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These Books Are the Shelter-in-Place Vacations I Needed Right Now
The Monocle Travel Guide series is my much cheaper ticket to anywhere in the world, without breaking quarantine orders.
By Tyler Chin
This is Kind of Obsessed , a column about all the stuff our team is really, really into right now.
I’m not the first person to say this in the last month, and I won’t be the last — I am incredibly sick of being at home. I’m glad that my quarantining has helped flatten the coronavirus curve, and I’m incredibly appreciative of those who voluntarily subject themselves to places other than their homes to fight the good fight. But lately, the extent of my worldview has been my apartment and the grocery store. After I exhausted Alton Brown’s treasure trove of Youtube content , I turned to my dusty bookshelf and my collection of Monocle Travel Guides.
I’d been going on vacation at least once a year for the past six years, and 2020 is looking to be the year that I end that streak. Due to the severity of coronavirus, the US travel industry is expected to decline 34 percent for the rest of 2020, resulting in the US economy taking a presumed $910 billion hit, according to the U.S Travel Association . Those numbers are troubling not just for the economy, but for our own wellbeing. Traveling is scientifically proven to be beneficial to our mental and physical health . While I can’t book a vacation for the foreseeable future, Monocle’s line of travel books can teleport me to faraway lands, at least for a moment, while I do my part in the battle against COVID-19 at home.
Monocle first launched its series of travel guides in 2015 with books on London, New York, Tokyo and Hong Kong. Each guide is a carefully researched manual for living your best life in a certain city. The range has expanded to include 39 titles covering locations from Chicago to Melbourne. My personal collection includes guides for New York (where I live), Madrid and Bangkok . What I love about these books is how closely they resemble someone’s personal journal, a distillation of one, or in these cases a few, person’s favorite places to eat, drink, shop and live in a place. I had brought my Bangkok guide with me when I traveled to Thailand’s capital, and its relatively small size made it convenient to bring it out with me in true vacation dad fashion.
But I’m not on vacation. And with these books, I’m almost OK with that. Each book is basically a condensed vacation — find your hotel, figure out where to eat, drink, hang out and absorb the culture; there are even recommendations for what souvenirs to buy.
But why, you might ask, could I not just watch one of the many travel shows on TV for a similar experience. Instead of living vicariously through those adventurers, I’d rather choose my own adventure with the options that were curated in these guides. Should I choose to look through the eyes of someone who’s been to those places, each guidebook contains essays by those who have been deeply affected by the city they’re writing about. It’s just a matter of time before I get to see the city myself.
The respite that comes with booking a vacation is gone, instead filled with dread about leaving home. But my Monocle Travel Guides have become my portal to traveling again — a reminder that there will still be places to go once we’re through this.
Note: Purchasing products through our links may earn us a portion of the sale, which supports our editorial team’s mission. Learn more here .
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The Global Countdown
Elections special.
00:00 / 00:00
6 June 2024
Episode 154
Monocle Radio’s Fernando Augusto Pacheco looks at the number one songs from countries that have recently held elections: Belgium, India, Madagascar, Mexico and South Africa.
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The Global Countdown - latest episodes
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These fast guides to our favourite cities in the world reveal where our team head to for a cosy dinner, a reviving run, a dose of culture and some retail hits too. Regularly updated and with a seasonal serving of recommendations, the list of cities will expand at pace in the coming weeks. And visit the Monocle online shop for our hard-backed travel companions too.
The Monocle Travel Guide, Beirut. $20 $10. On sale. Beirut is a city that means so much more than the sum of its wobbly parts. It's a Mediterranean destination driven by adrenaline, optimism and the energy of a populace who embrace high jinks - and it fulfils its status as capital with an urban panache that's unmistakably Lebanese.
The Monocle Travel Guide, Beirut. $20 $10. On sale. Beirut is a city that means so much more than the sum of its wobbly parts. It's a Mediterranean destination driven by adrenaline, optimism and the energy of a populace who embrace high jinks - and it fulfils its status as capital with an urban panache that's unmistakably Lebanese.
Hong Kong: The Monocle Travel Guide. by Monocle. 4.00 · 40 Ratings · 3 Reviews · published 2015 · 3 editions. The Hong Kong guide comes in at 148 pages, is prin…. Want to Read. Rate it: Los Angeles: The Monocle Travel Guide Series. by Monocle. 3.96 · 24 Ratings · published 2016 · 2 editions.
The Monocle team is your guide as you explore the nouvelle cuisine in the city's up and coming restaurants that are revitalizing classic dining. Step off the beaten path and into galleries showcasing works that will inspire future art world trends.
It somehow manages to feel intimate despite its gargantuan size but good guidance is still essential - and this is where the Monocle Travel Guide to Mexico City steps in. We lead you to our favourite mural-splashed buildings and the best places in which to practise your salsa - ending up in a dimly lit mezcal bar or two for good measure.
The Monocle Travel Guide to Venice: The Monocle Travel Guide Series (Monocle Travel Guide, 20) Hardcover - May 23, 2017 by Tyler Brule (Editor), Andrew Tuck (Editor) 4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 42 ratings
Discover the Monocle Travel Guide Series, a line-up of books that speaks to travelers in an informed but informal way about everything from architecture to art, late-night bars to early-morning café excursions. These travel guide books go beyond the traditional tourist beats to make sure you get the most out of a city. Explore London, Paris, Tokyo, Berlin or Madrid and focus on what's best ...
The Monocle Travel Guide series reveals our favourite places in each city we cover, from the ideal route for an early-morning run to the top independent retailers. Full of surprises and quirks, our guides also feature detailed design and architecture pages, neighbourhood walks to get you away from the crowds and our picks for the best places to ...
Travel edits / Global Monocle travel guide. Spend a week at Franco Zeffirelli's former hang-out in Positano, dine amid country-house grandeur in Paris, and uncork a bottle in a Buenos Aires wine hotel - all stop-offs in this month's Monocle travel round-up. St Ali London.
The Monocle Travel Guide series reveals our favourite places in each city we cover, from the ideal route for an early-morning run to the best spots for independent retail. Full of surprises and quirks, they also feature detailed design and architecture pages, neighbourhood walks to get you away from the crowds and our favourite places to eat ...
The definitive travel guides that make you feel like a local wherever you go. Monoclemagazine covers the world with its network of bureaus (New York, Toronto, Zurich, Hong Kong, Istanbul, Tokyo, Singapore), its more than 30 dedicated correspondents based from Beirut to Bogota, Sao Paulo to Stolkholm, and its team of on-the-road reporters based out of its headquarters in London.
The Monocle team is your guide as you explore the nouvelle cuisine in the city's up and coming restaurants that are revitalizing classic dining. Step off the beaten path and into galleries showcasing works that will inspire future art world trends.
The Monocle travel guides give you our take on the cities we love. From Singapore's culture to Rio de Janeiro's architecture and design, the diverse districts of Vienna to the sandy beaches of Honolulu, these 148-page books uncover the lesser known gems in local retail, fun cafés, good runs and neighbourhood walks.
The definitive travel guides that make you feel like a local wherever you go. Monocle reports from around the globe. As its editors and correspondents dart from city to city, they get to know the best places to rest their heads, stretch their limbs, and kick back with a contact in a hard-to-find cocktail bar.
The Monocle Travel Guide series reveals our favourite places in each city we cover, from the ideal route for an early-morning run and the best spots for independent retail to detailed design and architecture pages and neighbourhood walks to get you away from the crowds. And taking in everything from established city icons to hard-to-find new ...
The Monocle Travel Guide to Seoul looks past the dazzling lights to discover what, and who, have brought this late-blooming city careering into the 21st century. Its streets may be tricky to navigate but Seoul's inhabitants are turning it into an accessible and playful metropolis that respects its roots while embracing the future.
Monocle first launched its series of travel guides in 2015 with books on London, New York, Tokyo and Hong Kong. Each guide is a carefully researched manual for living your best life in a certain city. The range has expanded to include 39 titles covering locations from Chicago to Melbourne. My personal collection includes guides for New York ...
Travel edits / Global Monocle travel guide. Stay in a cottage attached to an izakaya-inspired restaurant in a Portland neighbourhood, discover a curiosity shop run by an airline pilot in Honolulu and eat Portuguese haute cuisine at Belcanto in Lisbon. These are just some of the highlights this month. Do
The Monocle Travel Guide to London (Updated Version) (Monocle Travel Guide, 1) $15.29. (53) In Stock. The definitive travel guides that make you feel like a local wherever you go. Monoclemagazine covers the world with its network of bureaus (New York, Toronto, Zurich, Hong Kong, Istanbul, Tokyo, Singapore), its more than 30 dedicated ...
The Monocle Travel Guide series reveals our favourite places in each city we cover, from the ideal route for an early-morning run to the best spots for independent retail. Full of surprises and quirks, they also feature detailed design and architecture pages, neighbourhood walks to get you away from the crowds and our favourite places to eat ...
See all details. $5.95/mo for the first 4 months. For a limited time, save 60% on Audible. Get this deal. This item: The Monocle Travel Guide to Madrid: The Monocle Travel Guide Series (Monocle Travel Guides, 5) $1379. +. The Monocle Travel Guide to Barcelona: The Monocle Travel Guide Series (Monocle Travel Guide, 29) $1638.
The Entrepreneurs - Issue 7. Monocle's business-focused handbook is full of ideas, inspiration and insights for taking your company to the next level. Shop for Monocle products and collaborations, including travel guides, books, fragrances, bags, accessories and clothes plus previous magazine issues.
6 June 2024. Episode 154. 09 minutes. Photo: Getty Images. Monocle Radio's Fernando Augusto Pacheco looks at the number one songs from countries that have recently held elections: Belgium, India, Madagascar, Mexico and South Africa. Share episode.