Reise Know-How

Reise Know-How is a German publishing group specializing in travel information, language learning, cartography, and cultural orientation. Founded in 1985 and based in Bielefeld, North Rhine-Westphalia, the group publishes material intended particularly for independent travelers who want practical information as well as insight into local societies, customs, history, and everyday communication. Its travel-guide program covers more than 250 destinations. The publications are designed to support travelers who plan and move through destinations on their own rather than relying exclusively on organized tours. Alongside conventional destination information, the group emphasizes cultural context and the differences in social conventions that travelers may encounter. This approach is associated with the idea of “soft tourism,” encouraging more attentive and culturally aware travel. Language publishing is another major part of the portfolio. Reise Know-How produces language-learning and phrase books covering more than 200 languages, including regional varieties, colloquial speech, slang, and dialect. The Kauderwelsch series is particularly associated with practical spoken-language assistance for travelers. These books are intended to help users manage common interactions and gain access to expressions that may not appear in formal classroom-oriented language courses. The group also publishes maps for more than 100 places. Its cartographic work includes the World Mapping Project, a map series aimed at travelers and destination users. Maps complement the guidebook program by providing geographic orientation for people traveling across cities, regions, and countries. Cultural interpretation is represented by the Kulturschock series, which provides more detailed treatment of the history, culture, mentality, and social characteristics of selected destinations. The series extends the brand beyond itinerary planning and basic logistics, presenting travel as an opportunity to understand local perspectives and behavior. An affiliated record label, Reise Know-How Sound, publishes the soundtrip series. These music compilations are presented as an acoustic introduction to destinations, offering travelers a sense of regional musical environments before or during a journey. The audio program reinforces the group’s broader effort to combine practical travel preparation with cultural discovery. Reise Know-How therefore operates as more than a conventional guidebook imprint. Its portfolio links destination publishing, language education, maps, cultural analysis, and music. The common positioning is independent, informed, and culturally sensitive travel, with products intended to make unfamiliar places easier to navigate while encouraging curiosity about their distinctive social and cultural contexts.

Reise Know-How was established in 1985 in Germany and developed as a publishing group focused on the needs of travelers who organize and conduct trips independently. From the beginning, its publishing concept combined practical travel information with an interest in cultural difference. Rather than limiting its output to sightseeing recommendations and transport details, the group sought to help readers understand the societies they were visiting and communicate more effectively with local people. The group’s destination publishing became its central activity. It expanded its travel-guide coverage to more than 250 destinations, creating a broad catalog for travelers seeking information about countries, regions, and places around the world. The guides are associated with detailed, current, and practical preparation for independent travel. The publisher’s stated editorial outlook also includes the idea of soft tourism: travel should be conducted with greater awareness of local conditions, cultural practices, and the effects of visitors on destinations. Language publishing formed a second important pillar. Reise Know-How produced books for more than 200 languages, including materials dealing with slang, dialect, and informal speech. This focus distinguishes the program from language instruction restricted to standardized or classroom forms. The Kauderwelsch series is aimed at travelers who need usable expressions in real situations and who may want to engage with local speech beyond basic tourist phrases. The publishing group also built a substantial cartographic program. Its maps cover more than 100 places and are published within the World Mapping Project. These maps support the practical side of the travel catalog by helping readers orient themselves geographically and plan movement through destinations. The Kulturschock series broadened the group’s editorial scope. These cultural guides examine the history, culture, mentality, and social characteristics of destinations, giving readers a framework for interpreting behavior and customs that may otherwise seem unfamiliar. This program reflects the group’s view that travel preparation should include cultural literacy as well as logistics. Reise Know-How later maintained an affiliated audio and record-label activity under the name Reise Know-How Sound. Its soundtrip compilations provide music associated with particular destinations and function as an auditory introduction to local cultural environments. Together with the travel guides, language books, maps, and cultural titles, the audio series forms part of a multimedia approach to travel preparation. The available reference material identifies the group as based in Bielefeld, North Rhine-Westphalia, and describes its continuing publishing activities. It does not document specific changes in ownership, individual executives, acquisitions, financial results, or major controversies. Reise Know-How is best characterized as an active German publishing group whose identity rests on independent travel, practical language access, destination mapping, and culturally informed tourism.

• 1985

  Reise Know-How founded

  [1]Reise Know-Howen.wikipedia.org

  Reise Know-How was founded in Germany and began developing a publishing program centered on travel and language resources.

• Expansion into destination publishing

  [1]Reise Know-Howen.wikipedia.org

  The group developed a travel-guide catalog covering more than 250 destinations, with an emphasis on independent travel and detailed preparation.

• Development of the language program

  [1]Reise Know-Howen.wikipedia.org

  Reise Know-How expanded into language books covering more than 200 languages, including slang and regional dialects.

• World Mapping Project

  [1]Reise Know-Howen.wikipedia.org

  The group established a map program covering more than 100 places as part of its broader travel-information portfolio.

Independent and culturally aware travel publishing that combines practical destination information with language access, cartographic orientation, and deeper understanding of local history, culture, and mentality.

• Travel publishing

  Travel guides

  Reise Know-How publishes destination guides for more than 250 places. The guides are aimed at independent travelers and combine practical preparation with information intended to improve understanding of local conditions, customs, and cultural differences.

• Language learning

  Kauderwelsch

  The Kauderwelsch program provides practical language and phrase books for travelers. Its coverage includes formal languages as well as colloquial expressions, slang, dialect, and regional speech, helping users handle everyday communication in destinations they visit.

• Cultural guides

  Kulturschock

  Kulturschock is a cultural-guide series offering deeper discussion of destination history, culture, mentality, and social behavior. It is intended to prepare readers for cultural differences and provide context beyond standard sightseeing information.

• Maps

  World Mapping Project

  The World Mapping Project is Reise Know-How’s cartographic program. It includes maps for more than 100 places and supports travelers who need geographic orientation and practical planning tools.

• Music compilations

  soundtrip

  Published by the affiliated label Reise Know-How Sound, soundtrip is a series of destination-oriented music compilations. The releases are intended to provide an acoustic introduction to the musical and cultural atmosphere of a place.

1. 1Reise Know-Howen.wikipedia.org