Boutique: June 2006

The Art of TRAVEL

Since the concept of tourism was born some two centuries ago, the way we travel and the reasons we do have evolved.  The GRAND TOURS of Europe that were in vogue from the 19th century well into the 20th became a block-booked two weeks away with the family in the 1970s and 80s.  Twenty years on, travelling to visit desintation hotels from which we venture to destination bars, restaurants and shops is the norm.  This trend is at once reflected and being driven by travel publishing.  SIAN TICHAR takes a look at several books that have packaged luxury travel so that it can be enjoyed before you even leave home.

Aspirational travel books are everywhere you look.  No longer only available in bookshops and through book clubs, now you are as likely to discover a style guide to foreign terrain in a housewares or fashion boutique as you are furniture or a frock.  It is the crossover of the travel book from the dusty corner of the travel section of a bookstore into lifestyle boutiques that shows how our attitudes to travel have changed.

Fifteen years ago we depended on the likes of Lonely Planet, Rough Guides and Insight Guieds to tell us where to go, how to get there and how much we could expect to pay for it.  Often text-heavy and picture-light, these travel guides dealt with the nitty-gritty information that travellers came to rely on when they went abroad: 'How do I ask "where's the bathroom" in another language; how can I avoid being ripped off at the market; and where should I heard for a decent affordable meal?'  The travel guides of the 1970s and 80s took care of all these concerns.

But as the world became more accessible, thanks to speedier and cheaper means of travel, and as globalisation turned once-remote destinations into the weekend getaway of choice, so the publishing industry has reacted to the consumer's needs.

If the secret of the new genre of travel publishing is in the packaging, then James Lohan's Mr & Mrs Smith Hotel Collection series is one to watch.  Born out of a desire to 'be useful to our friends', Lohan and his then-girlfriend Tamara Heber-Percy found themselves at the end of another miserable weekend away in the Lake District thoroughly disappointed by the hotel guidebook they had relied on, which failed to mention the lumpy pillows and the need to book a table in advance if you wished to get into the nearby gastro-pub.  They decided to write their own series, and always feature need-to-know tips such as the best table in the restaurant, the best room in the hotel and whether the bath is big enough for two.