New guidebook series: Eyes Open

by Jeremy Kressmann on

I love the idea behind the new guidebook series Eyes Open by design company Ideo. Rather than busy themselves with the rote regurgitation of sights of interest, restaurants and hotels, Eyes Open seeks to help travelers shift their attention towards really looking and immersing themselves in their surroundings. The series recently launched with its first two entries, New York and London, with additional cities to follow in the near future.

I had a chance to peruse the New York edition recently and came away with some interesting first impressions. The book is organized by four themes – ‘observer,’ ‘diner,’ ‘shopper’ and ‘mingler.’ Each theme is meant to represent a different “lens” by which we can view our destination. Within each category is a series of short travel narratives on a variety of topics, focusing on everything from secret eating clubs to unique small businesses to hidden earthwork art installations. As I resident of New York who is fairly well-versed in the city’s hidden amusements, I found the entries both surprising and informative. At the same time, this approach is sure to leave gaps for some travelers. Ideo makes no apology for the fact their Eyes Open guides are not comprehensive. Visitors looking for the basic practicalities of where to stay and a basic overview of neighborhoods will probably come away disappointed.

Then again, there is something to be said for curated guides like Eyes Open. As each of us travels, too often we get caught up in “checking off a list” of the must-see sights and locations. Eyes Open is the type of travel aid that can help us take a step back and experience a place through an entirely new perspective. Sometimes that’s worth the extra 20 bucks. Think of it as nice supplement to a more traditional guidebook.

The Frankenguide: Make your own DIY guidebook

by Justin Glow on

Whenever I travel somewhere new, instead of dropping $30 on the newest Lonely Planet Wherever and lugging it around in my already-small pack, I’ll create what I call a “Frankenguide”: a mishmash, do-it-yourself collection of torn-out pages from an official guidebook, printed websites, Wikitravel guides, pages from history books, and anything else that might come in useful when I’m on the road. Bind it together with some staples or paper clips, toss it into a Zip-Lock bag, and off I go. It might not look pretty, but it gets the job done and is infinitely customizable. Here’s how you can make your own:

First start with the official guidebook. I usually go with Lonely Planet just because, but any guidebook will do — choose your favorite brand. But instead of buying a new one, I’ll opt for an older, dated model which costs a fraction of the price. The sections I pull out of the book for my Frankenguide are the timeless bits of information: historical backgrounds, landmark descriptions, stuff like that. All of the information that has an expiration date — hotel and hostel reviews, restaurant listings, and so on — stays in the Lonely Planet. Instead, I get this information from a variety of places that have less of a chance of being outdated. This means I don’t bring along Lonely Planet’s list of restaurants in San Francisco, for example, because I could easily hop on Yelp with my laptop (or the nearest Internet cafe) and figure it out as I go. Further, the guy working the newspaper stand is probably going to have a good idea of where to get the cheapest, best-tasting Dungeness crab in the area. Ask the locals.

Next I’ll go to WikiTravel and look up my destination. More often than not, there’s some extra information in the guide that I don’t really need. So instead of printing the entire thing and wasting countless sheets of paper, I’ll open up a new Word document (or whatever) and copy and paste the bits that I can use. This also allows me to format the text to suit my needs, and add pictures or maps as necessary. You can also load a book template into Word so that you can maximize the space used on each sheet of paper. Print in two columns, front and back, and fold the pages in half, book-style. Pound in a few staples, and you’ve got yourself a decent little home-made guidebook.

The rest depends on your trip, and only limited by your imagination. If your trip to San Francisco is centered around exploring the hippie culture in Haight-Ashbury, for instance, fire up Google and find articles, websites, landmark descriptions, maps, and other information that will guide you. This neighborhood guide from the Chronicle would be perfect to include, for example. Throw in some conversion charts and a list of common phrases if you’re traveling internationally.

Your final product should end up being much cheaper and lighter than a new guidebook. Further, it’ll be completely relevant, and void of any unnecessary information. Now have at it!

The image above is the remains of Lonely Planet: South India after I pillaged its pages. Click to enlarge.

Rick Steves on being a guidebook writer

by Aaron Hotfelder on

After 30 years producing guidebooks, Rick Steves could easily throw his suitcase into a closet and spend all his time swimming through his piles of money a la Scrooge McDuck. But the man continues to plug away, meticulously researching various European locales for his eponymous guidebooks. And more power to him.

To many of us, Rick Steves has the dream job– earning money to travel around the world, to think, write, and talk about travel. But in a recent article, he explained the process of researching a guidebook, and how it differs from what most people might imagine (as some Gadling contributors already know).

Rick says that while on location, guidebook writers’ entire days are spent conducting research, and he offers his secrets for how to get the best information about restaurants, hotels, activities, and more. For example, “Checking hotels before 10 a.m. is bad news — — people haven’t checked out yet — and the staff is still busy with breakfast. It’s hard to see a room. Checking late in the afternoon is also bad — everyone’s checked in for the day and places are reluctant to show rooms. Prime hotel-checking time is 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.”

Rick also answers a question I’ve always had about guidebook writers– how do they eat at all those places? Turns out, sometimes they don’t. “Restaurants are a big priority for any guidebook researcher…. I can’t eat everywhere, but I can talk to customers in each place. My reward — just before the kitchens close — is to eat at my favorite place.”

Personally, Rick’s guidebooks have never really fit my travel needs, but I’ll give the guy points for appearing to be one hell of a nice guy. And if you’re so inclined, you can give him points for this as well.

Last year, Neil Woodburn “hated” on Rick Steves here.

One for the Road: Pauline Frommer’s Costa Rica

by Kelly Amabile on

Since Iva is in Costa Rica this week, and my pal Francesca is currently planning a January trip to this spectacular country — how about another new CR guidebook? (We featured two new Moon guides last month.) This time it’s Pauline Frommer’s turn to take a stab at the tropical Central American paradise. Her recently released guide to Costa Rica suggests ways for travelers to spend less and see more (just like in her other titles.) Pauline and her team of writers (David Appell, Nelson Mui and additional contributors) highlight “The Other Costa Rica”, a unique selection of tips and insider information that should help travelers get the most for their dollar.

Examples of some experiences suggested in the guidebook: hiking in Corcovado National Park, brushing up on your Spanish at one of San Jose’s language schools, art tours, cooking classes, scuba diving, nightime animal spotting and the Don Juan Coffee Tour outside Santa Elena. The book begins with a “Best of” section , then dives deeper into regions such as Arenal, Monteverde and the Osa and Nicoya Peninsula areas. Frommer’s book is one of the latest Costa Rica guides to hit shelves – be sure to check it out if your upcoming plans include a stop at this picture perfect place.

One for the Road: Moon Belize

by Kelly Amabile on

Moon has released updated editions of several Central American titles this fall. We’ve mentioned their Guatemala and Costa Rica handbooks already, and will highlight another new release today:

Joshua Berman’s Moon Belize has been nominated for Planeta’s Book of the Year award for “best place-based guidebook.” Moon has a special web-only Q & A with Josh, who has spent ten years touring and leading trips around Central America. And we’ve got some insider info from the knowledgeable author as well. Today, November 19, holds special significance for the people of Belize. In his own words, Joshua Berman tells us why:

Settlement Day – the annual reenactment of the Garinagu people’s 1823 arrival on Belizean shores – is one of the rowdiest, raging-est parties of the year in Belize. At least it is in Garinagu (also known as Garifuna) communities up and down the coast.


The biggest party, most bands, and longest drumming binges are found in Dangriga. Smaller-scale celebrations occur in Belize City, Hopkins, and Seine Bight. Festivities start on the night of the 18th, climaxing at dawn when palm be-fronded wooden dories are rowed to shore. Crowds greet the boats’ arrival with drums, dance, and alcohol and then everybody parades through town to a Church, a house party, or to the taco cart by Stann Creek Bridge.


You’ll have a difficult time finding lodging in Dangriga during the week preceding and after Settlement Day, since so many expat Garinagus from Chicago and New York book their holiday a year in advance. But you may get lucky, and if you can convive all night with the locals (as they will be doing several nights in a row), you won’t need a room anyway.

It someone hands you a shot of clear, strong-smelling liquor, it’s probably “bitters,” also called gífit. This cherished nectar of the Gods is good for what ails you: from cancer to romance. As one of Dangriga’s most famous homebrewers, Big Mac said to me from behind his counter, “It’s good for your penis, mon!”