Gone are the days of the 150 page glossy coffee-table travel brochure – at travel shows, no one wants to lug around a big old brick of a brochure while postage is prohibitively expensive and then there's the carbon footprint to consider.

In response to these very real issues, Real Africa has decided to part company with the 'big brochure'. The award-winning safari specialist has created a series of handbag-friendly A5 booklets divided into core areas: Kenya & Tanzania; Botswana, Zimbabwe & Zambia; South Africa & Namibia; Uganda, Rwanda and Ethiopia.

Each one offers practical information about the destinations, with map and guide to the key highlights along with some sample itineraries ranging from Classic safaris to Ultimate journeys. Each sample journey offers a price guide and recommended lodges and experiences are also listed. More detailed information, further destinations like Malawi, Mozambique and the Indian Ocean islands, and a complete Lodge Library listing can be explored at their website: realafrica.co.uk

Marketing Manager Sara White says, “The thinking behind the brochure originated at the travel shows where we see so many 'big brochures' end up in the recycling bins before ever being read. In our experience people at shows are browsing for inspiration – in the first instance they want to know what they can do, how much it will cost and why they should consider your company over another. We hope our handbag-friendly guides answer their questions in a more convenient, useful and portable format. By splitting up the destinations we have been able to include more relevant information in each booklet, like the optimum time to go, the style of safari you can expect along with tips and insight. ”

The brochures were well-received at Conde Nast presents the Luxury Travel Fair which ran at Olympia West 5-8 November. Visitors to Real Africa's stand left with a tailor-made pack of booklets and postcards relevant to their destinations of interest rather than simply grabbing a big brochure and struggling home under the weight of it only to settle down later and find just a few pages relevant to what they want to do.

Real Africa's new tailor-made brochures are now available to order online at www.realafrica.co.uk/brochure.php 

Visitors can select up to two booklets.