Many of us are unable to travel long distances. And the closest thing to travel that gratifies that insatiable wanderlust within is a good travel book. In this article we have selected 8 best travelogues to read, just for you. This is like a throwback to times when travel was free of anxiety, and the world was our oyster. And it is also an ode to the wonder landscapes, seascapes, snowscapes and cityscapes the world gifts us every day. So without much delay here are top 8 travel books selected by us.
8 Best Travelogues To Read | Top 8 Travel Books –
Maximum City by Suketu Mehta
Mehta returns to Mumbai after years abroad, and discovers it to be a changed territory. In this book, he delves into the heart of the city, and its most marginalized inhabitants. We follow bar dancers, gangsters and more. But Mehta also evokes the fond nostalgia that makes Mumbai what it really is. If you’re a Mumbaikar, you will relate. And if you aren’t, you will hop on the next plane to get here.
Notes From a Island by Bill Bryson
This is a parting love letter of sorts to Britain, written just as Bryson deserted the country for America. Replete with anecdotes and amusing facts about the country, this book is the story of the country that produced Shakespeare and Byron but also zebra crossings.
Travels With Charley by John Steinbeck
An account of Steinbeck’s travels across the world’s only superpower, this is a reflection on the eccentricities of America. Steinbeck talks of the food trucks, San Francisco with friends, bear encounters and the beautiful country roads. In the process, he also reflects on American character, the peculiar loneliness common to all Americans, the astonishing propensity of kindness and more.
A Year in Provence by Peter Mayle
Mayle’s adventurous story of his impulsive move with his wife and friends to Luberon is not just full of literary beauty and travel candour, but also full of humour. Through the shift of seasons, we vicariously experience a life with a slow pace but fast fulfillment. Full of the dazzle of a French town, this mental strut through rural France is the next best thing to actually living in France.
Lands of Lost Borders by Kate Harris
Winner of the RBC Taylor Prize, Harris’ masterpiece takes us on a rollercoaster ride through the famous Silk Road on a bike. This book is equal parts adventurous and equal parts reflective. It is an evocation of history, geography, culture and that fundamental yearning for freedom in the human heart.
The Bone Man of Benares by Terry Tarnoff
In this non fiction that reads like a novel, Tarnoff leaves his life of comfort to go travelling through vast stretches of India and Africa. What he leaves behind for us is a journey in every sense of the word. It is a literal journey, yes but also a metaphorical one. This is a spiritual, romantic, reflective, wonderful journey that will fill you with the zest of life.
The Geography of Bliss by Eric Weiner
This book follows a self-confessed grump’s pursuit of happiness in the happiest places in the world – Iceland, Bhutan and India. Taking a feather from their cap, Weiner learns about the lifestyle, culture and the very sense of self that inspires happiness to take root in such places. What results is an account of wayfaring through the youthfulness of Iceland and ashrams of India to the material prosperity of Qatar, Weiner attempts to answer a fundamental question. What makes people happy?
Arctic Dreams by Barry Lopez
This is a classic which recounts Lopez’s exploration of the Fart North feels like a refreshing breath of air. From the wildlife of the area to the geographical and topographical landscape, we get a thorough view of exactly what the Arctic region feels like. Since very few of us can actually travel to this region, this book is not only a exploratory but also like a vicarious experience.
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