Buy by Chapter

Nothing screams “seasoned traveler” louder than pulling a tattered guidebook out of your messenger bag. Even so, who hasn’t bemoaned shelling out $20 (at least) and dragging around an extra few pounds of wasted paper for a guidebook to South America when really you just needed the section on the Southern elephant seals that inhabit the islands off East Falkland?

Enter Lonely Planet’s new service, Pick & Mix. The Australian-based guidebook publisher is digitally chopping apart its books, giving consumers the chance to save paper (not to mention cash) by purchasing separate chapters as PDFs. So far, you can mix-and-match chapters from guidebooks on South America, Central America, Mexico, and the Caribbean.

Starting at $2 a crack, the tree-saving stunt appeals to IT’s wallet and eco-conscience.

Comments

[Mark Schoneveld]

Thanks for pointing this out! That's awesome! I love Lonely Planet guides, but wish sometimes that they're smaller. Cool.

[Lolly]

A great idea! and a responsible one :) thanks for the tip!

[Marilyn Terrell]

Thanks Mark for adding us to your eclectic blogroll over at The Poverty Jet Set. And Lolly, I enjoyed your blog too, especially your recent photos and insights on textile arts in Peru, and your hair-raising escape from Lima.