I love traveling. Most of my ‘at home’ time is spent working towards the next time I can get my feet on a plane! When I get there I like sniffing out the ‘day to day’ part of the city the most. Don’t get me wrong, I hit all the touristic hot spots too, somethings are worth battling the crowds for and most people queue for hours in the beating sun with good reason. However I most enjoy stumbling upon a store, bar or eatery packed out with locals, where communicating is usually extremely difficult but so worth it! Finding the locals without knowing one takes a little bit of pre-flight research I’ve found so I thought I’d share some of my favourite resources for anyone lucky enough to be setting off on a mid winter holiday!
First off, Herb Lester. I’ve used these maps a few times myself and gifted them to friends. At 3 pounds a pop and worldwide shipping how could you say no!
No. 2 is newly found ShopIkon. ‘A shopping guide designed to help you discover the best local stores around the world’.
So far they profile Barcelona, Berlin, London, New York and Vienna with Paris coming soon and promise to help you find the best bookshops, boutiques, bakeries and so much more! Yes please!
Lik and Neon, found and visited through Shopikon.
And Idlewild Books, a place I hope to visit, found through Shopikon.
Plus Drink, Shop & Do, a place I will be visiting very soon! Also found through Shopikon.
No.3. The well known Design Sponge’s Places. This incredible guide list covers everything from Arkansas to Argentina. They are usually written by a local creative of some sort and are always full of brilliant finds. There is a lot of reading involved in these compared to my other suggestions but they are every bit worth it. Auckland, Dunedin, Wellington and Christchurch even feature.
And lastly! I’ve really enjoyed reading File Magazines ‘City Like You’. ‘An inspirational view about creatives and their cities. At Citylikeyou selected creatives from across the world will introduce you to their favorite places, as well as a personal insight into how their work and lives are reflected by the city.’
See Max Sher’s Citylikeyou Moscow, I would love to visit The Delicatessen as he suggests – ‘A hard-to-find nice cafe with simple food and home brews called Delicatessen, their slogan is “Thanks for finding us”.’ Or Jessica Walsh’s New York.
Happy travels wanderlusters!
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