Best Travel Books

First published in 1975, Paul Theroux's strange, unique, and hugely entertaining railway odyssey has become a modern classic of travel literature. Here Theroux recounts his early adventures on an unusual grand continental tour.

Journalist Michael Booth has lived among the Scandinavians for more than ten years and has grown increasingly frustrated with the rosetinted view of this part of the world offered up by the Western media.

A hymn to walking, the mechanical magic at the core of our humanity.Walking upright on two feet is a uniquely human skill. It enabled us to migrate out of Africa and to spread as far as Alaska and Australia.

Barry Lopez's National Book Awardwinning classic study of the Far North is widely considered his masterpiece.Lopez offers a thorough examination of this obscure worldits terrain, its wildlife, its history of Eskimo natives and intrepid explorers who have arrived on their icy…

In August 1978, thirteen women left San Francisco for the Nepal Himalaya to make history as the first Americans_x0097_and the first women_x0097_to scale the treacherous slopes of Annapurna I, the world_x0092_s tenth highest peak.

A French cheesemonger and an American academic join forces to serve up a sumptuous history of France and its food, in the delicious tradition of Anthony Bourdain, Peter Mayle, and Pamela DruckermanNearly 3 million Americans visit France every year, in addition to the more than…

In Dark Star Safari the wittily observant and endearingly irascible Paul Theroux takes readers the length of Africa by rattletrap bus, dugout canoe, cattle truck, armed convoy, ferry, and train.

Strange Last Voyage of Donald Crowhurst

From the moment Peter Mayle and his wife, Jennie, uprooted their lives in England and crossed the Channel permanently, they never looked back.

The voyage began in the lunar terrain of the Peruvian Andes, where coca leaf is the only remedy against altitude sickness. It continued down rapids so fierce they could swallow a raft in a split second.

Tomato Rodriguez hops on her motorcycle and embarks on the ultimate seatoshiningsea allgirl adventure a story that combines all the best parts of Alice in Wonderland and Easy Rider as Tomato crosses the country in search of the meaning of life, love, and the perfect post office.

Lonely Planet: The world's leading travel guide publisherLonely Planet Singapore is your passport to the most relevant, uptodate advice on what to see and skip, and what hidden discoveries await you.

Do you dream of becoming a digital nomad working remotely while traveling the world but you're not sure how to start The Digital Nomad Survival Guide is for you.

What happens when an adventure travel expertwho's never actually done anything adventuroustries to recreate the original expedition to Machu Picchu July 24, 1911, was a day for the history books.

One of the great works of American exploration literature, this account of a scientific expedition forced to survive famine, attacks, mutiny, and some of the most dangerous rapids known to man remains as fresh and exciting today as it was in 1874.The Exploration of the Colorado…

The age of exploration is not over. When Adam Shoalts ventured into the largest unexplored wilderness on the planet, he hoped to set foot where no one had ever gone before. What he discovered surprised even him. Shoalts was no stranger to the wilderness.

They had met and married on perilously short acquaintance, she an American chef and food writer, he a Venetian banker. Now they were taking another audacious leap, unstitching their ties with exquisite Venice to live in a roughly renovated stable in Tuscany.Once again, it was…

_x0093_A brave and marvelous book. A pageturner that will rip your heart out._x0094__x0097_Jon KrakauerIn the tradition of Into the Wild comes an instant classic of outdoor literature, a riveting work of uncommon depth. "I_x0092_m planning on doing 4 days in the jungle. . . .

A New York Times Book Review Notable Book of the YearA New York Public Library Best Book of the YearFrom the author of M and A Death in Brazil comes Midnight in Sicily.South of mainland Italy lies the island of Sicily, home to an ancient culture thatwith its stark landscapes,…

With singular wit and insight, Gopnik weaves the magical with the mundane in a wholly delightful, often hilarious look at what it was to be an American family man in Paris at the end of the twentieth century.Paris.

Everyone tells you marriage is hard, but no one tells you what to do about it.At age thirtyfour, Jo Piazza got her romanticcomedy ending when she met the man of her dreams on a boat in the Galpagos Islands and was engaged three months later.

In this deliciously seductive account of an Italian neighborhood with a statue of the Virgin at one end of the street, a derelict bottle factory at the other, and a wealth of exotic flora and fauna in between, acclaimed novelist Tim Parks celebrates ten years of living with his…

Delving into Brazil's baroque past, Peter Robb writes about its history of slavery and the richly multicultural but disturbed society that was left in its wake when the practice was abolished in the late nineteenth century.

"She walks down the street with a swing in her step and a lift to her head. She radiates allure as if followed by a personal spotlight. She may be tall or short, slim or pneumatically curvaceous, dressed discreetly or ostentatiouslyit matters not.

Explore 100 breathtaking scuba diving sites around the worldfrom the cenotes of Mexico to the best wreck in Micronesiathrough stunning National Geographic photography, expert tips, and cuttingedge travel advice.Filled with more than 350 images from National Geographic, 100 Dives…

From secluded mews to undiscovered cafes, flower markets, and treelined streets, prettycitylondon champions the quiet, gentle moments that allow you to escape in a huge capital city like London.

Two best friends, 500 miles, one wheelchair, and the challenge of a lifetime.Friendship takes on new meaning in this true story of Justin and Patrick, born less than two days apart in the same hospital.

Hailed as "extraordinarily learned" (New York Times), "blithe in spirit and unerring in vision," (New York Magazine), and the "definitive record of New York's architectural heritage" (Municipal Art Society), Norval White and Elliot Willensky's book is an essential reference for…

Severgnini moves through Italy with the eye of a conversational guide, translating daily habits and local oddities into short, often comic sketches intended for foreign friends. The value is steady: quick, readable snapshots that make manners, bureaucracy, trains and hotels feel familiar without demanding dense background. Expect warm irony and scene-based humor more than rigorous cultural theory. Limits: recurring generalizations and an anecdote-heavy rhythm can feel repetitive, and readers after tightly argued history may find the approach superficial.

An unforgettable portrait of individuals who hope, struggle, and grow along a single street cutting through the heart of Shanghai, from one of the most acclaimed broadcast journalists reporting on China.Modern Shanghai: a global city in the midst of a renaissance, where dreamers…

Whether you take the high road or the low road, Scotland is yours to explore with Rick Steves! Inside Rick Steves Scotland you'll find:Comprehensive coverage for spending two weeks or more exploring ScotlandRick's strategic advice on how to get the most out of your time and…

A fishing trip honouring a dying man's wish becomes a meditation on life, nature and friendship, a literary biography and a celebration of the beauty of the Highlands of Scotland.

From recreation areas and trails to historic sites, from nature hikes to seashores, this comprehensi....

Take a world tour through 200 countries with this brand new edition of the bestselling kids' version of Lonely Planet's popular The Travel Book, loaded with thousands of amazing facts on wildlife, how people live, sports, hideous and mouthwatering food, festivals and a wide…

In a salty, slashing style, Tristan Jones unfolds his extraordinary sagaa six year voyage during which he a covered a distance equal to twice the circumference of the worldrevealing both a rich sense of history an insuppressible Welsh wit.

Discover Germany with this essential travel guide, designed to help you create your own unique trip and to transport you to this beautiful country before you've even packed your case admire art and Architecture, in Berlin, walk the medieval streets of Rothenburg ob der Tauber,…

Take a stroll through the City by the Bay with renowned artist Wendy MacNaughton in this collection of illustrated documentaries.

It's surprising what you can find by simply stepping out to look. Kathleen Jamie, award winning poet, has an eye and an ease with the nature and landscapes of Scotland as well as an incisive sense of our domestic realities.

A collection of stories that inspires unforgettable adventure. Beautiful, empowering and exhilarating: She Explores is a spirited celebration of female bravery and courage, and an inspirational companion for any woman who wants to travel the world on her own terms.

Discover the Italian knack for la dolce vita.Whether you want to explore the evocative ruins of an ancient empire, traverse Tuscany's vineyardcloaked hills, or simply sip espresso and watch the world go by, your DK Eyewitness travel guide makes sure you experience all that Italy…

The cruising tale is full of the sights and sounds, the fragrances and native customs of foreign lands, especially Central American and the Caribbean. It is a story of a leisurely sail through the Gulf of Cortez and on through Panama Canal to the Azores and England.

This could be the most important book about backpacking that you will ever read. There are a few names that have revolutionized the sport of backpacking, Ed Garvey, Colin Fletcher, Harvey Manning and of course the Master of lightweight backpacking Ray Jardine.

Bay Area parks and preserves offer a dramatic variety of landscapes, from rugged redwoodforested canyons to breezy coastal bluffs, grassy rolling hills to sunny chaparralcoated hillsides.

Like a lovely psychedelic sophist, McKenna recounts his adventures with psychoactive plants in the Amazon Basin. Either a profoundly psychotic episode or a galvanizing glimpse into the true nature of time & mind, McKenna is a spellbinding storyteller, providing plenty of…

"I hope The Long Walk will remain as a memorial to all those who live and die for freedom, and for all those who for many reasons could not speak for themselves."Slavomir Rawicz In 1941, the author and six other fellow prisoners escaped a Soviet labor camp in Yakutska camp where…

From the author of the bestseller Eat and Run, a thrilling memoir about his grueling, exhilarating, and immensely inspiring 46day run to break the speed record for the Appalachian Trail. Scott Jurek is one of the world's best known and most beloved ultrarunners.

This is the story of Alaska and the Alaskans. Written with a vividness and clarity which shifts scenes frequently, and yet manages to tie the work into a rewarding whole, McPhee segues from the wilderness to life in urban Alaska to the remote bush country.

Robert Macfarlane's Mountains of the Mind is the most interesting of the crop of books published to mark the 50th anniversary of the first successful ascent of Everest. Macfarlane is both a mountaineer and a scholar. Consequently we get more than just a chronicle of climbs.

From internationally popular design blogger SF Girl By Bay comes the ultimate love letter to San Francisco. This gorgeously photographed lifestyle guide gives readers an insider's tour of the City by the Bay through Victoria Smith's unique lens.

By age 25, Heather Anderson had hiked what is known as the "Triple Crown" of backpacking: the Appalachian Trail (AT), Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), and Continental Divide Trail (CDT)?a combined distance of 7,900 miles with a vertical gain of more than one million feet.

Love can make a person do crazy things. . .A city girl with a morbid fear of deep water, Torre DeRoche is not someone you would ordinarily find adrift in the middle of the stormy Pacific aboard a leaky sailboat ? total crew of two ?

?Destined, I think, to become a classic of travel writing.??Paul Levy, The Observer After fifteen years spent exploring China and its food, Fuchsia Dunlop finds herself in an English kitchen, deciding whether to eat a caterpillar she has accidentally cooked in some homegrown…

Your journey starts here. This new edition of our Berlin guide, packed with colour photography, DK's iconic illustrations and detailed maps, has been expertly updated so you won't miss a thing.

Patagonia is a strange and terrifying place, a vast tract of land shared by Argentina and Chile where the violent weather spawned over the southern Pacific charges through the Andes with galeforce winds, roaring clouds, and stinging snow.

In 1831, Charles Darwin embarked on an expedition that, in his own words, determined my whole career. The Voyage of the Beagle chronicles his fiveyear journey around the world and especially the coastal waters of South America as a naturalist on the H.M.S. Beagle.

Paul Theroux, the author of the train travel classics The Great Railway Bazaar and The Old Patagonian Express, takes to the rails once again in this account of his epic journey through China. He hops aboard as part of a tour group in London and sets out for China's border.

Not content with tackling the Italian Alps or the route of the Tour de France, Tim Moore sets out to scale a new peak of rash overambition: 6,000 mile route of the old Iron Curtain on a tinywheeled, twogeared East German shopping bike.Asking for trouble and getting it, Moore…

National Bestseller In this witty and warmhearted account, Peter Mayle tells what it is like to realize a longcherished dream and actually move into a 200yearold stone farmhouse in the remote country of the Lubéron with his wife and two large dogs.

A spectacular true odyssey through the extremes of the Sahara Desert in the early 19th century. Reader and protagonist alike are challenged into new ways of understanding culture clash, slavery and the place of Islam in the social fabric of desertdwelling peoples.In a calm May…

Lonely Planet: The world's leading travel guide publisher Lonely Planet Sicily is your passport to the most relevant, uptodate advice on what to see and skip, and what hidden discoveries await you.

Take a journey through the back roads of Germany to discover the area's real soul and charm. Twentyfour themed drives, each lasting one to five days, reveal breathtaking views, hidden gems, and authentic local experiences that can only be discovered by road.Each tour is bursting…

Lonely Planet: The world's leading travel guide publisherLonely Planet London is your passport to all the most relevant and uptodate advice on what to see, what to skip, and what hidden discoveries await you.

An exemplary travelogue of danger and achievement by the Frenchwoman Madame Alexandra David_x0096_Neel of her 1923 expedition to Tibet, the fifth in her series of Asian travels, and her personal recounting of her journey to Lhasa, Tibet's forbidden city.

Small Feet, Big Land follows the expeditions and daily life of a family of four: Erin McKittrick and her husband, Hig, lifelong adventure trekkers, set out to explore the vast and remote wild corners of Alaska with their two young children in tow.After trekking thousands of…

It had never been done before. Not in 4000 years of Japanese recorded history had anyone followed the Cherry Blossom Front from one end of the country to the other. Nor had anyone hitchhiked the length of Japan. But, heady on sakura and sake, Will Ferguson bet he could do both.