I now have mixed feelings about my possible response. I've really changed my own practices.

Before the Kindle, I just tore out a guidebook's applicable pages to keep my suitcase weight light.

And even as a dedicated Kindle user for the past 3.5 years who often sends PDF compilations of vital material to all travel party members via THEIR Kindles, I still found that having one paper guide book was really helpful.

Lately, however, my husband has been bringing his Ipad. And I've found myself stealing it and looking up needed info there. He only uses it in free wifi, the availability of which is constantly expanding. I did not consult my Turkey guidebook once this past summer.

Guide books are really heavy to drag around. Many people just tear out and bring the sections they need and toss them as they go. It always pains me to deliberately damage any book, so I tend to photo copy (double sided) the few pages that I really need. You don't need the accommodation pages and there are lots of apps about eating in various places. I make sure I have the safety/emergency info, consulates etc which is usually only one page. Since my activities are roughed out, I have most of that info on a spread sheet already. have a wonderful trip!

I'm probably biased here, but I'd never rely solely on the web, especially in a foreign country where web access might be limited to hotels that offer free Wi-Fi with long stretches where no access is available except at a very high cost. I think the various strategies for lightening one's load are sound, and I do many of the same things (tear out specific sections that I need or photocopy them). I've also created my own digital PDFs on a scanner so I can take guidebook content with me on my ipad, but like AlessandraZoe I find that the print product is more useful.

I still can't rely on just my tablet. I find it easiest to use paper if I'm going to be flipping back and forth. Electronic text is good when I'm just reading something in a linear fashion, but I find it a pain if I'm doing any sort of research--such as consulting a guidebook for a destination or restaurant I hadn't already had on my itinerary.

I also take a belts and suspenders approach, and create a document that I print prior to going, so just in case, I have a paper backup. This last time, I actually copied things into a document over the course of my research, then edited and printed it prior to travelling. Good luck!

A book, no one is going to pinch a dog eared guide, no one is going to mug you for a book.

The day they plug a chip into your head to beam you in the internet there will be people cutting your head off! When kindles cost $20 I may take one with me.

This is a joke post, right?

What you read on the internet about France and Italy is 99 percent untrue. Lots of misinformation.

People bring a lot of stuff they never wear in their suitcases, and then spend a lot of time on their trip lost or going to closed museums or missing something beautiful they could have walked to because they didn't know where they were.

I would take the michelin guide to Italy with me, preferably an old-style one from before they started to put hotels and restaurants in. you might try the library for one of those. ditto for Paris.

for the others, i like the Cadogan guides.

i've tried using guides on kindle and trying to navigate round them drove me mad. bring a book.

Electronic device: $500
Guidebook: $20
Never having to recharge your guidebook: Priceless.

AJ Peabody - you're priceless. Excellent analysis. Guide book pages with circles and arrows, folding maps with red lines following a route, margin notes. 20 - 30 - 40 years later, you'll pull those out of a drawer, gasp, then sit back and remember. I have my Paris map from 1972 with my hotel location marked. The Francois. I run my finger across it, and remember that young woman, her awe and delight. Priceless.

I never leave home without a good guidebook.

Pelligrina, you don't mention what type of accommodations, but there has always been guidebooks in any apartment I've rented.

I don't bring guidebooks to places I frequent (like Paris), which is probably an obvious statement. I just keep a running Word doc between trips with notes from sites like this. As I get closer to the trip, I'll edit it and add addresses, Metro stops (cross streets in NYC, etc.) to places I think I'll actually go.

If it's a brand new destination and I'll be there more than a couple days, I would definitely throw one general book, with decent maps, if possible, in my suitcase (and my printed Word doc.) With as many destinations as you have, I like the idea of tearing out/photocopying some pages.

Have a great trip!

Kindle's fine for books to read, but utterly useless for referring to things.

You can't get onto the internet in most holiday cottages or at most museums or archaeological sites except through your phone (there are just too many criteria in selecting cottages streets ahead of wifi. Above all: can the Flannerpooch have his own room?) and that costs a fortune.

These days, it's just possible to find online material to rival decent guide books like the Blue Guide about half the time, and with energy it's very often possible to answer those infuriating questions guide books don't answer online. About 10% of the time, information's better online tan in any guidebook

So it's guidebooks mostly, the lightest weight laptop or tablet with decent functionality as well, and if you're not staying in hotels frequent pitstops at internet cafes or the like to check on what exactly that quote from Racine was.

Always a guidebook. I use Fodors and Frommers for planning and Rick Steves, whose books are smaller, for actual travel--as long as it has all the destinations I want.

On my last trip, to Spain, I tore out pages from an old Frommers.

Neither. I don't carry a guidebook OR any electronics.

I print out or copy what I think I'll need from online or guidebooks, then pick up free tourist information along the way.

I do take maps and a dictionary/phrase book.

I use the LIttle Black Book for Paris and London. LIghweight , concise, and helpful I think there is one for ROme too. Fr the rest of the countries, i keep a file of printed pages in consecutive order, and toss them as the trip progresses. It'sad when i rech the lst few!

First, with what you are bringing: kindle and a smartphone (of right kind), you CAN bring guidebooks WITHOUT the weight or the bulk. This is not an either / or issue. You can do both.

The resources used during the planning and the execution phase do not have to the same.

I use paper versions from a library during planning. For actual trip, I takea few electronic version I found useful and download them onto my kindle, pc kindle reader, and my android kindle reader.

And what is useful depends on the type of info you seek which may be completely different from what others think. While some have the same way of doing this for all trips, I use different media depending the objective of the trips, familiarity of the destination, how much time I have at destination to be able to use resources.

Since I always have a smartphone with me, having the itinerary, list of attractions I plan to visit during the trip, opening hours, and electronic version of guidebooks on the smartphone allow me to look up references on a fly without WiFi or mobile internet accesses.

We always took our fave guide book. Sorry, Doug, it was Eyewitness. I also spent the year picking out places, and making a spread sheet of their locations, days open, bus route, etc. I did print outs of train schedules as well. This became a soft covered notebook whose pages we tossed as we went along.

Once we arrived at any destination, we went to TI and grabbed brochures. We got into conversations with as many people who had time to talk. Most waiters are very busy so don't make them be rude to you.

stracciatella, I'm not sure what your experiences have been but if what you say is true, why are the rest of us having pretty good experiences relying on the internet and guides???

annhig, I join you in taking the older Michelin Green Guides from the thrift shop. There is a ton of stuff that is not in there, but it tells me what I want to know about the obvious places.

I have a friend who collects and uses old Baedeckers. I have my mother's Muirhead's Paris and its Environs from about 1921 and find that it is still amazingly useful (Notre Dame hasn't moved) though I am sorry I missed things like the once extensive tram lines.

annhig, I join you in taking the older Michelin Green Guides from the thrift shop.>>

lol, ackislander, i mostly take them off my book shelves. i have a collection of some of the old ones before they decided to try to be all things to all men. i've bought a couple of the new style as well but they aren't as good and they're heavier too.

Last few holidays, I have not been taking a guide book with me.

But prior to my holiday, I do a whole lot of research on the areas I want to visit and write down on a notebook the places, opening times (this is so important) of tourist attractions and other venues, etc that I plan to visit each day, even the names, addresses and tel. nos of restaurants that I shortlisted in the area which would have good reviews, so that my husband would put in the address on the GPS (sometimes I book a reservation online before I depart for the holiday and he puts the address on the GPS prior to the holiday.)

Last Chirstmas time I wanted us (as always when we are in Italy during this season), to visit a living nativity scene in some town or village. So I listed down the villages and towns in the areas we were in that organized this event, and the times they started and finished, so that we would then choose which one to go to, depending on the time or day we would have availible.

It does take some planning, but I prefer to do the research before I depart rather than having to flip through the guide book during the holiday, and risk missing out something that interests me. Then if I have doubts on anything or want some information, I go on the internet and check it out, if possible on the website of that particular place so that the information would be correct.

But each to his own. Others prefer to take the guide books with them, especially if it is a first trip to a particular country, or if they do not have time for preplanning everything. If you feel more comfortable taking one with you, then do so.

One thing my husband would never go on holiday without is his precious GPS - even though it sometimes takes us the longest route, or even a dead end, but even though we would have lots of maps with us of the area, he just panics like if it would not be functioning properly. At times me and my map would be giving better directions, but the GPS is always in control over us, lol - he faithfully obeys its directions.

Both

I always bring several books with me for a trip of 2 or more weeks. I LIKE books. You can fold down the corners of the page and make notes in them (I often insert brief comments from people here or articles in travel mags of the NY Times.

I also take real books to read - since one of my joys on vacation is an afternoon - or even morning - with a good book on a day that is too wet or too hot or something. (Another reason we never do 1 night stops.)

You won't be able to use your smartphone in public for fear of being assaulted and robbed and/or considered 'stupid' by 'savvy' travellers, and you've already organised your accommodation, so why bother? As bilbo said, no one is going to mug you for a book [some may already have one at home].

WOW, Thanks Fodorites, they were really great posts! As someone who has read the Lord of the Rings 9 times I have to confess Farrermog hit a chord mentioning Bilbo.I'm cautious but not overly concerned about getting mugged but I think I will bring an old guide book because I love books. If I get sick of carrying it I can always give it away to someone. Thanks everyone for all your interesting and helpful comments.

yeah bring one

@anna_gaela *christmas

Another vote for a good "real book" guide book. We tried a guide book on our Nook on our last vacation and like other posters found it hard to locate the information we wanted.

I do a lot of advance reading and planning and put together information from the internet and pages from other guides but want to have one good book with me, too. I like the Michelin green guides, too and collect them at book sales.

Thanks for the ideas about buying used travel books and taking out just the sections needed. I'm going to search our local used book stores to find some Italy travel books before there is a run on them by Fodorites Deborah

There was a time when I took guide books with me. What a waste. I never opened them. I was too busy seeing and doing. Now that luggage weight is seriously restricted, the decision about carrying books is settled.

I photocopy the info I want to take, especially the walking tours. It takes more time to prepare, but I learned how to copy on both sides of a sheet of paper, which really saves on carrying unnecessary weight.

I like bringing certain guides which speak to history and cultural issues. I read them while I am there and I enjoy them. I like books and consider tham well worth the weight.

Sometimes I like to take one guidebook and read it on the plane ride over. I leave it behind at the last place I stay.

If you do take a guide book, use a tip I learned on this forum;I think it Ira who posted this idea. Take the book to FedEx Kinko's and ask them to cut off the binding, then choose what chapters you want to keep and have a spiral binding attached to those pages. This is very inexpensive; sometimes they don't charge to chop the binding off.

nytraveler, you could have guidebooks and reading books both on a Kindle. All downloaded ahead of time so no need for a connection of any kind. And nice and compact and lightweight. My most recent Kindle cost about $100. I even downloaded a gastronomic dictionary for our trip to France and consulted it while reading the menu in restaurants.

Tdudette those Eyewitness books are HEAVY. I really like them for researching ahead of time however.

I used to bring 8 or so paperbacks for reading while on trips. My bags always got searched. Guess those square books looked like something more dangerous.

But I LIKE books. I like - as I said - to fold down the pages, to make notes on them - not just guidebooks. I hate reading on a screen - to me it just isn't the same. One of my failings is that I can't pass a bookstore without buying something - and we're not in the process of getting more bookcase for the guest room - since they're starting to pile up again. (I did try a friend's NOOK - and it just isn't the same thing at all. Another device that is a PIA.) A laptop, iPad and iPhone are enough already.

And frankly I don't care about the weight. I'm past the stage of being pack mule woman and my luggage is carried by cab drivers or porters or bellman - not me.

Not to sound harsh, but you really ought to be extremely concerned about being targetted for you're electronic devices if you use them near common tourist areas. By all means take them, but leave them in the hotel safe. This type of crime is epidemic right now.

nytraveler, do you need both the iPad AND a laptop? I'd think one or the other would suffice.

I bought a Kindle and ended up never using it. I like to read books. I especially find Kindle useless for map reading or travel research on the road because it is so much easier to flip through a book when you are standing in a train station and need to know something, or looking for something like a restaurant recommendation or how to catch in bus in the middle of Rome.

I have tried using Kindle 3g/intenet features on trains in Europe and the connection keeps dropping. (Too many tunnels or mountains). I do a lot of my travel planning on trains, in motion. I need a guidebook to do that.

aguamineral,

I agree entirely with you about the use of a kindle on the move to look at maps or research - it's pretty useless.

but do have another go at reading books where you're not wanting to flip backwards and forwards, like novels. it took me a bit of time to adjust, but i love being able to slip it into my handbag, not needing a bookmark, not having to lug heavy books on planes with me, etc. etc.

I load it up before a trip and never need to use the internet function after that until i get home again.

Thanks All for more great tips. Did you know you can't get Kindle fire from Amazon anymore. I was thinking of getting one for the very reason that its hard to do a search on the 3G keyboard. It doesn't look like you can get a touch kindle either. Is that because Apple sued Samsung? Which brings me to another point. Is it worth bringing along an android tablet on my trip ? I don't want all my devices stolen.

Which brings me to another point. Is it worth bringing along an android tablet on my trip ? I don't want all my devices stolen.>>

pelligrina - contrary to what you read here and elsewhere, muggings and theft are not endemic in most of europe. I was once "dipped" on the tube in London - that was once in 20 years of working there - and they gave the stuff back so I never did understand what had happened.

so long as you don't wave your devices around in a dodgy bit of town or leave them on cafe tables, you are no more likely to have them stolen than you are at home.

Like annhig and ackislander, I, too, cherish my collection of older Michelin green guides. It's very puzzling to me why Michelin decided to "fix" something that wasn't "broken." I call the few newer ones I have "Michelin light green guides."

I also have a large collection of Baedekers which I enjoy perusing, but don't find especially useful for contemporary travel.

We travel with a laptop now, and use it to research things as we go when necessary, but don't own a Kindle, Nook, smartphone or tablet yet.

I never take a guidebook.

I may bring some copies or ripped out pages of a guidebook because I don't need them for food or hotels.

The sights and museums I want to see are timeless and I make a list of the addresses and opening times.

I have brought my netbook along but that's it and I'd leave that at home if I left my husband there too. But that's not going to happen, he has a phenomenal memory for facts and figures

Leave your electronics in the hotel safe. Google the internet. Read about the Roma problem in Paris. There are literally hundreds of Roma teenage girls who travel in packs who will forcefully take your stuff. This is a recent problem since 2011. So anyone who travelled there before then is unaware of this problem. I encountered these people dozens of times concentrated in the tourist spots. Electronics in public = a very bad idea.

Do some research before your trip. Print out some info, or rip out the required pages of a travel book and only carry them. Toss them as you go. I see so many tourists too busy looking at their 'devices' to see what's right in front of them!
Take a few minutes each day, perhaps over breakfast at your hotel and look over your info, plan your day, check museum openings, then set off with just a map in your poocket.

It was mentioned above that Kindles, iPads and other devices can get stolen -- to which it was replied that theft is low in Europe.

it is true theft is low in Europe, but smartphones, Ipads and GPS devices are an exception. Most things travelers carry are not worth stealing. These things are.

I saw a different thread a few days ago about a mugging in Florence. Everyone focused on the fact that it occurred at 4 am as the key. But a smartphone was stolen in that mugging, and people should be aware that young American tourists are now more likely to get targeted now out of the presumption that they are more likely to be carrying smartphones or Ipads.

I'm not suggesting anybody get hysterican about it. But just like it has been true for a couple of years that you should take your GPS out of your car and not flash it around, it's best to do the same with smartphones and iPads, etc.

so long as you don't wave your devices around in a dodgy bit of town or leave them on cafe tables, you are no more likely to have them stolen than you are at home.>>


to which I might usefully have added "don't leave them in full view in your hire car either".

<<Leave your electronics in the hotel safe. Google the internet. Read about the Roma problem in Paris. There are literally hundreds of Roma teenage girls who travel in packs who will forcefully take your stuff. This is a recent problem since 2011. So anyone who travelled there before then is unaware of this problem. I encountered these people dozens of times concentrated in the tourist spots. Electronics in public = a very bad idea.>>

we WERE in Rome in 2011 - for a week, visiting many of the tourist "hot spots". I was also in Florence for a few days as well. I didn't encounter one of these gangs at all - not once. I'm not saying they don't exist, but they didn't seem to be endemic. the scariest people for me are the ones who roam up and down the train carriages handing out begging cards. you should not leave ANYTHING alone in a train carriage, which if you are on your own is quite difficult.

Here is a article that explains the problem. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/09/world/europe/09paris.html

The problem has gotten exponentially worse since this was written last year.

annhig - Roma is short for Romanian Gypsies that are currently denied work in Paris. Not to be confused with Roma the city in Italy.

sara, I DO know what Roma means but i missed the reference to Paris - i thought that the OP was just going to italy, where, BTW, your comments are relevant IMHO to the people who haunt the trains.

However we were in Paris in March, and yet again, I missed this scourge of the modern tourist.

perhaps I'm just short-sighted.

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