Lonely Planet Reviews 

After years of happily using Lonely Planet's travel guides, I am SHOCKED by how useless the new format is.
The practical information that one would use a travel guide for are just now there anymore. Where I used to check for good hotels/ restaurants/ tour guide agencies etc. are now general descriptions that I could also get from google or wikipedia.

I recently bought the new edition of the Tanzania guidebook. I hadn't realised that Lonely Planet completely changed their 'blue spine' guidebook style and format in 2023. Regrettably the new format is a disaster. Almost all useful information about each location has been removed. What little information remains is hard to find due to a rambling, inconsistent structure. All the book now offers is section after section that read like a mediocre travel blog, of which there's hundreds already on the internet. Incredibly disappointing and, unless they revert to the old approach, they've lost me as a customer and, I suspect, destroyed their brand.

EDIT: And finally I received the guide! Thank you to LOnely Planet for pushing the courier

I have been traveling with lonely planet for decades and I always buy the original English editions because I prefer them. Despite this, the shop is absolutely deplorable, the last time I bought a guide, and although it was never delivered, the shop first told me that they would send it back to me, then in reality the guide never arrived and no one ever responded to my complaint emails. At this point I have to open a dispute with the credit card I paid with. Therefore, the shop is not very serious and not very collaborative.

I really liked this movie . I’m reading reviews that are pretty abysmal and I’m starting to second guess myself but … I found it hopeful , unexpected ( couldn’t figure out HOW this was going to happen?). And I thought the performances were wonderful , Dern is always a revelation and Hemsworth was so believable and dreamy . It’s an idealistic (perhaps fanciful ) depiction of two people discovering themselves through finding eachother . I’m a sucker for romance and this delivered ….

I've traveled for two decades and always relied on Lonely planet guides to help me find restaurants, hotels and the 'how to get there' were essential! I have about 50 guides in my closet (not necessarily proud of this, but hey).

I was shocked to find out there is a 'new concept' for the guides which is COMPLETELY USELESS. Just some random texts about what to visit, without opening times, fees, restaurant section, etc. The guide became a photo album with no actual information.

Looking at the other comments here it seems im not alone - and I look forward to the automatic robot response with a link to post a complaint..!

Because Iiked my first Bulgarian Phrasebook and Dictionary so much I wanted to get another one. I ordered it from Lonely Planet directly and I got the new edition just as I wanted. The price and delivery were very reasonable, especially since it came from so far away. I am very happy with it and would recommend my easy to use and comprehensive Phrasebook for anyone who would like to try Bulgarian.

I went to China recently and the Lonely Planet was very poor in terms of content. Much information was missing (sometimes very interesting area with little to no explaination), sometimes wrong or very unclear. Also the it doesn't take into account that it's hard to type addresses in the local map apps, while it could use qr codes or other ways to make this major paint point disappear. I basically couldn't visit any restaurant recommended by them. It's a pity

I am in Athens at the moment and before leaving Sydney I purchased a lonely planet guide book for Athens. Three places that were recommended in Athens were non existent, they were Hitchcocktales, and Cafe Avissinia. Taf existed but was nothing like it was described in the book.This was very disappointing as I have always relied on lonely planet guides and maps. Will have to reassess our guides in future travels.

I have been a lonely planet user for many decades. Just bought Malta and Indonesia. It’s bad to the point of being unrecognizable. Empty content. History section now restructured by notable places without any kind of sequence. No practical information. Nothing. Completely empty. Better buy the vintage editions. Will never buy again.

I was such a big fan of Lonely Planet guide books for years. I have bought one for my latest trip in Montenegro but I don't recognize the spirit anymore.
While I welcome the new way it or organized, the content equals to nothing. There is no practical information, especially on how to get there. Absolutely no word on bus possibilities, only indications of how long it takes by car. There are still people who travel by bus like in the old days!! Basically I had to do all the work myself.
Useless guide, better check things in internet, it will be cheaper.

The new maps are printed so indistinctly that they are hard to see and read. In past editions, I would scan the maps, print them out at a larger scale and use them while traveling. Scans of the new maps are almost blank.
Hotel and restaurant descriptions, that used to be current and complete, are now abysmal.

Awful. Do not waste your money. No details of restaurants or hotels, no addresses, no maps, content extremely confused. Impossible to find help for an itinerary. I have been using LP for 30 years and this is not what it used to be . Will never buy again.

I planned a trip to Indicine ( Vietnam Cambodia Laos Thailand Malesia) and therefore purchased all of the guides. They sent me a VIENNA guide instead of a VIETNAM.
I wrote twice but no answer yet from the company which, by the way, doesn’t have a complaint page on their site, only an email link were to complain and receive an automatic bot mail.
I will never buy from them again.

I have just bought the LP Argentina guide and could not believe the decline in content since the China guide of 1986. Too many colour photos, most of which I could have downloaded from the Web. Where to stay in Mendoza? Forget it. In fact, unless you are a wine buff with an unquenchable thirst - forget Mendoza entirely. Comodoro Rivadavia, the largest city in Chubut, doesn't get a mention and you'll be hard pressed to find the overland route to Tierra del Fuego. Who is this travel guide actually aimed at? I'll never purchase another one.

More than 20 years buying Lonely Planet guidebooks...I bought the last edition of Ecuador, I was shocked by the new format, no useful information, it has completely lost the essence. I was so surprised that I looked for reviews and found exactly what I thought: old readers' reactions are the same, what a shame. I will return it tomorrow and get an old edition from the library.

I just recieved the latest edition for Morocco and its appauling. The new layout looks like it was created by someone sitting in a cafe on their laptop while sipping a cafe latte or more than likely AI. As soon as you pick this new edition up, the front cover gives its quality away; the cover photo is so clearly an AI image and a bad one at that. It was certianly not put together by someone who has got their boots dusty while waiting for a bus in the Atlas mountains. I`ve asked for a refund and will use my 2017 edition, which contains much more detail. I do not want a book that gives me a rough overview and I have to do the rest by using my phone while on the hoof. At £17 I expect good reliable information by people who have been there. Get back to basics Lonely Planet!

I bought my first LP about 30 years ago and have a complete shelf that catologues our travel all these years. In 2019 (Mexico) I noticed that the info was more often out of date. I bought the new Colombia guide (2023) and it was awful. There’s almost no practical information anymore. Am gutted and will not buy another ond with this layout. Being an older traveller I’m not sure what to do in the future. TripAdvisor can be easily biased and where to begin in the sea of blogs?…..

Either Lonely Planet is now written by AI, it’s it’s dumbed down to be unrecognisable. The negative reviews are true. Such a shame. I couldn’t find reviews, just fluff.

My wife and I just completed a 6 day 5 night Safari in Tanzania. I found the company in the most recent Lonely Planet. We booked our safari with Safari Wakanda. Our group of nine traveled in two Land Cruisers. The guides; Andrew and Anderson, were incredible! They answered all our questions and took care of our every need. I arranged for a mid-range safari. The accommodations were phenomenal! Way better than expected. I highly recommend Lonely Planet and Safari Wakanda. Well worth every dollar.

The new layout of the books is simply useless for backpackers. The essential information we used to get from guidebooks has simply disappeared.
After 20 years of being a loyal user of lonely planet, I'm going to have to find a new travel guide with practical information.
With this new layout, Lonely Planet never again!