Lonely Planet releases today, its Best in Travel 2012 guidebook filled with lists of what its editors and writers claim are the best for globetrotters. The book is filled with lists of “bests.”
From the Top 10 Countries, Cities or Regions, to fun “Top Travel Lists” that highlight the best experiences for 2012 including “The World’s Finest Freebies” (these top-class experiences won’t cost you a penny! ), “Top Spots to Witness the Apocalypse (get ready for December 21, 2012),” “Top Spots to Glamp” (glamorous camping), “Slurping Soup Across the Globe”, and the ever-popular “Best-Value Destinations for 2012 (destinations where your dollar gets you even further!)” and “The 10 Best Things to do in 2012,” everything featured in the book was chosen, according to Lonely Planet, because it has something special that stands out for 2012.
Some of the lists are predictable like cities and regions. Some are whimsical like The Greatest Guilty Pleasures, Best Places for Intrepid Romantics, Best Places to Find Middle Earth and Top 007 Destinations.
One of the Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel 2012 lists caught my eye — Best-Value Destinations for 2012. Being a writer who often specializes in getting the most for your money, I was intrigued. How does one mix Northeastern USA with Lesotho or San Francisco with Merida, Mexico in the same list? Obviously, I was missing something. So, I contacted Lonely Planet and spoke with Robert Reid, the editor in charge of putting this particular list together.
First, here is the Lonely Planet “best value” list and the Lonely Planet intro:
If past years (or recessions) have sucked up your travel budget, plan smart and get more bang for your buck in 2012
1. North Eastern USA
2. Tajikistan
3. Lesotho
4. Mekong Delta, Vietnam
5. San Francisco, USA
6. Japan
7. Ohrid, Macedonia
8. Merida, Mexico
9. Iquitos, Peru
10. Porto, Portugal
Robert noted that, “Value comes in different ways.” That mantra was his guide as he selected his list. He also wanted to, “shake things up a bit,” and “include some destination that are more accessible for the normal everyday traveler.” Hence, Northeastern USA ended up in the list together with San Francisco; they are easy to get to.
I asked him, “But, where’s the value in those areas?” His answer basically was a lesson in relativity and select applications of value — not unreasonable, but not obvious at first glance.
Northern USA is on the list because of the development of very affordable ways to move between the major cities via bus systems. That combined with new lodging options such as www.airbnb.com can make a trip between Washington, DC, New York and Boston far more affordable than it ever was in the past. Even families can make the northeast circuit of the major cities affordably.
San Francisco was on his list because of its relative lodging value vis a vis other world-class cities like New York City or Paris. Iquitos, Peru, finds itself on the list because it offers an affordable way to discover the Amazon.
In Merida, Mexico, there is a real Mexican experience and great values when compared to Cancun. On weekends there are open air tacos on the town square and non-stop music, plus, Merida is the safest city in Mexico.
“It is a myth,: he claims, “that Japan is unaffordable.” He notes that there are lots of cheap and clean guest houses for the $35-$50 range, plenty of free sights and where there are fees at museums and resorts, they are often half of what we find here in the USA.
Whether one agrees with the particular choices of the Lonely Planet editors or not, the book provides a broad swipe at the landscape of travel based on different ways of parsing the world of the wayfarer.
For any travel junky, this book will provide hours of entertainment and I’ll be that even the most extreme travelers will learn something new and take a look at the world from a different perspective.
Charlie Leocha is the President of Travelers United. He has been working in Washington, DC, for the past 14 years with Congress, the Department of Transportation, and industry stakeholders on travel issues. He was the first consumer representative to the Advisory Committee for Aviation Consumer Protections appointed by the Secretary of Transportation from 2012 through 2018.
