The series will now also cater more to people in their twenties and early thirties.

“We talked to Let’s Go, and they said they get a lot of feedback from older people,” Filippo said. “Not everyone wants to stay in a youth hostel anymore.”

But as Let’s Go includes more non-budget coverage, the guides are also trying to appeal to the traveler who wants to get down and dirty.

Iturralde said the “alternatives to tourism” section—which suggests work and study opportunities abroad, as well as ways to volunteer or even to settle in the community—will make Let’s Go stand out from other travel guides.

“It’s something that’s not addressed by any of our competitors,” she said. “And it speaks to a student-budget audience that is less interested in the fancy tourist industry and more interested in engaging in local culture.”

The revamped series will also introduce four new titles—guides to Hawaii, Costa Rica, Chile and Thailand.

Local travel industry experts were divided on the changes.

Jennifer K. Bowser, who works at STA Student Travel next door to Let’s Go’s offices, said the addition of the “alternatives to tourism” section would benefit many budget travelers.

“People come in all the time and ask, ‘I want to work on a farm in the middle of nowhere—How do I do that?’” Bowser said. “It’s an excellent idea.”

But Tim M. Curry, salesperson at the Globe Corner Travel Bookstore in Harvard Square, said he was skeptical of the series’ change in target audience, noting that he has always recommended the Let’s Go brand to college students but not to older customers.

“I can’t imagine that it will appeal to people in their thirties,” he said.

—Staff writer Eugenia B. Schraa can be reached at schraa@fas.harvard.edu.