun 08, 2014 7:45 am

I quite like airbnb - I booked an apartment for a week on the far side of Kazakhstan at £6 a night recently, though I'll not be there until September. The distribution of accommodation is global and the forum and comments sections are a good source of local guidance.

Snowfire · Post by **Snowfire** » Sun Jun 08, 2014 8:17 am

TÃ½r;1456684 wrote: I quite like airbnb - I booked an apartment for a week on the far side of Kazakhstan at £6 a night recently, though I'll not be there until September. The distribution of accommodation is global and the forum and comments sections are a good source of local guidance.

You know your bedding down with the livestock don't you...and you supply the straw

Post by **LarsMac** » Sun Jun 08, 2014 8:34 am

TÃ½r;1456684 wrote: I quite like airbnb - I booked an apartment for a week on the far side of Kazakhstan at £6 a night recently, though I'll not be there until September. The distribution of accommodation is global and the forum and comments sections are a good source of local guidance.

That site looks like a keeper. Thanks for sharing.

With a quick look, I found a nice place in the Richmond District of San Francisco for my trip there in September. No £6 a night, by any means, but about a third of what most of the business-oriented Hotels want per night.

High Threshold · Post by **High Threshold** » Sun Jun 08, 2014 8:59 am

LarsMac;1456683 wrote: The problem with those kinds of publications is that somebody publishes a list of those "little-known", "off-the-beaten-path" places, and before you know it everybody has beaten a path to them, and they are no longer "little-known"

Then they have to hire more help and they have to find ways to make their stuff in larger quantities, and find cheaper methods, and if successful, they sell out and retire to the Azores, or something.

The planet is not so lonely as it once was.

Any travel publication worth its salt must update itself yearly. This ought to be common knowledge. Isn't it? "Little known" places become "known" (as you rightly point out) but not before the cheap traveller has enjoyed a full season of obscurity.

I also think you are making an error by assuming the "now known" places are stacked up and tossed onto the "WELL KNOWN" places, leaving nothing behind. Not true. The once more visited hotels and restaruants become .... wait for it ....... passé and no longer in fashion so that they (and the new "let's give it a go" places) end up on a lower scale. In other words, there are ALWAYS places to kip and graze "on the cheap". ALWAYS. It is the job of the travel-writer to seek them out and document them - each and every year.

NOTE: The cheap travel books once had the year of publication boldy display upon the cover. No longer. There's a reason for that. They've gone to sleep, relying on last year's and the year before's publication to carry them through without the expense of actually updating their info. Useless.