If you’re an organized sort of person, you probably have your Christmas shopping out of the way by now. If you’re anything like me, you’re just biding your time, waiting for that last-minute rush as you try to cover all your bases.

For those of you who fall into the latter group, check this out. Here are eleven books that have inspired these intrepid travellers to hit — or stay on — the road in 2009. From short stories by a Maori writer to a book about the ethical implications of eating fish, the variety is immense. If you have names on your Christmas buying list with question marks next to them, one of these books might be the perfect gift.

Stay tuned. In a couple of days we’ll cover the movies and music that inspired the internet’s finest travel bloggers.

This post contains affiliate links.

Pounamu, Pounamu by Witi Ihimaera

Recommended by Craig Martin from Indie Travel Podcast

Can I claim it’s the two issues of the Indie Travel Podcast travel magazine? No … oh well! In 2009 Linda and I have been exploring Australia a little, but mainly re-investigating home: New Zealand.

Witi Ihimaera may be most famous for penning The Whale Rider or for being the first Maori to publish a novel or a collection of short stories, but it’s his first work — Pounamu, Pounamu — which connects me with a New Zealand I don’t know and inspires me to continue exploring with open eyes.

Available from Amazon.

House of Rain by Craig Childs

Recommended by Cooper Schraudenbach from True Nomads

Whenever I dream of the red rock canyon country of the American Southwest, I am inspired by author/adventurer Craig Childs, who spends his life exploring the mesas and canyons of the Four Corners region. Back in February 2009 during a wet and cold Pacific storm, I was reading his recent book, House of Rain, dreaming of the warm and dry sandstone of the high desert. Here, Childs chases the sexy “Anasazi”, or the more pc “Ancestral Puebloans”, across the four corners and down into the Sierra Madre of Northern Mexico. House of Rain delves into the landscapes and archeology that surround these mysterious ancestors. Inspired by Childs’ vision, we made several forays to Utah’s Cedar Mesa and Dark Canyon summer and fall 2009, chasing our own glimpses of the enigmatic cliff dwellings and masonry walls that tell of those who came before. I always feel a shiver standing among thousand-year-old dwellings that still feel as if the tenants will soon be home for dinner.

Available from Amazon.

Finding George Orwell in Burma by Emma Larkin and The Glass Palace by Amitov Ghosh

Recommended by Jonathan Shapiro from Vagabonding at 60

I’m going to punt a bit on how I answer this question. We have been teaching English to Burmese refugees and monks near to my house around Albany, NY. Until recently I was completely unaware of the existence of this community, and the small Burmese monastery in this most unlikely place. One of the monks, a renowned scholar, has returned to Mandalay, and invited us to visit and be his guests at his monastery. This seems like an offer not to be refused, despite the military government, and we plan to go this February.

To get ready, we have been reading several books about Burma/Myanmar. The first is Finding George Orwell in Burma, by Emma Larkin. The author follows Orwell’s footsteps during his time in Burma, and describes what the country is like as she does so. Suffice it to say, it may have been the inspiration for 1984, and Burma still bears an uncanny resemblance to that novel today. The second is The Glass Palace, by Amitov Ghosh. This is a historical novel which tells the multigenerational story of an Indian-Burmese family, and traces the history of the country from the overthrow of the King and Queen by the British Raj, independence, and much of the 20th century. Both are highly recommended.

The Trumpeter of Krakow by Eric P. Kelly

Recommended by Jeanne Dee from Soul Travelers3

Available from Amazon.

The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid

Recommended by Shannon O’Donnel from A Little Adrift

As an American, there is simply no denying that I am representing my country when I travel; and there’s also no denying that I largely view the world from a specific Americanized viewpoint. This provocative book dynamically delves into the east/west relationship; it’s a quick read incredibly clever and thought-provoking. The narrator, an America-educated Pakistani man, lunches with an American man in Lahore and monologues his life story, highlighting his gradual disenchantment with America.

The book blatantly begs the question, “Can all Muslims who criticize America be labeled as fundamentalists?” It looks at prejudices from both sides and expectations for the book’s conclusion are twisted on end and one is forced to assess which man at the table may be the fundamentalist assassin, the American or the Pakistani man. You can’t help but assess your own prejudices and cultural assumptions by the end of the book.

Available from Amazon.

Bottomfeeder: How to Eat Ethically in a World of Vanishing Seafood by Taras Grescoe

Recommended by Daniel Roy from The Backpack Foodie

This sobering, eye-opening book made a deep impression on me in 2009. At once a beautiful travelogue about the world of seafood, and a cautionary tale of the consequences of overfishing and global warming, it both educates and fascinates. This book made me want to travel to to fishing communities the world over, to witness what might be the last generation of ocean abundance. I read this book prior to visiting Tokyo’s Tsukiji fish market, and it greatly enhanced my appreciation of the place.

An “Omnivore’s Dilemma” for seafood, this book is highly recommended if you care for the planet, and want to eat responsibly and in a sustainable manner.

Available from Amazon.

Hitching Rides with Buddha by Will Ferguson

Recommended by Carrie Marshall from My Several Worlds

Cherry blossom season in Japan is anticipated with such eagerness that its progress is charted by the National Weather Bureau as the delicate blossoms burst into full bloom across the archipelago. Will Ferguson’s quest to follow the cherry blossom front begins on the southernmost tip of Japan. From there, he hitchhikes over 3,000 km to Japan’s most northern point. Hitching Rides with Buddha (also published under Hokkaido Highway Blues) is a personal account of his travels. His stories are vignettes – a tantalizing glimpse into the lives of ordinary people who give him rides and help him complete his goal of becoming the first person in history to follow the cherry blossoms as they erupt from one end of Japan to the other. Ferguson’s astute observations about Japanese culture are both heartwarming and hilarious, reminding us to travel as participants and not as observers.

Available from Amazon.

Kinky Gazpacho by Lori Tharps

Recommended by Eleanor Stanford from The Golden Papaya

Available from Amazon.

Around Africa on My Bicycle by Riaan Manser

Recommended by Anthony from The Travel Tart

The book that I have read this year that’s great for inspiring that new trip is Around Africa On My Bicycle by Riaan Manser. I came across this book in Johannesburg, South Africa and was convinced to buy it as soon as I read the blurb on the back. Riaan is South African and he decided that he wanted to ride his bike around the ENTIRE coastline of Africa. It took him 2 years to do it, and there are some fascinating stories that really show the spirit of Africa. After reading the book, I almost wanted to buy a half decent bicycle and do the same trip, then I realised my physical limitations….. Seriously, this book captures the spirit of adventure, and it’s also an inspiring read. There is an entertaining statistical section which details how many tyres, tubes and bike parts he went through!

Available from Amazon.

A Voyage for Madmen by Peter Nichols

Recommended by Derek Turner from The World by Sea

In 1968, nine men raced against time, nature and each other to be the first person in history to sail around the world alone-without stopping. The men came from all walks of life. Some were respected sailors, others had never sailed at all, but each man had a vision of something greater than himself. In this epic retelling of history, Peter Nichols brilliantly jumps between the stories of each man, from background to strategy. He exposes both the joy and terror of sailing, and leaves you craving adventure. In the end, however, A Voyage for Madmen is more than a story of sailing, it is a story of mankind and what drives him to become great.

Available from Amazon.

The Discoverers by Daniel Boorstin

Recommended by Jodi Ettenberg from Legal Nomads

I have a rule that I only read non-fiction while travelling, so as to learn as much as possible while on the road. In my 18 mos of travel thus far, the book that inspired me the most is easily The Discoverers by Daniel Boorstin. As the former Librarian of the U.S. Library of Congress, I would love to meet Boorstin to sponge up the content of his brain by osmosis. A good start is this book, the first in a series of three. The Discoverers walks us through the history of human discoveries, including the many fortuitous coincidences that preceded them. Boorstin’s writing style is extremely enjoyable, and the book – while dense with the weight of time and information – was impossible to put down. In the thirst to soak up other cultures and traditions, we sometimes forget to learn about their initial discovery and the incremental impact of those who made a first foray into a foreign land or a new idea. The Discoverers covers the fascinating and often checkered pasts of economics, astronomy, geography and history with extraordinary gusto. Highly recommended and I look forward to reading the next two books in his series.

Also see last year’s version of this post: The Books, Movies and Documentaries that Inspired Us to Travel in 2008.

© Gretchen Wilson-Kalav for TravelBlogs, 2009. | The Books that Inspired Us to Travel in 2009 | 11 comments |
Post categories: Round-Up
Post tags: travel books

This book review contains affiliate links.

Review by Ant Stone from Trail of Ants.

Jeff in Venice, Death in Varanasi is the fourth novel from acclaimed English author, Geoff Dyer. His latest book pairs two well-crafted novellas, based on two entirely different stages as the humble elegance of Venice crashes with the neon chaos of Varanasi.

Dyer begins by inviting the reader to Venice, to shadow disillusioned hack, Jeff Atman while he undertakes a commission to cover the opening of one of the art world’s most coveted exhibitions, the Biennale. The Jeff in Venice portion brilliantly captures a timetable of never-ending parties, led by Atman’s magnetic penchant for debauchery. The introduction of American belle, Laura is the catalyst to elevate the jolly from a flaccid jaunt into personified-gonzo, as we observe Atman being sunk by sin-dazzled nights and risen heroically by Italian coffee.

The innocence of a Venetian backdrop becomes the perfect contrast for the voyeur within us. Throughout a moment in time where lustful art combines with artistic lust, it’s hard to ignore the literary craftsmanship involved in the recreation of one of the world’s most-deservedly famous cities.

The continuation to secondary novella Death in Varanasi is a clever, yet clear twist. Dyer repositions the reader to a first person perspective, and removes all personal references – including his name – to the main character. Could the male journalist discovering Varanasi actually be Jeff Atman, emerging from a cloud of risotto and cocaine? There’s barely time to decide as you’re led through the lively labyrinth of Varanasi and set afloat on the holy Ganges. The migration from Venice to Varanasi is remarkably easy to digest, and as Dyer peels back the two facades he leaves a liberal trail of subtle links between the stories. The coverage of Jeff in Venice fills us with presumptions that are easily – perhaps mistakenly – applied to the lead character of sister story, Death in Varanasi. While on one hand we’re kept at distance to decide, we’re simultaneously shoved and pushed into a spiritual – almost stereotypical – Indian journey. The main characters retain strong links while the supporting cast attain a fellowship that threads the tales together.

While the Venetian segment is a hedonistic binge, the Varanasi tale becomes both a warm and welcoming journey of self-discovery as well as a despairing account of self-loss. Readers won’t fail to admire the detailed in-depth knowledge that Dyer imparts creating a sideline of residual education.

Jeff in Venice, Death in Varanasi is a stunning blend of class and cultures. Geoff Dyer’s writing leads you effortlessly through some of the most intricate streets and subjects, combining them seamlessly in refreshing and familiar accounts. If you’ve yet to visit either city, you’ll be inspired to do so while if you’ve visited either your understanding will be enhanced. In a unique and wonderful novel, Geoff Dyer succeeds in spiking you with two of the most brilliantly contagious cultures left in the world today.

***

Review by Eric Daams from TravelBlogs.

How many times have you heard of someone who ditches their job and sets out to travel the world, proclaiming: “There’s more to life than sitting behind a desk from 9 to 5.”

Our thirst for travel, it seems to me, is often birthed out of this thirst for more. More meaning. More purpose. More life.

In Jeff in Venice, Death in Varanasi, Geoff Dyer captures this thirst for more. It’s evoked in the character of Jeff Atman in the first novella; and it’s evoked again in the second novella.

Jeff Atman is a disenfranchised, irreverent journalist who is disillusioned with his job and his life. Against the backdrop of Venice and the Biennale, we watch him skip from party to party. Drugs, alcohol, sex: this is his life. But in his burgeoning relationship with Laura, we find kernels of desire for something to elevate life above the everyday.

There are hints that the protagonist in the second novella is Jeff Atman, but the point is moot. We’re not supposed to know. Rather, by making the central character nameless, Dyer seems to be implying that the thirst for more – subtly expressed in the first novella and sharply apparent in the second – is a universal hunger.

The book has its crass points, especially in the first novella. It’s also brimming with cynicism. But through the layer of cynicism emerges a story that is brilliantly crafted and surprisingly poignant.

© Gretchen Wilson-Kalav for TravelBlogs, 2009. | “Jeff in Venice, Death in Varanasi” by Geoff Dyer | No comment |
Post categories: Book Reviews
Post tags: Geoff Dyer, novels, travel books, Varanasi, Venice

Inspiration to travel can come from anywhere. You taste Gang Panang at your local Thai restaurant and begin to dream of enjoying the real thing in Thailand; you sip Guinness on a hot day and wish you were at a pub in Dublin; a friend’s “Sweet As Bro” t-shirt recalls your time in New Zealand, and you hope you can get back soon.

Books, movies and documentaries are another great source of inspiration. For this post, I asked travel bloggers to share a book, movie or documentary that inspired them to travel in 2008. They wrote back to me with all sorts of different titles, listing everything from a chick flick set in Ireland to the Bible. If you’re in need of some fresh reading or viewing material this holiday season, I’m sure you’ll find something to suit your tastes here.

This post contains affiliate links.

Books

A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson
Recommended by Melanie Waldman from Travels With Two

My husband and I traveled to Yellowstone this year, prompted by Chapter 15 of this witty and fascinating book, a literary attempt to explain just about the whole of natural science.

It turns out that this bubbling, steaming tourist attraction is actually a massive caldera known as a supervolcano. It last erupted 600,000 years ago, leaving a 40-mile hole in its wake. Bryson interviewed a slew of geologists to find out when, if and how Yellowstone might blow again. The verdict is terrifying.

Looks like an eruption could happen any time, without warning. Lethal ash could blanket not only the U.S.’ most popular national park, but much of North America, as well. This could kick off a “volcanic winter” and possibly even whittle human population to almost nothing. And best of all, it’s theorized this catastrophe is already long overdue.

After reading this, seeing Yellowstone for ourselves seemed suddenly…pressing. Our resulting August trip was truly spectacular, and thankfully calm.

Neither Here Nor There: Travels in Europe by Bill Bryson
Recommended by Ant Stone from Trail of Ants

July two thousand and three eight. The North Sea drifts by the panoramic window of the Hurtegruten ferry I’d blagged my way aboard, and I’m sat amid its chatty human cattle. As I cast my gaze to the distance, cobalt waves begin to tickle the underbelly of a playful sun. My pupils sink in harmony to the early chapters of Bill Bryson’s Neither Here Nor There. The next time I was to raise my eyes a star-studded curtain had brought the day to an end, and a noble old man delivered a look of disdain because apparently I’d missed His finest sunset. A day or two later, I alighted in Hammerfest at sunrise to discover timid reindeer revealing a rocky uphill trail. When I reached the short summit, I gasped the words “thank you” to Bill. My lifelong guide.

The Last Flight of the Scarlet Macaw: One Woman’s Fight to Save the World’s Most Beautiful Bird by Bruce Barcott
Recommended by Erik Gauger from Notes from the Road

Of all the books I read this year, this non-fiction environmental thriller by Bruce Barcott was the most engaging. It focuses on the eccentric and sharp zookeeper of the Belize Zoo, whose fight to save a wild slice of neotropical jungle from a national dam project forced her into a strange and ugly battle with the elites of her own adopted country. Barcott’s account dabbles in commonwealth law, the natural history of Central American animals, the history of dam building and more, all within the context of a fast-paced environmental fight. I finished this book the day before I left to interview a ragtag group in the Bahamas who are trying to save their six mile island from a golf course development. The book was a brilliant reminder that environmental travel writing can be effective, personal and engaging.

The Song of the Dodo: Island Biogeography in an Age of Extinction by David Quammen
Recommended by Ken Madsen from Bird Year

Could all of the animal species on earth have fit on Noah’s ark? Does Charles Darwin deserve his reputation as the scientific earthquake that rattled the foundations of the way we think about species? Anyone ever heard of Alfred Wallace? I hadn’t, before reading The Song of the Dodo. Does the hapless Dodo deserve its reputation as a stupid flightless bird that deserved to go extinct?

Many of us love to travel to an island. You can comprehend the scale of an island. It doesn’t take long before you feel almost at home. If that is true, then people feel more at home now than ever before – since we are creating “islands” of habitat by our increasing fragmentation of the natural world. In The Song of the Dodo, David Quammen challenges our preconceptions about the dark spectre of extinctions in the plant and animal world, and how our own actions affect the futures of the other species with whom we share the planet.

Our Bird Year journey was a 13,013 mile trip without using fossil fuels for transportation. We explored bird habitat and learned first-hand about the incredible struggle of migratory birds in a world of change. Take your own migratory trip with David Quammen and gain a new appreciation for the Dodos of the planet.

The River at the Center of the World, Revised: A Journey Up the Yangtze, and Back in Chinese Time by Simon Winchester
Recommended by Jamie Sinz

This book follows Simon Winchester and his Chinese companion as they travel along the Yangtze River and back in time through China’s political, social and spiritual past. Their journey begins in the Pacific Ocean outside of Shanghai and continues through the heart of the country until they reach the river’s source high in the Tibetan Himalayas. Along the way, Winchester tells anecdotal stories about their encounter with proud entrepreneurs gazing at Shanghai’s Pearl TV Tower, a pack of swimmers traversing the waterway in memorial to Chairman Mao’s triumphant swim of 1966, Tibetan roadblocks in which bribes are the only way cross and much more. Winchester weaves these stories seamlessly with the history of China in a way that you nearly forget what is part of his journey, and what happened hundreds of years ago.

The Essential Neruda: Selected Poems. Edited by Mark Eisner.
Recommended by Sarah Maxwell from Palabras de Portenos

In honor of the 100th anniversary of Pablo Neruda’s birth, Mark Eisner compiled a collection of new translations of Neruda poetry that builds upon the work of the past. These new versions strive ever-closer to the core message Neruda wrote with his beautifully intoned Spanish words. They carry Neruda’s themes and ideas across a language, until they transport the reader to the mystical origins of Machu Picchu, through the United Fruit Company’s plunder of Central American lands, across Chilean vineyards, into the waters of the Pacific, and onto the heights of his matrimonial love. The history, natural beauty, culture, and passion spoken of in these poems will without a doubt make you yearn to submerge yourself in the South American landscape. But, don’t worry, even if you can not get there, Eisner’s translations of Neruda’s words paint a vivid enough picture that you will feel as if you see what Neruda describes. In the (translated) words of this unforgettable Chilean: “Poetry is like bread; it should be shared by all, by scholars and by peasants, by all our vast, incredible, extraordinary family of humanity.”

On the Road by Jack Kerouac
Recommended by Curtis Foreman from Flashpacking Life

Once upon a time in 1951, Jack Kerouac fed eight long rolls of paper into his typewriter and assaulted it until it spat out On The Road, a sprawling masterpiece about driving and hitchhiking back and forth across America with an assortment of drunken, drugged-up, self-absorbed proto-beatniks.

I read it at 19 and thought it was the best thing ever. I read it again last year at 32 and realized that I had to get the hell out of the apartment.

Critics have called it passe, corny, and appalling. TIME Magazine called it one of the best 100 novels of the 20th century. Dated or timeless, brilliant or merely self-indulgent, On The Road contains some of the most naked, passionate, musical, and heartbreaking prose you’ll ever read about friendship, travel, and the forces that inspire us to keep moving.

Tales of a Female Nomad: Living at Large in the World by Rita Golden Gelman
Recommended by Debby from Tea, Sugar, a Dream

From Indonesia to Mexico, Thailand to New Zealand, Israel to Nicaragua, Rita doesn’t just travel by herself to nine countries in fifteen years; she lives in them. But she doesn’t just live in them either; she immerses herself in their cultures and in their people. She becomes part of families and communities by living as a local in villages, and in homes, by learning not only about customs, but also by becoming personally involved with the people and their lives.

Rita discovers that communication and connection with people manifest itself in many forms of participation, which results in a sense of belonging, and a feeling of home, as well as some personal growth for Rita. Rita learns their languages, she teaches them hers; she cooks and eats and tastes; she sings and dances; she reads to children and visits schools; she wears traditional clothing; she attends ceremonies and celebrations; she smiles and laughs.

Rita is an inspiration. She confirms that people experience the same emotions, and that “we share a core that makes us human.” And words such as trust, friendship, generosity and kindness prevail all over the world.

The World Without Us by Alan Weisman
Recommended by Greg from Greg Wesson’s Esoteric Globe

Earlier this year, I was sitting on a plane flying to Houston reading The World Without Us by Alan Weisman. Alan Weisman imagines what would happen if humans were to disappear from the planet, and in doing so highlights the impact that humans have on the earth. After reading the chapter on the Petrochemical industry, I went down to see the masses of refineries south of Houston pumping out oil-based products for our consumption. Not your typical tourist site, but seeing the miles of tanks, pipes and smoke-stacks highlights the depth of our effect on the earth. The book reminds us that we may not have much time with sensitive areas like the glacier atop Mount Kilimanjaro, and that we should be mindful of how we travel. Plus, I know I have lots of time to go and see Mount Rushmore. According to the book, it will take more than 7 million years for the faces to erode from the face of the mountain.

An Unexpected Light: Travels in Afghanistan by Jason Elliot
Recommended by Dave from The Longest Way Home

A return trip to Afghanistan after the Russians left and right before the Taliban arrived is where Jason Elliot starts his Travelogue. I began to read it as a lone traveller myself and found inspiration oozing from every chapter. Why we travel is often written about, but why we return is truly aspiring. Where else but in the most barren of landscapes, alone, can you find answers. This book not only brings one a learning of Afghanistan’s rich cultural history, but also on how impending war and current peace changes a person, and a people.

I remember quoting a passage from Jason’s book in my own journal:

“I encouraged him, in the usual way that you wish for others what really you want for yourself, to have complete confidence in himself and never be afraid to be alone, to further his travels and always question the meaning of things.”

For me, this is travel.

Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad.
Recommended by Craig Martin from Indie Travel Podcast and author of the Travelling Europe ebook

Once again Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness was a prime mover in my travel motivations this year. Conrad’s dark, edgy and — above all — slow journey to “the horror” reminds me how important it is to travel into the self whilst journeying into the unknown. It’s powerful message of colonialism, injustice and human suffering motivates me to remain cynical and tread lightly. Heart of Darkness is in the public domain and available as a Project Gutenberg e-text as well as an audiobook from Librivox.

Where the Pavement Ends: One Woman’s Bicycle Trip Through Mongolia, China & Vietnam by Erika Warmbrunn
Recommended by Amy Meeussen

Imagine biking across Mongolia and China. You are are all alone on a sketchy bike, following an old goat trail through the vast Gobi landscape. Imagine all of the people you’d meet and the miserably uplifting and wonderfully sad moments that you would experience along the way, as you slowly pedal through deserts, mountains, and strange villages. Erika Warmbrunn takes you into her personal experience as a solo traveler, through the hardships and the revelations of her daily life. She has a great respect for the people and cultures that she runs into, and her attention to the details of the landscapes, peoples and foods that she encounters, make it possible to forget yourself as you delve deeper and deeper into her journey. And when it’s all over, if you feel anything like I did, you will drop everything, buy a bike, and start pedaling off towards the horizon.

Minnesota Off the Beaten Path by Mark Weinberger.
Recommended by Linda from Travels with Children

Because most of my travels are within a few hours of home, Minnesota Off the Beaten Path has led me on many adventures with my kids. Sometimes I grab it, and other similar books like Oddball Minnesota and Minnesota Museums, when we head out the door, and I find our destination even as my husband drives. Because I love wide-open spaces, these back-roads, out-of-the-way museums and landmarks often serve up just what we’re looking for: something interesting, uncrowded, and close to home. Offering more than just listings, the Off the Beaten Path books provide enough information about destinations that we can make an informed decision about visiting new places. We don’t often get to go on extended vacations, so these books have helped us find good day-trip ideas.

A Year of Adventures: Lonely Planet’s Guide to Where, What And When to Do It by Andrew Bain
Recommended by Michelle Duffy from Wandermom

If you’re wondering where to go or what to do on your next trip, then check out A Year of Adventures by Andrew Bain. This Lonely Planet book is a delight for any traveller who’s (temporarily) at home. The author takes a week-by-week, month-by-month approach to introducing fun, novel, exciting and sometimes challenging places to go and things to do worldwide. There’s definitely some things he mentions which I know I’ll never do (the Death Valley Ultra-marathon for example), but there’s plenty that I could do – most of which I wouldn’t have known about if I hadn’t chanced on this book. Now I just have to figure out how and when to do them.

The Circle of Karma by Kunzang Choden
Recommended by Anna Etmanska from Budget Trouble

I’m not sure how The Circle of Karma ended up in my hands. But I do remember it was sometime last year and I had absolutely nothing new to read in English. And so I started reading it. It was either that or drip batter acid into my eyeballs out of sheer boredom.

It was slow going at first, I admit that. The book was written in a style that I’ve never been a fan of – poetic, rich and descriptive, or “lyrical” as some reviewers like to call it. It’s a variation on the evergreen “coming of age” story, but since it’s set in Bhutan, it’s not your average “a girl becomes a woman” tale. Why? Because Bhutan is not your average place to grow up.

The story follows a teenager who needs to travel to a distant village to perform a scared Buddhist ritual in the memory of her deceased mother. But that’s just the beginning of it. What happens next? Read the book. But be prepared for the possible consequences. When I was done reading it, I immediately booked a trip to Bhutan. Just a friendly warning, you know.

The Art of Travel by Alain de Boton
Recommended by Ben Hancock from The Daily Transit

This past summer was at once harsh and brilliant. It was hot and it was new and it was relentless. I had moved back to South Korea after four years Stateside, and the ensuing months brought little of what I had anticipated. Despite my comfort with the language and my past experience in Seoul, I felt isolated in the city – withdrawn and introspective. The feeling confounded me. Here I was, out in the world, and I was missing it.

What I found between the covers of Alain de Boton’s The Art of Travel was comfort in that my experience was not unique. Boton takes great care in detailing how a vacation to the Caribbean caused him to face the unsettled parts of his character – how the ceaseless workings of his brain distracted from the simple beauty of the beach.

In this poignantly explored piece of travel philosophy, Boton gave flesh to vague internal observations I had long carried around, and forced me to expand the way I view people and nature. In this sense, The Art did not inspire me to travel as much as it did provoke me to look deeper into my surroundings, be curious and keep going.

Adventuring With Children: An Inspirational Guide to World Travel and the Outdoors (Avalon House Travel Series) by Nan Jeffrey
Recommended by Jeanne Dee from SoulTravelers3

I love this classic book and think every family should own it! The subtitle says it all: “An Inspirational Guide to World Travel & the Outdoors”. This book is just chock full of gems and great information. She really covers everything from how to do hand laundry to keeping up violin practice while adventuring as a family. She has twin boys and a girl, so lots of practical experience over the years in many different modes from yachting and camping to hiking and biking on short and long trips. It is one of our “bibles” on our open ended world family world tour that I have used over & over.

The Bible
Recommended by Pickled Eel

I had just spent a rather interesting trip to Baghdad on business (it is a tough gig getting in there with a backpack at the moment). I had thought envious thoughts of my brother, in some secret squirrel unit of some sort making his way to old Babylon’s ziggurat in the middle of the night in the middle of the Iraq War in 1991. With a few spare days in Amman it suddenly occurred to me that another ancient site, not as exotic as Babylon but quite unique in its own way, was nearby – Mt Nebo, the site of Moses’ end of the road out of Egypt and the jumping off point for the Israelites invading Canaan. It was a place I had read about since I was a kid. Moses, a character common to three major religions, has a special place in the local lore and standing on Mt Nebo proper was an interesting experience to say the least. Getting there was the normal diversionary fun, past souvenir stalls owned by friends of your driver who happen to have handicapped relatives, paying ridiculous fees to see twelfth century churches with three tiles in a mosaic on a seven square meter empty concrete floor, and badly contrived markets built in 1974. But there was none of the usual tourist trappings on Mt Nebo and the Old Testament story of Moses viewing Canaan came alive in my imagination as I stared down from an empty hillside onto the Jordan River and Jericho, only a few short miles away and gazed across to the high ground on which Jerusalem sits. The Dead Sea shimmers through the haze and I could understand at a glance how inspired this approach into Canaan really was – it would have been nearly impossible to invade up along either bank of the Dead Sea. And you could easily imagine Moses here on this promontory watching his nation pour down into the valley. That is the mystery of the Middle East – you are always conscious that you are walking on ground that has been trod for thousands and thousands of years. You don’t need to believe the Bible to get a sense of that. But the stories of its old books haunt the place nonetheless, including an old patriarch who sat up here looking at his ultimate, unreachable goal. I found it an inspiring stop, with a strong sense of place and patriarchal presence and the hint of emerging civilisations that touch our lives even today. It was a brilliant day trip and to be recommended if you are ever in Jordan – but I would still like to get up on that ziggurat in Babylon.

A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry
Recommended by Christina from Solbeam

I spent the majority of 2008 living in India and the book that instantly rose to the top of my personal top 10 list is the same that gave me a fictional look into the non-fictional reality of the daily lives of the locals I watched breeze by through the window of my commuter train. I trash books on Chapter 1 if the author can’t write. Rohinton Mistry dances with the divine chaos of India in sentences and sentiments so eloquent they leave you dizzy. He opens a window into the non-fictional history of India, and with it, your senses and understanding of one of the most foreign countries and cultures in the world. You, first-hand, explore many levels of the caste system, and fall in love, and in sorrow, with the lives of those from the most rural of villages to India’s biggest cities, not excluding the transition in between. When you close the book, at the expense of a numbed heart and the sacrifice of tears, you understand how tragedy and beauty can actually intertwine. And that is what I would call, Rohinton Mistry’s master craft in, A Fine Balance.

The Gonzo Way: A Celebration of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson by Anita Thompson
Recommended by Steve Shoppman from The World by Road

Not long ago Hunter S. Thompson passed away. His legend will always live on, and his writing style is something that will inspire many upcoming writers for years to come. Recently, Hunter’s wife Anita wrote a book about his life, his rules for life, and what made Hunter Hunter. It is a quick read, but does not lack in words to give a new outlook on the path towards becoming a cutting edge writer. He wrote about everything from the Kentucky Derby to mainstream sports to politics to drug abuse, and regardless of the topic, it is easy to see how his approach to life produced some of the most controversial and respected writing of the last few decades.

Adventure Capitalist and Investment Biker by Jim Rogers.
Recommended by Gary Arndt from Everything Everywhere Travel Blog

In one book he goes around the world on a motorcycle and in the other he takes 3 years to drive around by car. What I like about the books is that he has a totally different take on things than most travel writers.

Documentaries

Vice Guide to Travel. Directed by Eddy Moretti, Shane Smith.
Recommended by Nathan from Nathan Shipley Travels the World

These guys are kind of crazy. They went to an actual Pakistani arms bazaar and test-fired guns. While neither particularly culturally sensitive nor overly pensive, Vice’s Guide to Travel DVD is certainly inspirational for someone looking to really get off the typical tourist track. The “reporters” take a unique and often humorous look at some far-flug destinations by going to Chernobyl, talking to PLO boyscouts in Beirut, and exploring Rio’s favelas, to name a few. Even if it isn’t the most thoughtful travel video you’ve ever seen, it certainly is the polar opposite of anything Rick Steves has done and should get you thinking about your own ways to challenge yourself and explore something actually different on your next trip. For me, that’s perfect.

The Little Travelers Japan DVD(Bali and British Isles also available)
Recommended by Debbie Dubrow from Delicious Baby

Traveling with young children to a far-off destination like Japan or Bali might seem like an unachievable dream, but these DVDs make it seem easy and are a great way to introduce young children to foreign cultures. Free of gimmicks like cartoon characters or annoying jingles, they’re pleasant for parents and kids to watch together. The video follows two young girls as they board a flight to Japan, and begin to explore their rental home and the country. My kids were fascinated as the girls showed them where they slept, what the house was like, and other details of everyday Japanese life (exactly the things my kids would focus on if they were in a Japanese house for the first time). Local customs, like removing shoes on tatami mats, were woven in with the other details about daily life, and that seemed like it would be helpful if we were actually planning a trip to Japan. This is armchair travel at its best.

Ceremony of Evala in Togo
Recommended by Andy the HoboTraveler

This is the chant or music from the Ceremoney of Evala in Togo West Africa. I made this video when I was there, it is a rights of passage ceremony where they wrestle with the fat of a dog on their body. After the ceremony they are deemed worthy to marry.

This is what I think of when I think of inspiration for travel.

Emmanuel’s Gift. Directed by Lisa Lax and Nancy Stern.
Recommended by Julie Schwietert from Novoarte Travel Blog

Watching Emmanuel’s Gift didn’t make me want to jump off the couch and hit the road.

In fact, I was motionless after watching the moving story of Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah, a Ghanaian man who rides his bike 600 miles across Ghana–with his one leg– to raise consciousness about people with disabiltiies. The documentary shows Yeboah journeying to the United States and receiving an artificial leg, then returning to Ghana to distribute 100 wheelchairs to other disabled Ghanaians and beginning to tackle his next goal: starting a sports academy that will employ disabled workers. He ultimately aspires to run for political office.

Emmanuel’s Gift made me want to be more conscious about how to make my travel more meaningful for the communities I visit. After watching this inspiring documentary, I found myself being more thoughtful of the needs of others, and recognizing how little actions taken by people with privilege can make a positive difference. To see how Emmanuel inspired me, please visit Collazo Projects to read about the Voices of Mompox program I started with my husband in Colombia.

Movies

P.S. I Love You. Directed by Richard LaGravenese.
Recommended by Shannon Hurst Lane from Traveling Mamas

P.S. I Love You is what one can call a date movie or chick flick. It stars Hilary Swank, whose character is deeply in love with her Irish husband (Gerard Butler). When he passes away from illness, she sinks into a deep depression. From the grave, he sends her love letters and upbeat messages, encouraging her with missions, one of which is to take a trip to Ireland.

The scenery of Ireland and the emotions of the people come through in this sad, yet very romantic movie. It makes one want to cozy up in a pub for a pint of Guinness, remember younger days of backpacking, and just falling in love. Be sure to bring the tissues for this flick that ends on a very happy note, in a beautiful destination.

The Motorcycle Diaries. Directed by Walter Salles.
Recommended by Kyle Crum from On Our Own Path

The movie the Motorcycle Diaries, about Che Guevara’s travels through South America via a motorcycle, reminded me that traveling is not just about leaving home see places, but it is a vehicle in which to change yourself. Through his travels, Che was able to see how the rest of Latin America was living and it made him realize all of the injustice that existed in the world around him. While my solution wouldn’t be armed revolution like Che’s, after seeing the movie, I wanted to go see Latin America for myself, see what has changed since Che’s time there, and form my own opinions about it.

Into the Wild. Directed by Sean Penn.
Recommended by Dave from The Longest Way Home

I will admit to not having read the book. Alone in a Nepalese guest house I watched this film beside a wood fire. I didn’t know what to expect. But the end I felt like I had a deeper feeling in how we each must live out own lives. Yet never go beyond out depth of travel.

Sean Penn’s screen adaptation tells the story of Christopher McCandless, a student who gives up all his worldly life and worth in search of freedom. Making sure his dysfunctional family cannot trace him Chris travels alone for two years as a nomad working odd jobs. Finally settling into a life alongside nature in an abandon school bus in the middle of nowhere.

Foolhardy dysfunctional youth, or a young man struggling to break free of invisible bonds that have inspired many a traveller since? The film lets you decide.

© Eric Daams for TravelBlogs, 2008. | The Books, Movies and Documentaries That Inspired Us to Travel in 2008 | 17 comments |
Post categories: Round-Up
Post tags: documentaries, travel books, travel movies

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US20 stretches coast-to-coast, 3,300 miles from Boston, Massachusetts to Newport, Oregon. That makes it the United States’ longest road and, according to Mac Nelson, America’s Great Road.

“Twenty West: The Great Road Across America” by Mac Nelson

Twenty West: The Great Road Across America tells the story of a road that played its part in the history and development of American society and culture. Chapter-by-chapter, theme-by-theme, Nelson unpacks the intricate connections between the Great Road and the birth of American literature; the religious and spiritual revivals of the 19th century; Presidents van Buren, Fillmore, Hayes, Garfield, Cleveland and McKinley, and John D. Rockefeller; immigration and the movement west into new frontiers; the oppression of the land’s indigenous inhabitants; Yellowstone National Park and wilderness. It all culminates one mile east of the Pacific Ocean, where the road ends, the book ends, and where the American nation reached maturity.

As someone who has never travelled along US20, I still found Twenty West fascinating. Nelson is an English Professor at SUNY Fredonia and he approaches the book with a storyteller’s heart. His voice is casual and engaging, that of the knowledgeable guide showing you the sights of a destination. That makes it an ideal accompaniment for anyone planning to travel the Great Road, or part of it. Don’t expect a guidebook; but do expect to be guided through the heritage and historical importance of each section of US20.

Twenty West: The Great Road Across America is for sale on Amazon.com.

Other books about great American road trips:

• Blue Highways: A Journey into America by William Least Heat-Moon.
• The Lost Continent: Travels in Small-Town America by Bill Bryson.
• Road Trip USA: Cross-Country Adventures on America’s Two-Lane Highways. by Jamie Jensen.
• The Most Scenic Drives in America: 120 Spectacular Road Trips by Robert J. Dolezal.

© Gretchen Wilson-Kalav for TravelBlogs, 2008. | Mac Nelson’s “Twenty West: The Great Road Across America” | 2 comments |
Post categories: Book Reviews
Post tags: Mac Nelson, road trip, travel books, USA, Yellowstone National Park

At 22, Michael Gyulai graduated from college and moved to Rome with a simple goal: “To really live there. To understand the place like a local.” Midnight in Rome, a memoir about the time he spent in Rome, is an engaging exploration of just how difficult it can be for travellers to immerse themselves in a foreign culture.

The narrative finds Michael in Rome, where dwindling finances are forcing him to look for work, a process made more difficult by Italian bureaucracy. But he does find a job, and that’s when the real cultural immersion begins. Taking up a part-time position at a modern nightclub, Michael struggles through the language barrier to develop relationships with his Italian co-workers. While still hampered by an inability to converse as freely as he’d like, Michael’s co-workers pull him into their world, immersing him in modern-day Rome.

At the same time, Michael’s perspective of Rome changes, from a city of vespas, cobblestone and pizza, to a city of unrequited love, drugs and confusion. The reality of every-day Rome starts to displace its popular imagery.

I enjoyed Midnight in Rome for its first-hand look at how the modern intersects with the ancient in Rome; how a visitor’s notions of what a city should be like are often upturned by the reality of what it is like; and how language creates a barrier for anyone trying to experience a foreign culture from a local perspective. While the book’s narrative is centered in Rome, many of its themes are common for travellers visiting anywhere foreign.

After finishing the book, I exchanged emails with Michael. In this short interview, he talks a little about his decision to write Midnight in Rome and his experiences in Rome.

Why did you decide to write Midnight in Rome?

I was 23, my bank account had all but emptied, my visa long expired, and I had to accept the possibility of deportation every day I went into work—all while transitioning into independent, self-sustaining adulthood.

While living in Rome I would receive book recommendations from my friends back in the US. All the books seemed to be similar: they were comprised of soft, anecdotal essays written by semi-retired expatriates whose biggest concerns seemed to revolve around finding a punctual plumber or getting their villa painted before the August vacation. Meanwhile I was 23, my bank account had all but emptied, my visa long expired, and I had to accept the possibility of deportation every day I went into work—all while transitioning into independent, self-sustaining adulthood. I found so little to be relatable in those books that I felt I had to publish my own story. I had to give a voice to the confused, illegal, struggling young expatriate.

You set off for Rome straight after you finished college. In retrospect, how important do you think your time in Rome was to you?

It was the most potent period of self-actualization I may ever experience. To turn on the television was to expand my vocabulary in Italian. Reading tabloids taught me modern Italian slang. Simply existing another day in Rome after my three-month tourist visa had expired became another battle won—and I lived there two years after that. That’s 730 mornings waking up and feeling conquest. It was absurd—the level of achievement I was feeling. By the time I left Rome I had the key to an upscale lounge in the city center on my keychain and was training incoming Italians in the craft of bartending. The crash coming back to California was immense—it was just an unrealistic atmosphere to maintain.

At the start of the book, you write about a conversation you have with a friend. You tell her that you want to move to Rome “to really live there” and “understand the place like a local”. Do you think you eventually were able to understand it like a local?

Something I did not understand when I had that conversation was that there are many different ways to be “a local.” I had just graduated college, and thus assumed being “local” would entail acquiring a social network of other young Italian professionals. I took my life in California and transposed it onto the Roman landscape, and translated it into the Italian language, and that was my vision. Where I ended up was off the tourist map, in a zone of the city know for high densities of immigrants, socializing with young nightlife employees whose priority was survival, not career building. The Rome I now know is one of taverns and nightclubs, bartenders and promoters, after-hours clubs and winding back alleyways. But do I know them as well as a local? Absolutely.

Midnight in Rome can be purchased through Amazon.com. You can read the first chapter online at MidnightInRome.com.

© Eric Daams for TravelBlogs, 2008. | Midnight In Rome: Book Review and Interview with Michael Gyulai | 9 comments |
Post categories: Book Reviews, Interviews
Post tags: Italy, living abroad, Rome, travel books, travel writing