This little book is an essential read for those who wish to understand why so many LP books are mostly naive, hysterical, biased waffle. It will show you, in great detail, the sad people who produce these poorly researched newsletters, and you will get a deeper insight into why most of the Lonely Planet books are a waste of money.
(Enthusiasts of LP can stop reading now and click NOT HELPFUL straight away. Thank you.)
A reviewer before me summed it up very neatly about the writers: "either drunk much of the time, naive beyond belief, or both". I could not say it better.
You read this book and you see this is all about getting drunk, missing the plane, getting drunk, not complying with immigration regulations, getting drunk, and then getting drunk some more. And always, ALWAYS going to the poorest countries and driving a hard bargain with the poorest people there so that afterwards they can proudly boast how they crossed India (2000 miles or something) for $11.50 when the going rate was $11.70.
I remember reading, with disbelief, in LP guide to West Africa about how you can take a journey of over 100 km for $0.11 instead of $0.15 or something. Now I know what kind of dolts write these guidebooks and I perfectly understand them.
Having no money is no sin; having no brain and no thoughts in your head and not seeing ANYTHING beyond the cheapest bus fare on a rusty bus (Oooh! I'm not going by taxi like all those disgusting rich people! I am so proud of myself! I think I'll meet up with Deanna Swaney and get drunk!) is not a sign of intelligence; but writing travel books when the ONLY thought in your head is saving money and getting drunk - this is just plain sad.
"Disaster Stories"? Yes. The biggest disaster is that most of those writers ever got their boarding passes.