5 Travelogues for the Perfect Vacay Mood
Travelling is an experience that opens up realms for self-exploration. Even when you step out of your place, there is something or the other to catch your attention and change your state of mind. For the love of travel, people hop from one end of the world to the other. To get a similar experience, people read travelogues to explore nature and discover it. These books bring us closer to what we love and yearn for. Elizabeth Gilbert in her book ‘Eat, Pray, Love’ writes:
“When I get lonely these days, I think: So be lonely, Liz. Learn your way around loneliness. Make a map of it. Sit with it, for once in your life. Welcome to the human experience.”
Such is the magic of words, they make you transcend on journeys beyond the spatial boundaries.
At a time when the world remains locked in, we can find an escape in travel literature. Fuelled by a sense of adventure, travel writing is a genre that is becoming increasingly popular among readers. The stories told by people who have been on fascinating journeys have helped many readers travel through sheer imagination. Try your hands on these six fascinating tales of adventure that will transport you miles away, from the comfort of your reading nook at home-
Into the Wild by John Krakauer
This book portrays a real life-story of young Christopher Johnson McCandless, who, after donating all his possessions to charity, invented a new life for himself in the wild. A classic tale of stepping into the unknown amongst the Coastal Plains and the North Slopes of Alaska! The young traveller discovers the sheer joy of just being alive as he withstands every challenge with a spirit of adventure and valour. If you’re one of those individuals who crave adventure in the newness, this one’s for you.
Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed
If Krakauer’s book follows the story of a young man, Cheryl Strayed demonstrates the female desire to explore the world. Strayed’s memoir Wild is the story of her 1,100-mile solo hike along the Pacific Crest Trail. Losing all hope upon her mother’s death, Strayed embarked on this journey all alone in order to find meaning. Her journey, begun with sheer determination, ends in self-discovery and healing. Wild evocatively captures the bravery and strength of a young woman forging ahead against all odds on a dangerous and turbulent journey. Strayed’s memoir has inspired women across the globe to defy social expectations and explore the world fearlessly and independently.
Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman’s Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia by Elizabeth Gilbert
Considered to be one of the most influential travel books written in the first decade of the 2000s, this piece of work is going to take you places! A successful thirty-year-old woman feels spiritually unfulfilled and thus embarks on a journey across the world to know who she really was. Irrespective of the setup, this work of travel fiction is the ideal guide that takes you around the globe covering locations like Bali, Naples, Rome, New York City and New Delhi! The book’s vivid descriptions will definitely transport you to these most scenic cities in the world, turning it into a cult favourite for people who enjoy solo travel and self-fulfilment.
Autumn Light: Season of Fire and Farewells by Pico Iyer
Autumn Light is a travel book from one of the most renowned travellers in the world. Infused with beautiful imagery, the book takes the reader through a mesmerising journey through Japan. Autumn Light is a memoir that begins just before the leaves start to change colour and ends in winter, depicting the glorious colours of Japanese autumn. The book is a vivid and intriguing portrait of Japan and Japanese society and will make you long for a visit to the country. Pico believes that travel opens up our minds to the hidden realities of the world more than newspapers or television do.
In an Antique Land: History in The Guise of a Traveller’s Tale by Amitav Ghosh
In this ethnographic work, the Indian writer Amitav Ghosh pictures himself as an Indian slave and takes the reader 700 years back to the Middle East. This book is set in the mighty Egyptian land with a twist of contemporary time. If Sultanates, Great Pyramids, and Sphinx in the mighty desert of the Middle Eastern World amuse the traveller in you, this is a great pick! This is an evocative travelogue that transcends time and allows you to go on a thought-provoking journey into a historical setup casting a spell upon the reader.
Travel books have the ability to whisk readers away to far off lands. Even as we remain confined to our homes, we can be driven by a spirit of adventure, as the writers of these travelogues were. Until the next planned trip, grab these books to feel the zeal of adventure again. Immerse yourself into the world opened up by these works of travel fiction and say hello to the wanderlust in you.
Happy Reading!
