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- Top 24 Books on Travel to Keep Alive the Travel Bug
Top 24 Books on Travel to Keep Alive the Travel Bug
The world has faced unprecedented change over the last year and a half, making travel seem like a distant dream for most of us. Here are 15 books on and around travel that will keep that travel bug satiated till we can safely begin the jet-setting again!
The Braided River by Samrat Choudhury
As Assam heads to the polls, a compelling account of the region told as a travelogue that follows the braided course of the Brahmaputra and touches upon all of the region’s hot-button issues – political, military and ecological.
Based on the actual five-month-long journey of renowned biker Candida Louis, Candid Tales: India on a Motorcycle rides off the beaten trail to discover eccentric and beautiful people (living and otherwise!), heart-warming cultures, and secret places in which she left her heart behind.
Destination India by Colins Katy
Starting the Lonely Hearts Travel Club was supposed to be the second chance that gave Georgia Green back her life. She thought it would be just like traveling, but the reality is far from rosy as she realizes that starting a new business is definitely not a beach! So when Georgia finds herself on an impromptu work trip to India she knows something’s got to give! Where has the girl gone who fought so hard to rebuild her life? The land of Bollywood, gorgeous beaches, and the Taj Mahal might just hold the key to Georgia finding her stride again… Only she is about to find out that when in India the country calls the shots – not you. But Georgia’s not going down that easy!
Bending Over Backwards by Carlo Pizzati
In this intrepid and humorous travelogue, Carlo Pizzati embarks on a quest to find a cure for a backache that has tortured him for twenty years. Armed with his notebook and an indomitable spirit of adventure, Carlo travels from a posturologist’s office in northern Italy to the rarefied mountain air of Boulder to seek a variety of New Age alternative cures; from a trance-dance venue hidden near the woods of Cinque Terre to an exorcist-shaman’s den near Buenos Aires, who photographs demons and auras. Eventually, Carlo fetches up in India, to live and learn from the yogis at the Ashtanga yoga center in Mysore. In India, as Carlo engages in strenuous yogic discipline, meditates atop hills, he has an explosive insight into his past births which leads to an encounter that will change his life forever. Along the way, our skeptical, suffering but always curious narrator discovers the ways in which spirituality and technology intersect. Wry, witty, and wise by turns, this is a book about self-discovery, facing fears and failures, and undertaking an arduous journey with an open mind and heart.
Walking in Clouds by Kavitha Yaga Buggana
Will we make it? That’s the question Kavitha and her cousin, Pallu, ask themselves as they trek through Himalayan pine forests and unforgiving mountains in Nepal and Tibet. Their goal: to reach Mount Kailash and Lake Manasarovar. The two women walk to ancient monasteries, meditate on freezing slopes, dance on the foothills of Kailash, and confront death in the thin mountain air. In Kailash and Manasarovar, the holiest of Hindu and Buddhist sites, they struggle to reconcile their rationalist views with faith and the beloved myths of their upbringing. Remarkably, it is this journey that helps them discover the meaning of friendship. Walking in Clouds is a beautifully crafted memoir of a journey to far-away places and to the places within. It mixes lyrical, descriptive storytelling with stunning photographs to bring to life a unique travelogue.
In The Footsteps of Rama by Vikrant Pande & Neelesh Kulkarni
For the armchair traveller as well as the enthusiast for epic tales, this is a wonderful book with which to revisit the world of the Ramayana.
Looking Beyond by Hugh Gantzer
Travel Writing is the art of discovering the magic of ordinary persons, places, and things…’ Hugh and Colleen Gantzer are pioneering travel writers and travel documentary filmmakers. Looking Beyond shares its name with a series of half-hour episodes that they did for Indian national television, documenting their travels the first of its kind in English on Indian television. In Looking Beyond they invite the reader to join them as they travel around India and the world: meeting the man who spoke ‘Indian’ coming across the Sher Khan Parivar in Kipling Country; trying to order a Scotch Broth – or anything at all – from a ‘cooker’ in Switzerland; looking for werewolves in Moravia; and even witnessing the birth-pangs of a nation. Complete with pictures to go with every place they describe, the book brings together the best of their well-known, well-loved travel writing in one collection.
India: A Traveller’s Literary Companion, edited by Chandrahas Choudhury
Both the riches of Indian writing in English and Indian writing in translation are given their place in this anthology, put together by Chandrahas Choudhury, one of the country’s best young writers and literary critics. Supported by an essay on Indian literature by the editor and a foreword by the novelist Anita Desai, India: A Traveller’s Literary Companion is not just the crystallization of a theme, but also an ideal short introduction to modern Indian fiction.
Riding Towards Me by Jay Kannaiyan
Riding Towards Me is the epic adventure story of Jay Kannaiyan who dropped everything he had in the US to ride his motorcycle back home to India by the longest possible route. The journey took him three years and three months as he rode through Latin America, Europe, and Africa, finally reaching New Delhi in 2013. Jay and his motorcycle, Sandrina, encountered mechanical meltdowns, remote Mayan villages, weeks of high altitude desert isolation, Caribbean and Atlantic voyages, humility, friendship, and landscapes that almost destroyed the bike and Jay’s spirit. His go-with-the-flow attitude and engineering background deliver a story of global trails and an adventuring insight that brought him fame amongst the off-road motorcycling fraternity before his journey was even complete.
The Heat and Dust Project by Devapriya Roy
Living in a sunny barsati in south Delhi, Saurav Jha and Devapriya Roy are your average DINK couple, about to acquire a few EMIs and come of age in the modern consumerist world. Only, they don’t. The junk the swivel chairs, gain a couple of backpacks, and set out on a transformational journey across India. On a very, very tight budget: five hundred rupees a day for bed and board. And the Heat and Dust project begins. Joining the ranks of firang gap-year kids and Israelis fresh out of compulsory army service, they travel across the land in which five thousand years of Indian history seem to jostle side by side. It is, by turns, holy and hectic, thuggish and comic, amoral and endearing. In buses that hurtle through the darkness of the night and the heat of the day, across thousands of miles, in ever new places, the richness of this crowded palette spills over into their lives. From rooms by the hour to strange dinner invitations, from spectacular forts to raging tantrums, this is a youthful account of wanderlust and whimsy, of eccentric choices that unfold into the journey of a lifetime … and a supreme test of marriage.
The Delhi Walla – Food + Drink by Mayank Austen Soofi
Aimed at visitors to Delhi as well as those who call it home, this is a series of four slim, low-priced volumes. Visually attractive, with great photographs that complement the succinct text, the titles in this set will acquaint you with Delhi Food: the typical cuisines of Delhi, from fine dining to street food, with popular recipes and listings of famous food ‘institutions’.
Delhi was made and razed several times. It was plundered by Timur Lang, Nadir Shah, and Ahmedshah Abdali. But it resurrected itself each time, and with redoubled vigor. Then came the Sultans, followed by the Mughals who gave it stunning mosques, awe-inspiring monuments, and gardens. The British arrived soon after and Delhi remained their capital for thirty-six years until India became independent. Dilli O Dilli takes you on a walk through the many Delhis of the past to the Delhi that we know today.
Traveling In, Travelling Out by Namita Gokhale
In Travelling In, Travelling Out: A Book of Unexpected Journeys eminent writer Namita Gokhale puts together an eclectic collection of twenty-five stories that take the reader on a journey that is surprising, moving, and, sometimes, mischievous. From Advaita Kala’s piece on her reaction to an intrusive security pat-down to finding one’s identity as an immigrant in Amsterdam in an essay by Ali Sethi, there is a wide range of experiences to choose from. With contributors like M.J. Akbar, Rahul Pandita, Dayanita Singh, Urvashi Butalia, and others among the guides, the reader can expect an unusual journey, one without the fear, moreover, of getting lost.
Tso and La – A Journey In Ladakh by Vikramajit Ram
Seeking respite from a novel that has hit an impasse, Vikramajit Ram accepts an invitation from his friend Manoj Bawa to join him on a drive to Ladakh. It is the start of the Himalayan summer of 2009; the high mountain passes have just opened for the season. As the journey progresses, Vikram finds that the quirky company at the wheel and the otherworldly beauty of this Shangri La are the perfect fix for his jaded senses. On a high – literal and metaphoric – on the Highest Motorable Pass in the World, he abandons his doomed work of fiction to write instead of this journey.
The Himalayan Arc by Namita Gokhale
The Himalayan Arc focuses on a crucial, enthralling, politically turbulent, yet often underreported part of this Himalayan belt – the ‘East of South-east’. With over thirty contributors, it attempts to describe the sense of shared lives and cultural connectivity between the denizens of this area. Poetry, fiction, and mysticism are juxtaposed with essays on strategy and diplomacy, espionage and the deep state, photographs, folk tales, and fables. From the unique identity of a Himalayan citizen to the ‘geopolitical jigsaw’ that is the region; from the hidden spy network in Kathmandu to intimate portraits of Shillong, Gangtok, Darjeeling, and other cities; from the insurgency in Assam to a portrait of Myanmar under military rule, the essays, stories, and poems in this anthology highlight the similarities within the differences of the Himalayan belt. Providing insider and outsider perspectives on this intriguing part of the world, The Himalayan Arc is a travel book with a difference.
Guru Nanak’s Blessed Trail by Puneetinder Kaur Sidhu
Evocative and illuminating, Guru Nanak’s blessed trail is an essential read for interested readers or followers of Sikhism to understand the guru’s teachings and the history and Culture of the Sikhs. This book highlights the stories surrounding the shrines across the Punjab blessed by the guru’s presence.
Part travelogue, part reportage, Orienting answers questions that have long confounded the rest of the world with Aiyar’s trademark humour. Tackling both the significant and the trivial, the quirky and the quotidian, here is an Indian’s account of Japan that is as thought-provoking as it is charming.
India- 18th Edition by Lonely Planet
With its sumptuous mix of traditions, spiritual beliefs, festivals, architecture and landscapes, your memories of India will blaze bright long after you’ve left its shores. Marvel at the intricate floral designs on the Taj Mahal, watch the setting sun cast a rosy glow over the otherworldly landscape of hampi, and listen to monks chanting in the shadow of the mighty Himalaya in Ladakh.
Wellness Escapes by Lonely Planet
Wellness Escapes includes nearly 200 destinations and is organised into five themes: Calm, Active, Healthy, Inspired and Indulged – making it easy to find the perfect getaway whether you’re in the mood for a seaweed bath in Ireland or surfing in Morocco, meditation in Bali or a Finnish sauna. We tell you what makes each retreat so special, what you can do, what’s on its doorstep, and provide booking details to help you find out more or book a visit.
The Grand Tour Guide to the World
In this indispensable guide, you will find an abundance of information, most of which is probably wrong and possibly dangerous. As well as occasionally accurate guides to the places visited on the show, you’ll find exclusive interviews with the presenters and discover their favourite locations for car-based cocking about.
Return To Sri Lanka by Razeen Sally
Return to Sri Lanka is the story of a twenty-first-century reconciliation between Sally, now an academic and political adviser, and the land of his birth. A travel memoir with deep political concerns, Return to Sri Lanka is a book full of spellbinding beauty and moving insight, from a writer who is a native, a tourist, both and neither.
Goa & Mumbai 8 (Regional Guide) by Lonely Planet
Lonely Planet’s Goa & Mumbai is your passport to the most relevant, up-to-date advice on what to see and skip, and what hidden discoveries await you. Laze in your beachfront hammock in-between yoga sessions at Palolem Beach, poke about in boutiques and book shops in Panaji, and explore extravagant Victorian architecture in Mumbai – all with your trusted travel companion.
Rajasthan, Delhi & Agra by Lonely Planet
Lonely Planet’s Rajasthan, Delhi & Agra is your passport to the most relevant, up-to-date advice on what to see and skip, and what hidden discoveries await you. Take in the intricate floral designs on the Taj Mahal, marvel at the splendour of Old Delhi’s remnants of former empires and spot a magnificent tiger in the wild at Ranthambore National Park – all with your trusted travel companion.
Tibet by Lonely Planet
Lonely Planet Tibet is your passport to the most relevant, up-to-date advice on what to see and skip, and what hidden discoveries await you. Hike around sacred Mt Kailash, join pilgrims at the Jokhang, Tibet’s holiest sanctum, or view Mt Everest unobstructed from Rongphu Monastery -all with your trusted travel companion.
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