using an e-reader for your guidebooks while traveling
 

I've got a Nook Color and my husband has a Kindle Fire. This is the first time we'll be traveling and need a guidebook (or two) for our trip. I love my Nook for reading while away from home as it eliminates the need to carry lots of books and I've taken it on trips where I didn't need a guidebook, but I am wondering how people like using e-readers for travel guidebooks. I've always thought this would be fabulous because it would eliminate so much weight and bulk, but a friend recently told me she'd found she didn't like using the e-reader for guidebooks while traveling because it made the book so much harder to use.

What has been your experience? Thanks.

May depend on the ereader and how you feel about reading it on the street. I just finished a trip with an iPad, and wouldn't want to consult it on the street. That said, I did have downloaded LP chapters for a couple of places, and when it comes to using the maps I was much happier with paper. I cut my guidebooks up, so I only take what I really ned, and discard as I go.

Really like my iPAD for this also internet connectivity

better even 3G but keep in airplane mode.

Big color expandable letters used it everywhere.

just got and sent my Kindle fire back small print slow

no connectivity streaming could not see squat...

worst "tablet" I have ever seen just a color kindle really

Regular Kindles or Nook better for this than the Fire for

me.... Some phone companies are selling iPad 1s from the

late $200s or Black Friday sales on iPad 2 apple.com

supposedly will be well under $499.

So iPad all the way for me...

my wife uses her iPhone 4S for GPS and guidebook app

when we are hiking it works best for that even talks to

her pretty darn cool....

The trying to use a map while navigating a town hadn't occurred to me. Definitely a problem, I agree.

Kathy, when you purchase and download a single chapter from LP, it comes in a PDF format, correct? From there you can store the chapter on your iPad for reading AND you can print off the page with the map prior to your trip. Right? I am just wondering if I purchase the e-book and also load it on my computer if I could also print the map pages I'd want.

Anyone else with experience using an e-reader for guidebooks while traveling? Think I'll also post this on the Europe forum since I know that is the most active.

Thinks again.

I've done this many times and loved it. It doesn't work well for maps (depends on the guidebook and the style of map) but I always buy a separate street map anyway. A combination of digital guidebooks and paper maps works great for me.

As pointed out above, it depends on if you want to have your Nook/Kindle out in populated areas. I generally use a guidebook in a museum/tourist site (tours/walkthroughs), in my hotel planning for the next day or at a meal planning the next part of my day. For that type of usage, guidebooks work excellently on a digital reader. If you like to use the maps to navigate a city, then I would find it a hassle but I find that a hassle to do with a paper copy of a guidebook too. :)

julies - yes, the LP chapter comes in PDF format. You get up to five downloads. Yes, you can print any or all of it - in a bigger font, too, if you need to....

Thanks much. I now have some things to think about as far as how I want to manage this.

I don't travel with electronics, but my thought was the same as Iowa_Redhead mentioned. I rarely use the maps out of guidebooks. They're OK for planning purposes but often not as detailed as you want on the ground. As long as you're in major cities, just pick up a large street map when you get there. Available for free at your hotel, tourist bureau, etc.

"I rarely use the maps out of guidebooks. They're OK for planning purposes but often not as detailed as you want on the ground."

Depends on the guidebook. I found that to be true of Fodors, unfortunately, but Lonely Planet maps are generally plenty detailed. Only time I've had trouble with them is a couple of medinas, and that's understandable. The free maps are often hard to read. That said, I've also had good luck with Streetwise, but they don't have maps for many of the places I go.

This comment from a purchaser in Amazon was quite enlightening.



Kindle version /vs/ heavy hard copy book---is it worth it?, November 23, 2011
By Ken Fox (St. Paul, Minnesota, US) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Lonely Planet India Travel Guide (Country Travel Guide) (Kindle Edition)
I am planning a 6 week trip to India and because I am a devoted Lonely Planet user, I purchased the Kindle version of Lonely Planet India. (I like to travel with Kindle instead of lots of heavy books.) After going in circles trying to do my pre-trip research on the Kindle version, I gave up and am now ordering the hard copy to "shlep" with me. I don't know if the versions are actually different or if it is the way I use a reference book. Will report back after I return.

So happy to find this topic -- let's keep it going -- I asked for a kindle for Christmas for the purpose of loading guide books onto it rather than schlep several with us for our 3 week trip to all over Spain in April. Also reading material for planes, of course, and tired of hauling so much paper!

Look over in the Europe forum too. I posted there and got lots of responses. I think if you click on my name, it should give you a list of topics, and you'll find it quite quickly.

Thanks to my kindle I was able to take four guidebooks to Kenya. Previously I would agonize about which to take, would cut them up, etc. I did take one real guidebook (with a map) to read on the flight and in places without electricity. I still prefer reading real books at home, but nothing beats the kindle for travel.

I'm planning a trip and have been copying things from websites and compiling them in a Microsft Word document. This way I am creating my own travel guidebook and will save it as PDF and store it on my smartphone and tablet. I may keep a printed copy of any useful maps, bus and train schedules as an addition to maps I pick up at my destinations. I also included my lodging confirmations and details for easy access. I am hoping this will make the trip an easy one!

A note to anyone wanting to purchase a guide book for an e-reader. Thanks to my fabulous public library I was able to borrow a few electronic guidebooks so I could just play with them.

I tried several--both Lonely Planet and Fodors I believe--that are the newer more glitzier with color photos. Don't purchase any of these. They kept locking up on my Color Nook and were horribly frustrating. Then, when I finally got them to work at all, rather than an index at the back of the book there were links which I also didn't like because they didn't get me where I wanted to go. So, my advice is if you are going to purchase an e-guide book make sure it is the more old-fashioned kind with lots of text rather than lots of pictures.

I got the free sample of a Rough Guide and that seemed to work well. But, I was disappointed in that it was just the first few chapters because the main thing I wanted to see with a sample was how easy it was to use the index and then get to the page I wanted. Guess I will just buy the full book and give it a try before my trip so I will know whether I should just give in and lug along the regular hard copy.