Across Asia on the Cheap

by Tony Wheeler

Reprint of the very first Lonely Planet guide, originally published in 1973. With "Bad News" supplement on Iran & Afghanistan, a complete guide to making the overland trip. Maps and some illustrations in b/w.

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction, Asia

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1973

Reviews

[Jim Townsend · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some typos and also out-of-date, but a decent read; as the first book Lonely Planet ever published, in 1973, a good historical document.

[Christopher · Rating 3 out of 5]

The venerable travel publisher Lonely Planet was founded after Tony and Maureen Wheeler made the overland trip from the UK to Southeast Asia in 1972 on their way home to Australia, and they produced a collection of tips and advice for others who would travel the same countries. While Across Asia on the Cheap was a pretty amateur affair compared to later guidebooks, a homemade collection of stapled pages, and of course its advice is decades out of date, it still serves as a historical document of the overland trail, and it’s nice that it has been reissued in ebook form.

As a guidebook, this is very barebones. The Wheelers give only some very general comments on each country along the way, and you can easily read this entire book in one sitting. (And some of the authors' explanations of Asian history or the religions of the region are inaccurate.) That this was considered an in-demand item only goes to show how few English-language resources there were for travelers on the overland trail at the time. The book is mainly meant for an Australian readership and the countries are presented in the order one would travel them leaving from Oz.

Reading about the Istanbul–Kathmandu trail has been a hobby of mine for years. An interesting aspect of this book is the description of various overland tour operators that one could choose instead of traveling independently, and also mentions of various places in India or Thailand as already quite crowded with tourists. This shows that the overland trail was already a very beaten path by 1972, and certainly not the exclusive province of intrepid hippies.

[Penny · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book that launched Lonely Planet, first self-published as a bunch of stapled pages. Written in 1973 this predates my travelling days by ten years, but many of the places Tony and Maureen Wheeler passed through are places I lived in and came to know well in the following decade. It really brought back what travelling used to be like before the days of the the internet. Being without outside communication for weeks, picking up mail at American Express offices (I never got to pick mine up at an embassy), arriving in a city with no accommodation arranged. Black market currency exchange - still used in some places but more rarely. My best experience of that was Burma, arriving with whisky and cigarettes that financed my whole trip - sold before I was even through the airport doors. Sentences such as, "But exorbitantly expensive, - like $US1.50 per night for two people. Talking about accommodation in Isfahan. The cheapest I ever managed was $3.00 in, I think, Jaipur. Even nearly half a century later many things were instantly recognisable - some aspects of India never change - while others are gone (the Buddhas of Bamiyan, too much of Syria) or forbidden or too dangerous to contemplate (travel through Afghanistan). The book is littered with errors - typos mainly I suspect - but whether that was from the original or preparing it for Kindle I have no idea. As a bonus this was free on Kindle. Worth the read if you have been a long-term traveller, but maybe not if you are too young to recognise this kind of travelling as other, better memoirs and travel books have been written.

[Dominika · Rating 1 out of 5]

If you’re going to publish outdated, stereotypical and shallow “guide books” whose advice only applies to certain demographics (Australian men, that is, unless you ladies think prostitution is indeed a good way to make money on the side as you travel), at least have it properly edited so it doesn’t physically hurt to read. Please.

[Pradeep Badatiya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good Read.

[Lily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've traveled much of this route in the last 10 years - fun to see how it’s changed

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

Informative but now 45 years old so couldn't be relied on solely for travel, perfect jumping off point for research

[Stefano · Rating 4 out of 5]

Il primo vero libro scritto da Tony Wheeler, che fonderà poi la lonely planet. Carino. Difficile da valutare però

[Julijan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very outdated information, but an interesting read if you're interested in overlanding roots.

[Melita · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed this from a historical perspective. It was interesting to see how some aspects of travel, for instance people's wanderlust, have not changed much over the decades while in other areas the world is a very different place. I am thinking here particularly in terms of what countries are 'safe' to visit. Back in the early 1970s, Vietnam was off limits while visiting Afghanistan was not uncommon among the young travel set. These days, the situation has flipped with plenty of people going to Vietnam but hardly anyone visiting Afghanistan.

The book shows its datedness/weirdness particularly when it recommends the best places to get recreational drugs and also seemingly implying that young women can be escorts to fund their travel?!?

[Dave · Rating 3 out of 5]

I started this last year - 2014 - while traveling through southeast Asia, and finally finish it this year - 2015 - while traveling throughout India. Originally published in 1973, this 42 year old travel book still grabbed my attention, not that the prices, hotels, or restaurants listed are likely there anymore.

Still - he captures the essence of each country, it's culture, and the experience it was (is?) to travel there on the cheap. This is the first Lonely Planet Guide. Yup, this is how it all began. Without Tony Wheeler, I might not have made it to 45 countries in 45 years.

[Katrin · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a great idea, to provide us the first ever lonely planet as a free ebook! i really honor the gesture. It also is a historical document of some sort ^^ i must admit i did not read through it, since this route does not really interet me. I read the preface and flipped a bit through the pages. It looks like a guide who was written with a lot of knowledge and honesty, and that is nice. Of course it is rather dry, it´s just typed info without anything fancy. that is understandable, since it was their first book. i own a few lonely planets myself and must say that they are always great :)

[Kylie Bevan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this read, a trip back in time.
When Tony and Maureen arrived in Australia, I was not yet 1. My parents had done a similar trip a few years earlier.
Just fantastic to read terms no longer used - 'freak' appeared frequently. To see you could get from Darwin to Istanbul for about $239 in travel costs (including short flights when no other option). To glimpse overland travel before it became really trendy, mainstream - and easy. To hear of borders that were open just a few hours a week.
Good fun.

[Ffiamma · Rating 3 out of 5]

la prima lonely planet- interamente dedicata ai viaggi in asia e pubblicata nel 1973. inevitabilmente datata eppure piacevolissima da leggere, con un filo di tristezza pensando a com'è cambiato (non certo in meglio) il mondo- basta pensare ai buddha di bamiyan, distrutti dai talebani o alla devastazione portata dal terremoto in nepal. non mancano le parti dedicate a droghe, mercato nero e piccoli trucchi per ottenere i visti; una lettura gradevolmente vintage per appassionati dell'asia.

[Angela Randall]

Found this book on a list of Nine subversive travel books.

[Julie Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is so helpful even this book was published long time ago. Because of Lonely Planet I got my international Student ID. YAY !! :D

[Jorge Santos]

Good travel tips... for 1970!

outdated and with some despective comments to all south east asian countries, if you want some useful tips, try something else...

[Vladimir Mityukov · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading is like listening to a dude's chatting nearby -- very easy.