Yuki Singh

If I were arguing the opposite point of view, I would say that inspiration from fiction is a romantic starting point, but that travel guides are much more than just a sub-part or a supporting tool; they are often the first concrete contact with the feasibility of a trip.
The problem with the idea that fiction is the main source is that it ignores how people actually discover places.
A guide can present places or activities that one would never have imagined, well beyond what a film or a book could suggest, creating desire.
For example, my friend discovered the Marolles in Brussels, a charming neighborhood, not in a novel, but by flipping through a guide on flea markets, proving that the guide creates inspiration.

Their most strong version claims that travel inspiration mainly comes from fiction, with guides being just logistical tools. However, this reading does not always reflect the lived reality for many. A tourist guide is not just a manual for validation after inspiration but can itself trigger the desire. Many, flipping through a Routard or a Lonely Planet, discover unexpected destinations or cultural aspects that create the impulse to travel. For example, I know colleagues who decided to visit Tasmania after seeing photos or descriptions of hikes in a thematic guide, long before a film pushed them there. The rigid distinction between "initial impulse" and "validation" is often too simplistic, as inspiration can quite naturally arise from reading a guide.