# Can you recommend some good travel writing? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 15, 2007, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-recommend-some-good-travel-writing/404137 "2007-05-15T02:30:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Shamozzle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shamozzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shamozzle)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2007, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-recommend-some-good-travel-writing/404137/1 "2007-05-15T02:30:59Z")
My favourite travel writer is Paul Theroux and I’ve read all of his travel accounts. Most of the stuff on the bookshelves at bookstores today strikes me as fluffy, banal “pop-travel” with stupid titles like, “A Monkey Forged my Passport” or “Hey, That’s my Tuk-tuk!!” I’m not really into reading this McTravel writing… I’m looking for honest, non-gimmicky, insightful stuff. Any ideas? ---
**Author:** ![Hung\_Mung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a88e4f/32.png) [@Hung\_Mung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hung_Mung)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2007, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-recommend-some-good-travel-writing/404137/2 "2007-05-15T02:40:42Z")
Herodotus seemed like a pretty honest guy. ---
**Author:** ![Shamozzle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shamozzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shamozzle)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2007, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-recommend-some-good-travel-writing/404137/3 "2007-05-15T02:43:10Z")
[QUOTE=Hung Mung] Herodotus seemed like a pretty honest guy. [/QUOTE] Is his writing any good? ---
**Author:** ![Ensign\_Edison](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7ab992/32.png) [@Ensign\_Edison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ensign_Edison)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2007, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-recommend-some-good-travel-writing/404137/4 "2007-05-15T02:51:04Z")
I highly recommend Tim Cahill’s collection _Jaguars Ripped My Flesh_; the title is a joke on the kind of pop adventure/travel thing you mention, and his writing is great. ---
**Author:** ![Shamozzle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shamozzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shamozzle)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2007, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-recommend-some-good-travel-writing/404137/5 "2007-05-15T02:57:15Z")
[QUOTE=Ensign Edison] I highly recommend Tim Cahill’s collection _Jaguars Ripped My Flesh_; the title is a joke on the kind of pop adventure/travel thing you mention, and his writing is great. [/QUOTE] I do recall seeing that title, actually. If the title is meant to mock then that is a step in the right direction. Thanks for the suggestion. ---
**Author:** ![Darryl\_Lict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7cd45c/32.png) [@Darryl\_Lict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darryl_Lict)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2007, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-recommend-some-good-travel-writing/404137/6 "2007-05-15T02:59:41Z")
Is Bill Bryson too gimicky for you? I don’t care for Theroux but I love everything by Bryson. ---
**Author:** ![Shamozzle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shamozzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shamozzle)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2007, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-recommend-some-good-travel-writing/404137/7 "2007-05-15T03:05:50Z")
[QUOTE=Darryl Lict] Is Bill Bryson too gimicky for you? I don’t care for Theroux but I love everything by Bryson. [/QUOTE] That’s interesting. We’re polar opposites. I’ve read some Bryson and I cringe at the risk of sounding like a snob but I did find it a bit light. Fun, but light. What, about Theroux’s work, did you not care for? ---
**Author:** ![straykat23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c4cdca/32.png) [@straykat23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/straykat23)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2007, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-recommend-some-good-travel-writing/404137/8 "2007-05-15T03:35:05Z")
Try Jan Morris. Wonderful stuff, with a twist involving Ms. Morris’ background. Here’s a partial list of her books from Wiki (I found their list the easiest to copy). [QUOTE Manhattan '45 Coronation Everest In Search of England Last Letters from Hav (novel) Fifty Years of Europe: An Album The Venetian Empire (1980) Fisher’s Face Oxford (1965) The Oxford Book of Oxford (editor) The Matter of Wales: Epic Views of a Small Country Spain Lincoln: A Foreigner’s Quest Conundrum Coast to Coast: A Journey Across 1950s America Trieste and the Meaning of Nowhere Hong Kong The World: Life and Travel 1950–2000 Pleasures of a Tangled Life (1989) Pax Britannica trilogy: Heaven’s Command The Climax of an Empire Farewell the Trumpets A Writer’s House in Wales (2002) [/QUOTE] [Jan Morris](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jan_Morris) A fun travel blog, Leif Pettersen’s Killing Batteries. He’s a writer for Lonely Planet, documenting some ‘lesser’ venues, such as Romania and Moldova, and has done extensive freelance work as well. [Leif’s travel blog](http://www.killingbatteries.com/) ---
**Author:** ![Shamozzle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shamozzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shamozzle)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2007, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-recommend-some-good-travel-writing/404137/9 "2007-05-15T03:39:30Z")
Thanks **straykat23** , I’ll have to look into those titles. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2007, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-recommend-some-good-travel-writing/404137/10 "2007-05-15T04:04:29Z")
[QUOTE=Shamozzle] I’ve read some Bryson and I cringe at the risk of sounding like a snob but I did find it a bit light. Fun, but light. [/QUOTE] I found Bryson cringworthy as well. If Theroux is your game, you might try some of his own recommendations found in his writing. Graham Greene’s _[Journey Without Maps](http://www.amazon.com/Journey-without-Penguin-Twentieth-Century-Classics/dp/0140185798)_ is a great read, as is Twain’s _[The Innocents Abroad](http://www.amazon.com/Innocents-Abroad-Dover-Value-Editions/dp/048642832X)_. I haven’t read him but Theroux thought highly of [Bruce Chatwin](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_Chatwin). I also think Darwin’s _[The Voyage of the Beagle](http://www.amazon.com/Voyage-Beagle-Charles-Researches-Classics/dp/014043268X/)_ is a rollicking tale, but obviously something you’re going to enjoy more if you like reading of this history of evolutionary zoology. Of contemporary writers, I like John McPhee, and have a hard time coming up with others who aren’t derivative, at least at book length. (Kevin Patterson’s _[The Water In Between](http://www.amazon.com/Water-Between-Journey-Sea/dp/0385498845/)_ is an interesting read, but frustrating insofar that Patterson is basically a self-deprecating idiot.) You might check out the “Best American” series (_The Best American Travel Writing_) which is an annual digest of short travel nonfiction. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Shamozzle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shamozzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shamozzle)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2007, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-recommend-some-good-travel-writing/404137/11 "2007-05-15T04:17:34Z")
[QUOTE=Stranger On A Train] I found Bryson cringworthy as well. If Theroux is your game, you might try some of his own recommendations found in his writing. Graham Greene’s _[Journey Without Maps](http://www.amazon.com/Journey-without-Penguin-Twentieth-Century-Classics/dp/0140185798)_ is a great read, as is Twain’s _[The Innocents Abroad](http://www.amazon.com/Innocents-Abroad-Dover-Value-Editions/dp/048642832X)_. I haven’t read him but Theroux thought highly of [Bruce Chatwin](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_Chatwin). I also think Darwin’s _[The Voyage of the Beagle](http://www.amazon.com/Voyage-Beagle-Charles-Researches-Classics/dp/014043268X/)_ is a rollicking tale, but obviously something you’re going to enjoy more if you like reading of this history of evolutionary zoology. Of contemporary writers, I like John McPhee, and have a hard time coming up with others who aren’t derivative, at least at book length. (Kevin Patterson’s _[The Water In Between](http://www.amazon.com/Water-Between-Journey-Sea/dp/0385498845/)_ is an interesting read, but frustrating insofar that Patterson is basically a self-deprecating idiot.) You might check out the “Best American” series (_The Best American Travel Writing_) which is an annual digest of short travel nonfiction. Stranger [/QUOTE] Cool, thanks very much. ---
**Author:** ![gladtobeblazed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/85f322/32.png) [@gladtobeblazed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gladtobeblazed)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2007, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-recommend-some-good-travel-writing/404137/12 "2007-05-15T04:21:17Z")
The Sex Lives of Cannibals: Adrift in the Equatorial Pacific Very good read! > **[The Sex Lives of Cannibals](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sex_Lives_of_Cannibals)** > > The Sex Lives of Cannibals: Adrift in the Equatorial Pacific is a 2004 travelogue by author J. Maarten Troost describing the two years he and his girlfriend spent living on the Tarawa atoll in the Pacific island nation of Kiribati. > In the book Troost described how he and his girlfriend Sylvia adjusted to life on the remote small island in the South Pacific, and built a life for themselves there. Troost described the unusual people they lived with, and bizarre and unfamiliar local customs, as wel... ---
**Author:** ![capybara](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/capybara/32/202_2.png) [@capybara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/capybara)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2007, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-recommend-some-good-travel-writing/404137/13 "2007-05-15T05:00:07Z")
Oliver Sack’s thing from his trip to Oaxaca-- “Oaxaca Journal”? Something called “Travels with my Donkey” or something-- can’t remember the author’s name but about his trip to Santiago with a donkey. Not deep but hilarious and definitely not moronic. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2007, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-recommend-some-good-travel-writing/404137/14 "2007-05-15T05:13:02Z")
Mark Twain started as a travel writer, if I recall correctly. His info might be a few hundred years out of date, but it has been rumored that he’s a pretty good writer. 🙂 Looking over his Wiki page, it looks like he wrote: Roughing It - travel to the old west The Innocents Abroad - Europe and the Middle East A Tramp Abroad - Europe Part 2 And possibly “Old Times on the Mississippi” is a travel log as well. ---
**Author:** ![Surok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@Surok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Surok)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2007, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-recommend-some-good-travel-writing/404137/15 "2007-05-15T05:51:36Z")
You might want to try [Dervla Murphy](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dervla_Murphy), who has been travelling and writing since before the new generation of fluff producing backpackers were born. ---
**Author:** ![Darryl\_Lict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7cd45c/32.png) [@Darryl\_Lict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darryl_Lict)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2007, 7:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-recommend-some-good-travel-writing/404137/16 "2007-05-15T07:22:33Z")
[QUOTE=Shamozzle] That’s interesting. We’re polar opposites. I’ve read some Bryson and I cringe at the risk of sounding like a snob but I did find it a bit light. Fun, but light. What, about Theroux’s work, did you not care for? [/QUOTE] I’ve read Pillars of Hercules and started The Great Railway Bazaar. I guess I just find his style a bit off putting and frankly, just not all that interesting. I’ve done a fair amount of traveling and I knew of Paul Theroux as one of the most famous travel writers. I suppose I had really high expectations and was disappointed at what I found to be a somewhat curmudgeonly narrative. I think we’re looking for different things in travel writing. Paul Theroux seems to have a fairly polarizing style, people either love him or hate him. I was going to recommend McCarthy’s Bar, but if you didn’t care for Bryson, you probably wouldn’t like it either. It so happens that my favorite bar in San Luis Obispo is McCarthy’s. [QUOTE=Stranger On A Train] I found Bryson cringworthy as well. If Theroux is your game, you might try some of his own recommendations found in his writing. Graham Greene’s Journey Without Maps is a great read, as is Twain’s The Innocents Abroad. I haven’t read him but Theroux thought highly of Bruce Chatwin. I also think Darwin’s The Voyage of the Beagle is a rollicking tale, but obviously something you’re going to enjoy more if you like reading of this history of evolutionary zoology. [/QUOTE] Damn, someone help me out. I know there are people out there who like Bryson. I’ve read almost everything he’s written. I really liked Graham Greene’s Travels with My Aunt. I agree that The Voyage of the Beagle is a terrific read, but I managed to pick it up while in Patagonia after having gone to the Galapagos, so I found it particularly compelling. I couldn’t force myself to read The Old Patagonian Express because of the aforementioned reason even though I’ve actually been on the train. By the way, I found Travels in a Thin Country by Sara Wheeler pretty mediocre as well. I’ve read both Roughing It and Life on the Mississippi by Mark Twain. They were OK, kind of a tough read, but mostly gave me insight on his really fascinating life. ---
**Author:** ![brendon\_small](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brendon_small/32/17101_2.png) [@brendon\_small](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brendon_small)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2007, 7:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-recommend-some-good-travel-writing/404137/17 "2007-05-15T07:36:41Z")
[QUOTE=Sage Rat] Mark Twain started as a travel writer, if I recall correctly. His info might be a few hundred years out of date, but it has been rumored that he’s a pretty good writer. 🙂 [/QUOTE] Of course, in the same string of logic, Henry James was a travel writer of sorts, specifically in his published journals and letters. Wiki includes a list of 4: A Little Tour in France (1884), English Hours (1905), The American Scene (1907), and Italian Hours (1909). I’m sure there are more but I don’t have my book (yes, I own a copy of "The Portable Henry James - it was for a class) with me here at work. Again, may be a little dated, but not the worst writer…I would definitely call him “non-gimmicky”. Brendon Small ---
**Author:** ![Jeff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2007, 8:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-recommend-some-good-travel-writing/404137/18 "2007-05-15T08:00:42Z")
I’ve read a number of Robert Kaplan’s works. Definitely not light-hearted like Bryson, he’s more into historical detail and geopolitics and has more of a reportive bent to his writings. Some of his analysis seems heavy-handed but still thought-provoking. _Balkan Ghosts: A Journey Through History_ _Mediterranean Winter: The Pleasures of History and Landscape in Tunisia, Sicily, Dalmatia, and Greece_ _Eastward to Tartary: Travels in the Balkans, the Middle East, and the Caucasus_ _The Ends of the Earth: From Togo to Turkmenistan, from Iran to Cambodia - A Journey to the Frontiers of Anarchy_ _Surrender or Starve: Travels in Ethiopia, Sudan, Somalia, and Eritrea_ Also currently reading Gary Geddes _Kingdom of Ten Thousand Things: An Impossible Journey from Kabul to Chiapas_ where he retraces the steps of a 5th century buddhist monk from Afghanistan through to China and onto (supposedly) the New World. More personal that Kaplan, but also more superficial. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2007, 8:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-recommend-some-good-travel-writing/404137/19 "2007-05-15T08:07:28Z")
You might like [Motoring with Mohamed](http://www.amazon.com/Motoring-Mohammed-Journeys-Yemen-Red/dp/067973855X) by Eric Hansen, covering his travels in Yemen in the late 1970s. ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2007, 8:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-recommend-some-good-travel-writing/404137/20 "2007-05-15T08:26:10Z")
Pico Iyer. Funny no one mentioned him in the first 19 posts. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-recommend-some-good-travel-writing/404137.md?page=2)