You know when you are reading or scanning or just perusing a book and suddenly something pops out, grabs your attention, an obvious error or oversight. This is very helpful when I am proofreading my work, but when pleasure reading not so much.
I was looking over the travel guides we ordered for our trip out west. Sample itineraries, weather to expect, maps, when I turned the page and was surprised to see the heading "Gay and Lesbian Travelers" (in the section: SPECIALIZED TRAVEL RESOURCES, along with Travelers with Disabilities, Senior Travel, Women Travelers, Traveling with Pets):
"Wyoming and Montana do not have the reputation of being the gay-friendliest states in the Union. . . But larger cities tend to have a gay scene of some kind, and there is little for gay travelers to worry about. However, some of the more rural destinations are still rife with homophobia."
Wow, I was surprised, more like shocked, to see this. Do you think back in the 50s they had warnings about traveling as an African American? Anyway, I thought this information was a little outdated. I flipped back to the beginning of the book, published in 2010, very puzzling.
Then it happened again! Just reading along about the beautiful scenery when 4 words jumped off the page, obviously out of place:
OK, now I know this is outdated information - I cannot even remember the last time I saw a roll of film!
I realize if you are a travel guide book company, and have been publishing these books for many years, a lot of the information does not change. But a lot does. So you update and republish with a current date because who wants to buy a travel guide that is 10 years old, right?
Don't get me wrong, there is a ton of good info in this book, most of which I have not gotten through yet, so this is not a comprehensive review, just a little sample.
But, knowing myself, I will now be on the lookout not for trip info but for more outdated passages...
