Let's Go Thailand 2nd Edition

By Let's Go Inc.

The only choice for the independent traveller offer for a full cultural immersion. information and experience. Its lively, no-nonsense style will appeal to everyone from the voyaging virgin to the hardened adventurer. With its striking packaging, Let's Go 's attractive exterior compliments the most informative, friendly and practical advice on offer. for lodging, food, attractions and more. All the practical advice one could ever need volunteering in the region with personal accounts and advice. A dedicated website will be launched in January 2004. getting around and staying safe. real life' Economist

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312335687
• ISBN13: 9780312335687
• Release Date: December 2004
• Publisher: Let's Go Publications
• Length: 448 Pages
• Weight: 0.88 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.1" x 0.9" x 4.6"

Customer Reviews

Not as good as other Let's Go books

I have traveled to over 25 countries and Let's Go has been my guidebook of choice for nearly all of them. It gives a lot of information without being too comprehensive. I have been living in Thailand for 6 months now and have referenced this often. Its descriptions are right on the money. It gives you all the pertinent information that you will need. The places it recommends are accurate to their description. THe only thing I wish this would list is the Thai script for the places it recommends. You will pronounce everything wrong because it is written in English the way a Thai person would read it and not the way a native English speaker would. I can speak Thai and try to say where I want to go according to the spelling in this book and the people have no idea where I want to go. I have to rethink how Thai people would read the English and try pronouncing it that way. I can't imagine how difficult it would be to travel with this if I didn't speak Thai.

Best Thailand budget Guide you'll EVER read!!

I found this guide to be fantastic!! I have just returned from a two month trip to Thailand and would have found it much harder without this book! Every place you would think to visit (and a lot you wouldn't!) are in this book. Where this book differs though is that it isn't afraid to drop a few opinions. I found that while travelling you havn't got time to go everywhere and find everything out for yourself so it's nice to have an opinion to consult. Lonley planet tends to tell you where you can go and stay but doesn't give you much infomation to base your decision on. I had this book and a lonley planet at one point and quickly sold the lonely planet. There are some vital pieces of information for Thailand that just aren't in the lonely planet, for instance if you wish to extend you visa by crossing a border (the cheapest way!)Let's go tells you how to do this and what you'll need for every available border crossing, information just not in the Lonely planet. This book realy centres on the budget concious, with prices for rooms and typical meals included. Although there are a few mentioned, if you want to stay in more upmarket places, buy a different book!! The maps in the book could do with improving, however I didn't find this to be a major problem. I don't normally write reviews for books I buy, but I was so impressed with this book that I felt I had to. An excellent budget guide, and with a number of interesting articles, actually a good read!! Buy it if you're thinking of going to Thailand.

This is the #1 guidebook for those on a super tight budget.

Let's Go is the budget back-packers handbook. Of the three guidebooks I have just reviewed on Thailand (Lonely Planet, Rough Guide), I found that Let's Go excels at helping you find the best of the "cheap" restaurants, and bargain basement hostels and hovels (occasionally hotels). Also, if you are considering camping in Thailand then this guide excels in this category. Extremely impressive is the section titled "Alternatives to Tourism" where scores of NGO (non government organizations) are listed. Of the three guidebooks Let's Go has the best source for volunteering in Thailand. Conservation organizations, medical organizations, urban and rural development organizations are all listed. If you want to study in Thailand this guide has many school listings. Also, its history section is succinct and stellar. Where the guide runs third is in the quality and quantity of maps, it has fewer accommodations and restaurants recommended, and its description of sights that you will be seeing is cursory.. For example the famous, must see, Bangkok Wat Phra Kaew (Temple of the Emerald Buddha) and the Grand Palace received only 3 paragraphs in this guide, Rough Guide gives you five pages of description. Extremely tacky are the ads found in the guide that promote everything from clothing to guesthouses. Bad. If you are strapped for cash and going to travel Thailand on the `cheep' then this guide along with "Travels' Tales Thailand' (see my review) should be in your knapsack. Recommended 3.5 stars

THE guide for the independent traveller

I have used Let's Go guides to travel since 1989 and I have to say, they are excellent guides for the independent traveler. They give you all the information you need. For instance, when you land at an airport and you get off the plane, how do you get to town? Do you have to pay 50 bucks for a cab or can you take a bus? Do you have to negotiate the price before taking a cab? Their guides give you information such as "take bus #x from terminal y, get off at abc station...". For places to stay it usually tells you the pros and cons or what the catch is when the place is too cheap. I can't compare Let's Go with Lonely Planet or Rough Guide because I don't use them, but Let's Go seems to have more practical information. It doesn't have any pictures as Lonely Planet or Rough Guide, but what I prefer doing to make my itinerary is to read about the places that seem more interesting and then browse the web to see pictures. Let's Go also tells about places that are usually off the tourist circuit, such as an awesome Camel Market in Kom Ombo Egypt or the city of Ostia Antica near Rome.

Great book

A friend and I took this book and Lonely Planet to Thailand. By the end of the trip we using only Let's Go. It was simple and easy to use. While Lonely Planet it stacked with history and information and about twice as heavy, it takes twice as long to find what your looking for. The index was horrible, it didn't list anything. I found Let's go maps and all around book layout to be a lots more user friendly. I recommend this book over Lonely Planet anyday!