With Lonely Planet in corporate ownership and skewing upmarket, budget travelers need alternatives. Rough Guides’ “On a Budget” series meets that need. I used their Central America guidebook on a month’s travel through northern Central America. Overall, the guidebook served well. Written clearly and with humor (but blissfully free of LP’s jaded attitude), it covers all the high points as well as more off-the-beaten-trail adventures.

This is the first edition, so there are a few kinks: maps with places shown out of place; some awkward phrasing (e.g. describing Copan as “infamous”); listing only high-end places when budget options are available. I also have a beef with the two-tone (black/orange) text; in low light (i.e. most budget places), the tiny white/orange price circles become illegible.

One thing I miss from Lonely Planet is the info on population and altitude given with each town’s listing. This gives an immediate snapshot of likely climate and level of services, and Rough Guide does not include it.

Most guidebook reviewers complain about the gap between a guide’s stated prices and real-world prices. I was happy to find the situation reversed: traveling in low season at the recession’s end meant prices were often lower than listed. Most guidebooks list high-season prices, so that was part of it; but shop and hotel owners did tell me business had been dead and prices lower as a result.

Slip Rough Guides’ Central America On a Budget in your pack and you’re in good company. Happy trails!