Five guides to help you on your travels

You often get far more out of your trip if you have some basic knowledge about your destination. This can include actual locations, such as customs and traditions. What can be seen as correct in one place may be unacceptable and rude in another place. We will give some basic geographic and style tips that can improve your travel experience.

Italy

If you don’t have much previous experience of Italy, then a good start would be to have cash with you. Without this there is a risk that you possibly can’t get a taxi from the airport. Regardless of whether you strive for the finest culinary experiences or want to search for small, local tailor shops to find the perfect suit, then the Monocles Book of Italy is perfect and great for preparations before your trip.

Japan

The Monocles Book of Japan gives you valuable tips about Japan, which is one of the few countries where you should do some cultural research before going. Few places are as deeply imbued with unspoken social codes of respect and mutual consideration as Japan. This country offers everything from skiing on 6m thick layers of snow in Hokkaido, to shopping in Harajuku and experiencing the culinary and workmanship skills in the highly traditional Japan. Stylistically, Japan is a chameleon with millions of variations. The style orientations are often interpreted in a way that only the Japanese can elevate and take it to an additional extreme, but their style is often refined and elevated, detailed and craftsmanship.

London

If you have never been in London before then you should try to avoid using all your time on Oxford Street, with all the other tourists. Depending on what you want from your trip, the more genuine experience is usually found on the outskirts of the city. The easiest way to travel around the city is by buying an Oyster card from London Transport, which works for the buses and The London Underground. Taxis struggle to move due to the density of the traffic. There is fine vintage clothes in Shoreditch and along Brick Lane to be found, or why not take a street art tour in the same areas. See the beautiful art exhibitions and design at The Victoria & Albert Museum. Monocles Travel Guide – London gives you the best ideas for the greatest experiences.

Stockholm

If you haven’t been to the Swedish capital city: Stockholm, then this Monocles Travel Guide – Stockholm gives you valuable tips from where to buy the best strawberries to where the best shops are. The social codes in Sweden have recently shifted to focusing on each person’s opinions and rights, under the impression of unpretentiousness. Dress codes rarely exist in a Swedes day-to-day life, and a general unspoken consensus to follow current trends is a common view in society. Even Stockholm has a comprehensive underground metro network which makes it easy to move around the city. Take the ferry out to the archipelago during summer. During a longer stay in the summer, a tip might be to visit Fredhälls bathing cliffs on Kungsholmen, where Stockholmers like to swim and sunbathe. Nationalmuseum provides a well-focused dose of Swedish art and culture, while the club Debaser Strand at Hornstull offers brilliant concerts.

Special Travel Tips

If you have not yet set your sights on a specific destination, but still have a clear aim for what type of experience you want to have? Under these conditions, the Kinfolk - Travel guide will be your best travel friend. An in-depth manual for those who have embraced slow living, and genuine cultural experience among the people who make up the real population at your destination.