One of my workmates, Robyn Cronin, just got back from a “spring break” in Europe with an interesting observation about how two twentysomething travelers accessed information. Print or electronic? It’s a choice many of us will be making in the next decade. Here’s what Robyn wrote:
My cousin and I spent a week between Venice, Barcelona, and Madrid — her choices; this was only her second time in Europe. Having worked at RSE for six years and having helped lead or taken 10 tours, I am very familiar with the Rick Steves guidebooks and how to access all the information in them, from our two-page spreads of each city’s most important sights, to our sections on public transportation options to and from airports or train stations. Armed with our latest editions and a familiarity with each city from previous trips, I was excited to share each city’s unique specialties with my cousin, along with my own personal favorites. But she came equipped with what is quickly becoming a “can’t leave home without it” item — her iPhone. She insisted on relying on apps for the same information I get from the guidebooks.
The seven days we spent together soon became a (friendly) battle over who could find the information first. It was app versus guidebook. While I’m happy to report I was totally victorious (finding the information quicker than she could even find the proper application that might give her the information she was looking for), what struck me was witnessing her dependency on her iPhone. Rather than simply opening a physical guidebook to the already dog-eared page offering step-by-step instructions, she repeatedly chose to hunt-and-peck her way through the interactive highway of travel information for the answers she was looking for.
We’re both intelligent, tech-savvy, 28-year-old college graduates, perfectly capable of processing information from a variety of sources. Yet she never connected with the guidebook and I never connected with the iPhone. Technology is exploding all around us, and it’s hard to ignore the impact Apple has made on our travel publishing industry. But I don’t think it has to be an either/or situation. There’s plenty of room for both apps and guidebooks to share the travel market.
Still, even though I’m more a tech snob than a tech snub, you won’t see me jumping to replace my paper bookmarks with electronic ones anytime soon. There’s too much of Europe to see to waste time sifting through clunky apps for my information.
I’m an avid iPhone user. I still begrudgingly drag a physical guidebook with me, but only because an electronic version of yours do not exist (the Lonely Planet apps are nice, but I find their content [as well as their book’s content] useless when traveling). The benefits of a book are that it doesn’t need batteries, it can’t crash, and it doesn’t tempt pickpockets as much (provided you replace the cover). Other than that, digital wins — a fraction of the size and weight, searchable, bookmarkable, and fast. Being able to search text is key. Even though I’m familiar with your books, I can still type “Madrid metro” a lot faster than I can flip through the pages. You can only fold over the corner of so many pages before the practice begins to work against itself. Bottom line: if you put all of the content of your books into an iPhone app, even with no ‘extras’, I’d buy it in a heartbeat over the paper version. I’ll take my chances with crashing, keep it charged regularly, and duck into a quiet shop if I need to look something up while I’m on the go.
But now there is the iPad…and what happens when you take a 5 country tour of Europe and want some detailed guidebook info? I’m no fan of carrying 3-5 guidebooks and the extra ten pounds. But an iPad with e-book reader that is capable of covering those same guidebooks in just over a pound? yeah…that will be me.
I’ve left several comments on here stating that Rick should offer electronic versions of his guidebooks for those of us who don’t want to lug around a heavy paperback(or copy/rip out pages – that is also lame). PDF format would be great because you can read it on most brands of smart phone. Electronic search is another improved aspect over the normal book. Those tech-savvy “young people” will soon be your target audience before you know it. And cool phones like the iPhone are expanding the tech-savvy audience across all demographics. I like that Rick has tip-toed into the 21st century by offering MP3 audio tours of some of the more popular places. I just wish he’d adapt the text too so that I could have everything in one place.
Not an iPhone, but using my Nokia 3720 Ovi save map screen shot function let me capture maps and helped me to quickly document my travels in the US – even found Ben’s Chilli Bowl in DC, Oui Oui
well provided that Rick continues to produce actual books, I’ll continue to be a customer.. I may be one of those ” Young people “.. But I find it really hard to care about whatever techno gadgets people are busy fiddling with these days.. E-book readers, GPS, anything and everything that Apple makes, none of it has a place in my house or my travel kit. Though sometimes I feel like the only person on earth without a Cellphone. It just hardens my resolve to never have one.
Although I’m somewhat “older”, I tend to prefer a combination of electronic devices and paper Guidebooks when travelling. One of my most valuable and often used travel accessories is my Cell Phone and I fully intend to continue travelling with that as it provides a lot of benefits. I won’t be buying an IPad, but instead have decided to travel with a Netbook. As others have noted, the size and weight of Guidebooks is often somewhat of an “issue” when travelling, so it would be nice if an electronic version was at least offered for those that want it. When out touring and sightseeing, I still prefer a Guidebook, as it’s easier to read and I don’t have to worry about the batteries going flat.
I thnk the issue is familiarity. Like most I find myself on both sides. I like both digital and paper. But to be fair to the cousin that is mentioned in the piece, the author admitted she has worked on 10+ tours for ETBD. The “contest” was probably no contest because of a familiarity issue. If her cousin had that much experience with her iPhone and iPhone apps, she’d probably be much more competitive and probably be more efficient in the long run. As for e-books of Rick’s material, I’ve bought a couple from the amazon kindle store. I’m using them on my iPhone kindle app. Is there some other version that people are looking for?
Thanks, Cary, I didn’t realize he had more than a few books on Kindle already. Unfortunately they’re mostly broken up into cities, so for example I’d have to buy Barcelona + Madrid + Sevilla just to equal the Spain book I have, only it costs more. (I realize it’s a limitation imposed by Amazon that I can’t download a digital version of a book I own for free.) If he had the whole Spain book on there, I would have probably just bought that instead of the hard copy. (But where’s the search feature!?)
We just returned from Venice a few weeks ago. I used my iPhone for everything that would have been printed, folded up, and in my pocket before. It was so much better. I had city maps and vaporetto maps to refer to as well as more detailed maps to each evening’s supper location (I found an app that allowed me to transfer these image files from my computer to my iPhone). I purchased a minimal amount of data roaming from AT&T before I left so I could look up some quick translations in a pinch and also share our experiences with friends on Twitter and Facebook. The data part of it was a little tricky and can be very expensive if you exceed the limit so only use data if you know for sure what you are doing. For future trips, the iPhone will be my choice over pockets full of maps and itineraries. As for the guidebook debate, I purchased both a printed and iPhone copy of Rick Steves Venice. We had the printed copy in our room to look through but when we were out and about, it was handy to pull out the iPhone and read about a site without dragging along a the printed book. If I had to only buy one, it would be the iPhone version. One more way we used the iPhone was for the Rick Steves iPod tours. They are very well done and we learned a lot from them. While in Venice we leaned heavily on Rick’s advice and were not disappointed.
Volunteering in a medical center, I frequently schedule appointments. Those recording the appointment electronically take 5 times longer than those doing it with paper. I like electronic gadgets, but realize their limitations. In a lot of speed races, paper wins.
How about having to keep electronic devices charged? How about more airport security hassles? How about wireless service not being reliable? How about how easily electronic devices can be stolen?
I too am one of the “older” techies who also loves her guide books. I have an iPhone and I admit I’m addicted to it. Love those apps! I also have a netbook and am less enamoured with it than I expected (too much scrolling to get the info, slower, and some of my favorite websites for entertainment just don’t work on the smaller screen). USA Today has a very positive article on the iPad and I will be checking it out because it should as fast as the iPhone which is amazing. However I won’t give up my printed guidebooks but I don’t always lug them around. Printed maps are still essential for the big picture.
For my value, I would rather pay $20.00 for a guide book. My life doesn’t need the expensive monthly cost of an iphone. When I start adding up all the monthly expenses for all of the new technology (we do use some), I wouldn’t be able to take a yearly trip. Just can’t afford to have both. The book is a one time use, by the time we go back to a country a second time you need new info. I give my old books away to people who are thinking about traveling to a perticular country.
I think the publishers are helping push people to the electronic apps because they try to force a “one size fits all” approach on books. For one thing, why can’t travel books like the RS guides be sold on small binders so the user can take only the pages she wants? RS even advises tearing out the pages you need to lighten the load and save space. Publishers can make people tear books apart as long as their is no competition, but now the electronic guides are going to give them a run for their money. For another, it would be easy to add features to a book that combine electronics and print. Here’s an example. Much like a textbook, buying a travel book could give you an account on the publisher’s website. It would be a simple matter of programming to let a user type a code given with each recommended site/hotel/restaurant into their Android while on the website and have it then give you walking directions. The website could also link to a guided tour like RS lets you download, etc. There is room for books and electronics to co-exist. But books are going to disappear because the publishers will miss the transition, insisting on doing things the way they’ve always been done until its too late.
One thing that no one has addressed is the fact that using an i-phone makes you blend in easily and look less like a tourist, because everyone over here is using a phone too. Rather than stand on a street corner with an big map or carrying a guide book with you everywhere, you end up looking more like a local person. Which makes you less of a target for a pick-pocket, not more. They are great for finding restaurants, subway maps, info about historical buildings, events in the town, opening hours for almost everything. I know lots of people who have even downloaded the flashlight app. Comes in handy in dark restaurants!
Always, follow the money.
For all of you “iPhone only” tourists, let’s try this experiment: 1) Take your iPhone and your Rick Steves’ Paris guidebook to the top of the Eiffel Tower. 2) Drop both. 3) Go back to ground level and determine which one of those items survived the plunge of 1063 feet. Get my drift? The funny thing is you only need to drop an iPhone a couple of feet and it’s SMASHO! Rick, I’ll keep it simple for you: The day you dump your paper guidebooks is the day I dump you.
Hi Rick – A very good question! I hope both can be available, although the iPhone, iTouch, cell phones and internet are all the craze at the moment. When I’m home I like the option for your paper guidebooks and when I’m away, I like the option of bringing my laptop, international cell phone and iTouch – this way one doesn’t have to carry lots of extra wait with thick paper books. I would love to see more technology items available, but at the same time love your guidebooks to. Perhaps its just a personal preferance, but I personally like both…A great question and one which will produce a variety of answers!
It’ll be a combination for me. I’ll still take along the relevant pages of the guidebook, but will also use my iPhone, especially in London, because I have a handy Tube and bus map app. As others have mentioned, the iPhone will also be good for finding restaurants in Berlin and Andalucia this summer as guidebook info on those goes quickly out of date. Also, having a travel alarm, my personal contacts (so I can send postcards), calendar, and weather apps all on one device is really convenient. In the past it’s also been the case that having a phone with international calling capabilities has helped me out of a couple of situations. I had one a couple of summers ago in southern France when there was an issue with my rental car and I had to call the company’s offices. Last spring I was in Rome with some students when the earthquake in L’Aquila happened, and my students were able to use it to call home to reassure their parents they were safe.
Noise canceling headphones appeal to me. Even the ambient background noise is hard to filter. In the Friday, 2 April 2010 edition (Travel section) of USA Today, you can read a Rick Steves article on travel in which he also comments on Italy (his favorite place when there is no traffic). If you want to see Italy without traffic, try Norcia and Castellucia in Umbria or visit Italy in Jan. Feb or March.
Personally I like guidebooks but I confess that I don’t like to lug them everywhere when I am on vacation. As Jo mentioned, flipping through a guidebooks immediately identifies you as a tourist. As a New Yorker, I cringe when I see tourists use a subway map out in the open. I worry that their changes of being mugged/pickpocketed just increased exponentially. Also, it’s undeniable that iPhones, iPads and other electronic devices will be the more and more popular with travelers, young and old. I also know there are considerable costs involved with developing a electronic version of the guidebooks. However, I think it still beneficial both to the company and the consumers to have electronic versions of the guides available. As Rick as stated in an earlier post, the guidebooks are getting thicker and thicker. As an amateur photographer, I love anything that will shave any weight off my gear. Everyone has their preference and we can argue about which is better for another 50 posts but I think it’s nice to have the option regardless.
I think the point of the post is that we can have both! Rick can offer his books on the iPhone or whatever while still publishing paperbacks. Why do we have to choose? I honestly don’t know which I would go with. I love the guidebooks, the paperback in my hand to flip through quickly. I’m not sure how good an iPhone app version of his books would be for reference, but maybe I just need more practice. I can tell you that I bought Rick’s “Travel as a Political Act” book on my iPhone and now I can read it on the go. I love it because my iPhone is something I would have been carrying around with me anyways. I have a much smaller purse now!
I like the idea of having the choice of books AND electronic books or apps. When I’m planning a trip, I’ll read guidebooks over and over. But when I’m on the trip, I hate having to carry the book. I can tear pages out, but what if I decide to go to Albi on the spur of the moment, but didn’t tear the page out? That’s when having an electronic version of a guidebook would be really helpful. Here in the States, I’m using an iPod Touch with apps for commuter train schedules, flight information, maps, finding restaurants, and rest rooms, so I already know an app that helps me move around knowledgably would be useful.
Last summer, I decided to scrap my itinerary and take a detour to Vienna. I had never been there before and decided to go about 12 hours before I got on the train. There was no time to buy or read books. I probably would not have been able to find them in English anyway. With my iTouch, I was able to decide which train to take, make a reservation at a great hotel and download a Vienna travel app and maps. I had a great time. This is not to say that books are useless, but I’m using them less and less.
An American using an iPhone with AT&T data service out of the country may not be branded as a tourist, but he or she will be branded very, very poor once the bill arrives.
I’ll point out Robyn had an advantage over her cousin – she knew where to find her information. Her cousin did not. If you gave Robyn a new, un-dog-eared, unfamiliar guidebook then raced her and her cousin using the iPhone, you’d have a better competition. While I will use guidebooks to plan my trip, I doubt I will take them with me. Isn’t it you, Rick, who advocates travelling so lightly? Why take guidebooks when you can take an iPhone that weighs just a fraction…
Have been reading the Rick Steves Athens guidebook with my Kindle app on my iPhone – best of both worlds?
Where did you see Rick Steve’s books on Kindle? I’d pay MORE to have them in electronic form instead of lugging around more poundage in dead trees. You could just as easily dog-ear it and search it there on Kindle/iPad/iPhone that way.
I bought a stack RS guidebooks for my upcoming trip: Paris, France, Barcelona, Athens, Greece, Spain. THEN, I bought the Kindle versions of Paris, Barcelona, and Athens. Next time I think I will skip the paper versions. I agree there should be some way to not have to pay the same full rate for the Kindle version if you bought the paper copy already. Only the kindle versions are coming, both on microlaptop and on iphone.
I appreciate the concern which is been rose. The things need to be sorted out because it is about the individual but it can be with everyone. ========================= cheap reservations