Book review: Lonely Planet’s “Route 66 Road Trips”

Lonely Planet page 1

You know the renaissance of Route 66 has become a global phenomenon when the biggest travel guidebook publisher, Australia-based Lonely Planet, released its first guidebook on the Mother Road this year.

With that in mind, one should consider “Route 66 Road Trips” (128 pages, soft cover, illustrated color) as an appetizer designed for an international audience, not a comprehensive volume about Route 66 for Americans and Mother Road aficionados.

As an example, co-authors Karla Zimmerman, Amy Balfour and Nate Cavalieri provide information that would be common knowledge to U.S. residents — expected costs of fuel per gallon, where to get Internet access, cellphone coverage and what to dial in case of an emergency.

The book also explains Route 66’s usual weather by region and its unofficial seasons — high season is June through August, shoulder season is October, April and May, and low season is November through March.

“Route 66 Road Trips” is divided into four sections:

  • Plan Your Trip, with highlights of Route 66’s best experiences and routes to take, with itineraries and a Need to Know section.
  • Trips, which has inspirational images to help you pick the right route, local advice and unique side trips.
  • On the Road, which has more-comprehensive information for destinations and cities, along with reviews, listings, insider tips and walking tours.
  • Driving Survival Guide gives driving tips, road etiquette and maps.

The book even contains a small fold-out map inside the back cover.

For those who don’t want to drive it all at once, the guidebook breaks it up into Eastern Route 66, Central Route 66 and Western Route 66, with recommended itineraries of three to seven days.

Lonely Planet page 2

Because “Route 66 Road Trips” tries to briefly cover highlights, it is a necessarily slim volume. This description of the Munger Moss Motel in Lebanon, Missouri, is typical:

The 1940s lodging has a monster of a neon sign and atmospheric rooms, but more importantly it has Mother Road-loving owners who’ve been welcoming travelers for over 40 years. They can point you to the town’s best root beer and antique shops, the top spots to canoe amid the gorgeous Ozark Hills, and the prime times to bowl at the alley across the street.

“Route 66 Road Trips” is a colorful, well-designed and well-researched book. I found only one error — it incorrectly stated Route 66 follows the Pecos Trail into Santa Fe, when it actually is the Old Santa Fe Trail.

Given the popularity of Lonely Planet guidebooks (they come  in 11 languages), don’t be surprised to see a small surge of foreign travelers relying on it in 2016. And this begs a question: When is Fodor’s going to get around to publishing one?

3 thoughts on “Book review: Lonely Planet’s “Route 66 Road Trips”

  1. I found this book an excellent aid in planning my 2016 Route 66 trip. It’s clear and consice helping me to cut through all the superfluous information that often comes with the more ‘comprehensive’ guides which I have found to be very confusing and overwhelming. So whilst I can appreciate the comment that this is somewhat ‘basic’ it really is what the international traveller needs to get a first taste of this road trip. Well done Lonely Planet!

  2. I bought this book at a discount at local AAA, as an adjunct to the 3 “main” guidebooks. But I didn’t find it very useful and wouldn’t recommend for an American tourist.

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