Travelogger

We wander for distraction, but we travel for fulfillment.

Good Reads that Make It OK to Stay Home

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I have not had a trip in 3 months and I have been feeling really bad about it. We were supposed to go to the beach last week but our circumstances prevented us from doing so and we had to cancel flights that we had booked in advance. The next trip we are planning isn’t due till the end of the year – not really too far in the future but far enough for me. Anyway, in order to find some solace, I looked up some books that would help me cope. To my delight, I discovered a couple that have great potential.

One is Don’t Go There! Written by Peter Greenberg, the book’s full title is “Don’t Go There! The Travel Detective’s Essential Guide to the Must-Miss Places of the World.” He lists “which cruise ships are cited most often for outbreaks of intestinal viruses; which highways have high accident rates; which hotels are known for bedbugs; and which cities and countries are the most polluted, dangerous and diseased.”

Another potential series, according to this article that I read:

Since 1994, a small Michigan-based publisher, RDR Books, has been publishing a series called “I Should Have Stayed Home.” Two new editions were added this year: “I Should Have Stayed Home Hotels: Hospitality Disasters at Home and Abroad” and “I Should Have Stayed Home Food: Tantalizing Tales of Extreme Cuisine” ($14.95 each). “Collectively these stories have become a national archive of trouble travel,” said Publisher Roger Rapoport.

I suppose schadenfraude (happiness in the misfortune of others) applies in this case. In simple English, entertaining myself while sour graping… 🙂

Gift Ideas: Best Travel Books

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Still thinking of what to give your friends this Christmas? You can never go wrong with books, especially if your friends love to travel. The Guardian has a feature article today about the best travel books according to some of the leading travel authors today. You can’t get any better than that, can you? Here are some of the books in the list.

Empires of the Indus by Alice Albini
Chosen by William Dalrymple, this book is described as “a fabulously thoughtful, learned, perceptive and stereotype-breaking book which follows the Indus from its delta on the coast of Sindh up to its source in Chinese-occupied Tibet.” He got me at “stereotype-breaking.”

The Man in Seat 61 by Mark Smith
This was chosen by the author of the first book on the list, Alice Albini. Why did she choose this book? “The book is a straightforward guide to taking the train through Europe, and lays out all the cultural, environmental – and sometimes even economical – reasons for doing so. Skimming along the railroads of the world suddenly seems not just morally-superior (and thus off-putting) but also interesting, easy and fun. I am giving it for Christmas to all the short-haul flight addicts I know.” I have always wanted to travel by train so this book seems to be a logical choice for like minded people.

There are other books on the list which may catch your interest but for me, I think that I shall check the local bookstore for these two later on.

Out Of The Books Into The World

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LouvreThe Da Vinci Code. Harry Potter. Angels and Demons. These are some of the most famous books in the recent years, and more than inspiring people to bury their noses in their pages, the stories have urged people to get out of their homes to go discover the real world behind the books. You’ve probably heard of people actually going on a trip with the places in the Da Vinci Code as part of their itinerary.

I remember meeting a French woman who used her vacation time to visit every single place mentioned in the Da Vinci Code. The Louvre was, of course, easy for her to visit, but she also went out of her way to travel to Scotland and the United States, just to see for herself what the places were actually like. Statistics also show that visitors to the UK have grown exponentially due to Harry Potter fans who want to get a glimpse of the world of their favorite wizard. Of course, the real deal is probably not the same as what the stories portray, but the sense of adventure and a little imagination is what matters – these can get you a long, long way.

Dan Brown’s new novel, The Lost Symbol, is also set to increase the number of visitors to Washington, DC. This is especially true now that they have set up a web site detailing the places of interest that people can visit in real life.

Have you ever planned a vacation based on a novel?

If I Were to Eat, Pray, Love…

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Who wouldn’t want to be in Elizabeth Gilbert’s shoes? She got paid to travel to three beautiful countries and write about it! Then again, she did have her fair share of troubles in life, but don’t we all?

The movie has recently been released, though I haven’t seen it yet. I actually do not know if I am going to watch it – reading the book was difficult enough for me. Don’t get me wrong – I did enjoy reading the book, but some parts were just a tad too close to home.

In any case, just like countless other women out there, I have found myself wishing for the same opportunity – to embark on my own Eat, Pray, Love journey. Given that I just might have that chance – albeit having to pay my own way – I have been dreaming about which places I would go to. Just to make it easier, I followed the basic structure – a month in each country, each country meant for one particular verb. Wanna know where my journey would take me in case it does happen?

Eat in Italy

Call me a copycat (but I am already copying Ms. Gilbert by dreaming up this journey, anyway), but there is something about Italy that just calls my name. The food, of course, and the truly lovely spoken language. If you know even just a little bit about this country and culture, it is indeed the perfect place to indulge one’s self – not that I haven’t been indulging myself in the past year!

Pray in Israel

The Holy Land – what better place to go for meditation and self-evaluation? Israel has always been one of my dream destinations.

Love in France/Greece

This is a very a close tie, as I fell in love with everything French as a kid. I won’t have the time or space to write down everything I love about this country/culture, but let’s just say that I would want to end this particular journey here. Then again, I cannot discount Greece – its beaches and lore. What better place to love?

Where would your own Eat, Pray, Love journey take you?

Photo credit: UggBoy

Gutsy Mamas: Travel Tips and Wisdom for Mothers on the Road

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gutsy mamas
“It has always taken courage, stamina, and self-sacrifice to be a mother, and this is especially true in our hectic modern world. Indeed, bearing a child and giving birth are the very definition of gutsy. As a woman, it also takes guts to travel boldly…”

These are the opening sentences of the book by Marybeth Bond, with the same title as this post. I ran across a preview of the book on Google Book Search and before I knew it, I had spent a considerable time reading it. In celebration of Mother’s Day – albeit a late one – I thought of featuring the book in this blog so as to give you a peek into its pages.

The book talks about traveling from the eyes of a mother. More than that, it details the unique experience of going on trips with your children. It is definitely different from going on trips with your partner or with other adults but it is not a tad less wonderful. Indeed, traveling with your children can give you a whole new perspective on hitting the road.

Furthermore, I like how Marybeth Bond does not overlook the fact that mothers can travel on their own from time to time – leaving the children behind. She actually dedicates a whole chapter for this topic. Aside from highlighting the intangibles of family travel, she also provides practical information on planning and organizing a family trip.

This is one book that must be included in your collection.