Raja Shehadeh’s Palestinian Walks is a series of reflective essays about moving through the landscapes of the West Bank and Gaza region, where walking becomes both a practical act and a way of thinking. Rather than writing conventional travel reportage, Shehadeh treats the route itself as a narrative device—using roads, paths, hills, fields, and ruins to explore how everyday geography is shaped by politics, memory, and loss. The book’s atmosphere is quiet and observant, with the ordinary details of terrain...
Matsuo Bashō’s The Narrow Road to the Deep North (Oku no Hosomichi) is a poetic travel narrative recounting his 1689 journey from Edo (modern Tokyo) into Japan’s remote northern interior. Written in a refined blend of prose and haiku known as haibun, the work records not only the physical stages of his journey but also a spiritual pilgrimage shaped by Zen Buddhism, literary memory, and a deep sensitivity to impermanence. Though the narrative is relatively brief, it distills vast emotional...
A travel adventure to commemorate Marco Polo’s journey along the Silk Road, Scottish historian (Cambridge student at the time he took this journey), William Dalrymple, uses older historic narratives and maps to help guide him and fellow travelers from the Holy Land to Xanadu (Shan-tu, just north of Beijing). William’s companion traveler for the first half of his journey (until Lahore) is Laura. She is determined to stay on a tight schedule to ensure she meets her obligations and arrives...
This is a great book to own in its physical form, as numerous photos are interspersed throughout the essays on the natural beauty of Japan’s Kii Peninsula and its disappearing villages and life. A map plots Mod’s route along the eastern coastline, through once-thriving villages, many now reduced in many areas to a few kissas (akin to diners, though much smaller and offering a far sparser menu than their counterparts in, say, New Jersey), some ryokans here and there, and...
Riding Toward Everywhere delves into the history and culture of train hopping. Train hopping has its roots in the Great Depression era when many people hopped trains in search of work. Vollmann examines the allure of train hopping as a way to escape society’s constraints and experience a sense of freedom and adventure. He also explores the dangers and risks inherent in this lifestyle. Risks such as encounters with law enforcement, injuries, and the constant uncertainty of where the next...
Voyage Around My Room is a whimsical and introspective travelogue written by French author Xavier de Maistre and published in 1794. The book takes a unique approach to travel literature by exploring the world within the confines of a single room. The narrator, who is under house arrest for dueling, embarks on a journey of self-discovery and imagination within the boundaries of his own room. He observes and describes the objects, furniture, and artwork in his surroundings, imbuing them with...
The Colossus of Maroussi is a travel memoir written by American author Henry Miller and published in 1941. The book chronicles Miller’s experiences traveling through Greece in the late 1930s and his encounters with various people. At its core, The Colossus of Maroussi is a personal exploration of Miller’s deep appreciation for Greece and its people. The narrative is a blend of vivid descriptions, philosophical reflections, and poetic musings. Miller immerses himself in the Greek way of life and the...