Gulliver is swarmed by little people.

There’s a reason why some tales, like Gulliver’s Travels, are considered classic works, contrary to what one may have believed in high school.

I received some out-of-class instruction upon this matter on a recent trip in Southeast Asia when I picked up the book due to its voyaging theme. What I found was a very applicable (and surprising) parallel between Jonathan Swift’s 18th century novel and my own life.

The Proper Context

The book is split into four different voyages that Gulliver undertakes. The first is the most well-known, where Gulliver is captured by a race of diminutive peoples, but the trip that most interested me was his final adventure.

Like his previous three seafaring episodes, Gulliver once again (you’d think he’d learn by now) finds himself bereft on the shore of some unknown land.

The creatures populating this particular isle are the most unusual of the whole novel. The principle inhabitants are a race of ultra-intelligent and extremely logical horses, called Houyhnhnms. The Houyhnhnms initially react suspiciously to Gulliver because he closely resembles the other species that lives on the island — a barbaric, speechless humanoid race called Yahoos.

In time, Gulliver learns the language of the Houyhnhnms and finds himself enamored with the noble creatures, whose society lacks base desires such as greed, selfishness or violence.

He begins to dread ever facing humanity again, unable to bear its multitude of vices after observing the equine utopia. While he began his tenure on the island explaining and defending his fellow humans, he has now changed to the point where he cannot go back to what was once so familiar.

Solo In Asia

Gulliver speaks with a Houyhnhnm / Source.

While Gulliver found himself disgusted with all of human natural in general, I struggle with one vice in particular – procrastination. I’ve spent my life consistently putting things off and constantly endeavoring to distract from any task I attempt to undertake.

Yet, as I traveled solo across the Asian continent, leaving behind a whole host of distractions, I felt a sense of liberation and energy not typically present in my day-to-day. I tackled day trips and night life with equal enthusiasm, made new friends every day and only slept on the bus rides.

The first leg of my solo journey went through China, starting in Beijing then by train to Shanghai and on down to Vietnam. My Gulliver moment (as it were) occurred on the 28-hour trip from Shanghai to the small town of Nanning.

I had been traveling for a little over a week with little pause. I had seen the Great Wall and Tiananmen Square, explored tiny Beijing alleys on a bike, walked around downtown Shanghai for hours and drank beer with a British telecom consultant. For a guy who often has trouble even finding the will to send the occasionally email to his parents, all this activity was a rare feat.

I had wondered, prior to my leaving, the wisdom of such an endeavor and even more about the prospect of doing it alone. I feared I might reach a few weeks into my trip and start longing for the comfort of a couch and my laptop. I had been afraid that if I pushed my boundaries, the boundaries would push back.

Would I retreat back to safety rather or apply enough force to break free?

Given No Choice

What I found is that when given absolutely no choice but to do, I did. As human beings, we all tend to under-estimate our abilities. On the road, I surprised myself with what I was capable of, and the resulting discovery has shifted the way in which I want to live my life.

Yet, along with this sense of discovery there was a growing worry. When finally faced with eviction from the Houyhnhnm lands, Gulliver despairs; so did I as the date for my flight home approached.

My experiences had changed me, but it had been a product of my surroundings. I wondered how much would stay once the scenery changed.

Gulliver knew that he was not capable of achieving the kind of serenity exhumed by the Houyhnhnms, but could only observe and absorb it by being around them.

In the same way, I knew that the kind of energetic, adventurous and outgoing self that I had found out in Southeast Asia would be hard to reproduce once I arrived back home, surrounded by conveniences and excuses.

The Road Continues

This whole scenario is often both the reason for and challenge of backpacking abroad.

We displace ourselves in circumstance in order to relocate ourselves in mentality. I don’t have any secret insight on how to carry home the things you find while traveling that you can’t pack.

Unfortunately, neither did Gulliver, who was so disgusted by the presence of his family when he returned home that he bought two horses and conversed with them for four hours a day.

The challenge of travel is not to recreate some mythic mindset on the return home, which is what Swift satirizes Gulliver for doing in the book’s conclusion.

Instead, take your experiences from the road and let them help you move further along, no matter where your path finds you.

What are your thoughts on Gulliver’s relevance to you own travels? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Feature photo and photo above by Ross_Goodman.

1. Survival Against the Odds

“Men wanted for hazardous journey… Safe return doubtful. Honour and recognition in case of success.”

Sir Ernest Shackleton’s Antarctic expedition of 1914 would ultimately fail, but the hardy crew he mustered would still win honour and recognition for its ability to survive against the odds.

After their ship Endurance was crushed in pack ice, the crew abandoned the plan to cross Antarctica on foot and the aim became merely to survive. Over two years, Shackleton led the crew across ice floes, then in lifeboats to a camp on Elephant Island where for six months the main group would subsist on seal meat and blubber.

Shackleton took five men around the island to the north and then across 800 miles of treacherous ocean to South Georgia Island. He then hiked with two others for 36 hours across the island’s uncharted interior to a whaling station with another three months to go before he could safely reach the crew left on Elephant Island.

He later wrote, “We had suffered, starved and triumphed, grovelled down yet grasped at glory… We had reached the naked soul of man.”

2.Lost in the Amazon

“I was obsessed with the idea of exploration,” Yossi Ghinsberg told CNN Traveller magazine on the recent release of his book Lost in the Jungle: A Harrowing True Story of Adventure and Survival.

It describes how in 1981, Israeli-born Ghinsberg and three companions set off into the depths of the Bolivian Amazon. When they realized they were ill-equipped for the journey, and lost, the four broke off into pairs; two were never seen again.

Ghinsberg and his friend Kevin were to float a raft downriver, but it caught on a rock and they were split up. For 19 days, Ghinsberg wandered helplessly in a brutal environment.

Fortunately, some local men had found Kevin and helped him search the river for Ghinsberg. Miraculously, they discovered him, alive and with a new understanding of his weaknesses and strengths.

Photo by *Zara.

3. Two Weeks in an Ice Cave

In 1982, Mark Inglis and Phil Doole were high up the slopes of New Zealand’s highest mountain, Aoraki Mt. Cook, when a blizzard hit.

They built an ice cave and waited for the storm to pass, but it would be 13 days before help could reach them. They survived on meagre rations, but in the cramped cave they lost circulation in their legs, which had to be amputated.

This hasn’t stopped the men’s climbing careers. Both have gone on to summit Mt. Cook, and in 2006, Inglis became the first double amputee to conquer Mt Everest, losing five fingertips and more flesh off his legs to frostbite, though none of his strength of character.

He told the New Zealand Herald, “When you lose your legs when you’re 23… something like this is just a minor hiccup, just a bump in the journey, really.”

4. Stranded in the Andes

It’s a story so extraordinary it has spawned several books, a Hollywood film, an acclaimed documentary and an official website, and can be recognized with just one word: Alive.

When the plane carrying a Uruguayan rugby team crashed in the Andes in October 1972, the story should have ended there, but it was only just beginning. Of the 45 people on board, 12 died in the crash or shortly afterward, another five passed away the next morning from injuries, another on the eighth day, then eight in a later avalanche.

The remaining 16 struggled through extreme cold and starvation before resorting to cannibalism of those who had perished.

When it became clear help wouldn’t come to them, Nando Parrado and Roberto Canessa hiked for days out of the mountains and eventually found help. The most recent, and arguably the most sensitive retelling of the 72-day saga is Gonzalo Arijón’s 2007 documentary, Stranded: I Have Come From a Plane That Crashed on the Mountains.

5. Stuck Between a Rock and a Hard Place

Amputating your arm with a blunt knife is a task the average person would find virtually inconceivable. But on May 1, 2003, it was the only option left to Aron Ralston after an 800-pound boulder fell on his arm, pinning it to a canyon wall.

After five days, the little food and water he had was gone and it was unlikely anyone would find him in the remote canyon in Utah.

In his book, Between a Rock and a Hard Place, he describes how he managed to literally break free, first using the boulder to leverage his arm until the bones snapped and then sawing away at muscle and tendon with his pocket knife. He then had to rappel down a 65-foot wall. He was walking back to his car when hikers found him.

The 33-year-old continues to climb, including all of Colorado’s 55 peaks higher than 14,000 feet, and is also a motivational speaker.

Photo by lexdennphotography.

6. Mountain Odyssey

Joe Simpson and Simon Yates were descending from the summit of the 20,813-foot-high Siula Grande in the Peruvian Andes when disaster struck-twice. First, Simpson slipped and broke his leg. Then, while Yates was lowering him down, Simpson went over a cliff and was left dangling on the end of the rope.

Yates couldn’t see or hear Simpson and held on for an hour as he was pulled down the mountain.

Controversially, he cut the rope (which some say was against the mountaineering code, while others say it ultimately saved both men’s lives) and safely descended. Simpson dropped into a crevasse, and though severely injured, was able to abseil down to the bottom from the ice shelf he landed on. From here, he spent three days dragging himself across five miles of rough terrain, with no food or water and in great pain.

He crawled into base camp in the middle of the night and was reunited with Yates, who, after recovering from his own injuries, was planning to break camp the next morning. The harrowing tale of survival is told in detail in Simpson’s book, Touching the Void, and the documentary of the same name.

7. Struck Down in the Pacific

Sailing the South Pacific may seem like an idyllic pursuit, but when American Tami Oldham Ashcraft and her British boyfriend Richard Sharp were caught in a category four hurricane 19 days into what should have been a 30-day crossing, the dream turned into a nightmare.

It was 1983 and they were en route from Tahiti to San Diego to deliver the 44-foot sailboat Hazana. Battered by Hurricane Raymond’s 50-foot waves, Hazana capsized. Ashcraft, sheltering below decks, was knocked unconscious. When she woke 27 hours later, Sharp was gone, his safety line broken, and while the boat had righted itself, the mainmast had snapped.

In the May 2002 issue of National Geographic Adventure, Ashcraft described how she had to fight the desire to just give up, how she fixed a makeshift mast and sail, rationed her supplies and plotted a course for Hawaii, 1,500 miles away.

Forty days later she sailed into Hilo Harbor, still in shock but thankful to be alive. She continues to sail and in 2000 published an account of her ordeal in the book, Red Sky in Mourning.

Photo by daren_ck.

8. Three Months in the Outback

When a walking skeleton over six feet tall appeared in front of his jeep in April 2006, Mark Clifford, a farm manager on a remote property in Australia’s Northern Territory, must have thought he was seeing things. The skeleton was 35-year-old Ricky Megee, who had been lost in the outback for an incredible 10 weeks.

Apparently drugged and left for dead by a hitch-hiker he had picked up (though he also claimed his car had broken down), Megee survived by staying close to a dam and eating leeches, grasshoppers, and frogs.

While police and the public had doubts about the story, especially when it came to light that Megee had minor drug convictions, there’s no question he was lost in the outback, for whatever reason, and lucky to have survived.

COMMUNITY CONNECTION:

For more unbelievable travel stories, check out 8 of the Greatest Non-Fiction Adventure Stories Ever Told, and 8 of the Greatest Fictional Adventure Stories Ever Told.

Feature photo by Bob Milsom. Photo above by dnhoshor.

Mark Twain

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.

Writer of The Great American Novel (or one of them), friend to presidents and royalty alike, Twain chronicled his journeys through Europe and the Middle East in his best selling work, The Innocents Abroad and then again in the follow up, A Tramp Abroad.

Twain succinctly captured the importance of spreading one’s wings when he famously said, “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.”

Interestingly enough, despite the huge critical success of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Innocents Abroad was the best-selling work of Twain’s lifetime.

Maya Angelou

I do know, however, that being exposed to the existence of other languages increases the perception that the world is populated by people who not only speak differently from oneself, but whose cultures and philosophies are other than one’s own.

In Wouldn’t Take Nothing for My Journey Now American poet Maya Angelou named travel as the one hope we have to recognize “that all peoples cry, laugh, eat, worry, and die.”

She believed that if we could recognize these shared experiences, we would be more likely to “understand each other [and] even become friends.” How often have you looked around a café, pub, or park in a foreign country, and realized this is so very true?

Photo by Urbanworld Film Festival.

Margaret Mead

As the traveler who has once been from home is wiser than he who has never left his own doorstep, so a knowledge of one other culture should sharpen our ability to scrutinize more steadily, to appreciate lovingly, our own.

One of the biggest rewards of traveling is developing a deeper understanding of your own home as you adjust to the patterns and realities of other cultures.

Margaret Mead, an American anthropologist best known for her book, Coming of Age in Samoa, reminds us that when we sharpen our ability to observe another culture, we’ll also be able to apply that level of perception and appreciation to our own roots.

Samuel Johnson

Every nation has something peculiar in its manufactures, its works of genius, its medicines, its agriculture, its customs, and its policy. He only is a useful traveler, who brings home something by which his country might be benefited; who procures some supply of want, or some mitigation of evil, which may enable his readers to compare their condition with that of others, to improve it whenever it is worse, and whenever it is better to enjoy it.

In a 1760 column for The Idler, English writer Samuel Johnson identified one of the richest rewards of traveling: applying new knowledge of different ways of life in a way that benefits your own country. Even if it’s only on a small scale, both you and those around you are all the richer for it.

Photo by Tara Chambers.

Rosalia de Castro

I see my path, but I don’t know where it leads. Not knowing where I am going is what inspires me to travel it.

The best time to travel is always in the moment. And even if it means you don’t know where you’re heading, it is not knowing that makes it so much more exciting. Rosalia de Castro, Galician poet and writer, understood it is the unknown path that is the most inspiring one. After all, if you don’t know where you’re going, you can’t get lost.

COMMUNITY CONNECTION:

The history of literature and philosophy is filled with writers whose thoughts on travel remain relevant today. Check out 5 Eastern Thinkers Who Understood Inner Travel and 5 Western Thinkers Who Understood Inner Travel for some of their timeless, universal ideas.

Mark Twain enjoying a cigar on the porch.

Good sex can distract you from a relationship’s deeper problems.

The same principle applies to books. A good plot is like good sex – it can distract you from the sort of sloppy, dispassionate writing that some people refer to as “bestsellers.”

Take Mark Twain’s A Tramp Abroad (1880). The book meanders alongside Twain and his “agent,” Harris, during their walking tour through Europe.

Twain and Harris explore German castles, insult fine ladies, ascend Swiss Alps, and avoid actually walking anywhere on their walking tour, instead taking carriages, trains, rafts, and even, hilariously, a glacier and a telescope.

A Tramp Abroad was a bestseller in its time, and most of its charm still translates into this century. But beware: there’s no plot to save you from the bits you won’t like. The good news is that it won’t matter.

Mark Twain: A Literary Tramp

Mark Twain was an expert at darkly sarcastic satire, an adept nature writer, and a man who knew how to wear a mustache.

Born Samuel L. Clements in Missouri when it was a slave state, in America when Rutherford B. Hayes was president, and in a time when it was normal for half of your family to drop dead before ever reaching the age of 11, it’s no wonder that Mark Twain ended up with his sense of humor.

The real wonder is that he managed to find anything funny at all. Not because the state of things was worse then than it is now, but because Twain noticed things-he had a keen eye for injustice, stupidity, and the story going on behind the velvet curtain, and he knew how to use humor to show these things to others.

Unfortunately for his readers, he was also a man who knew how to write dull, tangential passages and to get paid by the word for them. (If only we could all be so lucky.)

But Twain’s lazy alter-ego probably won’t mind if you just doze off during the inconsequential miles between witty quips and mock epics. Just make sure you wake up in good time to take in the best scenery – the funny bits, the morbid bits, and the paragraph about ants.

A Book For The Road

I recommend reading A Tramp Abroad while on the road, or after you’ve gotten home from traveling in Europe.

If you read it beforehand, most of the jokes will lose their punch, and you might end up taking his sarcasm too seriously.

The meticulous footnotes contain a lot of interesting historical information, but for the most part A Tramp Abroad is best for a good conspiratorial laugh. For the travel writer, it’s a living textbook on how to write satirically.

Heresy has it that A Tramp Abroad is Twain’s funniest work, and I heartily agree. Check out these tongue-in-cheek gems:

On Italians: “We have the notion in our country that Italians never do heavy work at all, but confine themselves to the lighter arts, like organ-grinding, operatic singing, and assassination.” (79)

On European Food: “A man accustomed to American food and American domestic cookery would not starve to death suddenly in Europe; but I think he would gradually waste away, and eventually die.”

Read Twain’s Travel Trilogy – Online

Mark Twain also wrote two other well-known travelogues-Roughing It, which covers Twain’s journey to Nevada and subsequent life there, and The Innocents Abroad, which describes Twain’s trip through Europe and the Holy Land aboard a pleasure cruiser.

These books, along with A Tramp Abroad, are often unofficially lumped into a sort of trilogy, allowing entrepreneurial booksellers to sell them as a box set.

You, however, can download all three books for free from the Gutenberg Project.

What can traveler’s today learn from A Tramp Abroad? If you’re too busy to put in the reading effort, I’ll save you some time.

Travel slowly. Rest often. Pack your sense of humor.

And always send someone in your place if it sounds dangerous.

Have your read A Tramp Abroad? Share your thoughts in the comments!

I wanted to, and I wanted to like it; I really did. The simplicity and crisp color of the cover drew me in when I first saw it in the bookstore, as did the author’s premise.

He would spend a year traveling to ten countries in search of something that was, for him, as elusive as the Fountain of Youth: happiness.

As a self-admitted mope, Eric Weiner, a veteran foreign correspondent for National Public Radio, wanted to find out if some places in the world were happier than others, and if so, why.

But when my review copy of The Geography of Bliss arrived, it was in the form of a hefty package of 11 CDs. The audiobook version of The Geography of Bliss runs right around 12 hours.

12 hours.

And if Weiner’s being honest about himself, I should be forthcoming, too. I don’t like audiobooks. Still, I set aside my preference for the written word and spent 12 hours with the spoken word, read by the author himself.

I was interested enough in the reason for Weiner’s journey, not because I believed he’d find the geography of bliss, but because I thought the trip itself might make for some interesting stories, both about the people and places he’d met and about Weiner coming to know himself.

Unfortunately, I was wrong.

Ask The “Experts”

The principal problem with Weiner’s book is that he sacrifices the richness of his own travel stories by constantly indulging his maddening propensity to turn to “experts” to explain what happiness is and what makes humans happy.

While many writers have worked wonders unscrolling their personal narratives against the backdrop of a well-rendered historical and sociocultural context, Weiner’s attempts to do so are both awkward and distracting.

Weiner is particularly fond of scientific studies, and he logs empirical results as if piling up a sufficient number of scholars’ conclusions will substantiate a hypothesis that he himself has not defined clearly.

This narrative conceit could work in defter hands, but Weiner seems to be more confident in studies than he is in his own experiences. This is a shame because the best travel writers know that it’s the story-their story-that’s everything.

A Shallow Search

Since we’re talking science more than travelogue, it’s worth mentioning that Weiner’s methodology is also problematic.

There’s the matter of Weiner’s crossing a border long enough to get a feel for the country but short enough to avoid too much of its reality, the layers and complexities of which are only exposed over time.

Weiner says that his schedule was dictated by “local rhythms” rather than the journalist’s deadline to which he was accustomed, but the moments in the book when Weiner “goes local” are few and far between.

More often than not, his “local” connection is an expat, whose decision to live in the place he is visiting is verification enough for Weiner that his contact is a representative liaison qualified to pass judgment on local happiness.

Fondue + Trains + Chocolate = Happiness?

Weiner’s strategy for cultural immersion is also limiting. Weiner begins his visit to Switzerland, for instance, by connecting with Susan, an American whose “candor is constantly bumping up against the Swiss reserve.”

Susan hardly seems the best person to introduce Weiner to Swiss life and facilitate his search for the happiness grail. Yet Weiner doesn’t find it problematic that Susan’s assessment of the Swiss is that they are “culturally constipated.”

Instead, he entrusts Susan to give him entree into the Swiss mindset. She takes that trust and makes sure Weiner eats some fondue, which, along with impeccably clean Swiss trains and chocolate, is so deeply satisfying that Weiner doesn’t feel compelled to dig deeper into Swiss life.

The perpetually glum Weiner has experienced happiness, however superficial and fleeting it may be, which is good enough for him. Next country!

The Swiss, he concludes hastily before moving on-in much the same way he will conclude about the other countries he visits-are not particularly happy, though they are capable of a mix of contentment and joy, for which he coins the term “conjoyment.”

This strategy of avoiding any definitive conclusions allows Weiner to seize his own moments of happiness while absolving him of the responsibility to arrive at any meaningful or decisive declarations for his reader.

A World Traveler Falls Short

What makes Weiner’s willingness to be guided by others particularly troubling is the fact that his travel resume is fairly impressive.

As a foreign correspondent for NPR, Weiner has a good bit of ink in his passport, having reported from Bhutan and the Middle East. Clearly, he’s no stranger to the world’s trouble spots.

Perhaps it’s his career-long immersion in conflict zones and his reportorial bent that made it difficult for him to view The Geography of Bliss as anything other than a quasi-academic exercise.

On his website, Weiner writers that The Geography of Bliss is about place. “Change your place, I believe,” he writes easily, “and you can change your life.” Perhaps.

But The Geography of Bliss fails to convince the reader that Weiner understands the places he visited, much less the joy of discovering others… and oneself.

Grab your copy of The Geography of Bliss from Amazon.

What do you think about The Geography Of Happiness (the book or the idea)? Share your thoughts below!

Julie Schwietert Collazo is a writer, editor, researcher, and translator who lives in New York, Mexico City, and San Juan. She has a BA in English and Women’s Studies, a Masters of Social Work, and is working on a PhD in Literature at the Centro de Estudios Avanzados de Puerto Rico y el Caribe.

This intrepid woman rented her house, quit her job and took off for a year of volunteer tourism around the world.

Major’s travels provided a much-needed break from the rigors of “real life” and eventually provided fodder for her book Smiling at the World, which chronicles her year abroad and the experiences she encountered in her search for adventure and love.

Smiling at the World is a cheerful, wonderful read.

We meet Major as her life is coming to a crossroads, that do-or-die moment when the solitary traveler packs her bags to embark upon her journey, plagued – as I think all travelers are at some point – with nagging doubts and second guessing her decision to take a year off.

From Dream To Reality

Obviously Major decided to take the plunge, and in doing so, proved that there exists a vast difference between merely talking ad nauseum about a dream and actually taking the steps to make it a reality.

After all, who among us hasn’t idly speculated about leaving it all behind and going on an adventure, traveling the globe in search of new people, new places and new experiences?

Major however, took these idle thoughts, sat down and tailored a year-long adventure to suit her own personality.

Active Tourism

As you get further into the book, it becomes abundantly clear that this is a woman who knows herself well.

A relaxing stay at a beach resort might sound fantastic to some, but Majors knew that the appeal of sand and surf wouldn’t be enough for her inquisitive mind and active lifestyle.

Being passionate about animals and the environment, the Seattle-based real estate agent sought out opportunities for voluntourism, a rapidly growing sector of the travel industry where you have the chance to volunteer with non-profit organizations across the globe.

These types of trips offer much needed skills and volunteers to needy organizations in wildly diverse locales, while allowing the volunteer a connection and a base in a new environment.

Lesbian Wildlife?!

A few of Major’s selections for her year-long saga of growth and experience included a short stay at a Lesbian wildlife hospital (seriously), a stint as a volunteer at a monkey sanctuary and a few weeks as a newspaper reporter.

The variety of experiences makes “Smiling” an engaging and exciting read, not to mention the fact that it will open the eyes of many to the diversity of options at hand when planning a trip.

I have no doubt that the organizations Major visited and wrote about have loved the increased exposure, and their various causes will benefit from the publicity.

An Honest Story-Teller

One of the best aspects of Major’s book, and the part that makes reading it a real pleasure, is the honesty with which she relates her experiences.

Despite its sunny title Smiling at the World is not a pollyanna-esque story where all is sunshine and rainbows. Major does not embellish or gloss over the lesser delights of traveling; bed bugs, unpleasant hosts and travel mates, frustrating language barriers and the inevitable loneliness that afflicts a solo traveler.

Rather than lamenting the unfortunate episodes of her journey – experiences that don’t turn out as planned, personality conflicts and relationship drama – Major approaches hurdles with characteristic introspection and pragmatism. Not one to wallow, she pursues other options and cuts her losses when necessary.

It is inspirational to see another woman tackle life with such a focus on personal growth and optimism, and to walk away from a situation (positive or negative) with the question, ‘What can I learn from this?’.

This book offers a human perspective, a spiritual perspective, something bland guidebooks are sorely lacking.

Farewell To A Friend

Near the end of this book, seasoned travelers may experiences the familiar sensation of saying goodbye to a travel buddy you picked up a few towns back. Having grown intimately close in a short period of time, as is bound to happen while traveling, you feel inexplicably attached to their quirks and characteristics, becoming reluctant to see them go.

Through the pages of this delightful and engrossing travel diary, Joyce Major adeptly conveys her warm, loving and energetic personality. In saying farewell to her as a travel partner, one can only wish her luck and hope to hear about her next adventures.

Buy Smiling at the World on Amazon here.

Madeleine Somerville is a big city girl living in small city British Columbia, where she works as a newpaper columnist. She has travelled to Thailand and Japan and most recently came back from a few months of sun and sand Down Under.

Reading is a great form of entertainment and inspiration. However, for aspiring travel writers, it also serves as a necessary tool to learning the craft of writing. Books become your teachers, and who better to learn from than the legends of literature?

Who better to guide you through the streets of Paris and teach you how to make your words sing than Hemingway? What better way to learn how to recreate the details of a train ride than Paul Theroux?

Though your aching back may come to despise you for loading your rucksack with travelogues, your mind will thank you. Here is a list of 50 recommended books to choose from for your next travel adventure.

1. Death in the Afternoon by Ernest Hemingway

A necessary piece for those traveling through Spain, most especially for those planning on watching a bullfight. It’s an enviable work of journalistic skill that studies the art of bullfighting and its meaning within Spanish culture.

2. The Great Railway Bazaar by Paul Theroux

Paul Theroux’s “Great Railway Bazaar” captures the spontaneous pleasures of travel. Rich in observation and detail, this book is best read during solitary moments on a train. The route takes place from London’s Victoria Station to Asia and finally through the Trans-Siberian express. Capturing the idiosyncracies of train travel, the circumstances Theroux finds himself in, as well as the characters he encounters are a comical portrayal of life on the road.

3. Finding George Orwell in Burma by Emma Larkin

One of the most in-depths books on Burma to date. The book is simultaneously a political analysis on Burma, a literary study of George Orwell’s work, and an intoxicating travelogue.

4. When We Were Orphans by Kazou Ishiguro

This mystery novel will take you to the depths of Shanghai in the 1900’s and London in the 1930’s, as esteemed detective Christopher Banks searches for his parents, who had disappeared when he was a child. It is a startling look at loss, ambition, and the power of memory.

5. Four Corners: Into the Heart of New Guinea-One Woman’s Solo Journey by Kira Salak

An inspiring read for women travelers, as Kira Salak proves that gender is not a barrier for a life of risk and adventure. It is both a story of survival and a personal reflection on a life lived without borders.

6. On the Road by Jack Kerouac

Often touted as the launching pad for vagabonders, wherein the purpose of life is to simply “live.” It’s an iconic book that has fueled the imagination of several generations of readers. A piece of pure voltage as the characters traipse their way through America in search of enlightenment. A bible for those “on the road” in search of meaning and adventure.

7. Into the Wild by John Krakauer

John Krakauer’s study of Chris McCandles short life will shake you to the core. It’s a story of a young man who decides to give up all his worldly possessions and head towards the Alaskan wilderness. Aptly changing his name to “Alexander Supertramp,” McCandles’ unwavering dedication to the journey is both awe-inspiring and ultimately heartbreaking.

8. Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress: A Novel by Dai Sijie

Written like a fable or a tale, this book is a comical, yet touching account of life during the Cultural Revolution in China. Light in its delivery but profound in meaning, it serves as a reminder regarding the importance of intellectual freedom.

9. The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown

Although this book is often looked down upon by the “literarati,” it is an exciting read, especially for those planning on making a trip to the Louvre museum in Paris. Not only interesting for conspiracy fans but also a passion to read for art lovers. It is guaranteed that you will see art in a different light.

10. Midnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie

At midnight, on August 15, 1957, one thousand and one children are born possessing supernatural powers. With them, like the country, the burden of freedom weighs heavily. Not only is it a stunning work of magical realism, it’s a historical view of the hopes, dreams, and passions of post-colonial India.

11. America Is in the Heart by Carlos Bulosan

Written by Carlos Bulosan, the first Filipino to be published in the United States of America, it is the story of his migrant experiences in the so-called ‘land of plenty’ in the 1930’s. The book is about his journey through the American landscape and discusses life as an exile, dislocation, racism, and poverty.

12. Balkan Ghosts: A Journey Through History by Robert D. Kaplan

Kaplan’s ‘Balkan Ghosts: A Journey through History’ is not only a travelogue, but a political analysis of the past and present struggles within the region. He not only provides an interesting account of the Balkan peoples, but also gives insight to the roots and effects of hatred and terrorism.

13. Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad

The story revolves around the character of Christopher Marlow and his journey through the Congo. An important and timeless piece, especially for post-colonial studies, it poses questions on the concept of ‘civilization,’ the inner-struggle between good and evil, and colonialism.

14. Video Night in Kathmandu: And Other Reports from the Not-So-Far East by Pico Iyer

‘Video Night in Kathmandu’ is a collection of essays set in Asia from Pico Iyer, one of the most prolific of contemporary travel writers, which aims to dissect the the cross-cultural relationships between East and the West.

15. The Castle by Franz Kafka

A great piece for any traveler that has felt completely lost and alienated in a strange new city. It is an eerie novel of disambiguation as the character by the name of ‘K’ arrives as a land surveyor in an unamed village and seeks to gain entry into the castle but his path is blocked by mysterious authority figures and indifferent locals.

16. Life of Pi by Yann Martel

The character of “Pi” (Piscine Molitor Patel), a young boy from Pondicherry whose father is a zookeeper, is shipwrecked in the Pacific Ocean for 227 days. With him in the life raft are various animals, the most intriguing of which is the Bengal tiger who becomes Pi’s only friend, as well as enemy. A shocking and absorbing story that examines religion, spirituality, and the psychological effects of traumatic experiences.

17. The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera

A great book for those planning on traveling through the former Czechoslovakia, or even those simply seeking artistic and philosophical insight. A novel about love, desire, and the struggle between logic and emotions; it follows the lives of artists during the invasion of the Soviet Union and Warsaw Pact Allies in the country.

18. The Portrait of a Lady by Henry James

An absorbing masterpiece by Henry James that emphasizes the differences between America and Europe. It is the confrontation of the New World versus the Old World, where the character of the American Isabel Archer travels to Europe to find her destiny. The novel is about the search and loss of freedom and a grand overview of an American in Europe during the Victorian era.

19. The Dark Room by Rachel Seiffert

“The Dark Room” is a profound novel that recounts the events of 20th century Germany through the lives and struggles of three characters all connected by their love-hate relationship with the city of Berlin.

20. The Tale of Murasaki: A Novel by Liza Dalby

Written in the form of a diary, the book is a display of Dalby’s skill for imagination and recreating Japanese literary history. It captures the essence of Murasaki Shikibu, who wrote “The Tale of Genji” and is full of philosophical and cultural insight.

21. The Call of the Wild by Jack London

A great adventure story told through the eyes of Buck, a domesticated dog who returns to his primal nature in order to survive the harsh landscape of the Yukon. Though expressed through experiences of an animal, it is a timeless tale of tapping into the savage instincts that lay buried within all of us.

22. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thomson

A cult novel that is an account of Thomson’s drug-infused, paranoia ridden journey to Las Vegas in order to fulfill an assignment for Rolling Stone Magazine. Not only is “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” wildly entertaining as a novel, a travelogue, and a biography, but is an important study on the idea of the “American Dream.”

23. A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway

Hemingway’s “A Moveable Feast” is his memories, observations and experiences of living in Paris during the 1920’s as part of the “Lost Generation” of America writers and artists. It is an essential piece for those who dream of living abroad or are in the midst of piecing toghether their expatriate lives.

24. Lord of the Flies by William S. Golding

“The Lord of the Flies” tells the story of a group of British schoolboys marooned in an island and have to learn to fend for themselves. In their efforts, they create their own democracy which goes awry as violence and chaos ensues. Set in the midst of World War II, it is an allegorical tale of a society without authority and the loss of innocence.

25. Dubliners by James Joyce

“Dubliners” is Joyce’s portrayal of Ireland’s middle-class in the 20th century told through a collection of 15 stories. Written during the wake of the Irish nationalist movement, the pieces reflect the people’s search for identity and the struggles of everyday life.

26. The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling

Though mostly popular due to the Disney cartoon classic, the book is a collection of stories set in India. The book is not only interesting for children, but for adults as well, as it details the different customs and traditions in India, as well as a criticism of British colonial powers.

27. The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint Exupéry

An inspiring novella for those searching for a sense of meaning and purpose. Though largely viewed as a children’s book, “The Little Prince” is about an aviator who lands in the Sahara desert and comes to meet an alien in the form of a boy who teaches him the value of seeing the world through the eyes of an innocent.

28. Maximum City Maximum City by Suketu Mehta

“Maximum City” is Mehta’s account of returning to the India he had left behind as a child when his family migrated to New York. The author paints a picture of modern Bombay and the complexities of living between two opposing cultures.

29. In Patagonia by Bruce Chatwin

One of the most creative and entertaining travelogues to date, “In Patagonia” is Chatwin’s account of trying to reconstruct the legendary adventures of his grandmother’s uncle through South America. This book, in its literary depths, historical accounts, and adventurous undertakings, set the standard for travel writing.

30. Under the Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes

For anyone who has aspired to start afresh and ‘build a new home,’ so to speak , “Under the Tuscan Sun” is a rich and deeply moving account of her efforts to restore a villa in Italy. It is a memoir that reminds us of the sensual pleasures of food, life, and the importance of making a leap of faith.

31. Seven Years in Tibet by Heinrich Harrer

A breathtaking true story of Austrian adventurer Heinrich Harrer and Peter Aufschnaiter escape to Tibet after being imprisoned in India by the British during World War II. An insightful novel that gives an insiders account of the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan way of life, that is rarely seen by outsiders.

32. Going Solo by Roald Dahl

“Going Solo” is Roald Dahl’s biography and is an account of his life as a pilot in North Africa during World War II. Not unlike his captivating children’s books, this book is rife with exciting adventures, interesting encounters, and laugh-out-loud humor.

33. I Dreamed of Africa by Kuki Gallman

Kuki Gallman’s memoir of her life in Africa is simultaneously inspiring and heart-wrenching. In the wake of a tragedy that occured in her homeland in Italy, Kuki moves to Africa with her family and lover and is about overcoming and embracing the challenges of living in a world so different than her own.

34. The Sex Lives of Cannibals: Adrift in the Equatorial Pacific by J. Maarten Troost

“The Sex Lives of Cannibals: Adrift in the Equatorial Pacific” is J. Maarten Troost’s hilarous yet discerning account of living in Tarawa for two-years. The novel touches on the romantic image of “Paradise” we often attach to island living and the sad realities that need to be acknowledged.

35. Letters to a Young Poet by Rainer Marie Rilke

“Letters to a Young Poet” is a collection of letters between Rainer Marie Rilke to an aspiring young poet by the name of Franz Xaver Kappus. Not only is it inspiring to read while on the road, but also a necessary piece for those of us searching and striving to live an authentic life.

36. The Living City by Frank Lloyd Wright

For architecture buffs or those that enjoy reveling in a bustling metropolis, Frank Lloyd Wright’s vision of a Utopian city is an enthralling look into his views on society, urbanization, and freedom.

37. Gravity’s Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon

This masterpiece by Thomas Pynchon raises the bar for what any would-be-author would aspire to create. A postmodern epic set during the end of the 2nd World War where its protagonist, Tyrone Slothrope search for German V-2 rockets is linked with the pattern (specifically, constellation) he created to keep track of the women he has slept with. Although a difficult read, its complexity, subplots, and confusion are allegories to the challenges of the modern world.

38. The Beach by Alex Garland

After the movie of the same title came out, hoards of adventurous backpackers made their way to Thailand in search of snake blood and hidden maps. However, the book is more exciting than the film version as it highlights the travelers quest for the unknown, yet also reveals the pitfalls of exploitation travel.

39. The Size of the World: Once Around Without Leaving the Ground by Jeff Greenwald

“The Size of the World” by Jeff Greenwald is an inspiring book for travelers searching for creative ways to explore the world. It begins with Greenwald’s goal to travel the globe without leaving the ground, and before he begins his journey he posts a query in the personals section of a newspaper to find a female travel companion. Thus, the story is not only an adventurous chronicle of the 9-months spent traveling by buses, trains and boats, but also a hilarious account of the women who respond to his ad.

40. Sheltering Sky by Paul Bowles

A dramatic piece of literature set in Morocco, where the desert becomes an untamed character in itself. Set in the 20th Century, the characters of Kit and Port Moresby are a married couple from New York who travel to North Africa in the hopes of re-igniting the passion in their marriage, however they must learn to battle the elements, circumstances, and sense of dislocation brought on by the “sheltering sky.”

41. Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne

“Around the World in 80 Days” by Jules Verne set the stage for the future of adventure seekers everywhere. A classic novel that begins with Londoner Phileas Fogg, who makes a £20,000 bet with his friends that he can circle the globe in 80 days with his French valet Passerpout.

42. The Road to Oxiana by Robert Byron

Written in the form of a diary, Byron’s “Road to Oxiana” is a moving account of his travels through Persia and Afghanistan. Each page never fails to entertain, as Robert Byron’s skill in painting an image of his personal experiences, opinions and encounters to the reader.

43. Travels with Charley by John Steinbeck

“Travels with Charley” is Steinbeck’s account of his journey through America during the 1960’s with his best friend, Charley the dog. His prowess as a writer is unchallenged, as he weaves together his observations of modern America and highlights the value of surrendering oneself to the journey.

44. The Innocents Abroad by Mark Twain

Published in 1869, it is Twain’s travel story through Europe and the Holy Land via a pleasure cruise. A pleasure to read, not only for Mark Twain’s clever observations, but also because it highlights the relationship between the Americans and Europeans during the 19th century and how each viewed their place in the world.

45. The Book Bag by W. Somerset Maugham

An intriguing and entertaining collection of short stories by W. Somerset Maugham that include pieces set in Asia, Europe and the Americas. The tales will shock, captivate and amuse the reader as Maugham pulls the “skeletons out of the closet” of his seemingly conservative, ‘civilized’ characters.

46. The Summing Up by W. Somerset Maugham

“The Summing Up” by W. Somerset Maugham is a must-read for any aspiring writer. Maugham emphasizes that the book is not his autobiography but are his reflections on the the craft of writing and the importance of travel, literature and philosophy.

47. The Painted Veil by W. Somerset Maugham

A novel that teaches the lessons of love as the character of Kitty, a shallow and confused socialite marries the passionate bacteriologist Walter Fane who she later cheats on with the Charles Townsend. When Walter Fane discovers her infidelity he takes her on assignment with him to China. Not only is the book about discovering the meaning of love, forgiveness and compassion, but also paints a vivid picture of China during the 20th century

48. Collected Poems 1947-1997 by Allen Ginsberg

What better way to walk the uncommon path than through the works of Beat poet, Allen Ginsberg. The voice he creates through his poems calls out for spiritual liberation and passionate causes.

49. Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie

An exciting read, especially for those planning on traveling by train; Christie’s “Murder on the Orient Express” will have you on the edge of your seat as esteemed detective, Hercule Poirot tries to solve the case.

50. Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman

Whitman’s collection of poems in “Leaves of Grass” creates an image of America, the horror of war, and the nature of man through his raw and sensual verses.

What books would you add to the list? Leave your picks in the comments!

It all began with a volcanic eruption. Caught in a storm of ashen rain and almost walking into the ocean, Michaela Lola realized at the tender age of eight that life was meant to be an adventure. Her escapades include riding the midnight train to Marrakesh, partying with the katoys in Thailand and sampling insects in China.

Maybe it’s because I’m female. Or maybe it’s because I’m a prude, or, who knows what it is, but I always find it troubling when sex tourism gets treated more with irony than outrage.

Gonzo travel guys seem to visit these places and merely raise an ironic eyebrow over their tourist priced beer while not being particularly bothered one way or the other about the fate of underaged prostitutes or women who make money by writing banners with markers stuffed in … oh, you get it.

It disappoints me when these otherwise funny, smart, insightful, (many positive adjectives here) seem to give sex tourism a get out of scrutiny free card.

I have to read the sections in question in “Smile When You’re Lying” again to confirm this is correct and that I’ve not put the book down with a false impression.

That’s all I’ve got by way of criticism about Chuck Thompson’s hilarious, painful, scathing, and again hilarious book.

It was especially excruciating to read it following our press junket. We both indulged in and were victims of all the things Thompson takes down in his book – the freebies, the PR rep hosted cocktail hours, the nonexistent support for our trip from the publisher, and still, I sit at my desk every day involved in the terrible evil of writing noncritical prose about our destination.

Take That, Rick Steves

Forgive me, Thompson, for I have sinned, and am surrounded by sinners.

I spent the two days it took me to read the book – I could not put it down – alternating between groaning and laughing. Thompson takes potshots at travel writers, editors, expats, English teachers abroad, the programs that sponsor them, Paul Theroux, and the nicest guy in travel, Rick Steves. Rick Steves! Who takes shots at Rick Steves?

Sadly, he’s right on with most of it. Most commercial travel writing is insipid. Real travel stories, those about getting ripped off by four Catholic schoolgirl types or the ridiculous things expats will do to cope with the crippling boredom of being isolated in a culture not your own (a-hem) never make it to ink.

Editors need to sell ad space to hotels and airlines and oh, Expedia, and stories of your (you thought) near death at the roadside are not going to encourage readers to travel.

True story: I once wrote a story about the lodge out on Lake Quinalt on the Olympic Peninsula. It’s a lovely place, but they gave us a room with no view (fine) over the kitchen (noisy). I gave the place a decent review – it’s a nice place, actually – but I also suggested that visitors might want make sure they’re not over the kitchen or the restaurant.

The editor killed that remark, and it wasn’t because of the word count. I also wrote a piece about sailing in which I opened with my great dislike of watercraft, but that got reworked to. First person adventure, be gone! All of a sudden, I love boats. Dude. I hate boats.

No Spin Zone

I loved the writing in this book. Thompson spins a travel tale the way it should be done, leaving out none of the good stuff that sets the scene, glossing over none of the ugly details sitting just off screen.

He’s got unflinching nerve – talk about biting the hand that feeds you – doesn’t spare himself when it comes to criticism, and he’s just plain funny. Smile When You’re Lying is a great read for expats, travel writers, wanna be travel writers, and people who think travel writers have it easy. Hilarious.

Sidebar thing I’m pysched about: You don’t read that stuff in magazines, but the sheer mass of Travel Stories on the Web means that the stories are getting told. They’re hard to find in all the noise, but while publishers are overlooking them, travelers are telling them on their own. Woot for that.

Hey, I’d like to give you my copy of this book. The PR folks sent me a review copy and now, I’d like to give it away. If you want it, here’s how you get it:

Post a link to your “never gonna be published” travel or expat story in the comments on my site. We’ll pick our favorite at the NEV HQ and send you the book. (Hmmm. Maybe we’ll do a reader vote depending on how many entries are posted. Stay tuned.)

You’ve got until January 2nd to post your links, I’ll send the winner my copy of the book sometime after that. If you can’t stand to wait, you can buy Smile When You’re Lying here.

Pam Mandel is a freelance writer and the travel editor for BlogHer. She blogs about travel, seafood, the ukulele, and more at Nerd’s Eye View.

The essence of a journey is this strange process of return-where one travels beyond the expected destination and learns to embrace change; its strange faces and cultures and unspoken encounters with fate.

The road of the journey is as mysterious and as mystical as life itself. The journey is life at its core and life is a journey at heart, yet oddly, having departed and returned, the traveler glimpses the circulatory nature of all things-back to a new square one.

Mountaineer Greg Mortenson left his western roots for another mountain on another expedition across the planet. His sights were set on K2; a spire of beatific magnitude that forces the mind to discard the idea of impossibility.

K2 is a towering cliff of rock, ice, uncertainty and death, located in the Karakoram Range of northeastern Pakistan. The world’s second highest peak, K2 is not just another summit within the boundaries of your state’s park system.

K2 is the adventurer’s dream – a climber’s paradise of long-distance travel that requires hours of planning and coordination, research and resources in order to achieve the slight prospect of an indeterminate outcome.

And being a technical route, which requires not only adept skill in mountaineering, but rock and ice climbing as well, the climber must surrender to a life of insecurity in preparation for the peak.

To Tackle A Dream

The summer of 1992. Greg leaves his homeless reality in Berkeley, California to tackle a dream in honor of his dead sister. The ascent was obvious – goals clearly defined – but where he would be led on the descent was the looming question.

First, he had to survive a frozen night after wandering from discreet trails of ice and crevasses. Second, he would have to overcome the tests his philanthropic future determined for him. And third, he would need to delve into the heart of Western and Eastern politics and emerge unscathed to continue his push for change.

Mortenson would be summiting mountains more tumultuous than any earthly spire. His quest traversed a range of humanity, with crags of expectations, manipulations, and desires, connecting together the races of our species and the unique beliefs we hold too securely in our minds.

Greg Mortenson would eventually become the link between education, respect and peace.

A Long Journey

The Central Asia Institute (CAI) is the result of the journey Greg began by returning off K2 – a journey of flights in perpetuity, sleepless days and nights, and the missed and irreplaceable moments with a growing family. Greg, a onetime mountaineer transformed into a philanthropist, began to build schools.

Flying from the Western United States to the deep abysses of Asia, to presentations at inanimate chair-backs and an anxious detention within a cell in the center of southern Afghanistan’s rising jihad – these experiences characterized Mortenson’s new life.

The first CAI school was raised in Korphe, and then a second and a third as Baltistani locals witnessed the care and concern of a few foreigners who came to their mountainous region with one goal on their minds.

From the outset, Greg was known to be different, different from previous mountaineers, different from most western minds. In his ultimatum is the reunion of the Asian cultures-their systems of belief, religion and lifestyles-with the broadening world of education.

Steadiness And Grace

With steadiness and fierce grace that befuddles the ordinary businessman and politician, Mortenson exposes the problems of terrorism and resolutely proposes a cure with his school-building projects: Education.

Countering the widespread dissemination of madrassas, or strict Islamic religious institutions for youths with little to no opportunities, Greg sends a clear message of universal education for both male and female children alike as the world’s cure to poverty, disease and war.

And he sets a perilous new goal as he ventures from the northern reaches of Pakistan across the Khyber Pass into the heart of Osama bin Laden’s mountainous Afghanistan, where warlords and opium growers begin to accept his view of an educated society, the East and West together.

Three Cups of Tea harnesses his tireless spirit and initiates readers into his world of unbeatable determination.

As with climbing mountains, Greg continually surrenders himself to a system of education, seeking to bring those less fortunate into a world of opportunity. Yet with so little time, how could he begin the arduous process of putting the journey down on paper?

Greg leaves that to ghostwriter David Oliver Relin, while he surges forward with steam.

From the first departure toward conquering the world’s highest mountains in the most inhospitable atmospheres, Mortenson returns to his roots, battling strict forms of belief in order to implement a society of educated boys and girls.

Click here to buy Three Cups of Tea: One Man’s Mission to Promote Peace…One School at a Time

Cameron Karsten writes spiritual and health travel columns for Brave New Traveler. He left his formal classroom studies to indulge in dreams of travel at 19 years old, and has been wandering ever since. Visit his personal website.

One could call it the last feminist battleground. While most western women today are able to work, choose their husbands and vote – the idea of traveling abroad without a suitable chaperon still raises eyebrows.

Hopeful women travelers are regaled with horror stories about the dire predicaments that similarly minded women have found themselves as a result of traveling alone.

This advice is no doubt well-intentioned by these protective naysayers- but instead of letting their warnings dissuade you from embarking on the trip of your dreams, I recommend tossing them a copy of Beth Whitman’s Wanderlust and Lipstick: The essential guide for women traveling solo” as you head out the door, alone but for your trusty backpack.

Woman On The Road

Whitman is the kind of traveler that others don’t tell you about. A woman traveling on her own who doesn’t end up victimized and forever scarred by foreign men and foreign cultures eager to take advantage of a naïve westerner.

Instead, Whitman has a solid twenty years of travel experience under her belt and is eager to share with other women what she discovered – that yes, it is possible, and sometimes even better, to go it alone.

“Wanderlust and Lipstick” is a great read and Whitman manages to avoid the dry tone that plagues many travel guides, while not straying into frivolity as so many woman-oriented books tend to do.

She doesn’t pander to chick-lit sensibilities with references to the dangers of chipped nail-polish and even tackles the subject of romantic entanglement while traveling in a matter of fact and mature manner.

Written with a good combination of sound advice, tips from someone who’s been there herself and the strong sense that she believes you can take care of yourself, “Wanderlust and Lipstick” casts Whitman as the quintessential older sister, someone eager to share what she’s learned in her experiences to help your own.

The Benefits Of Solo Travel

The sheer readability of the content belies the amount of useful tips and information that is packed within its pages.

Whitman begins by enticing the reader with a list of several reasons to travel alone, inviting the reader to wrap her mind around the concept that there are in fact benefits.

Having done a fabulous job of explaining the “why” of traveling solo, Whitman then embarks into the meat of the book, explaining the “how”.

Travel destinations, booking trips, important safety information, connecting with other travelers on the road and even coming home again, Whitman thoroughly covers every aspect of the traveling experience and tailors it to the female adventurer.

Anecdotes from other seasoned female travelers pepper the chapters, and these tidbits serve to not only liven the reading experience but also play an important role in hammering home the reassuring fact that there are women out there experiencing the world on their own.

If they can do it, there’s no good reason why you can’t.

Whitman presents a great case for women travelers, passing on enough intelligent, safety-oriented advice to satisfy those well-intentioned naysayers while leaving room for her enthusiastic love of travel.

In short, she inspires even the most doubtful women among us to strike out and begin creating anecdotes of our own.

Further reading:

• Review of Wanderlust and Lipstick at GoBackpacking
• An Interview with Beth Whitman

Madeleine Somerville is a big city girl living in small city British Columbia, where she works as a newpaper columnist. She has travelled to Thailand and Japan and most recently came back from a few months of sun and sand Down Under.

The enlightened prince 500-some years before the birth of Jesus knew what he was talking about.

He spoke of the path of life; a winding tumultuous trail of crags, thorns, mountains and exquisite vistas that all creatures must travel on Earth.

New York Times contributor Perry Garfinkel was on the path, though he didn’t know it when National Geographic accepted Perry’s pitch to travel around the world documenting the chronology of Buddhism and its revival as the 21st century’s “engaged” Buddhist Movement-all expenses paid.

It was a dream job for any writer — a “cosmic bailout” of constant movement, interviews, hours of taxi rides and plane flights, with swarms of luggage, language barriers and a precarious lumbar structure. The journey would land Perry a 24-page spread in one of the world’s most renowned periodicals and the book, Buddha or Bust.

Perry Garfinkel began as another American seeking answers to the insatiatable materialism of the West. He sets out from his mother’s New Jersey home eastward in search of the modern world’s Buddhism.

The cold reality of Auschwitz is Perry’s first hard awakening. Dug within the shallow grave of his Jewish lineage, he comes face-to-face with his own denial. From the start, the ego continues its play, dominating the truth, meaning, happiness and true healing.

Perry’s experiences undermine his ability to remain on the meditation cushion in the face of such suffering and horror.

He continues into the heart of the East. India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Hong Kong and China, Tibet, Japan’s Kyoto and Tokyo, exploring how Buddhism has confronted the daily suffering in the world.

Through the directions and words of various Eastern philosophies, Perry Garfinkel’s questions are never answered. He is instead filled with ponderings of possibility.

The Buddha has as many faces as he does sutras. He exhibits as many ways to smile upon the world as the number of steps in which Gandhi trekked. If one thing is true today, it’s that citizens continue to strive for a more compassionate world.

Engaged Buddhism continues to hold the one true purpose: a means to look inward upon one’s Self. After the months of movement, Perry recognizes his own inner light, where his questions have been leading him all along.

Here, only in the present moment, beneath all judgment and self-righteous assurance of who he thinks he is, does the simple joy of being reside. He is Perry Garfinkel: writer, author, world traveler, and spiritual practitioner.

With keen observance, Perry believes the Buddha’s message continues to thrive. The question is: are we willing to stop and listen?

Cameron Karsten writes a weekly spiritual travel column for Brave New Traveler. He left his formal classroom studies to indulge in dreams of travel at 19 years old, and has been wandering ever since. Visit his personal website.