A Plug for Rough Guides - Lonely Planet’s More Sophisticated, Honest Sibling

Almost by reflex, world travelers in our generation reach for the Lonely Planet’s Guide to Whateverland. And the book is good. But it’s too kind. Everything in Lonely Planet, be it restaurant, historical site, or “off the beaten path” town is some flavor of, “Nice, and definitely worth spending time here” (and don’t get me started about the bland-washing of other books like Frommer’s which can make France’s version of Chuck E-Cheeze and a cobbly cobblestone alleyway patisserie sound equally charming). Which is misleading because some places are definitely worth spending time…and some places are shitholes that tourists go to because other tourists go there.

That’s where the Rough Guide comes in. This book cover the same kind of adventure travel that Lonely Planet does, but in a refreshingly honest – and often more thoughtful and insightful – manner. I recently considered visiting Costa Rica, and came across this to-the-point passage: “The potent combination of sights and activities, accessibility and the country’s relative safety mean that

Costa Rica can on occasion be expensive and crowded, but no trip to Central America would be complete without a trip here.”

Rough Guides have also become my go to book in order to avoid the mass crowds of other twentysomethings. Recommendations for intriguingly different sites are particularly welcome so you don’t trudge up to an interesting-sounding locale only to find that it’s already crammed (during the low season too!) with Lonely Planet devotees. This lead me to experience this sign for the Floating River Market in Thailand when I should have been enjoying mangosteens instead:

Rough Guide will tell you about all of the places, but emphasizes the hidden gems that have more character, warmth, and genuine glimpses into the local culture.

Lastly, it’s obvious that Rough Guide also cares about providing real context to the places you are traveling. The history section on each country are comprehensive, giving you a full understanding of the land you are walking through. Need to know about the traditional beliefs, architecture, cinema, literary, language, or music of your destination? Rough Guide will put it all together for you in a way that’s simultaneously intriguing and informative.

So next time you’re about to hustle off to the travel section, be sure to at least do a side-by-side of the two books…methinks you’ll go Rough Guide.