Say hello to InstaCities – a travel guide with a difference!

Are you ready for a new kind of city guide? We thought it was about time we gave a proper drum-roll introduction to the InstaCities city guide series. So here goes…

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Exploring a new city is always next level exciting. But doing your pre-trip planning…? Not so much.

These days, travel research tends to take a long time.

Simply deciding which hotel you want to stay at can involve countless internet tabs, hundreds of TripAdvisor reviews and a range of booking comparison sites 💤

There are simply too many places in which to find destination info. Travel websites, magazines, all the social channels – we’re living in an age of travel information overload.

Which is why many of us turn to city guides. They’re a way to filter all of that info into a more digestible format.

But not all city guides are created equal, as we’re about to find out.‍

The usual city travel guides just don’t cut it: here’s why

When you’re planning a trip to a new and exciting city destination, you used to have just two options:

• Buy a city guide in a book format

            OR

• Pay to download a mobile phone app

In my own experience of travelling the world, neither of these solutions really hit the nail on the head.

Problems with city guide books

• Carrying around a guide book, you look like a right tourist. And no one wants to look like a tourist (apart from maybe those guys who choose to sport baseball caps and Hawaiian shirts)
• It’s bulky and heavy to carry when you’re eating, drinking and culture vulturing your way around a city
• Guide books are put together for a broad audience, so tend to focus on (or create) tourist magnets rather than off-the-track treasures
• They’re dense – so it’s not easy to search or scan pages for relevant information when you’re on-the-go
• They’re almost always out-of-date. Print run two years ago? That’s a century in bar and restaurant time!
  

‍Problems with city guide apps

Mobile app city guides solve some of the problems associated with book-based guides. They’re searchable, compact (because live on your smartphone) and they can be easily updated.

But…

• They drain your mobile battery
• They rely on you having or paying extra for data roaming in your chosen destination
• Traversing an edgier area of town? Then you might not feel comfortable whacking out your latest model iPhone for all and sundry to see
• All apps come with privacy concerns – how is your personal and location data going to be used?
  
• It’s not a beautiful, tangible thing – an app makes a pretty lame gift and you don’t get to enjoy the feel of it in your hands
  

How InstaCities travel guides do things differently

As a seasoned traveller, I knew that the travel guide market was missing a trick.

So I set out to create a solution – a new and ground-breaking city guide, built with the design-savvy, 21st century, urban traveller in mind.

Enter the InstaCities city guide series. Ta-dah!

What is the InstaCities city travel guide?

An InstaCities city travel guide doesn’t look like your usual city guide. It’s a compact box with a luggage tag design, small enough to fit in your pocket.

Open it up and inside you’ll find:

• 80 x beautifully designed cards showcasing the best hotels, bars, restaurants, cafes and must-see sights in a city, along with stunning photographs of each location and QR codes for bookings
• 4 x cards featuring essential city info – a bit of local lingo, the currency, recommended taxi companies, etc.
• 1 x fold-out map, showing you where to find all of the incredible destinations included in the pack

Benefits of the InstaCities travel guide

So why should the discerning urban traveller choose an InstaCities travel guide over one of the traditional city guides on offer?

It’s fun and tactile

Each InstaCities card is a little, printed version of an Instagram post. It’s visually engaging and packed with useful destination information. But it’s also fun and tactile.

This is what makes InstaCities guides so great to use. And why they make such great gifts too.

It’s always up-to-date

Never show up to a shuttered restaurant again!

InstaCities always includes up-to-date recommendations. That’s because our guides contain dynamic QR codes and can be digitally printed with a super speedy 24 hour turnaround.

It’s convenient and easy to use

InstaCities city guides are the ultimate travel companion.They are:

Easy to carry around – either take the whole pack or just the cards you want to use that day

Super useful – scan QR codes to book, use the map to find your way and show cards to cab drivers (so you don’t have to crucify the local language in your attempts to give them an address)

Always available – essential info at your fingertips, without having to worry about your smartphone battery or data roaming costs

It offers an authentic travel experience

Focusing on the very best of the best a city has to offer, InstaCities cuts through the noise.

Each pack contains a curated collection of places to stay, eat, drink and explore – from Michelin star restos to quirky rooftop bars to characterful local haunts – all tried and tested by me, Mr Globetrotter.

Unlike other travel resources, InstaCities guides you away from the tourist trail, helping you to discover the people and places that make each InstaCity unique.

Want to experience a city like a local? Then browse the full range of InstaCities city guides today!