Lonely Planet Phrasebooks

Started by Tony and Maureen Wheeler aimed at low budget backpackers lonely planet has grown into one of the largest and most trusted travel guidebook publishers in the world. They make destination guides, continent guides, general travel and activity books, DVDs and digital guides along with phrase books. Bahasa Indonesia is one of the most widely spoken languages in the world. The Indonesian phrase book is a pocket sized book with a 3500 word two way dictionary squeezed inside, the chapters are separated by colour coded sections; RED: tools (alphabet, vowel sounds, pronunciation), a - z phrase builder, language difficulties, numbers and ...  Read the complete review

What do you do when you want to go to a foreign country and you have no idea how to say anything in the local language? Rely on English? Hope for the best? Or pick up a phrase book? My approach is a combination of these three, I have to confess! However, being able to say something in the local language can be very useful, especailly for emergencies. It also, I think, endears the local people to you. Of course, it makes life a lot easier too, when no-one in that country speaks English, if you can say something in their language! When I went to South America, I bought the Latin American Spanish phrasebook from Lonley Planet. I chose this ...  Read the complete review

I like to try and learn a bit of the local language when I go on holiday. People appreciate the effort you make and it can help you a lot when you are there. I also like to play with languages and have a good memory so it helps a little. There is a slight problem with Greek though. Not only do they have a different language, they also have a totally different alphabet. How inconsiderate of them. Well I like a challenge, but if I am going I had better get a good guidebook. The Lonely Planet guidebook looked to be as good as any. The Lonely Planet series does all sorts of city guides, country guides and of course phrasebooks. They have loads of books that ...  Read the complete review

Incredibly helpful, whether you're going away for three days or eighteen months. These phrasebooks - at least the Spanish and Italian ones - are thoroughly modern, and absolutely indispensible. The usual phrasebook fare is here - booking rooms, boarding trains, finding your way to the post office... BUT! in these pocket-sized marvels, they also find room for the really challenging situations. LP, in their infinite wisdom, have included extensive menu decoders, pages highlighting common pitfalls and misinterpreted words, and hundreds of examples of slang and dialect. There are entire sections devoted to the needs of gay travellers, drink and ...  Read the complete review

When I go travelling, at the very least I try to learn the basics of the language of that country - please, thank you, sorry. Most other things can be covered by pointing at things on menus or getting someone to write down questions/instructions for you (e.g. please can I have a train ticket to....) However the more language you learn, the more locals will appreciate it. If you're in some countries, being able to barter in the local lingo will save you money as people realise you haven't just stepped off the plane! I used the Swahili phrasebook last year when I went to east Africa and found it invaluable. It's usefully divided up into sections such as ...  Read the complete review