Wheeler - Lonely Planet Across Asia on the Cheap

CONTENTS

CELEBRATING 40 YEARS OF LONELY PLANET...

It was 40 years ago that the first Lonely Planet guide was launched, revolutionising the way independent travellers saw the world. Tony and Maureen Wheeler had travelled overland from Britain, driving a beat-up old car across Europe and Asia and hitching a lift on a yacht for the final leg to Australia.

Every time we went to a party, questions would come up about our trip to Australia, explains Tony. How did we do it? How much did it cost? Whats Bali like? Can you really hitch through Thailand? Are trains in India as bad as they say? Is Afghanistan dangerous? Can you really get all the way to Europe by land?

Urged on by their friends, they spent nights at their kitchen table writing, typing and stapling together their very first travel guide, Across Asia on the Cheap .

Within a week theyd sold 1500 copies and Lonely Planet was born. Two years later, their second journey led to South-East Asia on a Shoestring , which led to books on Nepal, Australia, Africa, and India, which led to you get the picture. In 2010 Lonely Planet celebrated the publication of its 100 millionth guidebook, the 15th edition of Australia .

This eBook version of Lonely Planets first travel guide will give you a taste of just how much travel has changed in the last 40 years. But one thing hasnt changed: Lonely Planet continues to inspire and inform travellers, helping make amazing travel experiences happen. Turn the page to discover a world of Lonely Planet eBooks, plus digital and online services to make your travels even easier and more exciting.

across ASIA on the cheap

WHY?

The Asian overland trip has become so popular in the past five years that theres almost a groove worn in the face of the map. Few people realise that for about the same cost as jumping on a plane in Sydney today and off in London tomorrow they could spend several highly enjoyable months, see a whole cross section of cultures and get to London! The Afghanistan government has quoted some incredible statistics about the number of people crossing their borders by land, yet somehow the trip maintains an adventurous mystique and many of the countries it passes through are still very untouristed.

Of course being adventurous is no longer a pre-requisite of the trip. If you want to avoid all hassles you can hitch onto one of the many organized overland expeditions and travel in secure comfort all the way. On the other hand if you dont mind roughing it a little you can join the thousands of people who really have dropped out of the 9 to 5 rat race. A years hard work in Australia will easily finance two years wandering in Asia.

All youve got to do is decide to go and the hardest part is over. So go.

COSTS

To give you an idea of total transportation costs here is a straightforward Australia to Europe trip with approximate ticket costs. If you can prove youre a student you can chop this cost quite considerably in places.

As far as possible prices are quoted in Australian dollars, but prices will go up and down with exchange rates - 5% cheaper already. Airlines often use unfavourable rates when converting their prices from US dollars to other currencies.

From Istanbul to London there are a number of freak bus services for about $30. Notice that most of the above cost is tied up with those two flights; from Calcutta all the way to Europe only costs about $30 in faresl Of course there are all sorts of other ways of getting there - which are described in the rest of the book. On top of your travelling costs will be accommodation, food and spending money. Singapore and Bangkok are probably the only places between Australia and Europe where a couple would have to spend more than a dollar a night for a reasonable hotel room. Sounds impossible? It isnt.

HOW?

ORGANIZED TRAVEL

A variety of overland travel companies operate and with these you can organise your trip right the way through before you start off. Cheapest cost from Kathmandu to London will be about $A300 exclusive of food and some of the accommodations cost. So you can do it much cheaper by yourself - the advantages of organized travel come in other directions.

Travelling this way you avoid hassles, you face none of the train or bus problems that come from depending on public transport. Nor do you have the hassles of your own transport - insurance, carnets and the danger of breakdowns in unhappy places. In that respect you have the best of both worlds. Your drivers are usually pretty together types who have crossed Asia more often than you have been to the corner store, they will know what goes on and where it goes down. So you wont miss anything that is happening and probably get a look at the more out of the way things that solo travellers may miss.

Group travel has its hangs too - it is hardly like a package tour, but nevertheless you are somewhat constrained. If you find Herat is a place that really grabs you and you would like to spend a few days (or weeks or months) there - well too bad, it is only an overnight stop. A less foreseen problem is your other travellers - you will be stuck in close proximity with them for two or more months and if there is someone you cant stand you have plenty of opportunity to not stand him/her.

One of the catches of the overland travel game is when you have been once, you will sure as fate want to go again. So you can always go one way in a tour and come back solo. If you decide to hitch up to a tour then there are a few pointers to follow. Check out just what the cost includes - how much accommodation and food is covered for example? Some of the tours camp from Turkey on, saving you hotel costs, and operate a food system where you chip in for communally cooked meals. Find out what type of vehicles they will use on your trip - fifty people on a bus can hardly wander unobtrusively round some tiny village, apart from being an unmanageably large group. Ten or twelve people in a minibus is a rather more suitable set-up.