A few notes:
-Lots of tiny pieces; hard to see some of the symbols. I cannot imagine trying to play this game in actual travel conditions, such as a train or plane (plane especially, since you really have to have 3-4 players).
-There are no extra pieces, so if you lose one of those tiny little things (i.e. in some well-placed crack on the train) you are out of luck!
-NOT a 2-person game as the Amazon site claims. Sure, you can play it as a 2-person game (search the internet for 2-player Catan) but it is designed for 3-4 players.
-Otherwise, game play is good, but given the comments above I question my decision to purchase this over the regular edition.

This is a really fun game. I did not understand from the description that I was getting a smaller (travel) version of the game but it's OK for the price. I have not played the travel version because they are gifts so I can't really say much about how the travel version compares to the bigger version.

I'm a big fan of the Settlers of Catan game and its variations. This review is only about the advantages/disadvantages of the travel version.
The original version of Settlers of Catan is quite bulky for taking on vacations and impossible to play in the car or plane. This version is very compact and well made. I love it. I wish the original version had such a nice tray for all the cards which are constantly being drawn and played. That's not to say the travel version couldn't be better.
Some cushy foam or something to put over the pieces to keep them from getting scattered in the box while jostled in luggage would help. Though while actually being played, everything stays in place very well.
I'd also like some kind of collapsing holder that fits in the tray for the tiny pieces, so you could pull it out of the tray cup and lay it flat so big fingers that won't fit in the cup can pick up the pieces.
I regret that they made the tile point values immovable. Though the actual tiles can be easily moved around and held in place (GREAT DESIGN), I'd still like to also be able to rearrange the values. Of course, not having to decide on value placement does speed up the game.
Should people new to the game start with the travel version or the original? That's a toss up. More people might like to take a chance on trying the traveler version just because it's simpler. Also, when we travel we meet new people who are new to the game and it is good to have a simple (okay, it will never be simple like tic-tac-toe, but at least more simple than the original) game to share, because if you don't have a long time to know and play with the people, you don't want to spend a long time teaching a long game. I think anyone getting into this game, though, would soon be sorry not to have the larger, more complete version and its expansion capabilities. If I could only have one, I would definitely prefer the full size game, but I am so glad to have the travel game, too.

Unlike another reviewer, I don't expect the "travel" version of the game to be identical to the regular game. That being said, 99% of the game *is* the same. But it's easier to transport, easier to setup and less likely to be scattered (when the table gets bumped) than the regular version. That's why I got it!

Honestly, I've played this version at home instead of the tabletop version several times because it was simpler to set up...

My college chums and I play about 2 to 3 games of Settlers a day. We play one on one, we play with the six player expansion, we play instead of going to class. So naturally when we spent two weeks in china we had to find some way to bring settlers with us. Here's the problem with this travel version: it changes the game. Whoever made this edition obviously was not a settlers player himself. The desert is pderminantly fixed in the middle? Perminant? The middle? Thats right, sports fans, every game must be played on a donout version of Catan. I modified my set with a sharpie and some cardboard, but be warned that if you want to play real settlers you will need to do this two. Travel editions shouldnt simplify the game.