Travel without the hassle: From your armchair
Travel is wonderful. It broadens your horizons and gives you something new to think about. You learn from the experience of seeing new things and meeting new people. Travel gives you a respite from your usual life, or as the English say, "a change of air."
But travel can be difficult, too. It takes time to plan and requires some money and effort. There is the discomfiture of leaving the routines of your daily life. New foods may upset your stomach, and you can feel very vulnerable if things go awry.
In these difficult economic times, one answer is armchair travel. To avoid the effort, possible pain, and especially expense involved in travel, read about others' adventures. You'll get many of the benefits of travel without ever leaving home!
Recently, I ate lunch with my colleague, Bill McCully, Executive Director of the Prospect Heights Public Library. Our talk strayed from business conversation into a discussion of our favorite travel books. I knew Bill was an intrepid traveler, having heard about his ventures in the past. Now I also know that Bill is a devotee of travel books.
With his master's degree in library science and a Ph.D. in modern French history, McCully has enjoyed numerous European trips since 1970. It's not surprising that his first book recommendation was "Paris Discovered: Explorations in the City of Light" by Mary McAuliffe.
"It's a collection of articles," he said, "focused on the interesting details of Paris neighborhoods via recommended walks in the city. The reader can dip in for a short, easy-to-digest read."
Afghan author Tahir Shah has written numerous interesting travel accounts. Bill recommends "The Caliph's House," which tells how Shah attempted to settle his family in a Moroccan house said to be occupied by genies!
Moving back in time to ancient Rome, McCully recommends Tony Perrottet's "Pagan Holiday: On the Trail of Ancient Roman Tourists" (also published under the title "Route 66 A.D.").
"Perrottet, an Australian now living in New York, is a great travel writer," McCully said. "This book is a bit like the guides we have to America's Route 66, except it's about traveling from Rome through Southern Italy, Greece, and Egypt in ancient times. This was the favorite journey of the well-to-do Roman in search of culture, diversion, and adventure. Perrottet chronicles the journey with wry wit as well as historical observations."
"Another Odyssey book I enjoyed," McCully continued, "was 'The Singular Pilgrim' by Rosemary Mahoney, who visited several of the world's great pilgrimage sites from Ireland to India on her own - camping out, talking to people and walking, walking, walking."
Two great series to try are: "The Best Travel Writing" and "The Best American Travel Writing," which both compile outstanding travel articles published during the preceding year. These books offer fascinating glimpses of exotic locales like Antarctica or the Horn of Africa, which may never make it to the top of your travel agenda.
McCully's final pick takes us back to France with "On Rue Tatin: Living and Cooking in a French Town" by Susan Herrmann Loomis.
"Like Peter Mayle's 'A Year in Provence,' this (is a) book of the author's family rehabbing a very old convent home in Normandy. Their adventures are sure to divert the reader. Since another of the author's goals was to write a French cookbook, her story also includes many excellent recipes."
Listen to my podcast interview with Bill McCully atlibrarybeat.org for more exciting travel book suggestions - great for gifts or for your own armchair travel.