Think travel without the safety of the guidebook can be daunting? Here are some tips for traveling without it.
Photo by Jimmy Harris
Guidebooks will always have their place in the travel experience.
But it’s possible to become too reliant on them to the detriment of your trip.
Ideally, guidebooks should be viewed as the starting point of a trip and used to find the right direction rather than something to look to every time you’re unsure of your next move.
Think travel without the safety of the guidebook can be daunting? Here are some tips for traveling without it.
Stay In An Unlisted Place
Some of the best locations are exactly that because they are not listed in any guidebook. They are often more intimate and the staff may go that extra mile to make your stay a truly memorable one.
You will be supporting a local business reliant on passing trade or word-of-mouth (rather than following a long line of people traipsing a well-worn path from the point of arrival to the most highly rated hostel).
Unlisted places may also be cheaper and friendlier, as they are not resting on any laurels arising from their entry in a travel guide.
Disregard Some Guidebook Advice
I would never suggest disregarding guidebook advice where personal safety or cultural respect are concerned.
I would never suggest disregarding guidebook advice where personal safety or cultural respect are concerned – wandering into a mosque wearing a bikini or flashing wads of cash in a neighborhood known for gun-toting criminals are scenarios that will never conclude favorably.
However, if you pay too much heed to every danger described, you could be too terrified to leave your room for fear of being kidnapped at gunpoint or coming down with a rare tropical disease. Get out and explore!
Nobody Likes A Miserly Know-It-All
Insisting you pay $3 per night instead of the current rate of $3.50 because “that’s what the book says” is insulting to your host and rather pathetic.
The guidebook listing will have been written well in advance of your own travels, meaning prices will inevitably be higher. I have been ashamed to hear fellow travelers complaining loudly about sums of money that actually amount to very little in the context of their own lifestyle back home.
You’ll invariably make fewer friends if you behave like this, so just relax and pay the proper rate.
Listen To The People You Meet
Photo by Burge5000
Undoubtedly the best advice I have received while traveling is from talking to other people about where to stay and what to do.
A little-known island is just the ticket when you want to escape the backpacking crowds. But, as you can imagine, a little-known island won’t be tranquil for long once it’s featured in a global publication.
Sometimes the only way to have a bit of peace and quiet is to take a risk and follow advice from people you meet along the way. Remember, they probably had the opportunity to stay for a while and were able to see things from a slightly different angle than the guidebook writer.
Leave The Guidebook In Your Accommodation
Don’t skip the iconic sights, but be open to more obscure ideas. Who knows where you might end up?
For me it was staying overnight in a tiny rural village with a new local friend and his extended family, getting drunk on home-distilled liquor, and trading Lao phrases such as “Can you starch the collars” and “Is there an ATM around here?” from our phrasebook.
I don’t remember anyone I met while visiting the Taj Mahal, but I won’t forget the laughter and warmth of the night I stayed in an unnamed village in the middle of the Lao jungle.
Take A Chance!
The advice given in guidebooks can be invaluable and will give you a birds-eye perspective on issues such as local culture, safety guidelines and an overall flavor of your destination.
However, it’s possible to lose your travel independence because of the safety net the guidebook affords. Sometimes traveling without this cushion and relying on first-hand advice from the people you meet (whether they are locals or travelers) will lead to a more rewarding experience.
By taking a chance on the unknown, you will almost certainly have a more memorable travel experience.
It could be a bumpy ride at times, and you will probably make mistakes along the way, but travel is supposed to be an adventure, right?
What are your tips for traveling without a guidebook? Share in the comments!
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A week or two before leaving for your destination, drop into an online travel forum for your destination and just ask what local events will be happening while you will be there. You should get answers that have not been mentioned in a guidebook.
You could ask the same forum for any ‘unusual sites to see’
Other option, would be to pick up a local paper (ask for one that lists upcoming events), once you have arrived.
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This is a great point Coqui – I think it would be an amazing resource to compile a list of destination specific websites and forums that travelers can check out to get a sense of the local scene – the Matador network is pretty good for this, but there are thousands of resources – even local newspapers often have websites.
Matador’s Forums –
http://matadortravel.com/forum
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Steve – I couldn’t agree more. My best travel experiences have always been guidebook-free. I tend to use the map for orientation, but that’s about it. You’ve also managed to convey my guidebook sentiment with class – I’ve often claimed that guides like LP “taint” all the included listings.
I’m also starting to use CouchSurfing.com (as described by Jennifer here at BNT a few weeks ago) and the group forums here are another excellent means for meeting friendly locals who are happy to show you around their town.
Jennifer’s article:
http://www.bravenewtraveler.com/2008/04/16/would-you-let-a-stranger-sleep-on-your-couch/↵ -
Great article! I must admit, guidebooks are nice if you’ve got a schedule to keep or you need to find a place to crash at 1 AM, but they really do suck the adventure out of a place.
Sooner or later someone’s going to get the brilliant idea to publish a customized guidebook: you order the sections, they mail them to you with a binder to keep them in. Someone is taking this idea down right now. They’re going to be rich from this idea they’re taking down right now….
One of the reasons I lugged a Let’s Go: Europe with me is because I was going so many places – but I didn’t have the heart to do as Rick Steves suggested: rip out the pages you don’t need. It was at least 50% more book than I needed but I was brought up with this Asimov Law that says “Do not allow harm to come to a book by action or inaction.” If only someone would come up with a customized guidebook someday. Planting seeds….
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Maybe we should just convince travelers to stop writing guidebooks.
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I really enjoyed this article and thank Daniel for making me feel much more positive about one of the services of my new research business…creating made to order travel guides. I got the idea because we forgot to pack our travel guides and maps when left on our honeymoon last May/June. But as it turned out, that was a very lucky break!
It was fun to discover places by deciding to take a particular street because it looked interesting, not because every travel book in the published world tells you it is a not to miss site/restaurant/hotel/museum. I am a librarian by training so I must confess that I did miss my guides…although less than I thought I would.
Travel guides are fun but should be a jumping off point. I hope to produce guides that are very personal and encourage my clients to explore the people and culture of the places they travel.
We knew we enjoyed Amsterdam on a past (brief) visit but after spending two weeks wandering around we are totally in love. It was fun to discover places just by deciding to take a particular street because it looks interesting
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Right on, Jeri – I wish you luck on your venture! As Steve says in his article, there’s a place for guide books but shouldn’t be the end-all, be-all. They should answer traveler’s questions but not define the trip for them.
You could erase every guide book that existed, and people would then rely overmuch on, well, guides. The problem isn’t in the excess or lack of information. It’s all in the attitude you take.
I’d like to offer a story told by Phil Cousineau, in his book “The Art of Pilgrimage,” in which an enthusiastic traveler meets with comparative mythologist Joseph Campbell. It sums up the spirit of active (opposed to passive) travel wonderfully:
“A woman in her late thirties or early forties approached Joe [Joseph Campbell] and, speaking very rapidly, with great emotion began to outline her plan for going to Greece to ‘find the spirit of the goddess that you spoke of tonight.’ She pulled out a notebook and showed Joe her itinerary. She had made precise calculations of the best times to visit every major cultural attraction and just where and when she would make her salutations to the various deities whose statues remained. ‘Do you think I’ll find the spirit of the goddess?’
“Joe had been staring at her while a parade of mixed emotions played over his features. Now he took her one free hand in his and with great kindness and solemnity said, ‘Dear lady, I sincerely hope that all does not go as planned.’
“With that, he slipped on his overcoat and we left the building. Sitting in the backseat of the car on the drive home, I could barely contain my curiosity. Finally, mustering all the courage of my seventeen years, I leaned over the front seat and said, ‘Mr. Campbell, that woman who was going to Greece – why did you tell her that you hoped things did not go as planned?’ Joe paused as if trying to sort through all the encounters of the evening, and then threw back his head and laughed with a mystic’s glee.
“’How will the gods ever find her when she has done everything in her power to make sure that they never will?!’ he exclaimed. Then, very soberly: ‘Unless you leave room for serendipity, how can the divine enter in? The beginning of the adventure of finding yourself is to lose your way!’â€
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Love that story, Daniel thanks!
Here’s an article I just published at the notebook that gets at similar themes.
How To Travel For Free:
http://thetravelersnotebook.com/how-to/how-to-travel-for-free/
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Hello !!!
Wow! You have a great site here man.I love it and the images are stunning. Keep them coming.jitendra
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I have no room for a guide book in my pack. I manage to see signts beyond my wildest dreams. And the couch surfer thing is kind of perverted. travelers and people need to hook up on the road with randomness applied. I mean, it’s not just the people i meet that make my trip, but how we meet.
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“The couch surfer thing is kind of perverted. Travelers and people need to hook up on the road with randomness applied.”
It doesn’t get more random than my own couchsurfing experiences. You may hook up the initial meeting through conscious action (emailing a few people off the site) but once the connection is made, you’re off and running in ways you’ll never anticipate.
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…of course i never tried it.
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yeah but ian, aren’t all these couch surfers already out there? this is like getting a girlfriend through an online dating service. one does it cause he hasn’t exercised the social muscle. or in our case the thumb – that majikal appendage has done wonders! I feel like this is the easy way and we end up not getting to kick the stones of that country down the road. there is an element of truth to what I’m saying, right?
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now that i’m thinking about it, How unjust would it be for me to get passed up on a nice ride because the driver just picked up a couch surfer from the bus stop?! That is laughable because the name says it all. Couch surfing is lazy and convenient. If you want to travel for cheap get in line behind me out on the road! I just decided (unless someone reasons with me) that couch surfing has no place with the hardcore and it needs to not interfere with my rides.
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To me the most valuable insight a guide book gives is in the planning stages. I find them really useful to get a birds eye view of where I am going and what the major things to do and see are. Once I have the big picture I then am able to decide which items in the guide book I’ll do and leave myself some more time to do other things. On line travel info sites are not really useful in generating the “big picture” as there are too many (sometimes conflicting) pieces of information. One of the most ANNOYING questions in a travel forum that I see is “I want to go on holiday to X. What should I see or do”. Sometimes X isn’t even given.
You do need to leave the guidebook behind at somepoint and get out and explore things for yourself. Those will be the experiences that you remember!
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Ace post Steve! I also think you can get neat info on the place you are to visit by reviewing some websites with useful content, for instance when I was off to South America with my wife past year we checked some latin travel guides or caribbean travel websites so that we could get some good grasp of the place to visit forehand!
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