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May 9, 2005

Skip The Guidebooks?

I'm always frustrated by the apparent lack in high quality, up-to-date and photograph-rich guidebooks. This past few weeks I've been greatly annoyed when I go into a bookstore and they don't have a single travel guidebook for any African, Arab or Asian country. They've got the Mexican Riviera, the most basic of Europe, and individual US states. I have heard in the past that less than 10% of Americans have passports. I chalked it up to the fact that the United States has such a diverse landscape that people couldn't handle exploring their own country, let alone another. It does make one uneasy, though. I've listened to so much narrow-mindedness that in the past I've ventured to suggest that everyone should take at least one significant trip abroad during their lifetime. It changes one's perspective on the world and on our own country. We may have given up isolationism but we certainly have kept the thought that the world revolves around us Americans firmly intact. Spending some significant time abroad helps you discover some of the other voices and opinions out there with unique views of the United States you'll rarely hear at home.

Tired of clinging to that guidebook like it's a security blanket? Try reading something that tells you how to appreciate the art of travel rather than how to spend money. Here are ten insightful travelogues that will inspire rather than dictate.

The Beach, by Alex Garland
First-Time Around the World, by Doug Lansky
Globetrotter Dogma, by Bruce Northam
Personal Narrative of a Pilgrimage to Al Madinah and Mecca, by Sir Richard Francis Burton
The Practical Nomad, by Edward Hasbrouck
Traveler's Handbook, edited by Amy Sohanpaul
The Traveler's Tool Kit, by Rob Sangster
Travels in Asia and Africa 1325-1354, by Ibn Battuta
The Travels of Marco Polo, by Marco Polo
Vagabonding, by Rolf Potts

More at: National Geographic Adventure Mag.: On Guidebooks

There's also a list of National Geographic Adventure's top adventure books of all time that I'm going to try to work my way through:

Extreme Classics: The 100 Greatest Adventure Books of All Time

Posted by sorsha at May 9, 2005 10:00 PM