‘Let’s Go’ Way to Go

Like to know how you can ride a bus from Los Angeles to Las Vegas and back for $1? Or where you can stay in a tree house hostel in Georgia for $6? Or how to ride a train the entire length of Yugoslavia for under $10?

These are just a few of the deals 45 student researchers discovered while combing Europe, North America, Mexico and sections of North Africa and Asia last summer. You can tap in on their discoveries by using any of the 10 student-style travel guides in the 1986 “Let’s Go” series.

The “Let’s Go” series started 26 years ago when a group of Harvard students presented a 20-page pamphlet of tips to friends who were traveling to Europe. Now more than 30,000 pages of information are gathered by members of the research crew who spend seven days a week for two summer months tracking and recording the best budget bets they can find.

Series of Guidebooks

The result is a series of guidebooks which are among the best investments any young traveler could make. Each book fills you in on the basics: what to see, how to get there, where to find inexpensive, clean, safe accommodation. This information is updated every year. Especially helpful is that they also cover contacts you might not have thought about, such as an all-night pharmacy, the local student or youth travel agencies or simply a laundromat.

A major change this year is that the “Let’s Go” research team has expanded its Canadian coverage. New chapters on Toronto, Banff, Jasper and Calgary have been added to updated material on Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia, which is tacked onto the end of “Let’s Go: USA.” It includes a few details on Expo ’86 in Vancouver.

The U.S. section includes new material on travel and the outdoors for each of the 16 regional areas and expanded coverage of Florida, including Everglades National Park, the Florida Keys, Fort Lauderdale, Daytona and St. Augustine.

All accommodations suggestions in “Let’s Go: Mexico” were checked out by researchers last summer and then, just as the book was about to go to press, the devastating earthquake struck. Editors were able to hold the book long enough to gather a brief assessment of the damage to add to the guide’s introduction.

Tourism Helps

Two important points: In Mexico City, “damage was sporadic, as was the case in coastal resorts, and the tallest buildings were those most severely affected. Most of the hotels and restaurants we list are in low-rise buildings.” It also notes that “officials point to continued tourism as the best way that the international community can help the reconstruction effort.”

The granddaddy of the series, “Let’s Go: Europe” has swollen from a 20-page pamphlet to 864 pages of budget advice for 31 countries. This year’s edition includes 46 new maps, expanded coverage of Spain and more details on long distance bus routes. For example one deal discovered was a $50 bus fare from London to Athens.

The rest of the “Let’s Go” guides are designed to give more detailed advice to travelers sticking to specific areas. The series includes: “Let’s Go: Britain and Ireland”; “Let’s Go: France”; “Let’s Go: Italy” (includes some information on Tunisia); “Let’s Go: Greece” (includes details on the west coast of Turkey); “Let’s Go: Spain, Portugal and Morocco”; “Let’s Go: Israel and Egypt”; “Let’s Go: California and the Pacific Northwest.”

The “Let’s Go” guides are available through retail bookstores. They sell for $9.95 each with the exception of “Let’s Go: Europe,” which is priced at $10.95.