Aiko Cohen

The real issue is understanding what motivates decisions, and it is clear that works of fiction are only a starting point. A crucial dimension often overlooked is the contribution of specialized guides by activity, such as those for diving or hiking, which can alone generate a new vocation for a destination. That is where the strongest impulse can be found.

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.