Hugo Muller

Forget the simple hierarchy between fiction and travel guides. The reality is that trip preparation is a matter of logistics, where inspiration may inspire, but the guide makes the trip possible and safe, especially in places without network.
It's like comparing a good story to a medical treatment plan; one makes you dream, the other ensures survival.
The guide is the embodiment of pragmatism, a vital source of information when the phone is dead or there is no signal.
For example, for my patients planning a trip to Southeast Asia, I always tell them that guides are essential for local health information and emergency contacts, much more than any film they have seen.

It is true that travel guides can perfectly be catalysts, and not just simple tools. But caution is necessary, as their value decreases significantly in the absence of local mapping or regular updates, which is often the case in the most remote regions. Before fully relying on a guide for inspiration, one must ensure its relevance and currentness on the ground, especially if internet connectivity is anticipated to be lacking.

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.