I just got back home this morning from spending 3 weeks in South America. All I can say is that this book was great for referencing things to do in different places, but the prices were off about a third of the time, and I wish it had more information about how to get to places. Luckily I knew enough Spanish to get around and double check with the locals. As far as the food goes, I'd say the recommendations are pretty good, having tried at least one place in each major city visited (applies only to Colombia and Peru), but don't forget to check with locals for good local authentic and cheaper food, so that you don't have to pay tourist prices for the food. The hostel recommendations were good; my only gripe is that they were almost always more than what the book said (perhaps they raised their prices after being published due to increased demand?) Overall a useful book, although a bit heavy to carry. If you're only going to 1 or 2 countries like me, just get the country book. If you're doing a multi country trip over many months as most of the backpackers I met were doing, this book is great to cover many things, but perhaps try buying the .pdf version too! Trust me, the weight off your back will be wonderful when you're on the road. :)