'I believe falling in love with a city is just as exciting as falling in love with a person. Your senses become engaged and you simply feel more alive' – Fiona Cauldfield
Recently I got to go on the most fantastic trip round Rajasthan in India, and one of the nice things about the holiday was this wonderful guidebook that a friend of mine sent me (thanks Namita!) before I left. A woven cover with printed map, and then beautiful handmade paper pages inside made this a book that I immediately wanted to touch and hold. Tactile pleasure aside, beautiful typography and quirky illustrations delighted me. Now, having actually used it in the field, so to speak, I can also vouch for the quality of the information. My friends and I had many wonderful experiences based on recommendations we followed from these pages. How was it that the guide seemed to know so exactly the things we most wanted to do, and the things we wanted to avoid?
Love Travel Guides are the brainchild of Australian Fiona Caulfield. 'The selection criteria was easy' she writes in the introduction, 'does the place help one fall in Love with Jaipur? If yes, it was in; if not, it was out.' She explains more about what first motivated her to create these wonderful guidebooks on her website, here. You can also see the full range of Love travel guides.
I think partly what makes these books so special is the sense of place that comes with them. The paper is from Kalpana Papers, Jaipur, the book printed on 'khadi' fabric, hand-woven in Andhra Pradesh. And the sense of care and something lovingly handcrafted that comes from every page, plus the feeling of local knowledge, coming from people who love their city and want to share it with you. As anyone who has been to India can tell you, it's a pretty amazing place. These are guidebooks guaranteed to please you just as much.
But perhaps Fiona will broaden out her publishing operation one day; there are now five enthusiastic girls who all want to help her make a 'Love London'.
My friend Elena, absorbed in her copy of Love Jaipur, in one of the book's recommendations – a roadside shack where they made delicious stuffed parathas – one of the tastiest and cheapest meals of our trip.