Comments on: Book Review: Lonely Planet – Across Asia on the Cheap [1973]

By: James Clark

James Clark — Thu, 23 May 2024 09:16:13 +0000

In reply to Ken Franklin. What a time to travel, thanks for sharing that story!

By: Ken Franklin

Ken Franklin — Thu, 23 May 2024 01:39:06 +0000

My bible in 1974 picked it up in King’s Cross in early 1974. An interesting note, I left Darwin 10 days before Cyclone Tracey. The flight was A$40 on TAA to East Timor. After island hopping I arrived in Bali 2 months later to find Darwin was flattened. My $600 lasted 6 months. I got repatriated back to NZ broke. I had been living in a Temple in Bkk. Samosir Island long houses were 20 cents a night for a bamboo slatted bed, the cane bugs were free. I travel to Asia nearly yearly, my how travel has changed since those days running out of money… Not recommended.

By: James Clark

James Clark — Tue, 22 Mar 2022 01:41:45 +0000

In reply to Gregory Melle.

Wow very interesting! I’ve always been reluctant to throw away old guide books, so I have a box of old Lonely Planets that are aging like a fine wine. I wasn’t aware of the Douglas Brown book, and I see it is archived online https://archive.org/details/overlandtoindia00brow/page/n7/mode/2up

By: Gregory Melle

Gregory Melle — Tue, 22 Mar 2022 00:52:29 +0000

I just dug up my copies of the All-Asia Guide from The Far Eastern Economic Review. I have a 1974 copy that I carried from Australia to Europe in 1975. My other copy is Copyright 1982. Both of them are heavily butchered. Since I carried them for weeks and months at a time, I would cut out the countries that I would not need on that trip. (Anything to save weight!)
I splurged a bit when I visited Bangkok in 1975. I stayed for a few days at the Swan Hotel for $5 USD per night. I note that the nearby Oriental is listed as $16-20 USD for a single room.
The latter edition has far fewer hotel details. Both were aimed towards business travellers. Neither mentions Khao San Road or Banglamphu area at all.
Glancing at the Indonesian section of the 1974 book, it lists six hotels at Sanur Beach, two in Denpasar and two at Kuta Beach. One of those Kuta hotels had 10 rooms and the other 52. Times have changed.
I also have a 1971 copy of Overland to India by Douglas Brown. It has a ‘Dope’ section for each country. The one for Afghanistan is 1 1/2 pages and includes helpful smuggling hints!

By: James Clark

James Clark — Fri, 02 Oct 2020 14:03:24 +0000

In reply to Jeroen Beuckels. I would treasure it too. I have a 60's version of Frommer's Europe on $5 a day in a storage box somewhere. I must check to see if it's ok.

By: Jeroen Beuckels

Jeroen Beuckels — Fri, 02 Oct 2020 12:58:20 +0000

About 17 years ago I found this original ‘guidebook ‘ in an op shop for 5 Australian dollars.
I have treasured it since.
Mine is the third reprinted version of March 1974

By: James Clark

James Clark — Mon, 18 Sep 2017 05:20:14 +0000

In reply to Peter Hoare. Hi Peter, thanks for sharing your interesting trip. Send me a message when you have finished your story!

By: Peter Hoare

Peter Hoare — Mon, 18 Sep 2017 05:15:13 +0000

I was one of the Aussie “pioneers” of the “reverse” Overland Trail from India to Europe in 1962, eleven years before the Lonely Planet guide and before the “Hippie” Hashish Trail. I traveled by ship Melbourne – Bombay on a return ticket planning 7 months in India but I cancelled my return booking after hearing from European back packers of the the interesting experiences and low cost of the Overland Trail to Europe
In India I met a number of European back packers who had reached India via the Overland Trail from Europe. Many arrived almost penniless Calcutta surviving on the hospitality of friends and locals. At that time Burma was a closed country by land and they did not have the money for an air fare from Calcutta to Bangkok or Singapore.Their options were limited – no chance of a job in India, request repatriation at their Embassy, or try to return with help from their friends to Europe.
I sold some of my gear to lend the money to a back packer from England to fly to Perth ( 126 pounds sterling ) to begin a new life in Australia. With all this nostalgia and interest in the Overland Trail I am now working on my story of the Overland Trail.