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PINTERESTINSTAGRAMSMALL- SCREEN ESCAPES
The TV locations stealing
the show this summer
Plan a short-haul getaway to these
home-turf destinationsFAMILY TRAVEL
What’s keeping children
switched on in lockdown
Parents may have grand ideas, but
not everything goes to planHOT TOPIC
What the travel industry
did next
We look at positive outreach
and how you can get involvedWHY TRAVEL GUIDE BOOKS MATTER
MORE THAN EVERThe days when we could travel anywhere,
almost at whim, seem like a distant memory.
Now even a few miles from home feels like a
foreign country. So, for now, the written word
has become our escape; it has the power to
transport us to those places we know we’ll
journey to once this crisis is over.
I’d like to share the story of the early days
of adventure travel publishing, how Bradt
Guides came to be established, and how our
approach to travel has shaped a generation of
explorers — and how, without your continued
support, this global crisis might see this work
come to an end.
It was the 1970s, and George — my then
husband — and I were looking for a publisher
for the next edition of our little guide,
Backpacking Along Ancient Ways in Peru and
Bolivia. We met with the man who was then
the leading travel publisher in Britain.“No, this isn’t for us; it’s too specialised,” he
told us. Our description of five hiking trails
with off-the-beaten-track recommendations
and thoughtful asides on local customs
weren’t the sort of things he was interested in.
“But I’d publish a more mainstream guide to
Peru if you’ll write it.”
“But we can’t afford to go back,” I replied.
His attitude was cavalier: “Just use some
brochures from the tourist office.”
And that’s why I ended up becoming a
publisher myself. Guidebook writing is
serious stuff, and good authors have an
obsession with portraying the country they
love with passion, accuracy and individuality.
The 1970s were a wonderful time for
travellers, with three long-enduring
companies starting up. We all had one aim: to
share our discoveries with like-minded young
people. READ THE FULL STORY ONLINE NOWAs independent travel publishers everywhere struggle in the face of Covid-19,
decorated adventurer and Bradt Guides founder Hilary Bradt reflects on the travel
guide genre — and what you can do to help it surviveBEYOND THE
TRAVEL SECTIONWhy Covid-19’s strangest
symptoms are only starting to
emerge now
Inflamed brains, toe rashes and
strokes — scientists on the ‘new’
effects of the coronavirus| SCIENCE |How centuries of
pandemics have shaped
the British monarchy
Prince Charles’ positive
coronavirus diagnosis joins
the plague and smallpox in a
list of deadly diseases to afflict
the royals| HISTORY |How polar explorers survived
months of isolation
Among their ‘vital mental
medicine’ were strict routines,
sprightly tunes and a vision of a
happy ending| ADVENTURE |IMAGES: BEN ROBERTS; GETTY; NORI JEMIL; LAURA EDWARDS
ONLINEJul/Aug 2020 37