Top ten books about travelling

You’ll be impressed by this tale of grit and resilience about Murphy’s solo trip from Dunkirk to Delhi, mostly on bicycle in 1963. Murphy’s route takes her through Iran, Afghanistan, and over the Himalayas to Pakistan and India. Though the trip had life changing highs, it wasn’t without dangers, including sun stroke, an encounter with wolves and stomach illness. 

“Within a few weeks, my journey had degenerated from a happy-go-lucky cycle trek to a grim struggle for progress by any means.” - Murphy

Diski is lauded for her portrayal of interesting characters encountered on a train trip around the perimeter of the U.S., after crossing the Atlantic on a Cargo ship. The detail of the nation’s scenery also puts her among the best travel writers.

“It is much more as if America is passing through you, what you are, what you’ve known” - Diski

Moore’s telling of his attempt to cycle the entire course of the Tour de France is filled with wit and humour.  “Battling it out with the old men on butchers' bikes across the plains of Aquitaine and pursued by cattle over Europe's second highest road, Moore soon finds himself resorting to narcotic assistance, systematic overeating and waxed legs before summoning a support vehicle staffed by cruelly skeptical family and friends” an Amazon summary reads.

If that didn’t make you giggle, check out the acknowledgement page: “[To] the Tour de France Press Office, without whom none of this would have been difficult.”

Theroux writes about his north-to-south journey through Africa. Most striking are his visual descriptions and sometimes harsh critiques of outsiders; in Kenya “tourists yawned at the animals and the animals yawned back.” And there’s telling critiques of aid workers.

“All news out of Africa is bad. It made me want to go there…” - Theroux

“Venice is a cheek-by-jowl, back-of-the-hand, under-the-counter, higgledy-piggledy, anecdotal city,” Morris writes.  It’s one example of her incredible prose that captures the unique spirit of the iconic Italian city. 

Another elegant phrase reads: “She is rich in piquant wrinkled things, like an assortment of bric-a-brac in the house of a wayward connoisseur, or parasites on an oyster-shell.”

Kepnes is back with the third edition of his travel guide filled with hacks on how to see the world on a budget. The book is filled with advice from an expert world traveler on how to snag the best accommodation and transit deals. 

“Traditional media shows you expensive hotels, resorts, cruises, and packages because that's what makes them money. They make you believe you have to spend lots of money to have a great experience travelling,” an Amazon summary reads. “This book will show you why that is a lie and how you can visit any destination in the world.” 

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