Travel Quote Tuesday | Go Beyond Textbooks

“We must go beyond textbooks, go out into the bypaths and untrodden depths of the wilderness and travel and explore and tell the world the glories of our journey.” ~ John Hope Franklin

I used to be a true devotee of the travel guide book, buying multiple titles for every destination and pouring over their pages before making our travel plans. The best ones covered both the most famous (and crowded) sites plus lesser attractions of the destination – though by dint of being included in the guide book, they were never ‘untrodden‘. I never minded that – I’ve never felt I need to be breaking new ground the whole time, forging out a previously untaken path – I just appreciated a break from the biggest crowds to enjoy more esoteric aspects of the history, culture, cuisine, architecture, or art. The downside of guide books was the lead time in writing and publishing them, meaning some of the recommendations for accommodation, food and drink were out of date by the time they were published or you referenced them.

But I’ve not bought a guide book for many, many years.

Why? Firstly, because the basics are so easy to find online nowadays; from destination tourist office websites to the free online versions by the same companies that print the guidebooks, it’s easy to learn about the big attractions, plus all the practicalities of how to get there, what kind of plug sockets they use, where to find cash point machines and so on! That’s one reason not to buy guide books.

But the bigger reason is that these days I turn to fellow travel blogs, a vast and incredible resource on all kinds of fantastic ideas on things to see and do alongside the famous and the obvious, plus everything from which neighbourhoods to stay in, to the latest recommended places to eat and drink.

That’s the thing with us travel bloggers, we love to “travel and explore and tell the world the glories of our journey”.

One of the best things about travel blogs is that they cater so well for niche interests. Whether you’re into culture and history, hiking and camping in the wilderness, luxury spa breaks, modern or historical architecture, cinematic film locations, local cuisine and gastronomy, adventure sports and activities, beach holidays, sailing, or wildlife safaris, the chances are high that there will be at least one blogger who shares your passion, and writes posts geared to your demographic.

What kind of travel content can you find at Kavey Eats? I’m obsessed with the food side of travel so you will always find posts on what we ate wherever we went… I love to dive in to the culture and history of a place and tell you about what I learned… I’m a sucker for beautiful cities as well as travelling into the wilderness to see wildlife, and I love to share all of this with my readers. Sometimes I write about the well known sites from a personal perspective; sometimes I share a tip for a place or activity you might not have heard of…

Above all, I hope my posts inspire your own travel and prove useful when planning your trips.

Falkland Islands shoreline - "We must go beyond textbooks, go out into the bypaths and untrodden depths of the wilderness and travel and explore and tell the world the glories of our journey." John Hope Franklin

This image is of a stretch of beautiful coastline in the Falkland Islands.

We spent three weeks on the islands, hopping between the mainland and a number of islands chosen for their natural beauty and wildlife – West Point for its black-browed albatross colony, Pebble Island for gentoo penguins and a  colony of shags, Saunders Island for rockhoppers, king penguins, and much more… Carcass Island for a rich variety of wildlife including the beautiful striated caracara, and Volunteer Point for another colony of king penguins.

More Kavey Eats Travel Quotes.

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20 Comments to "Travel Quote Tuesday | Go Beyond Textbooks"

  1. Sandy N Vyjay

    This quote rings absolutely true. Real and immersive experiences are rarely found in the pages of guidebooks. As travel bloggers, we are indeed lucky as we have such rich and original resources for authentic and unique travel experiences.

    Reply
    kaveyeats

    Of course, everyone can reference blogs for their resources, and find those who share their interests, the beauty of blogs for me I think!

    Reply
  2. Ami Bhat

    Guide books can only guide but the real thing is experiencing it self. Definitely beyond the scope of text books. Well elaborated on how this best works. I too, believe in this.

    Reply
  3. Christina

    It’s quite amazing how the world has changed so quickly. In a short time, we’ve gone from worshipping guidebooks to searching for travel ideas and information online. I’m sure there are many more ideas and platforms that will emerge in coming years too. It will be interesting to see.

    Reply
  4. kaveyeats

    I rarely look at guide books now, I find the base information on tourist destination websites and the unusual ideas, special interest ideas and up-to-date hotel and restaurant recos all on blogs!

    Reply
  5. Marvi

    Awww.. Thank you Kavita for this post! Somehow, this post highlights why travel blogs such as yours are good sources of information 🙂 Would really agree on why we need to get out there and not just read about a destination. We need to experience it! 🙂

    Reply
  6. Fiona Maclean

    I quite like guides still, but I’ve only ever bought one per destination (or at most one for the country and one for the city or region I am visiting). I find them useful more as a checklist that I haven’t forgotten something. There’s a fun moment though when you are planning to travel and working out where to go these days – exploring everything there is to read on the net. As I get older I plan to continue travelling vicariously in that way – and until that day comes I’ll be exploring for real as much as I can, just like you!

    Reply
    kaveyeats

    I tend to use the destination’s own tourist website for the checklist of main attractions and practical info, and then I search blogs for the rest! I love the research and planning phase too and I know what you mean about travelling vicariously that way!

    Reply
  7. Vourneen

    That is such a good point. Although I have a book shelf dedicated to my travel guide book collection. I havn’t bought a travel book in years. I love armchair travel almost as much as the real thing – long live travel blogs

    Reply
    kaveyeats

    I recently went through mine and got rid of them, most were at least 15 years old! And yes, long live travel blogs!

    Reply
  8. nicole

    I haven’t bought a guide book in years either. I do look online for top things to do but I also try to get off the beaten path when I can.

    Reply
    kaveyeats

    Yes, I find the official tourist websites good for the basic list of attractions, and main sights, and it’s blog research for other ideas!

    Reply
  9. Medha

    Although I completely agree with the quote, I don’t like quotes that begin with ‘one must, one should’ because they sound preachy! I don’t really like to be told what I must or should do 😉 Having said that, I couldn’t disagree with the importance of the practical and worldly knowledge that can only come from experience vs textbook knowledge!

    Reply
    kaveyeats

    I hear you on that! But when I happen to agree with the instruction, it’s not so bad! When I don’t agree, the quote doesn’t feature in my series! 😉

    Reply
  10. Jas

    I totally agree with you! Ever since I started blogging myself, I began reading a lot more travel blogs. It’s always so interesting reading other fellow travellers’ adventure stories and when it comes to the best traveling tips and tricks, who knows better than someone who’s been to the actual places!

    Reply
  11. Digvijay

    I always prefer travel blogs information before looking into the travel guide. Whenever I plan to visit any place I prefer to look into someone’s experience before having my own. Maybe sometime we can get a chance to explore the unexplored and that is not mentioned in any guidebook.

    Reply

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