If you’ve visited Raincity Librarian before, you’ve probably guessed that I love to travel. Exploring new countries and experiencing new cultures is one of my greatest passions. Unfortunately I am not an eccentric millionaire, so in between trips I become an armchair traveller, exploring the world through books! Here are a few of my favourites.
Despite three trips to Japan, my obsession with this incredible country continues to grow, and books like this help keep my Nippon-cravings at bay. Will Ferguson is a very writer, and recounts in hilarious and sometimes poignant detail his attempts to become the first person to hitchhike the entire length of Japan from tip to tail.
The Lunatic Express: Discovering the World via Its Most Dangerous Buses, Boats, Trains, and Planes
I’m a bit conflicted when it comes to this book – the premise is fascinating, as the author spends six months travelling the world using the most unpredictable, potentially dangerous methods of transportation, going far, far, far off the beaten track. Hoffman visits some really interesting places and meets very intriguing people, and I’m glad I read his account. The main drawback, though, is that Hoffman isn’t all that likeable of a narrator – he often comes across as deeply self-absorbed and selfish, putting his responsibilities to his family aside to embark on his journey of self-discovery, and he can sound pretty snobbish and judgmental. The journeys that make a foreigner a “lunatic” are in fact every day realities for millions of people, and it felt uncomfortable to glorify a westerner for intentionally pursuing the same highly dangerous experiences that locals would probably avoid in a heartbeat if they had any other options. Still, given that I will likely not visit many of the places Hoffman writes about, it was definitely an eye-opening read.
Who hasn’t dreamed of packing it all in and taking off on an adventure to the farthest known reaches of the world, far, far away from noisy neighbours and work deadlines? Just me? Well, if you’ve ever felt the same way, this book is for you. Dallas Murphy weaves his own experiences with those of travellers and locals throughout the centuries to create a highly engaging account of the very end of the earth.
Badlands: A Tourist on the Axis of Evil
What a fascinating read! Tony Wheeler, of Lonely Planet fame, explores Afghanistan, Albania, Burma, Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Libya, North Korea and Saudi Arabia, countries often feared, and even more often misunderstood. This funny, insightful book takes readers inside some of the most difficult to access countries in the world. Obviously some of Wheeler’s experience were more positive than others, and sometimes his writing leaves a bit to be desired, but if you’re interested in exploring some regions you might never otherwise experience, this book is worth taking a look at.
The Curse of the Labrador Duck
So, this isn’t exactly a travel memoir, but it does have quite a lot of travel in it, and it’s so strange and memorable that I just had to include it on this list. Glen Chilton makes it his mission to find and examine every surviving taxidermied specimen of the extinct Labrador duck. It’s zany, odd, and definitely unlike any other subject matter you’re likely to read anytime soon!
Seeking a quiet place to recuperate, Lillian Beckwith relocated to a remote village in the Hebrides, where “even the sheep on the hills is lonely”. Beckwith warmly recounts life in this unforgiving climate, and the colourful cast of characters who became her neighbours and friends.
Visit Sunny Chernobyl: And Other Adventures in the World’s Most Polluted Places
As you might have noticed, I gravitate towards travel memoirs that explore places far, far off the beaten track. Books about places I am likely to visit hold little interest for me, unless the writer is particularly engaging. There are about a million memoirs about Paris and another million about Italy, and you’re unlikely to ever see those on any of my booklists. Visit Sunny Chernobyl is definitely more to my liking. It’s highly unlikely that I will ever visit Chernobyl, the Albertan oil sands or the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, and books like this help satiate my desire to experience every inch of this amazing world. Blackwell is a very appealing writer, making this a highly entertaining and eye-opening read.
Equal parts heartbreaking and hilarious, Last Chance to See is an absolute must-read, as painfully relevant today as it was when it first came out, 25+ years ago. Douglas Adams, of Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy fame, takes readers on an adventure across the globe to see some of nature’s most incredible creatures before it’s too late.
Just about anything by Bill Bryson
I adore Bill Bryson, and hold him up as one of the all-time giants in nonfiction. No list of favourite travel memoirs (or nonfiction in general) would be complete without Mr. Bryson. So, to round out this list, here are a few of my favourite Bill Bryson travel books.
The Lost Continent: Travels in Small-Town America
Neither Here nor There: Travels in Europe
And there you have it, just a handful of this wanderer’s favourite travel memoirs! What are some of your favourite books about travel and exploration? I’m always looking to add new titles to my list to tide me over until the next journey!
Bryson’s books seem like they’d be the perfect armchair travel books! And Rounding the Horn looks fabulous, as does Hitching Ride w/ Buddha.
Hitching a Ride with Buddha sounds so good! I’m also fascinated with Japan… It started when I was about 8 and started watching Sailor Moon. I’ll have to check that one out!
I also love Hitching Rides with Buddha! It’s what first inspired me to apply to the JET Programme. Ferguson was a guest at our pre-departure event, so that was pretty special for me, haha. This one’s a little obscure but you might like it – The 1918 Pilgrimage of Takamure Itsue is a fascinating (and often funny) journal of a young woman undertaking a Japanese pilgrimage. The pilgrimage she did is still popular today.