Three Travel Books That Gave Me Wanderlust!
I love books. I love to read. I love to travel. I am about to take a plane, a boat, a train and who knows what else…with that setup, I also know there will be places I may never get to, so why not let a talented Travel Writer take me there instead?
Here are three great travel memoirs that gave me “wanderlust” in the best way!
Let’s start with “Planes” – places so remote there is no other way to get there!
Lucy Irvine – “Faraway”
I love this book. Beautifully written, honest and candid, it’s the story of a family who moves to the South Seas. Author Lucy Irvine’s initial claim to fame happened in the early 1980’s when she answered this ad:
She ended up spending a year on a desert island off the coast of Papua New Guinea, and her memoir is a riveting look at that year:
The book was turned into a movie, and after the book’s release, Irvine received a letter from someone who wanted her to come to her home and write her family’s history – the result is the RIVETING memoir “Faraway”:
Irvine lived on a South Seas islands and got to know the locals, and wrote the biography for the family that hired her – and what she discovered living there among them is fascinating, and an intense look at life on a remote South Seas island – read more about this book here:
https://johnrieber.com/2014/05/05/faraway-lucy-irvines-castaway-sequel-more-amazing-island-escapes/
Next up is “Trains” – and one Author who has written numerous books traveling the world by rail:
Paul Theroux – “Ghost Train to The Eastern Star”
It is a trip, by rail, through western and eastern Europe, then into India, Sri Lanka and Asia, including Cambodia, China and Vietnam…this legendary Travel Writer loves to travel by rail, and has written many books doing just that. This specific book is a terrific memoir, full of colorful adventures and a disintegrating marriage of his own…
Theroux explores it all – acting as a “lucky ghost” who can observe without calling attention to himself – and although he has a route to follow, he also has the time to stop and immerse himself in a country…as he says:
“Arriving in the hinterland with only the vaguest plans was a liberating event…”
He takes advantage of an open schedule to follow the story and gain insight and perspective to share with the reader…
I have written about many of his books, including another train trip that took him to the “roof of the world”:
Spectacular. Read his train trip through China and into Tibet, where he wound up here:
Finally, a trip that uses “Automobiles”, along with feet!
Bill Bryson – “The Road To Little Dribbling”
Here is a novel concept: how about WALKING around England – all of it? Well, hilarious Travel Writer Bill Bryson, who wrote the other famous walking book “A Walk In The Woods”, actually “kinda” walked England…as much of it as he could, while also driving his own car and taking public transportation in order to see the coast of a country he has fallen in love with.
Just one of the amazing facts I learned about England thanks to the Author: Englishman George Everest, who the world’s tallest mountain is named after, NEVER SAW THE MOUNTAIN. Also, his name is pronounced EVE-REST.
Wha- wha- WHAT?!?!?!
Yes, Bryson is just a great Writer that you learn and laugh in equal measure, and this trip through England is just another great memoir…read more about it here:
Let me know what you like best: planes, trains, automobiles or all three!
