An Explorer's Lifejacket

Last week we told you about books and the incredible power they hold. This week we will show you how to use this power to benefit you in the travel industry. There is an endless amount of knowledge waiting to be learned from picking paper books or simply listening to an audiobook. However, in the modern world, many people seek adventure but often do not have the time, energy, or resources to do so. There are more books available than most people realize that can help with these problems. It is up to you to show them how to use the power of books to travel well. As the late Saint Augustine once said, “The world is a book and those who do not travel read only a page”.

Travel books and guides help one understand the foreign world that they wish to explore. Guide books often give the opportunity for one to discover new places that are unheard of. These are a big investment for travelers. These books can be compared to a friend showing you around the hotspots of a new town and the places a visitor like you would not know to visit. These resources are much more helpful than most travelers give them credit for. Before travelers are lost and need aid you can help them. It is up to you to recommend the right resources so they can travel well.

Now, as a business owner with this new information, you must be asking yourself, “Are travel books even being demanded?” or “Do people still use big bulky travel guides with possibly heavy price tags?”. We asked the same question. Katy Gough, a writer and travel blogger for the Huffington Post, gives us a reliable answer. She affirms that they are indeed worthwhile to buy, especially when backpacking. She recognized that “Every penny counts when you’re planning to go backpacking”, but despite the frugal lifestyle travel imposes a travel guide book is still crucial and worthwhile. She also addresses the problem of the physical weight of books but affirms that the content is worth it. She says, “I’ve always had a guide book before each long backpacking trip I’ve taken”. Without one, you’re lost in the sea of another culture, another country, and most likely not being able to speak the language. Travel guides are more than just advice, they are the life jacket of travel. This is the resource many avid travelers are missing and what you can equip them with.

Are customers taking this advice and buying these books? Let’s look at what Forbes has to say about the market. USA TODAY’s investigative travel editor states that $124 million was spent in the USA on travel guides in 2017. This $124 million dollar was a seemingly small 5% increase over 2016 sales. However, 5% of $124 million is still $6.2 million making the sales of travel guides be more on the rise compared to previous years.

A movie that has inspired many people to go explore and seek adventure is the movie Secret Life of Walter Mitty. It is about a TIME magazine employee who goes on a wild adventure to find a lost photographer. When he eventually finds said photographer, it’s in a tense moment. Walter Mitty watches the photographer sit, camera in hand about to take a rare photo of an even more rare animal. But the photographer doesn’t. Walter asks him why he isn’t taking the shot and the photographer replies with this profound statement. He says, “Sometimes I don’t. If I like a moment… I mean, me, personally… I don’t like to have the distraction of the camera. I just want to stay… in it.” Those moments aren’t always found at home. Typically they are found by going out and discovering these moments in different cultures and different countries or simply just by being outside. If you’re looking to supply your customers with top-notch resources so that they can experience moments such as these then consider investing in travel guides, a life jacket for adventure!