Hollywood, Seth Godin and the end of factual travel guides

by Emiel on November 3, 2011

Travel writing has turned into story telling. Can you remember the last time you picked up one of those good old factual travel guides and really found something inspiring? Neither do I. You know which ones I am talking about, those guide books with pages full of hotels and restaurants. Pages that become outdated the minute the book is printed. Ephemeral joy. These books cannot claim to have delightful and deeply personal opinions, they would rather state randomly compiled practical hints and statistical information.

In the pre-internet era we were all travel guide addicts. We needed guidance: names of places to stay, eat and visit. Travel guides were our desperately needed lifeline.

The rise of the internet changed things around, creating a waterfall of information. Facts and figures were thrown upon us where every single piece of information clinged together to form a curtain of data. Were we able to pick out what we really needed? Were we able to make links and connect pieces of information that would answer our questions?

Not really and the factual travel guides continued to play their role.

The internet 2.0 era changed things around again. The growth of social networks brought personality into the Web. With personality came engagement. With engagement came stories. Suddenly people were actively involved, sharing their ideas. And it worked. We all listened to the stories and forgot about the factual travel guides.

Hollywood & Seth Godin

Hollywood used to be our story provider in the pre-internet days. We traveled to the corners of the world and beyond by watching movies like Thelma & Louise, Easy Rider and The Sugarland Express. Hollywood still is an important story provider, but the current state of the internet allows us to look for the real stories behind the façade of commercialization.

Stories are hot! We see the importance of storytelling rising in marketing as well. Less and less consumers are interested in the facts and figures of products. We believe all available products are basically good but the brand preference is all about the story around the brand. Seth Godin is a great example of the new marketing evolution (revolution maybe). He believes in compelling stories that can create a tribe of brand enthusiasts. Customers listen and follow the story.

Travel

Back to travel, that’s what we are here for right? When I research a new destination I don’t look into the factual guidebooks that sum up the list of sightseeing spots. Do you? I believe the era of factual travel guides has ended, we need other ways of fulfillment. We need inspiration.
As I read in an article lately, “the bookshop of Hugh Grant in Notting Hill is about to go out of business”. The internet 2.0 has made redundant a classical type of travel book. But don’t worry, on the internet travel storytellers are all around. They move through the internet and social networks, making new friends everywhere. Trust me, these people will guide you even better than any factual guidebook can. They introduce countries and cultures and broaden your vision beyond everyday life.

Dear Mr. Godin, I am a strong believer of a Tribe of Travel Story Tellers. Stories for around the digital fire. Who is joining me in the quest for new ways of offering travel counseling?

Anonymous

Great piece Emiel and yes, the stories add soul. They are what get you excited about a place. When you hear a great adventure it gets you wondering what awaits you.

http://www.actoftraveling.com Emiel van den Boomen

Thank you Val. Stories add soul, I like that expression.

http://twitter.com/famtrek Family Trek

Emiel, we’ll join you around the digital fire! This is so true. I have more information than I can possibly consume. I actually have more information than I need. The first thing I do when I am researching a new place is go to google, search what I’m looking for, and then click “blogs” to search only what bloggers are saying. I want stories. I want real life experiences.

http://www.actoftraveling.com Emiel van den Boomen

Thanks for joining us around the digital fire! We continue to stack wood…

http://twitter.com/cherszy Cherszy

Stories are way better than facts and figures – I can say that for sure! While travel guide books may provide wonderful suggestions, I think, as travelers, we want to know about the experiences of and in the places more than simply the locations of the destinations. I personally want to know how the flavors of the dishes being served in a particular restaurant are like more than simply the cuisine being offered, the “feel” of a tourist spot more than just a list of places I can visit, and the actual experience of the cultures in a place more than just a description of the culture. It’s more fun to read stories. And I crave stories and personal commentaries on places. Sorry travel guide books – your moment to shine may be over.

http://www.actoftraveling.com Emiel van den Boomen

Great comment Cherszy! I like it when you talk about the flavors of the dishes rather than simply the cuisine or menu being offered. It’s story time!

http://twitter.com/cherszy Cheryl

Dun-dun-dun-dun! I love story time! Now, I just want to go out, eat, take photos of scrumptious food, and write about the flavors.

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http://mdrobertson.com Mark David Robertson

Travel writing has turned into story tellingit changed my whole blogging paradigm. I just wrote a short riff about my current hometown, and I want to be in this cooperative.
The “virtual tourist” can still get the “hot spots,” but the tribal writers will illuminate the locales.

Everywhere is illuminated,–or waiting to be.
M

http://www.actoftraveling.com Emiel van den Boomen

As always Mark, fabulous comment. Tribal writers will illuminate the locales, the light of the tribal fire shines upon them. Thanks!

http://mdrobertson.com Mark David Robertson

Have you passed the link along to Mr Godin: perhaps he’d take interest in Bedouin tribal travel writers

http://www.inspacewetrust.com Manuel Loigeret

We don’t need travel guides, we don’t need maps. Everything has been replaced.
I did not experiment a lot with travel writing. My travels happen mostly within me for now.
In June we went to the Saguenay Fjord in (kind of) northern Quebec. We set up our camp site and took the trail which was going up a mountain and then down to the fjord. We had no idea of where we were going really. On the way we discovered that one the biggest wooden statue of the Virgin Mary was at the end of the trail just by the fjord. The sign said the view was amazing. The thing is we had no indication of how long the trail was.
We walked for 2 hours and arrived at a little refuge where we got some water. It was 8.30pm or 9pm (well I guess because we had no watch). We where in the middle of the forest. We felt like everything was going darker and we had no light (I know, we were obviously not prepared but we thought it was a small trail). So we went back… We started to run to beat the night coming. Nobody was on the trail, no tourist, no ranger, no one. We arrived at the camp site just as it was too dark to see where we were walking.
The next day we went to the park ranger station to ask if we were far from the statue. We were actually just next to it (1 or 2 min walk from the refuge) but was hidden by the forest.
I think we could have known that if we had a travel guide book or a map. But Oh My God! It was so exciting to run on rocky trail in the middle of the forest to beat the night fall, hear the noises in the trees, the animals. Priceless. No book will advise you to do that.

http://www.actoftraveling.com Emiel van den Boomen

I love this story Manu! Adrenaline, it’s all about adrenaline. A book will advise you to walk the trial, go left and see the statue. No adrenaline. But the quest for discovery, the excitement for incoming darkness (maybe even a bit of Blair Witch project-feeling??) and then realising you have been so close, that’s Adrenaline with a big A!

http://harindabama.com Bama

When I first did my own solo travel about a year ago, I always had my Lonely Planet in my hand everywhere I go. But after a few other travels, I started to leave the guidebook in my backpack and leave it at the hostel. Bringing only my camera every time I explore places. So, I guess your writing here pretty describes how I’m going to treat those guidebooks in the future.

http://www.actoftraveling.com Emiel van den Boomen

Thanks Bama! Actually, a guidebook for travelers is the same as a smartphone is manyof us nowadays: we look down into the book/smartphone too much.

http://bringingtravelhome.wordpress.com/ Monique

interesting post, emiel! while I must give a shout out to Rick Steves during the pre-blog and internet days, who,common as that may sound, gave me a launching point to discover europe as a 20-something , with some quick and easy reference points to build upon how I wanted (and he was a pretty good storyteller as well) Now, I agree – I have found some fabulous story-telling toned blogs/resources that are tailored wonderfully to my interests. Ie, just found out about an independent bookstore in new york I don’t want to miss next time Im there through a book loving blogger, , and the ny times has given me great info on a fashion district in barclelona I won’t miss next time around. The key is to identify the right, trusted storyteller sources that fit with your interests I think….

http://www.actoftraveling.com Emiel van den Boomen

So true Monique, thanks. A great social network of friends really helps to find those trusted storytellers. For me, that’s one of the biggest benefits of social networks.

Cannellme

Really? I still use the old fashioned travel guides as well as the intenet. I still need something to hang on to, mark up, ….

http://www.actoftraveling.com Emiel van den Boomen

Emily, finally someone who disagrees! I do want to share a new website with you: http://www.ajungo.com. This website allows you to build social connections while you travel. It starts to build connections once you enter your place of destination. You will be connected with fellow-travelers or inhabitants of that particular place and you can get travel tips and create your own real-time travel guide. Simply put, the site connects you with others who are traveling to the same location in the same time frame (and also to people who traveled there in the past).
I guess this is traveling 2.0. The site only launched last September, it’s quite new.

Justin

I will say the only time I need a guidebook is when I don’t have someone to talk to about traveling? When I am sitting at home and wondering, a guidebook seems nice. When i am traveling, a good book kills my adventures.

The best travel writing has always been the stories. The adventures.

You know what makes a place get a good review? The people the reviewer met in the place the night they wrote the review. I can go to the same destination twice, and it can have two totally different feels. The stories make the destination in most cases. Few places in the world can be 5 star every time, in most cases the people, the adventure, the stories are all.

Good Thoughts Emiel!

Hey, I don’t remember Indiana Jones every using Lonely Planet!

http://www.actoftraveling.com Emiel van den Boomen

Justin, I love that quote about Indiana Jones! I once wrote a post on this blog where I stated that I never visit a place twice. Why? Because you can never beat the first impression. When you visit for a second time you reach out to those first time memories, and you can never get on par or beat those. But it can be different, that’s true. Stories will help you with that. Thanks!

Tracey

I love a good story be it about travel or just the funny thing my 10 year old did last night (isn’t hepatitis one of the Greek gods? Lol). I find it much easier to remember the details if the story has captured my imagination. The facts and figures of a guidebook are much harder for me to retain without the extra flavor that a story brings. Especially now that I’ve gone digital with books. There was something about actual paper pages that was more meaningful to me too!!

http://www.actoftraveling.com Emiel van den Boomen

Tracey, you are visiting the right blog when you say you love good stories lol!
Facts and figures are boring. Scheduled itineraries are boring (although I have to admit we also traveled a lot like that). Stories, serendipity and imagination make a travel unique.

Famhud

Hi Emiel,
I’d like to say something about going back to a place a second time. I used to think it wasn’t good to go back. The second time it was nearly always not as good as the first time. Just like you say, I hung onto old memories and expected to find the same again. I used to travel “fast”, staying in places for a few days and moving on.
However, time has changed me and travelling fast doesn’t interest me anymore. Going back and back again and remaining there even when the place turns into “real life” rather than a travel fascination, has become rewarding for us.
We have been back to many places and these places have shown us their uglier sides. We have taken the time to befriend local people and see deep into their lives. And we went back to visit them again and be part of their lives and their struggles, their hopes. What we see when we go back isn’t always nice, but it’s life. This kind of travelling is neither in “real” guide books nor in virtual ones.
And I love your blog entries when you travel in your home town, as our journey in our own home is often the most adventourous of all.
Nadine

http://www.actoftraveling.com Emiel van den Boomen

Hi Nadine,
Great to see you again! How are you doing?
Thank you for a great comment! I totally understand what you mean. At a certain time you value some kind of slow travel more than the travels where you go quick and discover new things. Now you want to go deep into people’s lives (great way of expressing that). Thanks again for sharing your thoughts here.
Emiel

Famhud

Thank you Emiel! We are doing very great. Our boys have started public school after their three years of on-the-road-schooling and they love it. They have made friends and Lenny was soooo happy when he got his first ever phone call from a friend who asked him if we wanted to come to his house and play. I believe strongly that we have found the exact right moment for all of us to re-integrate into a life that we haven’t yet shown to our children and that we feel is very important too and through our faith in the universe (or what ever one could call it) all is going really well.

We will travel again, but for now, we are happy to be here, at home, and make a home. And of course we are happy to host friends and show them our lovely home… so if you make it to Switzerland…

http://www.actoftraveling.com Emiel van den Boomen

Thanks for the invitation! So you’re back in Switzerland after 3 years of traveling, wow. I once wrote a post about giving your children roots and wings and I agree with what you are saying. It’s good to have a basecamp, somewhere where roots can grow. But equally important it is to give them wings to travel and learn about the beauty (and ugliness) of our world. Welcome home! Let’s stay in touch.

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