USE-IT started in 1971 (in hippie times) as a low-budget info
desk for young travellers in Copenhagen. A few other initiatives followed later
in Norway, the Netherlands and Belgium, always with the same non-commercial
philosophy. In 2005, the first USE-IT Map for Young Travellers was made in
Ghent and it became very popular very fast. In 2008 the international
organisation called USE-IT Europe was founded to help more young people with
creating their own city maps.
It stands for no-nonsense tourist info for young people.
USE-IT guides, maps, and websites are made by young locals, are not commercial,
free, and up-to-date. Some USE-IT's also have a visitors desk, mostly run by
volunteers. Every USE-IT publishes maps or guides that will guide you through
the city in a no-nonsense way.
This concept already exists in thirty cities in Europe,
carried out by locals giving tips for shopping, outing, bars, restaurants,
walks, etc. All major cities in Belgium have already their USE-IT.. and I’m so
happy that finally Mons joined the club.
To me this is a bit surprising when found out USE-IT Mons. I
always thought the cities which have a USE-IT are so hip and vibrant. You know,
if it’s a person.. just like the cool kids at school.
I’ve been using it for years. The first time I found it
coincidentally when planning a trip to Prague. Then finding a USE-IT becomes one of the most
important thing when visiting a city. The most recently was for a trip
to Antwerp, because after few visits I was running out of ideas. I’ve lost
count how many cities I visited and rely on it.
The reason I love using this artsy and cool-looking map because
it’s very handy, compared to guide book. The map itself includes a scale, so we
have an idea how long we have to walk (very important!). It’s packed with tips and recommendations, what to see and where to eat. The most interesting
part must be a glimpse of the city and brief history which we can read on the go, with a
twist of humor.
“Mons. Unless you're Belgian, or really
into the NATO (their European military headquarters are really close to us)
you've probably never heard of our little city-on-a-mountaintop. If you're an
art historian, you may know that Vincent Van Gogh once lived in Mons and Paul
Verlaine wrote some of his best poetry here. In our jail. We're also the city
that gave Belgium its first gay prime minister, a guy from immigrant descent,
who doesn't leave home without a bow tie.”
I was LOL when reading what they write about our town, and
couldn’t agree more to the facts. The complain about construction works, the
train station project, the student baptism (if you want to become smart, you
have to go through the ritual of acting really dumb).
To find out more about USE-IT Mons: www.use-it.travel/cities/detail/mons
Available for download and print.