I very rarely buy reference books—especially when the cheapskate in me would rather just Google everything. Information is free and abundant on the Internet, but it actually does take a whole lot of legwork to weed out useless information and compile all of my data in a concise and easy-to-understand manner. If you don’t want to go through all of the trouble, Lonely Planet has a ton of great books at one’s disposal.
Make My Day: Tokyo* is one such book. I went to Tokyo last year with my family, sans guide books and useful research. It was a bit of a mistake. I’d gone to Osaka/Kyoto the year before and it was pretty easy to navigate. I expected the same from Tokyo, alas. It was way more chaotic. If you want to see more from that trip: Part I, Part II, in video form.
I wish I had something like Make My Day then. It’s a very compact book with a flip-book type mechanism that allows you to sort of plan your day in Morning-Afternoon-Evening chunks that you can mix and match. It’s also got a lot of useful maps and tips, a place for notes and a sleeve to put in loose documents or tickets inside. Basically, it can be your best friend on a trip to a foreign country.
It’s got an accompanying app, too! Anyway, what I like about it is that it’s very helpful in a way that’s not overwhelming. There’s no information overload (which happens to me a lot, when I get carried away researching…) and everything’s just compiled in an easy-to-understand way. It’s a little more area-specific than place-specific, but it gives you room to wander around and explore on your own. It does have a few useful pages like “Lonely Planet’s 3 Perfect Days” and suggestions for family activities, free stuff, and quirky places to visit.
Next, I’ve got How to Survive Anything* which is basically a collection of illustrated (by Rob Dobi) solutions to many different situations. Some are helpful, some are absurd—all are pretty fun to read, with a touch of humor but also actual help.
The foreword was written by Ed Stafford, and it was actually a really enjoyable read. Ed Stafford is the first human to walk the length of the Amazon “from source to sea.” He’s done a lot of weird self-inflicted things since then, always seeking to push his boundaries. I like how he says that most things are survivable if you approach them as a game. I’m not particularly competitive, but I think it’s an interesting coping mechanism that might actually work.
Too bad there isn’t a book on how to survive a One Direction addiction. I swear, I am languishing.
Giveaway
Anyway, the fun part! I’m giving a copy of these books away, thanks to Fully Booked! The mechanics and rules are as follows:
- Open to residents of the Philippines.
- Prizes to be picked up at Fully Booked BGC Branch, Customer Service.
- I’ll be emailing 2 winners (one for each book) using my yankee@nothingspaces.com email. Please respond within 24 hours of receipt. If I get no reply, I’ll draw another winner.
- If contacted as a winner, please provide valid ID information.
- You may absolutely enter both giveaways. :)
a Rafflecopter giveaway
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Let me know if you have any questions. :)
* Both books were provided for review and giveaway, all words are my own, I received no compensation for this post, etc.
Make My Day: Tokyo and How to Survive Anything by Lonely Planet are available at Fully Booked.