Here at Nooks & Valleys, we strive to know all about the hot new boutique hotels, the old castles turned into beautiful little BnBs, the hidden gems, the trendiest holiday destinations, and what to see, eat, play and drink once you get there. What we admittedly don’t know anything about? Paragliding in Afghanistan, an all-female motorcycle expedition in California, paragliding in Afghanistan, designing ski maps in Colorado, amongst a host of other things. That’s where these publications come into play. From a camping-focused publication to visually-driven glossies, these are a few travel mags we turn to when we’re in need of a different perspective.
One of our favourite magazines, ‘Another Escape’, has storytelling at its very core. It’s especially close to our hearts as it focuses on sustainable living. The storytelling is based in cherished relationships people form with their surrounding landscapes. Reading it always motivates us to plan my next trip — even if our current one hasn’t technically started yet.
Then there’s ‘Tiny Atlas Quarterly’ that combines insanely beautiful visuals with fascinating travel stories told in first person, interspersed with engaging graphics. TAQ is a fantastic resource for the plucky traveller with a more artistic side. What we really love, however, is the travel photography that is fresh and immersive.
Clean and minimalist, ‘Cereal’ is possibly the most beautiful thing that can be found on any coffee table. A UK-based bi-annual magazine that brings to the fore a select few destinations through essays, incredibly impactful visuals, stories and local recommendations that would be tough to find anywhere else. They provide a holistic experience of the destinations via their exclusive online content, including detailed city guides and playlists to accompany said guides. Try and get your hands on as many issues as possible, because as far as we’re concerned, they’re a collector’s item.
Each issue of the tri-annual indie magazine, ‘Lodestars Anthology’, provides an extensive feel of a country in all its eccentricities, charms and splendour. What it won’t give you is restaurant recommendations or sightseeing tips — you will learn about a country through its people, stories and history. We can’t get enough of how amazingly it give you a feel for a certain country, without pandering to certain travel tropes.
‘Sidetracked’ lets readers vicariously experience some of the craziest adventures known to man. Exploration and survival are the two biggest themes of Sidetracked, an online and print journal that “tells the stories of those who put themselves out there, setting aside fear and doubt in order to experience the breathtaking, the awe-inspiring and the magical.” Expect stories about swimming with black piranhas in Guyana’s Rewa River and surviving a paragliding crash in the Karakoram mountain range.
Next up is is ‘Boat Magazine’. We love this publication for its personal approach to storytelling. How do they achieve this? Well, they skip the tourist traps and the over-sought local attractions to cover what’s really distinctive about a city, whether it’s the music scene, the locals, the chefs, or the art. The magazine staff and editors move to the city they plan to cover for a few weeks in order to discover what’s truly exceptional about a place. What’s not to love about that?
Although the Nooks & Valleys E-Zine is where our heart lies, we do have a soft spot for all things analogue. Let us know down in the comments which magazine you turn to for travel inspiration. Maybe we’ll delve further into this topic to deconstruct more such publications.
Written By Rhea Baweja
Week 10, March ’19
