National Geographic Traveller (UK)
WHY TRAVEL GUIDE BOOKS MATTER MORE THAN EVER
As independent travel publishers everywhere struggle in the face of Covid-19, decorated adventurer and Bradt Guides founder Hilary Bradt reflects on the travel guide genre — and what you can do to help it survive
The days when we could travel anywhere, almost at whim, seem like a distant memory. Now even a few miles from home feels like a foreign country. So, for now, the written word has become our escape; it has the power to transport us to those places we know we’ll journey to once this crisis is over.
I’d like to share the story of the early days of adventure travel publishing, how Bradt Guides came to be established, and how our approach to travel has shaped a generation of explorers — and how, without your continued support, this global crisis might see this work come to an end.
It was the 1970s, and George — my then husband — and I were looking for a publisher for the next edition of our little guide, Backpacking Along Ancient Ways in Peru and Bolivia. We met with the man who was then the leading travel publisher in Britain.
“No, this isn’t for us; it’s too specialised,” he told us. Our description of five hiking trails with off-the-beaten-track recommendations and thoughtful asides on local customs weren’t the sort of things he was interested in. “But I’d publish a more mainstream guide to Peru if you’ll write it.”
“But we can’t afford to go back,” I replied. His attitude was cavalier: “Just use some brochures from the tourist office.”
And that’s why I ended up becoming a publisher myself. Guidebook writing is serious stuff, and good authors have an obsession with portraying the country they love with passion, accuracy and individuality.
The 1970s were a wonderful time for travellers, with three long-enduring companies starting up. We all had one aim: to share our discoveries with like-minded young people.