Ren Nguyen

Honestly, I am allergic to the idea that tourist guides are just a sub-part of inspiration coming from fiction.
Debunk the hype: for most people, paper guides like Routard or Green Guide are often the concrete starting point for the desire to travel.
How many people buy a thematic guide on the “Most beautiful villages of France” and build an entire trip around it, without any film inspiring them beforehand?
These guides prove that inspiration can arise from practical organization and detail, not just dreams.
A friend discovered his passion for Finistère by flipping through a guide on Breton lighthouses, not after watching a film.

Thinking that fiction is the main source of inspiration for traveling is to forget the reality on the ground and the role of tourist guides.
Honestly, how many people flip through a Routard and discover a destination they were unaware of, without a film pushing them there? It is pure inspiration, not a vague logistical aid post-fiction.
A guide can prove the interest of a place with concrete photos and itineraries, like my neighbor who discovered Corsica by looking at a hiking guide.
The glamour of fiction is one thing, but the real of guides is another, much more tangible to trigger departure.

Their strongest version would be to say that fiction ignites the initial spark, this "love at first sight" that makes one dream of a destination, and that guides come only afterward to realize this dream. It is a seductive vision, but it ignores the fundamental role that travel guides play as primary sources of inspiration for travel. A guide can, on its own, create the desire and legitimacy for a trip through its concrete content, like all these thematic guides on the "100 most beautiful villages" or hiking routes in the Ardennes. These works offer a pragmatic discovery and are often more accessible, inspiring departure long before a film popularizes a destination. For example, I know a colleague who decided to visit Sicily only after flipping through a Lonely Planet guide on volcanoes, with no fictional influence.