Prague
Tilburg
Amsterdam
## Local habits *Act Like a Local* has become a trademark on every USE-IT map. Some questions to inspire you: * What are the stereotypes about your city? Are they true? * What’s the one local dialect word I have to learn? * How is your football team doing? * How do I recognise if a restaurant is a tourist trap? * What’s the local snack at 3 in the morning? * How do you greet someone? * What are those green containers everywhere in the park? * Do cops really ride Segways here? * What is everybody chewing on? * How can you make a local smile? * Yeah, yeah, I heard the story about rubbing the statue for good luck — but do locals also really do that? * Where should you go to buy your beer & chocolate, your mustard, your smørrebrød or whatever the specialty may be? * What was everybody arguing about in local bars all year long? * What do locals hate most about tourists? * Is it legal to drink in public? And does anybody care? * How do you move through your city in a sustainable and caring way, without putting pressure on the city or the people who live there? * Are there good local projects where tourists can help out/give back and meet people from the city in that way? Or other places to meet people? * What local music should you definitely not miss out on? Some maps also include *Eat Like a Local*, *Speak Like a Local*, *Drink Like a Local*, *How to Pick Up a Local* because it summarizes our philosophy so well.Modena
Ghent
Tilburg
## Local stories Imagine: you’re walking through your city with a friend who’s visiting for the first time. You would probably explain how this neighbourhood used to be totally different when you were a kid, how this controversial new building got a funny nickname, how that clock has always been on the wrong hour, and how trams always try to kill you. Please find a way to include all of these stories on the USE-IT map! Just a few examples: * Where are the road works this year and what are they for? * Which statue is featured in a children’s song? * Where is the most beautiful tree in town? * Who are the most visible local graffiti artists? * Where do 16-year-olds hide out for their first kiss? * Which bar was the backdrop for a movie scene? * Which terrace borders on 2 totally different neighbourhoods? * Which grocery shop has not changed in 50 years? * What was the role of the river in your city’s development? * What’s the best spot to see how local industry has shaped the city? USE-IT is different from tourist brochures that only speak about sightseeing. USE-IT is also different from trendy guides that only speak about eating, drinking and clubbing. We cannot repeat it enough: think about what makes your city unique. USE-IT publications are made by young people for young people from 18-30. Travellers like advice from people like themselves, so USE-IT publications include portraits of young locals with a picture and their name and age. These people can give their very personal tip, and you can quote them quite literally. You can go as weird as you like in this category, because it’s them saying it anyway! Make sure they are mostly under 30 years old, unless there is a very good reason to include an old bugger. Also, try to make them speak as naturally as possible and look for a mix of characters. Not everybody should be a DJ or an architect.Angers
Arhnem
Nijmegen
## City spots ### **Should you include the tourist classics?** ***Yes*** Just write about them from YOUR young and local point of view. * How often do YOU (from Paris) visit the Notre Dame? * Do YOU (from Brussels) make fun of Manneken Pis or do you really like him? * How many times do YOU (from Berlin) visit Checkpoint Charlie in your lifetime? * And do you visit it at school, with your boyfriend, or with your grandparents? * And if it’s really a tourist magnet, when is the least crowded moment to see it? And what is the most interesting part about it? Is there any discount on tickets for groups of people or at some moments of the day? This is the kind of info that will make your map different from a tourist guide.Brussels
### **Should you be complete?** ***No*** This is impossible and people prefer a good selection instead of an encyclopedia. 50 spots is too little, 100 is too much. But how do you decide when there are so many great places in town? How can you kill your darlings? Some questions that you should ask yourself: * Is it unique? * Is it a national symbol? * Does every local know it? * Is it cheap and central? * Is it better than another similar thing in town? * Is it a place that you would never notice if USE-IT hadn’t told you? * Is it something that would never be in a tourist guide? * Is it something that every local was talking about last year? * Is it really new and promising to be a big hit in the coming year? * Is it a unique spot for a special audience (vegetarians, gay girls, metal freaks...)? If the answer to one or (preferably) more of these questions is yes, then you should probably pick it.Oslo
Prague
Tilburg
## Tourist info USE-IT maps also include practical tourist info. Always keep a person in mind who has never been in your city before: will they really know the essential stuff? Think about your travels and the typical problems you encountered. Don’t write whole stories here, just give the most important info. For example: * How do I get from the airport(s) to the city centre? * How much for a metro / bus / tram ticket and where can I buy it? * What about late at night? Are there late metros and are taxis affordable? * Can I easily walk everywhere or should I rent a bike? * Opening hours of the official tourist office. Also include them with an icon on the street map (they will be an important distribution point for your maps). * Where are the hostels? Just include them all with an icon on the street map. It doesn’t matter if a hostel is good or bad, every hostel should be marked. * Where can I get the best info for what’s happening tonight? * Is there a free agenda in English? What are the bars / shops where I find most flyers for cool events? Is there a good Facebook page to find out about parties? * What days are shops closed? * Is there a day when all museums are closed or give special reductions? * At what time do most people eat here?Ghent
Tromso
Ostrava
## Other guidelines * USE-IT always in capital letters * Name of city with only one capital letter, in English (eg: USE-IT Florence, not USE-IT Firenze) * As a website, you can mention [www.use-it.travel/](http://www.use-it.travel/\[your)cities/yourcity * We work independently, and it’s usually better to stay “invisible”: keep personal credits to a minimum, so you don’t get too many personal mails from disappointed barkeepers * If you ask for feedback, then always use the address \[yourcity]@use-it.travel * The USE-IT label is a protected quality label, only for publications signed off by the USE-IT Europe Board . * If you want to use the label anywhere else (incl. posters for events, videos, websites or any social media), ask USE-IT Europe first * New publication = fully updated content and a new design (no reprints) {% columns %} {% column %}Esch-sur-Alzette
{% endcolumn %} {% column %}Zlin
{% endcolumn %} {% endcolumns %} {% columns %} {% column %}Arnhem
{% endcolumn %} {% column %}Prague
{% endcolumn %} {% endcolumns %}IN CASE OF DOUBT, ASK USE-IT EUROPE!
FOR MORE DESIGN GUIDELINES, READ :
{% content-ref url="/pages/mSf7IY03kjJOOEe9smAU" %} [paper map guidelines](/use-it-wiki/map-design/paper-map-guidelines.md) {% endcontent-ref %} --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://use-it.gitbook.io/use-it-wiki/editorial-style-guide/about-the-soul-of-the-city.md?ask=