It's been 9 years since my first backpacking trip! Internet (and smartphone) transform how we live and how we travel. Looking back at my first backpacking trip, me and my girlfriend only have 1 and only Lonely Planet Western Europe on a Shoe String with us. That's what we go by for hostels, where to go, where to eat, and how to say "where is the bathroom" in all the languages we need in Western Europe. Lonely Planet was our travel bible.
Fast track 9 years later, as Charlie and I research for our upcoming trip to Myanmar, a few bloggers said the information in Lonely Planet Burma is outdated even though it is only a year old! Will printed travel guide become obsolete in the near future as hard copies cannot catch up with the world that seems to be changing in a faster and faster pace?
A flow of travel memories flash through my mind every time I look at the collection of Lonely Planet on my bookshelf or in the library or bookstore. It is sad for me to think about may be one day they won't be needed anymore by future backpackers.
What will become the new travel essential for future travelers in 20 years?
No matter what, Lonely Planet will always have a special place at my heart.
