Books about travel -- the ones I read again and again -- are my favorite books. Every year or so, I re-read one and discover something new and fresh. If you're a traveler, then no doubt some of them are already on your book shelf.
Below, I've included some travel guides and language phrase books (listed according to country or subject), some of which I used, and others I wish I'd had on the trip. Where appropriate, I've included links to movies and CDs. The links open a new, specific page with more information.
If you need a guidebook or phrasebook, just order it now, and that will be one less thing on your To-Do list! And the nice thing about phrase books is that they have along shelf life -- once you have it, you'll use it time and again, or loan it to friends and family.
You might never need to pull the phrasebook out of your pocket, but there are times it will be a lifesaver, and you will be thrilled to have it. The cost is minimal, the potential benefits great. Get one.
The Worst Journey in the WorldI cannot praise this book enough, and I was delighted when I was able to get my own copy now that it has been reprinted. The author was not a writer, and this is the only book he ever produced. The world is the poorer for that. Had someone other than Paul Theroux told me I'd treasure a book about Antarctic exploration, I'd not have believed it. National Geographic calls it the number one adventure tale of all time. Do yourself a favour, and buy this book. You'll read it again and again, and loan it to friends and family.
I used an older edition of the Lonely Planet Dominican Republic and Haiti. There are a number of good books about Haiti, but some can be hard to get through. For insight, try The Uses of Haiti. A readable account of Paul Farmer's work in Haiti is Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder. The Serpent and The Rainbow, by Wade Davis, which is nothing like the movie based on it. Highly recommended even if you never go to Haiti is Canadian Elizabeth Abbott's book Sugar: A Bittersweet History about the devastating impact of sugar and its production on Haiti and the Western world. Though an academic, Abbott is most readable writer (Amazon has a few copies available; if you can't get your own copy, try your local library).
When I traveled to Sri Lanka, there were no guides available. Now, there's Rough Guide Sri Lanka. For background reading, I liked Anil's Ghost. Both Oprah and I, and several million others, enjoyed A Fine Balance; set in India, the culture is similar.
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Books about travel -- the ones I read again and again -- are my favorite books. Every year or so, I re-read one and discover something new and fresh. If you're a traveler, then no doubt some of them are already on your book shelf.
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