studentsineurope

Guiding Right

Photo: Corbis

As much as I hate to say it, a guidebook is a beautiful thing.

In Transit – the popular travel bit found in the New York Times announced  recently that Lonely Planet has revamped and reissued its series on  cycling (Cycling France, Cycling Italy, you get the idea).

While not everyone plans on cycling through his or her European destinations, the article reminded me of how useful a guidebook can be when planning a trip to a place you know relatively nothing about.

It’s true, the “tourist” look doesn’t work well on anyone, and you’re sure to be pegged as just that if you reveal a 3-pound book with the name Paris or Milan sprawled across the cover, even more so if you utilize the book’s color-coded pullout map on the street corner or in the middle of the train.  The good news, however, is that such a display can be avoided with a little pre-planning (I do my research each night and write the next day’s details in my personal notebook) and a little modesty.

By now, Lonely Planet has made a book on just about every place under the sun, and they are more or less geared toward young travelers – users of these books can even write in about a place they’ve visited and it may very well be published.

Where these books fall short, however, is in modesty. When you’re sporting a Lonely Planet, everyone knows it – unless of course it’s hidden in, and subsequently weighing down, your bag. Yes, despite their value, the books are heavy and bright, and I venture to guess that if you don one long enough your planet will indeed become a lonely one.

Other guidebook producers have noticed this, it seems, and as a result have created books that are far more suitable (albeit not as detailed) for even the most demure of explorers. They’re black, they can be held in one hand, and they are geared toward those who want to see and know the secret, savvy parts of the city.

Not For Tourists falls into this category, with its thick black cover adorned with three silver circles that read NFT. The irony, however, is that most inhabitants have caught onto what NFT means, and it does mean tourist. Regardless, sporting this series is indeed a declaration of the type of traveler you wish to be – you know, the cool one.

Another set that makes a similar declaration is the BlackBook series. These books, produced by BlackBook magazine, read more like event listings than city guides and, in my experience, offer surprisingly accurate reviews.

I have to say though, that my favorite little travel companion is the MoleskineCity. If you’re an avid jotter like me, these tiny, title-less books make a great addition to your purse. Void of any “listings,” the MoleskineCity is a guidebook that you create yourself. During my travels, I used them as the daytime supplement to my nighttime Lonely Planet research. The most valuable thing about these books, though, is the map. In the back of this notebook you’ll find the city cut up into small but detailed maps of each quarter. You’ll look like you’re reading your to-do list.

The best way to see a city is to find a pack of locals and follow them without hesitation, but that method may not always be readily available – or safe, and so guidebooks make a decent alternative. It’s no sin to need some assistance in navigating your new city – the trick is keeping that little secret all to yourself.