Travel Noire

Travel Noire is a website that offers downloadable travel guides to various destinations around the world, from Marrakesh to Havana. Each guide contains information on flights and lodging, to curated itineraries with the promise of travelling off the beaten path.

The guides come in the form of 30-page interactive PDFs that have text boxes provided to add your own notes as you go along, as well as check lists that can be ticked after completing tasks. They are divided into three parts, made up of prep, daily itineraries and an appendix identifying everything you need to print or save, such as train tickets or accommodation confirmation.

Although the guides are focused on luxury travel, Travel Noire prides itself on their commitment to creating the most authentic, immersive travel experience that will make sure you avoid all the tourist traps, taking you instead to secret spots and boutique hotels.

One of the issues I encountered with the travel guides was the price. At $25 USD each, they are more expensive than traditional travel guides and much shorter too. Not only that, but the fact they can only be downloaded as PDF files and are not offered in print form, means that you may have difficulty accessing the guide when out and about.

Another potential problem is that the recommendations are all fairly luxurious, meaning it is unlikely to be the sort of guide that a backpacker would opt for. To make them more comprehensive, it would be good if there were recommendations for both luxury and budget travel. Nevertheless, the guides are all very well researched and nicely put together, making a unique choice for those with more to spend and wanting to stray from the conventional tourist trails.

David Jones

I am a professional travel writer and travel enthusiast who traveled the world twice, so I am sharing my firsthand knowledge about everything related to travel and spending time abroad.