|
Movies Books Music Food Tv Shows Technology Politics Video Games Parenting Fashion Green Living more >

Lunch » Tags » Books » Reviews » Arizona New Mexico & the Grand Canyon Trips » User review

A Great Way To Go

  • May 27, 2009
  • by
Rating:
+5
I've never read a Lonely Planet travel guide before, but after getting my hands on this one, I doubt I'll plan a trip anywhere without one (assuming wherever I'm going is covered of course).

The guide is made up of 58 themed itineraries, the names of which alone make me excited to get on the road (how can you resist names like Green Chile Adventure, Dam Diving, or Big Skies and Weird Science?). While I've seen some reviewers mention that they don't like this idea, I love it. You may not be able to easily find a list of every Motel 6 near Flagstaff, but there are about a million other books (and websites, and maps) that can give you that information. I may not plan an entire vacation by theme, but I certainly plan parts of it that way, and this fits my way of thinking perfectly.

The first page of each itinerary describes the theme, lays out the number of days it will take, lists the the start and end points, and tells you the best time of year to follow it. Then each section and stop is detailed, complete with food, lodging and all points of interest. The last page of each has a complete list of the places mentioned in that itinerary, along with contact information and price ranges. Also listed are other itineraries that "link" up with the one you've just read, allowing you to chain them together. Of course, you can always pick and choose those stops that are interesting to you, modify the time you take, and change entire sections to suit your needs.

The writing is enjoyable and rarely dry, and the choices of places to go cover pretty much every taste and are always interesting. At the front of the book, all itineraries are sorted by a nice array of criteria (season, state, history & culture, offbeat, route, experts' picks, etc.) that allow you to approach your planning from a number of angles. For those that want to find places of interest by location as opposed to theme, there's also a map of the entire area the book covers overlaid with numbers corresponding to individual itineraries. The opening pages also contain a number of representative photos, which brings me to my only real complaint: they're beautiful pictures, and I wanted more of them.

That's looking a gift horse in the mouth though. Overall this Lonely Planet guide is a well thought out, unique, interesting, and really fun way plan a trip.

A great guide, highly recommended.

What did you think of this review?

Helpful
0
Thought-Provoking
0
Fun to Read
0
Well-Organized
0
Post a Comment
More Arizona New Mexico & the Grand... reviews
Quick Tip by . June 09, 2010
A must-have book for traveling/vacationing in the southwest.
review by . June 15, 2009
58 themed itineraries with easy-to-use maps, advice and tips from local experts plus the "must-do" trips and family-friendly/pet-friendly listings are some of the delights in this Lonely Planet guide.    Starting with the iconic trips which include cruising the Mother Road (Route 66), Gunfighters and Goldminers which covers the area from Prescott, AZ to Bisbee, Saguaro National Park in the Tucson and surrounding areas, Lake Powell on the Colorado River, Four Corners, where you …
review by . May 31, 2009
The comments I make here are repeated from my review of the companion volume, California Trips, because they apply equally to both. In fact, I suggest you read reviews of all volumes in the series (6 in all) to decide if this is the sort of guidebook you want.    It's important to be aware of what this guide is. It is not a tourists' guide to the area and this should not be your primary or only guidebook. It is a collection of trips, many of them themed, for people with plenty …
About the reviewer
Bradford Schmidt ()
Ranked #378
My background is in the arts; I designed and ran a television station in the 80's, was a record producer and independent engineer in the late 80's and early 90's, then formed one of the first online advertising … more
Consider the Source

Use Trust Points to see how much you can rely on this review.

You
BradfordSchmidt
Your ratings:
rate more to improve this
About this book

Wiki

58 of the Region's Best Trips!

Whether you're a local looking for a long weekend escape, a visitor looking to explore or you simply need some ideas when family and friends come to visit, Lonely Planet's Trips series offers the best itineraries - and makes it easy to plan the perfect trip time and again.

Theme icons make finding the perfect trip simple - no matter what your interest

Easy-to-use maps for every trip, plus driving times and directions

Explore the region with trips ranging from two days to three weeks, and day trips from Phoenix, Albequerque and Santa Fe

Local experts share their favorite trip ideas, including a former director's tour of film locations, a geologist's rock-hunting expedition and an astronomer's stargazing tour

Iconic Trips chapter covers must-do trips across the region, from Motoring the Mother Road: Route 66 to A Green Chile Adventure

Tune in on the road with our regional music playlists

Family-friendly and pet-friendly listings throughout

Green index lists the region's most environmentally friendly options


Travel America with Lonely Planet
Since 1984 Lonely Planet USA has published over 100 guides to America, working with over 200 American travel writers. For this Trips series our authors drove more than 100,000 miles, visited 230 diners, stopped at 810 roadside attractions and rediscovered the country they love. Visit lonelyplanet online at ...
view wiki

Details

ISBN-10: 1741797292
ISBN-13: 978-1741797299
Author: Becca Blond
Genre: Travel
Publisher: Lonely Planet
First to Review

"A Great Way To Go"
© 2013 Lunch.com, LLC All Rights Reserved
Lunch.com - Relevant reviews by real people.
()
This is you!
Ranked #
Last login
Member since
reviews
comments
ratings
questions
compliments
lists