More than a bed for the night

Posted on September 11, 2013 by Brian D. Butler

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I continue to be an unrepentant fan of print travel guides and of publishers who remain committed to keeping the format alive. So, I was pleased to stumble across the Sawday family of guide books. And they are really a family operation. Founded 19 years ago by Alastair Sawday, and now headed by son Toby, the publishers champion independent, locally run, quirky, creative and decidedly non-corporate places to visit, stay, eat and drink at.

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With the company motto “More than a bed for the night“, Sawday has a terrific catalog of guide books with a focus on the UK, Ireland and France, but with books on Spain, Portugal, Italy, Morocco and India as well.

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Sawday has a strong commitment to sustainable travel and also is starting to supplement their guides with smart phone apps.

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Dare to be Tender

Posted on September 10, 2013 by Brian D. Butler

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We’ve shown you vending machines that dispense free beers ( twice ) and machines that provide a hot cup of coffee for the weary airport traveler, now here’s the best one yet. Under the slogan “Dare to be tender”, the Milka chocolate company is encouraging strangers to try a little tenderness and old school social networking in order to receive free chocolate bars. What a sweet concept.

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Whither Goes the Travel Guidebook

Posted on September 9, 2013 by Brian D. Butler

The travel guidebook has been a trusty companion for travelers since ancient Rome, but the future of the print guidebook is seriously imperiled by smartphone apps and digital books. This neat infographic (see below) from the travel booking website Cheapflights chronicles the long and useful history of the print travel guidebook. Check it out:

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Wherever

Posted on September 8, 2013 by Brian D. Butler

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[wherever]: an out of place journal is a spanking new print magazine focusing on travel writing, travel culture and the politics of travel. Planned as a three times per year publication, the magazine’s inaugural issue will be released next Thursday and will be available for purchase on its website.

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Founder and Editorial Director Rawan Hadid has pulled together a mixed bag of international contributors for the NYC-based publication. And she promises to keep the focus on the personal travel essay.

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Issue #1 of [wherever] has excellent city guides to Istanbul, Rome and São Paulo, along with a visit to the ever popular North Korea, book reviews, and much more for the travel lover. I’m looking forward to a print travel magazine that will eschew the endless visits to luxury resorts and “in” eateries in favor of coverage of travel the way most of us do it.

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Books and beer

Posted on September 7, 2013 by Brian D. Butler

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The multi-talented, Dallas-based writer, comedian and musician Jason Hensel curates a wonderful tumblr called Book and Beer. The blogs asks two simple questions: What book are you reading ? and What beer are you drinking? . If you want to participate, just submit a photo that answers the questions. It’s a fun project, but be prepared to get thirsty.

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Good Omens Are Ineffable

Posted on September 6, 2013 by Brian D. Butler

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At this year’s Edinburgh Book Festival some of Britain’s most popular authors shared their one favorite word. It sounds like a daunting task to choose just one word, but when I saw Neil Gaiman‘s video I knew that he was spot on. Ineffable—pure dead brilliant choice.

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Travel By Design

Posted on September 5, 2013 by Brian D. Butler

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Regular TBTP followers are well aware of my bias for old school print travel guide books. So you won’t be surprised to discover that I’m liking a new series of city guides called The Design Guide.

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Aimed at both travelers and local residents alike, the guide books are designed to “connect creative people with creative places”. Each edition in the series will focus on art, architecture, design, fashion and culture in a single city.

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So far, The Design Guide  has issued editions for Sydney, Melbourne and Berlin. They will be followed in the near future by Helsinki, Zurich, Istambul, Tokyo and more. But you can find samples here.

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On Any Wednesday

Posted on September 4, 2013 by Brian D. Butler

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The charming blog On A Wednesday is a pared-down, uncomplicated peek into the lives of ordinary New Yorkers. Brooklyn-based designers Dave Dawson and Bekka Palmer simply set out each Wednesday to visit neighborhood parks in NYC, approach random folks, ask a few questions and take a photo.

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How authentic is that ? How many times in your travels have you wanted to just ask people what they were up to and what they thought about their corner of the world ?

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London vs Paris

Posted on September 3, 2013 by Brian D. Butler

London vs Paris is a clever tale of two cities by infographic. The Tate vs the Louvre? Big Ben vs the Eiffel Tower? Tube vs Metro? Pub vs Café? It’s a real challenge to choose. Although I’ve spent more time in London, and published a London travel guide book, I’m leaning towards Paris. Probably due to three recent visits. Can you choose?

This terrific infographic was created by Ally Biring for HouseTrip.

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Nowhere to go but everywhere

Posted on September 2, 2013 by Brian D. Butler

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Jack Kerouac‘s now iconic road novel has been mined by writers and artists for a generation. In the last year alone, we’ve seen two major films. But for my money, the best recent riff on the classic Beat novel is California-based artist/graphic designer/book illustrator Paul Rogers’ On the Road: Illustrated Scroll project, in which he illustrates a line of every page of the book. Check it out here and you’ll be hooked too.

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