lonely planet experience vs travel guide

How to Pick the Best Travel Guide Books

Ann-Marie Cahill

Ann-Marie Cahill will read anything and everything. From novels to trading cards to the inside of CD covers (they’re still a thing, right?). A good day is when her kids bring notes home from school. A bad day is when she has to pry a book from her kids’ hands. And then realizes where they get it from. The only thing Ann-Marie loves more than reading is travelling. She has expensive hobbies.

View All posts by Ann-Marie Cahill

Travel. I love it. I live it. I breathe it . In my view, it all starts with the rush of exhilaration when I choose the magical destination for my next trip…only to come crashing down when I have to choose a damn travel guide to start my research. Because you don’t want to be lugging around every travel guide. You need to narrow it down to the best travel guide books. And I mean, really narrow it down. 

I hate that part.

We’re not talking the travel-inspiring books . We’re talking the more practical side of travel planning. And seriously, there are so many travel guides on the market, it is a nightmare of global proportions to choose only one. Add to that how q uickly the information can date, and you are left wondering if this really is such a good idea.

The thing is, each travel guide has its pros and cons. Some are perfect for the USA, some have a better understanding of the winding roads of New Zealand. There are guides perfect for your architectural adventures through Rome while others take you on a culinary tour of Paris. But unless you have nine months to read up on every travel guide, it’s really hard to know which is the best travel guide books. 

So I did the hard work for you. I narrowed it down to 11 of the best travel guide books and the reasons why (just so you know I didn’t simply accept whichever book was left on the library shelf). And how did I choose the best? Well, I read each of their editions for a city or country I am already VERY familiar with. Now, usually, we would only be reading travel guides of places we want to learn more about, right? What better way to ‘test’ a travel guide than to see if they know it as well as a local!

Before you start buying up on guidebooks, here are a few tips to help you choose your own:

The Best Travel Guide Books

Lonely planet guide.

Great for: Big picture travel across a whole country for most regions but especially Oceania, Asia, and the “Shoestring” range. New Zealand is the best ever.

Not so great : They need to update their South America collection. The most recent edition for Ecuador was lacking in detail and encouragement to try new things, especially for the Galapagos Islands. Really felt like at least two of the white male writers phoned it in from their NY base.

Great for: The best highlights of any city, especially in Europe (e.g.  Paris ). 

Not so great: Personal local touch, or if you plan to stay in one place for longer than a week at a time.

Recently, they have been changed their focus to a more budget-friendly approach, but I don’t think it is coming through with their local writers.

Great for: Mainstream Travel with an upmarket touch, especially Western Europe (see Frommer’s Europe ).

Not so great: “One block over” travel, stepping away from the regular, e.g. the Melbourne guide did little to entice me into exploring the city’s famous laneways of culture, coffee, and bookshops.

DK Eyewitness

Great for : visually inspiring your holidays. Beautiful for places like Rome or London. Great guide for Italy . 

Not so great: Day-to-day travel details. Once I stepped out of the Vatican Museum, it was pretty much useless.

Rick Steves

Great for: First-timers travellers visiting one of the major cities of the world, like London or  Paris

Not so great: Anyone looking for a little more depth, e.g. do not use for Venice—that’s a city you need to be lost in at least once.

Rough Guides

Great for : Historic or off-the-beaten-track adventures, like SE Asia, NZ, South America

Not so great: Big cities or glossy photos for visual cues. It was of no help in Kuala Lumpur.

Bradt Guides

Good for: Cultural highlights of countries and regions, especially Macedonia .

Not so great : Asia. The Borneo guide was lacking in details about the various cultures and land issues for the locals.

Blue Guides

Great for : Book Riot, history and literary buffs, that big cultural holiday you were taking through the Romantic History of Europe. The Blue Guide: Greece (The Mainland) is especially lovely to read!

Not so great: The rave scene in Berlin. Not really the Blue Guide style.

Footprint Travel Guides

Great for : transport. Really useful in busy, stretched out places like Bangkok and Thailand

Not so great : Budget details.

Insight Guides

Great for: Giving you an idea in your mind of where you want to go. The Insight Guides Turkey  is especially memorable

Not so great: Actual travel. Don’t rely on these books to get you around a city like Naples and the Amalfi Coast.

This is… by Miroslava Saska

As always, I’m open to suggestion and we LOVE suggestions here at Book Riot. So, if I have missed your favourite, please tell us all about it in the comments. Or if you are looking for a suggestion for your dream destination, ask us!

Bon Voyage!

[Ed.’s Note: This article originally incorrectly stated that The Insight Guides is produced by the Discovery Channel; they’re produced by APA Publications, which is not affiliated with the Discovery Channel.]

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Travel insights and ideas

Lonely planet or rough guides, sharing is caring.

If both guides have passed the “what’s the best travel guide for me?” test, which one to purchase? Lonely Planet or Rough Guides ?

Bear in mind that there are also other travel guides around. In fact, we have previously used Marco Polo , City Pack and Time Out guides.

What travel guide do we like?

Our hearts are set on Lonely Planet . We confided on it for many a trip and it has always delivered.

And we’re not easily-pleased people: we expect a lot of useful information from a travel guide, including all the extras such as a history section, well-written reviews and the unmissable food recommendations. What can we say? We like to completely “immerse” ourselves in a country, so to speak.

Are you like us? Then you may also want to plan your trip like we do. 

“OK, OK but Lonely Planet or Rough Guides?”, you ask.

We wanted to give you an unbiased opinion based on not simply a book cover but its content. So here you go. 

What they don’t have in common:

The use of colour:.

Rough Guides mainly uses black, grey and white whereas at Lonely Planet they’re huge fans of blue (for titles and names) and black for the descriptive bits.

The use of fonts:

The guides use slightly different fonts but they do deploy a similar technique where the useful info of a sight or attraction (address, opening times, prices, website etc.) is written in a different font and in a smaller size than the descriptive text that follows it.

The use of white space:

At Rough Guides they make a clever use of white space which helps the eye to quickly scan the page and understand the importance of the info and where to easily find it.

Lonely Planet’s content can feel a bit more “crowded” in comparison but it is ultimately still as easy and as clear to read.

The page layout:

Rough Guides uses the entirety of the page when listing and describing the main sights and attractions of a place and only splits the page in two for dedicated sections such as “Arrival and Departure” (to and from a place), “Getting Around”, “Accommodation”, “Eating”.

Lonely Planet always uses a split-page layout , no matter the section, no matter the category.

Color-coding:

Rough Guides divides the country in regions/area. Each region will have a colour . Each colour will be seen on the side of the book so to make it easier to identify the region you are looking for.

Lonely Planet divides the country in regions and each region will have a different dedicated section on the guide. The colour-coding device is deployed in all of the Lonely Planet guides to identify four specific sections : “Plan your Trip”, “On the Road”, “Understand” and “Survival Guide”.

Read more about the single structure of Rough Guides and Lonely Planet .

What they have in common:

• The writing styles are quite similar : they write elegantly but clearly, seldom deploying complex terms and some technical jargon; they do have their funny boutades and make use of foreign terms (in italics ).
• Star-symbols are used in both guides to identify a must-visit location or spot. Rough Guides only uses it for eating options, whilst Lonely Planets applies it for every category if it deems it worth checking out.
• Funny, engaging, informative. Every book-seller we’ve approached has told us that ultimately they both are really good and detailed guides.
• You will find that, for both books, time schedules and prices may be wrong at times . This is one of the big downsides of the print-versus-online content. A guide cannot be constantly updated just like a website or a blog post.

A note: How to decide? Once you’ve picked the most recently published guide, there’s only one more way to verify whether timetables and prices are up-to-date. Get your phone out and type a random name – be that of a museum or a restaurant – and compare the info. Are you satisfied? If not, but you’ve now desperately fallen in love with that travel guide and cannot let go, just buy it. Our “how to effectively plan your trip” takes that into account, do not despair!

Lonely Planet or Rough Guides: how to make the final decision?

It all boils down to you: how you feel about it, what you find tickles your fancy more, what you think would be easier to read. You will have to travel and be guided by it.

Therefore, read a few lines from each one, hold them in your hands, skim through the pages, smell them (?!). And just let your heart guide you.

Did you know?

On the back cover of every Lonely Planet guide you will find a ruler with inches and centimetres. Did you spot it? It can be useful… if you don’t forget it’s there.

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What’s the Matter With Lonely Planet?

When I decided to quit my job and travel the world , I walked into a bookstore and bought Lonely Planet’s Southeast Asia on a Shoestring . I was in Thailand and was eager to get started. Buying that guidebook made my impulsive decision seem real. Thumbing through its pages on my flight home, I was hooked. I loved its emphasis on budget travel and backpacking, the offbeat destinations, and its quirky and funny writing. As I planned my trip, LP’s “shoestring” guides were stacked high on my desk — and I became a permanent customer of Lonely Planet guides. Their personality matched mine and I was hooked.

Dubbed “the backpacker’s blue bible,” Lonely Planet’s guidebooks focused on unique destinations and budget travel, which made them a staple of travelers worldwide. For good or ill, Lonely Planet often made destinations, hostels, and restaurants.

Sure, its guides became synonymous with mass tourism, but for me, they were a great resource to thumb over while on a bus or train, or in a hostel. I navigated with LP maps and used LP guides for basic activity information and to figure out transportation.

But, lately, their quality seems to have gone down a lot. The last couple of times I’ve used their website and guides ended in frustration and disappointment and made me ask myself:

“What the heck is the matter with Lonely Planet?”

Is Lonely Planet still even good or relevant?

While it’s still the largest guidebook company in the world with 25% of the market, it’s fallen from its perch as “the bible” for budget travelers. After being sold to BBC in 2007 and then sold again to a reclusive billionaire named Brad Kelley in 2013, Lonely Planet is a shell of what it used to be. Kelley hired a 25-year-old photographer named Daniel Houghton, who came on board and “ invested heavily in a digital revamp and laid off nearly one-fifth of the workforce. ”

To further quote that Outside article, “I [the author] ask what the market research says about all that. ‘I didn’t really look at it,’ [Houghton] says, lowering his voice conspiratorially. ‘I don’t really go with market research. I kinda go with my gut.’”

And that’s where much of the blame lies.

What the market really says

As I sat down to write this article, I asked readers on social media what they thought of Lonely Planet. While most people still used Lonely Planet (and guidebooks in general) for preplanning, they reiterated what I kept hearing on the road: the books seem to get more out of date, the writing has lost its edge, the guides have gotten more upscale and less about offbeat and budget destinations, the website is hard to use, and blogs are often better. Here’s some examples of common responses ( click here to see them all ):

Over the years, travelers I’ve met in person have echoed the same complaint: that LP’s special je ne sais quoi is long gone. In fact, I’ve had some good bonding sessions over the topic!

Clearly, the market has a different opinion about the guides than management. Travelers, while still using the guide, don’t like it as much. I still see people using guidebooks on the road so the problem isn’t that people don’t use guidebooks.

The problem is Lonely Planet itself.

Last year, the CEO was interviewed in Amuse and talked about how he was making LP an uncurated (my word) travel content company: “We’ve never looked at Lonely Planet just as a book company, or a guidebook publisher — in fact my first interaction with Lonely Planet actually was on our website, probably when I was in college — we’ve always looked at it as a content company.”

But guidebooks are not content companies, they are curated resources from experts. We buy them because we don’t want a TripAdvisor or a generic source of information — we want someone who has been there and done that to help us do the same. Whether app, e-book, or paperback, consumers want a trusted source of information. We want someone to cut through the noise for us. If LP is just another generic content company that lists  every thing and exists to generate ad revenue, then what makes them unique? Are they just a bigger version  Condé Nast Traveler or Afar ?

It’s true Lonely Planet had problems long before the current management. Tony and Maureen Wheeler, the company’s founders, will be to the first to tell you they failed in the digital space. This is part of the reason they sold LP to the BBC. The BBC in turn just didn’t do much with the company and let Thorn Tree — LP’s forum and the best part of the site — struggle, as there were many mishaps and closings, as well as poor management.

Yet that was in 2013. The current problems are owned by the current management. Their desire to turn Lonely Planet into a content company is a terrible decision that is out of touch with what travelers want.

A rapid decline in quality

The decision to ignore market research and go with their gut explains much of the decline and why the books are a shell of what they used to be. When the company was last bought, most of the old execs were fired, bought out, or driven out. In their place was installed a management team with little knowledge of the industry they were now in.

Multiple sources reached out to me for this article to describe their experiences with Lonely Planet since the buyout. Authors complained about LP’s lack of communication, respect, and input, and about policy changes that communicated to their contributing experts “please go away.”

It’s something I’ve been hearing for years from my LP friends. (When you’re a travel writer, many of your travel-writing friends will be LP writers.)

I’ve long heard rumors and whispers about LP’s recycled content and desk updates (i.e., information written in the office, not from research at the destination), and that seemed to be corroborated by current employees. Often, I’ve heard, Lonely Planet contributors are told to use Google and TripAdvisor to create content.

LP has this giant content management system, where the author submits their research and, from that, they make the guidebook. But I’ve been told that now, after writers enter information into the database, another person — who may have no knowledge of the destination — comes along and assembles a book. So, in the end, you get this disorganized — and often wrong — book.

Because of these changes, writers seem to have developed a disdain for the company and merely deliver what’s “just good enough.” They aren’t paid a lot, work under tighter and tighter deadlines, and don’t feel part of the company anymore.

How much of this is “sour grapes,” I don’t know, but I’ve heard this complaint for enough years by enough sources that I believe it. I don’t blame the writers. I’ve seen my friends on assignment. They have a lot to do and little time to do it in – plus, the pay is terrible. So, it’s no surprise that if you treat the content creators poorly, you’re going to get poor content.

I – and many others – see that reflected in the quality of the guides.

A terrible website

And this decline can be very clearly seen on the LP website. After Houghton first took over, the website looked like this:

I mean, what is this? It’s a bunch of squares (for ants!*). Who thought this was good? It would take me ages to find the square I needed. Often I gave up and simply found a blog instead.

Now, while I like many things about the new Lonely Planet website — the larger pictures and bigger font — the content sections are hard to follow, and navigating the website is just as difficult as ever. I was trying to find information when I was in Lyon recently — and it was just scrolling and scrolling and scrolling. Why? They list like every place in the city – every church, attraction, park, or restaurant. (They do it for all their destinations.) I don’t want  every restaurant or attraction — I want guidebooks and experts to give me the best . Distill the information down for me! If I wanted an endless list, I’d go to TripAdvisor or Yelp!

Plus, the information is so hard to find now. Here’s an example of LP’s California page in 2010 and now:

(Well, the page is so long and empty that I can’t take an accurate screenshot so here’s a link to see for yourself .) 

In the old version, all the essential information is on the page (and if you go to the link for the page, you’ll see that essential information is just below the fold ). It was easy to get to where you wanted to go, there were no endless lists, and they gave you the facts you needed. It had what you wanted. In the new version, you scroll, scroll, and keep scrolling. There’s a lot of space, not a lot of curated information, and it’s really hard to find what you are looking for.

It’s not just the California page. One just has to go to Paris to find that Lonely Planet’s “top list” is never-ending. And the descriptions of attractions, restaurants, and bars are even less useful than what Google or Yelp offers. Here’s a description of the Prescription Cocktail Club in Paris (one of my favorites):

With bowler and flat-top hats as lampshades and a 1930s speakeasy New York air to the place, this cocktail club — run by the same mega-successful team as Experimental Cocktail Club (ECC) — is very Parisian-cool. Getting past the doorman can be tough, but once in, it’s friendliness and old-fashioned cocktails all round.

That basic information doesn’t really tell me much about the décor, ambiance, or incredible drinks: the cucumber water you get when you sit down, exposed brick walls and dark wood bar, the jazz music, or the inventive cocktails. (Also, there’s no doorman. That’s simply wrong.) I’d take a Yelp review over the above any day.

When I was searching for things to do in Lyon, it was so difficult to find basic information (again, it’s just endless lists) and suggestions that I just gave up and consulted Yelp and blogs. These sites were better organized, gave me a curated list of places, and provided more detailed descriptions.

So what is the matter with Lonely Planet?

LP’s desire to be a “content company” is clear: the increased articles on the site that seem to exist to only drive page views, the sponsored content from the places (and companies) it reviews, the funneling of people from content to booking sites, the TripAdvisor–style listing of everything ( more page views), and the plethora of ads that now litter the site. Additionally, the heavy emphasis on selling tours to destinations seems to go against the grain of independent travel that the company was founded on. You can tell the company has changed simply by what they focus their online content on.

We consumers visit travel blogs and use guidebooks because we want an expert to tell them what’s best. We want someone to distill it all down for them so we don’t have to do the work. It’s why we carry LP guides and not Condé Nast Traveler or Outside magazines on the road. Those are great for inspiration, but not on-the-ground information.

By losing that focus, trying (in my opinion) to appeal to everyone, and attempting to compete with sites like TripAdvisor (and even blogs to an extent), LP has lost what made it great.

I believe companies are better off when they have one thing they focus on. Andrew Carnegie once said, “ ‘Don’t put all your eggs in one basket’ is all wrong. I tell you, ‘Put all your eggs in one basket, and then watch that basket.’ ”

Lonely Planet should be a guidebook company. Being a guidebook company doesn’t mean you have to focus on physical books, but it means you focus on your one thing. Its shift from its singular mission to becoming a “digital content hub” means that it’s no longer unique — and when you are no longer unique, consumers have no reason to stay loyal. As Simon Sinek once said, “People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it.”

You used to know what the Lonely Planet brand meant and what they stood for. Now, I don’t know what the company stands for.

LP still is king because of its sheer size. It is the Microsoft of guidebook companies. Not one person I talked to had any loyalty to the brand anymore. They often bought the guides simply because there was no one else selling one to their destination.

I’ve been a loyal LP customer since 2005. Their guidebooks are all over this website. I still buy them. They are often the only game in town to where I want to go. But, lately, I’m not so sure about them anymore. I haven’t given up on them – but I’m getting closer to doing so. It’s hard to watch them morph into something so….forgettable.

So what’s the matter with Lonely Planet?

In short, just about everything.

* Zoolander reference: “What is this? A center for ants!” Ahhh, never gets old!

Update 1/19: Houghton left Lonely Planet in late 2018.  

Book Your Trip: Logistical Tips and Tricks

Book Your Flight Find a cheap flight by using Skyscanner . It’s my favorite search engine because it searches websites and airlines around the globe so you always know no stone is being left unturned.

Book Your Accommodation You can book your hostel with Hostelworld . If you want to stay somewhere other than a hostel, use Booking.com as it consistently returns the cheapest rates for guesthouses and hotels.

Don’t Forget Travel Insurance Travel insurance will protect you against illness, injury, theft, and cancellations. It’s comprehensive protection in case anything goes wrong. I never go on a trip without it as I’ve had to use it many times in the past. My favorite companies that offer the best service and value are:

• SafetyWing (best for everyone)
• Insure My Trip (for those 70 and over)
• Medjet (for additional evacuation coverage)

Want to Travel for Free? Travel credit cards allow you to earn points that can be redeemed for free flights and accommodation — all without any extra spending. Check out my guide to picking the right card and my current favorites to get started and see the latest best deals.

Need Help Finding Activities for Your Trip? Get Your Guide is a huge online marketplace where you can find cool walking tours, fun excursions, skip-the-line tickets, private guides, and more.

Ready to Book Your Trip? Check out my resource page for the best companies to use when you travel. I list all the ones I use when I travel. They are the best in class and you can’t go wrong using them on your trip.  

Got a comment on this article? Join the conversation on Facebook , Instagram , or Twitter and share your thoughts!

Disclosure: Please note that some of the links above may be affiliate links, and at no additional cost to you, I earn a commission if you make a purchase. I recommend only products and companies I use and the income goes to keeping the site community supported and ad free.

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Lonely Planet Travel Guide & App Review: Worth it in 2024?

One of the consumer staples of travel guides, Lonely Planet had once dominated the travel guide industry by providing inspiring and exciting guides for travelers around the world. Is Lonely Planet still the same today, and are their guides still worth it? Keep reading to find out.

If you’ve ever been to a bookstore, a magazine stall, or have watched TV, you’ve probably heard of the name Lonely Planet or Lonely Planet Guides.

Lonely Planet is a name that dominates the travel sphere on the internet, offering guides and informative content almost all around the world. Its popularity is largely due to its guidebooks with detailed maps that were considered a great resource for travelers, particularly for backpackers on a shoestring.

Today, it’s the world’s largest travel guide publisher with over 150 million guidebooks. It's basically a household name for travel guides.

But, as Lonely Planet’s ownership changed from time to time, it began to lose its appeal as a unique platform for travel content. After all, travel content has been fastly evolving, with popularity shifting from guides provided by large travel companies to guides provided by travel influencers and blogs.

So, I wanted to know if Lonely Planet is still a resourceful travel website ripe with information that’s relevant, timely, and budget-friendly. Are they still a thing people go to for travel inspiration and resource, or are they outdated?

How does Lonely planet compare to the newer travel guides in the market, like CN Traveler or NomadicMatt ? Keep reading to find out if Lonely Planet travel guides are still worth purchasing!

What Is Lonely Planet?

Lonely Planet is a travel guide and travel content publishing company that was founded in 1973 with the aim of providing travelers with useful, unique, and non-mainstream information along with affordable authentic choices for accommodation and dining.

They house a collection of experiences, expressed through the passion of lonely planet themselves, that helps travelers worldwide make the most out of their trips.

Started by two broke backpackers on a trip from England to Australia, Tony and Maureen Wheeler, had a vision to provide fellow travelers with inspiration to travel. Lonely Planet quickly rose through the ranks due to its depth of content, originality, and abundance of practical advice while traveling.

It was eventually sold to BBC and then to a billionaire, Brad Kelley during the global recession. Brad then infamously assigned CEO to a 24 year old ex-wedding photographer. That's a whole different story that I won't go into detail, but you can read the interview here!

If you are wondering who owns Lonely Planet at present; it’s Red Ventures, an owner of many digital businesses.

Where Can I Find Lonely Planet’s App?

Lonely Planet has also developed an app to digitize all of their travel guides for the convenience of their guides on the go.

The Lonely Planet’s app is called “ Guides by Lonely Planet ”, which can be accessed from both iOS and Andriod devices. In here, you'll find their usual guidebooks, like their Asia or Europe collection.

To make travel more accessible for Lonely Planet’s users, they’ve also included their phrasebook guides inside their app, which allows users to learn and use local phrases of countries they’re visiting.

Is the Lonely Planet App Free?

The Guides by Lonely Planet app is free and available to access for some guides on the platform. However, a full paid subscription is required to gain full access to the app’s features and all of the guides and partner discounts offered by Lonely Planet.

Lonely Planet currently has 3 subscription plan, which includes:

• 1-Month Subscription Plan - 3.99$
• 6-Months Subscription Plan - 19.99$ (Save 16% from the monthly subscription)
• 12-Months Subscription Plan - 29.99$ (Save 37% from the monthly subscription)

What Are the Main Features of Lonely Planet?

Guidebooks and maps.

Lonely Planet sells guidebooks on regions, countries, cities, parks, hikes and treks, and many other topics in both digital and print form. These include itineraries, maps, user reviews, insider tips, and information on hidden gems!

Here are just some of the different guidebooks they're selling:

• Lonely Planet Japan
• Lonely Planet South America
• Lonely Planet The Caribbean Islands
• Lonely Planet Portugal
• Lonely Planet The World

One cool book I'd recommend is their annual bestseller " Best in Travel " guidebook (they're available online ), which is one of their annual list of bestsellers of the best countries, cities, destinations to visit of the year. They cover tons of topics, from the best value destinations of the year to sustainable travel choices you can make to help make travel more inclusive for others.

If you are an old-school traveler who likes to flip the pages of paperback devouring travel content, you can order its print versions. Otherwise, you can go with the ebooks , especially if you are backpacking. Maps can be purchased separately as well.

Booking can be made via Lonely Planet related to insurance, hotels, flights, adventure tours, sightseeing tours, and transport. So, if you come across interesting experiences or points of interest while going through its content, you can place a reservation directly.

Inspiring Travel Content

In addition to Lonely Planet travel guide books that users have to pay for access to, Lonely Planet also provides extensive travel descriptions, articles, and videos covering topics related to different destinations that are free to view.

Users can purchase and access Lonely Planet travel guides via its website or mobile app, which is available in both Android and iOS versions. General content related to destinations can be viewed even without an account for free.

What Additional Features Can You Get With a Lonely Planet’s Subscription?

While Lonely Planet’s guides and services are free to use, a lot of their guides and features come with a paid subscription. But what exactly are these features, and what more can I get from the paid subscription of Lonely Planet?

Keep in mind that subscriptions purchased on either the Guides by Lonely planet app or the Lonely Planet website are the same and purchasing subscriptions from either platform will give you full access to both.

Here’s the list of all the extra features that come with the subscriptions:

• Full access to all 8000+ cities and the points of interests
• Full and unlimited access to all the guides + Lonely Planet TV
• Access to Magic FX, virtual tours, and budgeting tips
• Access to Lonely Planet phrasebooks

What Is Missing in Lonely Planet Today?

Updated information.

One of the frequent complaints about Lonely Planet by its avid users is how the guidebooks have lost their novel touch. I'd honestly go as far to say Lonely Planet has lost its touch.

Information and tips mentioned in newer editions are outdated and uninspiring. If a guidebook that you purchase for eye-catching information has only generic, old, and mainstream facts that you can gather with a quick search on the internet, then it’s obviously not worth the money.

They've also seemingly adopted a quantity over quality angle through their digital guidebooks, recommending an endless lists of things to do in certain places like New York or Paris, with very little actual content as to why they're recommending it.

If you have ever purchased or viewed some of the earliest guidebooks (old versions) by Lonely Planet, you would see that they’re almost always full of colorful and detailed information, inspiring you to travel.

In terms of trustworthy information goes, I'd rather read a Google, Yelp, Quora, and even a Reddit user review before going with Lonely Planet's recommendation.

But, if you take a look at the more recent versions, you’ll no longer see the same page-flipper content that you’re normally used to on the original Lonely Planet guides.

Useful Details

One of the aspects that used to set Lonely Planet apart from its counterparts from the start was the depth of its travel content.

Their original guidebooks were a treasure trove of information on places with descriptive and useful explanations. Not to mention, the authenticity of places recommended were always protrayed through incredible visuals or storytelling techniques.

Back then, Lonely Planet truely reflected the excitement of a passionate global community of travelers giving out helpful and inspiring recommendations.

At present, its descriptions are vague narratives that are written poetically but lack the necessary details we need. There is less emphasis on unusual attractions and insider tips that many readers look for in purchasing a guide, especially one that was made by Lonely Planet.

Handpicked Attractions

The list of attractions provided by Lonely Planet is nothing short of overwhelming, especially if it’s a popular destination.

While it does give us a plethora of choices to choose from and create our own itinerary, it would have been better if Lonely Planet sifts the best for us as a travel company that knows better than its users. There’s the choice of filtering the attractions based on categories but that doesn’t help us from choosing destinations that are actually worth visiting.

Lonely Planet has, in my opinion, appropriated mainstream travel content and booking websites and lost its defining competitive edge as a result. It’s no longer the expert who knows how to “guide” travelers away from dull and uninspiring spots and help them experience the true essence of the destination.

Localized Recommendations

Lonely Planet guides also provide accommodation and dining options that can be booked from the website directly. However, its knack for providing affordable and unique choices for travelers looking for a localized experience has diminished greatly.

Users also complain how Lonely Planet’s choices are overcrowded and highly commercialized places or ones that no longer exist.

Prompt Service

After reading many Lonely Planet reviews, it seems that even the customer service is subpar. Many customers have complained of delayed shipments of guidebooks they ordered, irresponsive and unreliable customer care team, and time-consuming refund process. This has further downgraded Lonely Planet and discouraged people to purchase its guides.

It’s also noteworthy to mention that Lonely Planet has gone through what any company goes through with a change of ownership – a change in objectives, values, and business model. So, the ideas cherished by its founders may not align with its present parent company – a highly commercialized enterprise

What Else Has Changed?

There are other factors that have affected the popularity of Lonely Planet.

Consumer expectations have increased rapidly over the past years with the growth of the travel industry as well as technology. It may be that printed guidebooks are no longer deemed as essential resources when there are resources on the internet that won’t affect the weight of your backpack.

Lonely Planet has lost its charm to hook readers with its resources is the influx of travel websites we have experienced over the years. There’s information everywhere, and Lonely Planet has been unable to compete well enough to retain its edge.

More importantly, its competitors like Rough Guides, Bradt, and DK Eyewitness Travel have also been performing really well, filling market gaps. When it comes to Rough Guides vs Lonely Planet, some prefer the former for better accommodation options.

Depending on the kind of traveler you are, you might or might not find them useful. I personally don't.

What’s Still Good About Lonely Planet?

Great platform to get an overview.

For those who are simply browsing for travel content on a particular country, city, or attraction, Lonely Planet may be a good place to get a comprehensive introduction.

It rounds up information on history, culture, wildlife, and other major aspects that are worth the attention while giving a long list of attractions below for you to gain a better picture.

If you prefer to gain all the basic details in one place rather than strip-searching the internet, Lonely Planet is a good site.

Covers All Destinations

It’s unlikely that Lonely Planet won’t have a description for a destination you are looking for – although it may be short of a detailed travel guide.

It’s due to this very reason that travelers continue to use the website and get a heads-up about places they intend to visit. So, while it is increasingly syncing with mainstream travel sites, the behemoth of information Lonely Planet has worked in their favor.

Due to this, Lonely Planet still remains one of the frequently used websites by travelers around the world.

Visual Content

Lonely Planet is a great place to watch inspiring videos and learn about wildlife attractions, cultural events, natural wonders, and other interesting aspects around the world. For those of us who don’t necessarily enjoy reading lengthy articles, the videos of destinations and facts about them can be a feast for the eyes.

Trip Planning

Despite the inaccuracies that have been noted in some guide books and maps, people continue to refer to Lonely Planet to supplement their travel plans. The maps have proven to be useful – although they could be much better. You can use the website to select what appeals to you and include it in your itinerary. Its booking features also make travel planning a step easier.

If you are looking for a travel planner that also provides tons of guides and insider information on places to visit, eat, and stay, you’ve come to the right place! Pilot is a social trip planner which also offers reviews and guides that can help travelers make better decisions and plan better trips.

Is Lonely Planet Still Worth It?

Having known all of this information about Lonely Planet and its travel guides and travel apps, you’re probably wondering if Lonely Planet guides are still worth it. Above that, is Lonely Planet’s paid subscription still worth the money?

From a free travel guide’s perspective, we believe that it’s still worth checking out. They contain beautiful visuals and a big picture overview of many destinations around the world and could help you decide where you want to visit.

From their paid subscription’s perspective, we believe that there are better options out there, especially when it comes to their guides and point of interest. There are newer blogs with better recommendations when it comes to places to visit or stay in a destination.

For example, our blog of Airbnb recommendations in Paris offers cool budget accommodations in Paris that might not come up in other guides.

It really is unfortunate that the leading travel media company turned into a quantity focused digital website filled with uninspiring and overly abundant recommendations. Especially in a post-pandemic world, people are more than ever seeking authentic and fulfilling experiences and taking control of their trips.

There's one caveat though, I think their phrasebooks are pretty cool.

If you’re on an extended trip or would just like to learn the local language, we believe that their subscription access to Lonely Planet’s phrasebooks is worth it! They’re amazing to use when you just want to learn common phrases of the local language.

Our Rating: 4.2/5

• Huge collection of guides
• Large coverage of destinations around the world
• Pretty visual content
• Great travel plan supplement
• Great phrasebooks (paid subscription)
• Outdated information
• Lack of useful details
• Mainstream attractions and lackluster recommendations
• Subpar customer service reviews

Lonely Planet FAQs

Is lonely planet closing.

Lonely Planet has undergone really tough times, with multiple layoffs and a huge reduction in their publishing operations. However, they're still operational and publishing both online and paperback guidebooks and phrasebooks!

Is Lonely Planet Still Good?

Lonely Planet has lost its touch as the household name for travel inspiration and guidance. While still incredibly popular, the reduction in quality content over quantitive online publication has resulted in many of their users turning away from them due to issues of quality and updated recommendations.

What's Better Rough Guide or Lonely Planet?

My preferences having owned both is Rough Guides. It's much more natural to get inspired to travel through narration, which is done much better through Rough Guides than Lonely Planet.

How Does Lonely Planet Make Money?

Prior to the multiple acquisitions, Lonely Planet made a significant chunks of their revenue solely on physical guidebooks. Today, I estimate it to be more of a balance between digital content, advertising partnerships, as well as physical guide and phrasebooks.

Does Lonely Planet Still Do E-Books?

They definitely still do, and there are multiple ways to get them! You can either get them through the app, or you can purchase a kindle version of their guidebooks through Amazon .

Take Control of Your Travels!

Lonely Planet still does a solid job in providing travelers with useful content but it doesn’t allow you to plan trips using its app or website. A great trip comes with a great plan.

Plan your trips with Pilot alongside our complementary travel guide and resource, FlightDeck!

Disclosure : Pilot is supported by our community. We may earn a small commission fee with affiliate links on our website. All reviews and recommendations are independent and do not reflect the official view of Pilot.

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UPDATED! How To Choose The Best Japan Travel Guidebook

2    comments

How to Choose A Japan Travel Guidebook by Rob Dyer

How do you choose the best japan travel guidebook.

Selecting the best guide for you is a little like choosing your ideal partner, or your favourite album of all time – it's a very personal thing.

So, in that sense, there can be no definitive 'best' guidebook. It all depends on your personal perspective, needs and preferences.

Some of us absorb information when it is presented visually, others prefer to read lengthy text, whilst many prefer a combination of the two. Me? I fall into the latter camp – but with a bias towards more text than pictures.

The Rough Guide to Japan

Using Amazon's 'Look Inside' feature

They all have their strengths (and weaknesses), take a look at them all if you can. Use internet research for making comparisons online – saving you the trouble of browsing in a bookshop or library.

Using Amazon's 'Look inside' feature can be really handy here (if it is available on the book you are looking at then the words 'Look inside' with an arrow pointing down appear directly above the top of the book cover photo).

If you've not used it before, you simply click on the book cover and it opens up and you can literally look inside to see example content, and judge if you like the content, design, and any useful features like maps, etc.

READ: How To Travel in Japan Without Speaking Japanese

DK Eyewitness Japan Guide

Rough Guide vs Lonely Planet

The thing that immediately struck me was that the Lonely Planet guide was more attractive to look at than The Rough Guide . The maps in the Lonely Planet guide were more detailed than those in their competitor's and looked more practically useful.

I imagined that if I was somewhere in Japan I'd never been to before, and had The Rough Guide maps in front of me, they wouldn't have been much help on the ground.

Lonely Planet had more photos and more colour than The Rough Guide too. It also had heavier stock paper. I remember being shocked at just how thin the pages of The Rough Guide were – suspecting they might tear all too easily when in active use 'out in the field'.

However, that did mean The Rough Guide managed to cram in more pages into their edition within a similar thickness (more than 1,000 compared with Lonely Planet 's 831). Neither were pocketable, they were quite hefty reference books. Both were priced pretty much the same too.

All of that was interesting, useful and good to know. However, the key determining factor for me was in reading them.

Don't overlook smaller publishers/imprints

There are thousands of niche book publishers/imprints around the world and within that group are a good number of travel publishers. And you'd be making a mistake if you were to overlook or ignore them simply because you've not heard of them.

I'll probably create another post focusing on more niche travel publishers in the future but, for now, in the context of this post, there's one I want to bring to your attention: Moon Travel Guides.

Moon books are published by Avalon Travel, which is a Hachette Book Group company (ultimately owned by France's largest publisher). They currently have three Japan titles in their catalog: Moon Japan, Moon Tokyo, Kyoto & Hiroshima (aka the 'Golden Route') and Moon Tokyo Walks.

Frommer's Japan Guide

Then turn to read about a place (town, city, region, resort, whatever) you know and see how that description meets your experience and knowledge of the place. If you've been to the country before and know a town or city well - use that as your reference point.

"Knowing Kobe well, I turned in both editions to read about the city."

Knowing Kobe well, I turned in both editions to read about the city. I recall the Lonely Planet guide saying that one of the highlights of a visit to Kobe was to explore the Harborland district in the evening, where attractions like the Kobe Tower, Meriken Park are lit up at night in a colourful display.

But, having been there several times before, I knew that in the evening the area can be quite desolate and that the only real reason people do go there at night is to go to a restaurant or the multiplex cinema. Not exactly ground-breaking experiences. Whereas, of the same location, The Rough Guide described it more accurately, pointing out that in the evening there was less to attract the passing visitor.

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To the previously uninformed it would have been difficult to choose between them. But, to me, the differences were striking, and enough to enable me to make a clear and confident choice.

'Nuts and Bolts' vs 'Essence and Feeling'

I felt that the Lonely Planet guide was better at describing the 'nuts and bolts' of a place – the facts and figures, if you will. Whereas The Rough Guide was less detailed on such things but better at conveying the essence, the style, the 'feeling' of a place. Essentially, what it feels like when you are actually there . And, crucially, 'there' more as a local than a 'tourist'.

To me the Lonely Planet guide seemed possibly better suited to those who had never been to Japan and who like to have a lot of detail and specifics around the logistics of booking accommodation, flights, sites, etc. I also felt their maps would be more helpful in finding your way when compared with the minimalist, almost oblique maps in The Rough Guide (remember, I'm referring to the 2008 editions here).

If you just want facts use Wikipedia

But, I also felt that the Lonely Planet guide would be far less useful on repeat visits. There was less in it to capture your imagination regarding a place, whereas The Rough Guide included all kinds of (on first glance) seemingly leftfield or random details - but information that would reward subsequent visits.

"What I was looking for in a guide was more along the lines of 'insider' information, personal recommendations, off-the-beaten-track tips, etc. Fewer facts, more opinions. (If I want facts I'll look on Wikipedia.)"

Since I would always do my pre-travel research on the internet to get the most up-to-date information on the logistical side of travelling (flight, train, bus schedules, best connections, recommended accommodation, opening hours of restaurants, bars, sights, etc).

The best for 'insider information'

What I was looking for in a guide was more along the lines of 'insider' information, personal recommendations, off-the-beaten-track tips, etc. Fewer facts , more opinions . (If I want facts I'll look on Wikipedia!)

The book that delivered what I was after was The Rough Guide to Japan .

It didn't matter to me that the maps in it were basic and not much help. The first thing I ask for when visiting any tourist information centre (or ryokan or hotel ) is for any maps they have of the local area. These are way better than anything you'll find in any guidebook.

How To Travel In Japan Without Speaking Japanese: my travel guide

One of the major considerations with travelling in Japan is the inscrutable Japanese language.

A seemingly incomprehensible, often kaleidoscopic, barrage of cryptic symbols awaits the foreign traveller who doesn’t speak or read the language.

I’ve been exploring Japan since 2000 and I’ve picked up plenty of tips along the way.

I’ve distilled decades of my experience into this ebook for you.

This practical Guide and Workbook covers all the essential basics you need to ensure your first (or next) trip to Japan is as Amazing as you deserve it to be.

Preview what's inside by CLICKING HERE .

Hidden 'Bonus' feature of guide books

Guide books also have a hidden bonus feature! They are also a handy place to keep flat mementos of travel ephemera such as tickets, flyers, leaflets, etc that you'll pick up on your journeys. Which, if you're anything like me, you'll collect hundreds of ;-).

Rough Guide Japan (2008 Edition)

Updating your guide

Personally, I don't think it necessary to update my guide books every year, or even every few years.

In fact, it could be argued that if you need to then it isn't the right guide for you. The occasional natural disaster or social upheaval aside, the basics don't change very often. Particularly in a country as well-developed as Japan.

Nevertheless, I recently decided to update my original Rough Guide , which was published in 2008 – but has served me well (even those wafer-thin pages were miraculously still intact!).

Confident that it was the right choice the first time around, I didn't bother to do the same extensive comparative research, but did note that several of what I identified as shortcomings in my previous edition had been changed/improved in the latest edition. So I simply ordered the new one online.

Comparing old and new editions

When it arrived, I was delighted to discover that many of the better production values of the older Lonely Planet guides had been incorporated – more colour photos, colour-coordinated sections, better, more detailed maps, thicker paper(!). With my 2008 and latest edition side by side, I re-read several familiar sections to compare between them.

Some have been completely re-written, others changed little or not at all (but justifiably so). Information about some places has been dropped, replaced by new entries.

Incidentally, at the moment, I see the Lonely Planet title is the most popular guide in Amazon's Japan Guidebook category. Proving that, in spite of my fondness for The Rough Guide , this whole process is about personal viewpoint and preferences.

How to spot shortcomings

The only shortcomings I've spotted since using it relate to the index. Whilst many towns (in particular) are included in the guide they do not appear in the index. This makes quickly finding them inside the guide more difficult that it should be.

It wouldn't have added too much to the length of the index to include the significant places. To read about them as it is, you have to navigate to the more general region, etc entry and find it from there.

Also, although there are fewer pages than the 2008 edition (880 now compared with over 1,000 then) the book is noticeably thicker than its earlier edition. I guess that's what you get with thicker paper!

So, that was my original and recent experience of choosing what, for me, is the best guidebook to Japan. Tastes, preferences and needs differ. Your needs may indeed be different, meaning a different guide is better suited to you. But, however you choose, choose wisely, and you'll have an invaluable resource that rewards your adventures in Japan for years to come.

Where to buy: Amazon vs Wordery

Amazon is usually my first port of call for researching and usually purchasing books. The customer reviews alone are a really valuable and time-saving resource.

However, typing in “Rough Guide to Japan” into Google, I managed to find Wordery.com – where the same edition was £2.95 cheaper than the price on Amazon, and it included free, worldwide delivery.

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Lonely Planet Experience California (Travel Guide) Paperback – November 15, 2022

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Lonely Planet's Experience California travel guide reveals exciting new ways to explore this iconic destination with one-of-a-kind adventures at every turn. Bike, boat, swim and ski at Lake Tahoe, take an iconic drive on Route 66, scout mural masterpieces in San Francisco - using our local experts and planning tools to create your own unique trip.

Inside Lonely Planet's Experience California :

- Local experts share their love for the real California, offering fresh perspectives into the region's traditions, values and modern trends to make your travel experience even more meaningful

- In the know tips to help you build on your experiences when visiting well-known sights and landmarks

- Fun insights that will pique your curiosity and take you to the heart of the place - make time for your mind in a bath of bubbling volcanic mud in Napa; slurp freshly shucked local oysters along the NorthCal coast; spot great white sharks and gray whales at California's richest natural habitat: Monterey Bay

- Insider scoop on the best festivals, secret hangouts, hidden locations, tantalising local food scene and photo-worthy views

- Handy seasonal trip planner to guide you on where to go , when to travel and what to pack

- Practical information on money, getting around, unique and local ways to stay, and responsible travel

- Comprehensive selection of maps throughout and beautiful full-colour photography to inspire you as you plan your unforgettable journey

- Covers San Francisco & the Bay Area, Napa & Sonoma, Northern California & the Redwood Coast, Central Coast, Sacramento, Lake Tahoe, Yosemite & the Sierra Nevada, Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, San Diego, Palm Springs & the Deserts

Lonely Planet's Experience California is an essential travel guide for all explorers looking to immerse themselves in the region's culture. Each book within the Experience series contains handy trip building tools so that you can take your pick of the must-see attractions and activities as suggested by our local experts – and create your own dream travel itinerary to get away from the everyday . Unlock even more travel secrets using the QR codes throughout each guide and discover story-worthy travel moments that you'll never forget.

About Lonely Planet:

Lonely Planet, a Red Ventures Company, is the world's number one travel guidebook brand. Providing both inspiring and trustworthy information for every kind of traveller since 1973, Lonely Planet reaches hundreds of millions of travellers each year online and in print and helps them unlock amazing experiences. Visit us at lonelyplanet.com and join our community of followers on Facebook (facebook.com/lonelyplanet), Twitter (@lonelyplanet), Instagram (instagram.com/lonelyplanet), and TikTok (@lonelyplanet).

"...these new Experience guides from Lonely Planet are irresistibly attractive." - The Washington Post Book Club

'Lonely Planet. It's on everyone's bookshelves; it's in every traveller's hands. It's on mobile phones. It's on the Internet. It's everywhere, and it's telling entire generations of people how to travel the world.' – Fairfax Media (Australia)

• Print length 258 pages
• Language English
• Publisher Lonely Planet
• Publication date November 15, 2022
• Dimensions 5.45 x 0.63 x 7.1 inches
• ISBN-10 1838695613
• ISBN-13 978-1838695613
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• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Lonely Planet (November 15, 2022)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 258 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1838695613
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1838695613
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 11 ounces
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.45 x 0.63 x 7.1 inches
• #179 in General Western US Travel Guides
• #1,378 in Pacific West United States Travel Books

About the authors

Alexis averbuck.

Alexis Averbuck has travelled and lived all over the world, from Sri Lanka and India to Ecuador, Zanzibar and Antarctica. In more recent years she’s been living on Hydra island, Greece and exploring her adopted homeland; travelling to France to sample oysters in Brittany and careen through hill-top villages in Provence; and adventuring along Iceland’s surreal lava fields, sparkling fjords and glacier tongues. She also promotes travel and adventure in video and on television, starring in a program on Catalunya. A travel writer for over two decades, Alexis has lived in Antarctica for a year, crossed the Pacific by sailboat and written books on her journeys through Asia, Europe and the Americas. She's also a painter – visit www.alexisaverbuck.com.

Alexis was born in Oakland, CA, and earned a degree at Harvard University. For Lonely Planet, she currently specializes in Iceland, France (especially Provence, Dordogne, Brittany and the Loire Valley), Italy, Greece and Antarctica.

Lonely Planet

With over 150 million guidebooks in print, Lonely Planet is a trusted source for any traveler. Since our inception in 1973, we've inspired generations of travelers to discover amazing places and enabled curious travelers to get off the beaten paths to appreciate different cultures and become agents of positive change.

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Experience Iceland

Get this book for free by becoming a Lonely Planet Insider:

• 3 eBook downloads every year
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$2.99 USD/month (charged annually) Learn more

Lonely Planet's Experience Iceland travel guide reveals exciting new ways to explore this iconic country with insider tips from our local experts and handy planning tools so you can create your own unique trip.

Discover amazing local experiences from celebrating the summer solstice on Grimsey island, to slipping into natural hot springs along the Westfjords Way, and catching your own fish off the North Iceland village of Hauganes.

Build a one-of-a-kind trip with Lonely Planet's Experience Iceland travel guide:

• Our Experience guidebook format reveals exciting new ways to explore epic destinations and plan the ultimate 1-2 week adventure
• Local experts share their love for the real Iceland, offering fresh perspectives into the country's traditions, values, and modern trends
• Trip planning tools help you create your own regional and activity-based itineraries so you can navigate Iceland and connect experiences together with ease
• In the know tips help you discover even more local experiences when visiting well-known sights and landmarks
• Fun insights will pique your curiosity and take you to the heart of the place - get to know the Icelandic craft beer scene; discover the extent of Iceland's musical footprint; understand swimming pool etiquette and enjoy one of Iceland's most loved activities
• Insider scoop on the best festivals, secret hangouts, hidden locations, tantalising local food scene, and photo-worthy views
• Handy seasonal planning calendar guides you on where to go , when to travel , and what to pack
• QR codes unlock extra digital content, know-how, and travel secrets 
• Practical information on money, getting around, unique and local ways to stay, and responsible travel
• Inspiring full-colour photography and maps including a pull out map of Reykjavik
• Covers: Reykjavik, Southwest Iceland & Reykjanes Peninsula, the Golden Circle, South Coast & Southern Highlands, East & Southeast Iceland, Akureyri, North Iceland, the Westfjords, West Iceland

Create your own dream travel itinerary and get away from the everyday with Lonely Planet's Experience Iceland.

Covers Reykjavik, Southwest Iceland & Reykjanes Peninsula, the Golden Circle, South Coast & Southern Highlands, East & Southeast Iceland, Akureyri, North Iceland, the Westfjords, West Iceland

eBook is available in ePub, MOBI and PDF.

ISBN: 9781838694722

Edition: 1st

Publication Date: March 2022

Writers: Zoe Robert, Egill Bjarnason, Jeannie Riley, Eyglo Svala Arnarsdottir, Porgnyr Thoroddsen

258 pages, 258pp color, 20 maps | Dimensions: 140mm × 180mm

Next edition due: April 2026

Language: English

Which guidebook is right for me?

Country, city & regional guides.

• Top experience collections
• Regional itineraries recommended by experts (from a couple of days to multi-week)
• 3D illustrations and guided tours of key sights
• Extensive coverage of history and culture
• Detailed maps throughout - includes walking maps and a pull-out planning map

EXPERIENCE guides

(country, city & regional).

• Led by local experts that reveal their favorite experiences and hidden gems
• Personal itinerary building tools
• Seasonal planning calendars
• QR codes unlock additional online content

POCKET guides

(city & regional).

• Special features cover most popular sights
• Content organized by neighborhhod
• Recommended 1, 2, 3 and 4-day itineraries
• Guided walking tours

South Pacific's most idyllic islands for a tropical getaway

Sep 22, 2021 • 6 min read

Small thatched beach huts known as Samoan fales on one of the South Pacific island's most pristine beaches © zstockphotos/Getty Images

The South Pacific confounds even the savviest map buffs with its splatter of dots spread across the world's biggest ocean. What you can't tell from a map, or even most tourist brochures is that these palm-laden pinpricks are as diverse as the region is vast. While the postcards might look similar, Fiji and Tahiti are not interchangeable or even much alike when it comes to landscapes and culture.

As you move east across the Pacific from the Solomon Islands to Easter Island , the flora and fauna becomes less diverse. Islands to the east like New Caledonia and Fiji have land snakes and fruit bats, French Polynesia and Easter Island don't. Underwater you'll find more soft corals in the plankton-rich waters to the west but better visibility in the greater reaches of open water to the east.

South Pacific islands are culturally and geographically divided into Polynesia (from the Greek meaning 'many islands') and Melanesia (meaning 'black islands'). Polynesian islands include Samoa , Tonga , Cook Islands , French Polynesia and Easter Island while Fiji, New Caledonia, Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands are Melanesian. The colonial history of the islands has resulted in a modern-day patchwork of English- and French-speaking island groups (plus Spanish in the far eastern Easter Island).

Still confused? Here's the low-down on the main regions and their highlights.

Rarotonga & the Cook Islands

Best for beaches and hospitality Languages: English (official), Cook Islands Maori (Rarotongan)

The Cook Islands mix Polynesian blue water and hospitality with New Zealand (who administer the islands) savoir faire . On the lush, main isle of Rarotonga beach bum all day then experience an 'Island Night' Polynesian feast (pork cooked in an earthen oven, taro root and more) and a local dance performance.

Hop a plane to Aitutuaki atoll, with its low-lying coral islets curling around one of the world's most fantastic lagoons. When not diving, snorkelling or swimming in blue water, check out the atoll's ancient stone temples called marae .

Best for: friendly vibes and backpacker adventures Languages: English, iTaukei, Fiji Hindi

Fiji receives nearly the same amount of visitors (about 630,000 annually) as the rest of the South Pacific combined but it still feels wild and exotic. Scents of Indian curries waft from city roti shops while in villages Melanesian families invite you in for a bit of 'grog' ( kava , a slightly narcotic locally made beverage). Diving is another popular activity here and underwater you'll find seascapes of soft corals so dense they look like purple and white forests.

Viti Levu , the Mamanuca and Yasawa Islands have the best beaches and most resorts. It's also easy to get off-the-beaten-path on islands like the lush, dive havens of Taveuni and Vanua Levu or the near-roadless traditional escape of Kadavu.

Tahiti & French Polynesia

Best for: luxury resorts and surfing Languages: French, Polynesian

With over 115 islands spanning five archipelagos, French Polynesia has it all from the legendary, luxe Bora Bora and its over-the-water-bungalows to uncountable forgotten islands perfect for Crusoe-wannabes looking for a basic beach bungalow. Wherever you go, you'll be kissed with a touch of French style.

Dive with plentiful reef sharks and manta rays in the Tuamotu Atolls ; ogle the world's fastest hip shaking at a Tahitian dance performance during the July Heiva Festival; hike to waterfalls and mountain ridges on Tahiti, Moorea , the Marquesas Islands and more; or watch professional surfers brave cavernous tubes at Teahupoo , Tahiti.

Best for: volcanoes and hiking Languages: (more than 100) Bislama (creole), English, French, others

If you want rumbling volcanoes, kava bars, shipwrecks to dive on and wild jungles to trek but still want your roads paved and your cheese French, Vanuatu is the place for you.

The main Island of Efate is home to the endearingly dusty capitol of Port Vila but the real action lies on the outer islands. Tanna is dominated by fiery and climbable Mt Yasur. Espiritu Santo has upscale resorts and a tough trek to the massive Millennium Cave filled with waterfalls and bats. Dive and snorkel WWII wrecks to coral gardens.

Samoa & American Samoa

Best for surfing and hiking Languages: English, Samoan (Polynesian), Samoan/English

The Samoan Islands are divided into two countries – Samoa, which is independent, and American Samoa , which - you guessed it – is an American territory. Both however remain very traditionally Polynesian. Although 'Upolu in Samoa has a few relatively upscale resorts, all the islands feel untouristy and much other accommodation is in the form of basic open beach huts called fale .

You'll find some of the South Pacific's best and most pristine beaches, lots of smiles, flower-filled villages and a pace of life that stands out as slow even in this region. There are few organized excursions but for independent types the opportunity for hiking, cultural connections, surfing and snorkelling are endless.

New Caledonia

Best for: food and water sports Language: French, 33 Melanesian-Polynesian dialects

New Caledonia's massive Grande Terre is the third largest island in the Pacific (after Papua New Guinea and New Zealand) and is home to the second largest double barrier coral reef in the world (after Australia's Great Barrier Reef).

Beyond the diving, wind sports and sailing in the lagoon, the land supports a mix of Melanesian and French cultures that bring an elegant balance to hospitality, cuisine and accommodation ranging from beach bungalows to very posh resorts.

Outlying islands such as Île des Pins and Ouvéa offer more remote escapes with some of the Pacific's best beaches and heaps of delicious seafood.

Best for: swimming with humpback whales Language: English, Tongan

The Kingdom of Tonga is a country of traditional values and strong Christianity backed by endless blue bays, sparkling beaches and ancient stone temples.

The main island of Tongatapu is the seat of the monarchy but most visitors head quickly to the Vava'u Group . Here you'll find one of the best places on Earth to swim with or watch humpback whales. Sailboats flock around the Vava'u's many sheltered blue bays while plenty of scarcely discovered surfing waves are tucked along the coasts.

Easter Island (Rapa Nui)

Best for archaeology and wildlife Language: Spanish

Few places on the planet are as intriguing Easter Island 164 square kilometer island so far east, it's technically a part of Chile. Giant, sober-faced stone statues called moai dominate the landscape here whether they are full-standing or still only partially carved from rock; their mystery is an even larger presence.

Tour the island on foot, bike or horseback, find small white beaches and enjoy the lively Polynesian culture mixed with South American spice. Tourism is on the rise but the island remains personable and dedicated to eco-travel.

Solomon Islands

Best for: diving and eco-tourism Language: English, Melanesian pidgin, English, 120 indigenous languages

Arguably one of the wildest destinations in the South Pacific, the Solomon Islands host a traditional Melanesian culture and an ever-lingering WWII history. Guadalcanal , the capital island, is home to numerous historical war sites.

For relaxation head to the New Georgia Islands , particularly Marovo Lagoon for its fish-filled lagoon dotted with small islands. Beaches are few but the kayaking, diving and traditional culture make it a true adventure.

Remote South Pacific islands

Where to begin? Some places like Niue , Tuvalu , Kiribati and Wallis & Futuna have flight connections while others like Tokelau and Pitcairn Island can still only be reached by sea . If you're not booking that South Pacific adventure-of-a-lifetime this year, then what are you waiting for? 

You might also like: How to choose the best island for your Fiji vacation Natural spoils: why Kiribati is a nature lover's paradise Why Tanna Island in Vanuatu should be your next big adventure

This article was first published Aug 2, 2019 and updated Sep 22, 2021.

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