No self-respecting tourist would be seen pulling out a map under the Arc de Triomphe. Palomar’s crushable maps ($20) are an inconspicuous solution.

They are soft, light and waterproof, and so cool that fellow travellers will flock to you like pigeons in San Marco. Stuff it in a pocket or pouch when not in use. Paris, Rome, Amsterdam, Oslo and Toronto are among the cities on offer, with no doubt more to come.

And for those of us who can’t read maps anyway, at least we’ll get lost in style. —Athena Tsavliris

At Type Books, 863 Queen St. W., Toronto, 416-366-8973, www.typebooks.ca

Why bother with an ashram in India when a good old map will do?

Find yourself on any one of Ork’s eye-grabbing city maps (from $22). Start with a walk around Central Park followed by a lazy lunch in the Haight. End the day with a top-notch supper in Lincoln Park followed by a late-night dip in Lake Huron.

Other city maps include Portland, Seattle and Boston. Toronto is in the works.

Om-tastic.

www.orkposters.com

If a poor sense of direction is one of your quirks may we suggest a vintage-style carry-all ($38) with a silk-screened map of the T-dot on it?

Just one of the many cities featured in this line of eco-friendly totes, the Toronto map features neighbourhoods, city icons and landmarks.

Toronto is one of the latest designs from Brooklyn-based Maptote, joining Montreal, Manhattan and London.

A sure way to stay stylish, green and on track.

At Anthropologie, 80 Yorkville Ave., Toronto, 416-964-9700, www.anthropologie.com and www.maptote.com

Fancy yourself a bit of a Eugene Fodor? Go on, toss the guidebook in the Thames and write your own instead.

A city atlas and journal in one, the Moleskine City Guides feature metro maps and a tabbed index, plus plenty of blank sheets for sketching and scribbles.

We love those translucent overlays for the maps – very handy for plotting retail pauses round the Rive Gauche.

Globetrotters can pick-up Paris, London, New York, and most other major European and U.S. capitals. Montreal, Miami, Los Angeles and Chicago to come.

City Guides available at Swipe, 477 Richmond St. W., Toronto, 416-363-1332, www.swipe.com