Alarming Number Of Guide Books Remain Un-Ditched
A recent investigation has revealed an uncomfortable truth that is sure to disturb anyone who considers themselves a true traveler. According to this independent study, an astounding number of travel guide books (into the millions by some estimates) remain un-ditched, un-ignored, and un-reviled.
Generally understood to be artifacts of a bygone travel era rife with paper boarding passes, noise-permitting headphones, and regularly beaten paths, these arcane texts, with haunting titles such as Lonely Planet, Fodors, and Essential Ft. Lauderdale, are nothing short of offensive to anyone who values unspoiled shores, unobstructed vistas, and uncertainty on whether the night will be spent indoors. And although they feel less like actual books and more like relics of an eradicated travel epidemic (think the last remaining vial of smallpox or the heavily-scratched Limp Bizkit CD in your childhood bedroom), guide books are apparently not the urban myth most travelers would prefer them to be. They are very real. Very prevalent. And despairingly helpful.
I know this sounds crazy. How could anyone with even a passing interest in travel subject themselves to the inane rambling of dozens of dedicated writers and editors? But the fact remains. These books are sitting on shelves. They are occupying valuable backpack space. They are even, and it truly pains me to say this, relied upon. By thousands of people! People who actually consider themselves world travelers!! This means there are people you’ve sat next to on flights, shared space with in hostel dorms, maybe even accepted travel advice from, who all along were secretly toting these abortions of exploration along with them. It’s disgusting. And it’s happening right under our noses.
The question that must be asked is, how could this happen? Anyone with even a glancing familiarity with travel blogs, inspirational Instagram accounts, and that friend who spent a summer in Florence knows how damaging a well written travel guide can be to a carefully unplanned excursion. It’s traveler fundamentals. You pack your clothes rolled instead of folded. You settle for nothing less than 90% DEET. And immediately after booking a plane ticket, you buy a $35 dollar Frommer’s Guide To Mexico and you leave it on a public bus.
You want to know which restaurants are best? Ask a local. You want to understand a region’s historical and cultural significance? Go to college. You want to check if a country’s tap water is safe to drink? Drink vodka. This is travel. It is meant to be chaotic, confusing, and clothed completely inappropriately for the current climate.
Put simply, guidebooks are a cancer. And we are much further from remission than we thought. Can you imagine going to a part of the world you’re completely unfamiliar with and having literally everything you need to know to enjoy it spelled out conveniently and with tastefully selected pictures? It’s enough to make you sick.
So stay vigilant. Ask questions. And above all, be careful who’s travel recommendations you follow. You don’t want your next life changing worldly experience to have been inadvertently recommended by Rick Steves.
