Something for the Armchair Traveller

Armchair Travellers - Behold!

Here's a roundup of some of the best travel writing on offer - from novels to memoirs, dream holidays and journeys from hell.
Sit back, open a book and let your imagination wander!

 

 

 

 

 

Fiction

The Beach by Alex Garland 

For those who have never been able to take six months off to loaf about on the beaches of Asia - rest assured it can sometimes go horribly wrong. Richard is travelling aimlessly around Thailand when he comes into possesion of a hand drawn map to a hidden Eden. Of course he sets off to find it.

On the Road by Jack Kerouac

Sal Paradise and Dean Moriarty crisscross America in the ultimate roadtrip novel. A thinly disguised autobiographical account of Jack Kerouac's own wanderings through the American heartland and a novel of reckless youth in a quest for meaning.

Fiesta: The Sun also Rises by Ernest Hemmingway

This follows the lives, loves and drunken exploits of  a group of American and English expats living it up in Paris and Spain during the interwar years. Notable for the intense and memorable descriptions of the bullfighting in Spain.

 

Memoir

My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell

In 1935 when Gerald Durrell was eight his mother moved the household from England to Corfu. This charming memoir tells all about their adventures over the next few years.A warm and funny account of his eccentric family and friends as well as an exploration of the flora and fauna of Corfu.

 

Travelogue

The Great Railway Bazaar: by Train Through Asia by Paul Theroux

Following an epic journey by train from London to Tokyo through Asia and back through Siberia this is a travel classic and deservedly so. An entertaining account of conversations and encounters with strangers across a continent.

In Patagonia by Bruce Chatwin

A fascinating book that explores the history, myth and tall tales that make up the cultural landscape of this country at the tip of South America. You can expect to read about extinct giant sloths, Welsh mining communities and the eventual whereabouts Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. 

Full Tilt: Ireland to India with a Bicycle by Dervla Murphy

An engrossing account of Dervla Murphy's trip from Ireland to India more than forty years ago. It's remarkable and ispiring to read about her adventures and tribulations travelling alone through Afghanistan and Pakistan more than forty years ago.