It's essential for knowing a country's infrastructure and customs. I couldn't survive without knowing if the tap water is drinkable, public holidays, if ATMs are commonplace or what the plug situation is. However, we also use it to dictate our itinerary, which dilutes the authentic country experience.
I googled, "person using travel guide" to find this chap. And I can't think of anything apter than an off-the-shelf hipster, green screen stock photo to illustrate how travel guides are homogenising travel.
Don't get me wrong, the minute I even think about going to a country, the first thing I do is Google. Then, when I decided that this is my next destination, head to Amazon to find the most recent and cheapest Lonely Planet or Rough Guide.
This land library also acts as my travel journal, as I mark what I want to see and the places I actual visit, with addresses. That way I'll always remember the name and location of that great little place.
More often than not, the places I carve out on the pages of my trusted guide I stumble on either via talking to locals, other travellers or just by wandering around.
The reason why I very quickly moved away from diligently going to the places outlined under "Places to eat" and "Places to stay" is that every other bugger doing the same thing. While this is a brilliant thing if you're travelling solo, you're also sharing the same experience as everyone else and not meeting other people.
We choose to shroud ourselves in the comfort blanket of the familiar. This is understandable as we venture into unknown territory, cultures and social structures.
We feel better when we know the restaurant is tried and tested or that a way of getting from A to B is fully set up for tourists.
I was astounded and impressed with Vietnam's traveller infrastructure with buses and bikes, hostels and tours. It's a veritable backpackers paradise, almost like real life doesn't really exist there.
But by avidly keeping to one of the three live music venues listed, you're missing out on so much more. Like the stuff that the local people do.
Basically, by going to Lau's Pussy Show, they're only going to cater for what the tourist wants. It'll be a tidal wave of ping pongs, as opposed to what the locals do, which is listen to bands like Dengue Fever (I know, they're actually American), Goose, Futon or Moderndog. Or any of the other up-coming bands you've yet to discover.
It's like when people who don't live in Reading, but have visited talk to me about The Oracle or The Purple Turtle. Those places are great, but you're only scratching the surface of what Reading's about. And they're by no means the best places.
In fact, I googled it to see what it would say:
Places to visit are Reading Museum, Forbury Gardens, Reading Abbey and the River Thames.
Firstly, the Thames flows from Essex to Gloucestershire, passing through nine counties. It's hardly a USP and, unlike Henley or Oxford, it doesn't do anything with its riverside location. It just makes it prettier.
The Abbey is a good shout, especially now it's been restored and used for really good events, like outdoor cinema, costumed tours and light shows. While you're there, you can also go on the Oscar Wilde walk (which should be called Walk on The Wilde Side), but this is unremarkable really. Forbury Gardens is no Central Park or Jardim Botanico, it's small. It's a good place to hang out and if you're lucky, there might be a half-arsed event. Reading Museum has a replica of the Bayeux Tapestry, other than that, it won't blow your mind.
Places to eat according to Google are Valpy Street Brasserie, Pepe Sale and Cote. Firstly, the food in Valpy Street is lousy, great place to drink, a terrible place to eat, Pepe Sale is a hidden gem and Cote is a chain.
According to TripAdvisor, the top 10 are Zizzis (chain), Bell Inn (not in Reading), Whittington's Tea Barge (not a restaurant), The Elm Tree (not in Reading), Shed (correct), Piwnica (correct), Quattro (good, but not top 10 worthy), The Reformation (not Reading), Papa Gee (I'll try this out), Buon Appetito (not enough data).
However, I've lived in Reading for twenty-ahem years and was part of its subculture when I was a music promoter, label owner, DJ, scenester. What I would recommend is:
Reading Abbey, Caversham Court Gardens, Museum of Berkshire Aviation (on the site where Douglas Bader lost his legs), 17th Century monastery Douai Abbey and the conservation area near the University of Reading (and the university itself, as it's on lovely grounds). You can venture a little further afield to see the Silchester Roman amphitheatre, Pincents Hill and its 18th Century dovecot, Combe Gibbet, Wellington Country Park, Bombay Sapphire distillery, West Berkshire Brewery and it doesn't do nearly enough with its rich music history (I feel a blog post coming on).
Restaurant/bars - Shed/Milk, Dolce Vita, London Street Brasserie, Forbury Restaurant, Cerise, Allied Arms, Nags Head, Bakery House, Hyperbadi Kitchen, House of Flavour, Honest Burgers, Bel and Dragon, Veeno, Tasting House, Sweeny Todd's, Lyndhurst, The Grumpy Goat, The Crown, Thai Corner, Turks Head, Yolk and The Fruit Bat.
These are all within walking distance and by no means exhaustive. And all of these are loved by the locals!
I think I've made the case, while it's nice to have that fall back, you can beat all the tourist crowds and Japanese groups taking pictures of fire extinguishers. Get a proper experience and discover something new so you can show off to all your friends about how learned you are.
