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The Guidebook Experiment: Discovering Exploration in a Hyper-Connected World
Our modern day, multimedia, information-obsessed culture has fundamentally altered much of what we do day-to-day. The way we shop and pay bills. The way we communicate. The way we research, study, and learn.
In the realm of travel we have more tools than ever telling us where to go, how to get there, what it will look like, what to do, and why we should go in the first place. This proliferation of constantly updated data has changed the way we go about our journeys. But how?
By tracing the evolution of the guidebook from pilgrim manuals and Baedeker’s books to Yelp reviews and Google Maps, David Bockino explores the effects this information growth has had on the state of travel and adventure. Inspired by some of the world’s greatest explorers, he sets out guidebook-less to a destination he knows little about, launching an experiment to determine just how the guidebook and its digital descendants have transformed the nature of travel.
The Guidebook Experiment is a call-to-action to conduct our own guidebook experiments, to disconnect from the ceaseless barrage of information in modern life and explore an unknown neighborhood or unfamiliar country and discover the joy of travel on our own.
In the realm of travel we have more tools than ever telling us where to go, how to get there, what it will look like, what to do, and why we should go in the first place. This proliferation of constantly updated data has changed the way we go about our journeys. But how?
By tracing the evolution of the guidebook from pilgrim manuals and Baedeker’s books to Yelp reviews and Google Maps, David Bockino explores the effects this information growth has had on the state of travel and adventure. Inspired by some of the world’s greatest explorers, he sets out guidebook-less to a destination he knows little about, launching an experiment to determine just how the guidebook and its digital descendants have transformed the nature of travel.
The Guidebook Experiment is a call-to-action to conduct our own guidebook experiments, to disconnect from the ceaseless barrage of information in modern life and explore an unknown neighborhood or unfamiliar country and discover the joy of travel on our own.
- GenresTravel
250 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2015
258 people want to read
About the author
David Bockino
6 books3 followersI was born and raised in New York. I live in Durham, North Carolina. I teach at Elon University. And my first book - The Guidebook Experiment - is about a trip I took to South America to explore how the proliferation of "guidebook material" (i.e. Yelp, TripAdvisor, Google Maps) has changed the way we see the world.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
October 4, 2015
While I enjoyed the "history of the guidebook" information and the anecdotes on the Lewis & Clark Expedition, I particularly enjoyed Mr Bockino's personal travel experiences. I also am a reader of guidebooks and online information before setting off on vacation. The times I failed to "do my homework," I missed out on some things, but also stumbled upon others (although my experiences were not as extreme as Mr. Bockino's!) that I might have missed had I kept to the "known" itinerary. Many thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for the digital ARC!
November 26, 2017
Be warned, this book is not what it advertises itself as to the reader.
In bold letters on the back cover, the book demands, "Can you travel without a guidebook or digital device?" My curiosity about the answer to this tag line was why I purchased the book. 'What an intriguing concept to explore,' I thought. 'I wonder how the writer felt about his experiences while traveling without a guidebook or device.'
Therefore, I was painstakingly frustrated when the first 100 pages of the book had absolutely nothing to do with the answer to the above question. That's right, the first 40% of the book neglected the tag line it used to sell itself. Rather, the first 40% was a history of the guidebook concept through time, as well as a history of Lewis and Clark. It's only after that point that the other somewhat begins to discuss his own experiences with guidebook and digital free travel.
I felt cheated.
If possible I would rewrite the books brief description on the bottom back cover as follows:
"The Guidebook Experiment is a call to action [to understand the history of the guidebook and the journey of Lewis and Clark with minimal substance about how] to conduct our own guidebook experiments, to disconnect...and explore and unknown neighborhood or unfamiliar place."
You have been warned.
In bold letters on the back cover, the book demands, "Can you travel without a guidebook or digital device?" My curiosity about the answer to this tag line was why I purchased the book. 'What an intriguing concept to explore,' I thought. 'I wonder how the writer felt about his experiences while traveling without a guidebook or device.'
Therefore, I was painstakingly frustrated when the first 100 pages of the book had absolutely nothing to do with the answer to the above question. That's right, the first 40% of the book neglected the tag line it used to sell itself. Rather, the first 40% was a history of the guidebook concept through time, as well as a history of Lewis and Clark. It's only after that point that the other somewhat begins to discuss his own experiences with guidebook and digital free travel.
I felt cheated.
If possible I would rewrite the books brief description on the bottom back cover as follows:
"The Guidebook Experiment is a call to action [to understand the history of the guidebook and the journey of Lewis and Clark with minimal substance about how] to conduct our own guidebook experiments, to disconnect...and explore and unknown neighborhood or unfamiliar place."
You have been warned.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews