One for the bookworms—a bit of reading for voyeuristic travel to escape everyday life or for a bigger purpose, such as gaining a new perspective on yourself or the world around you. It's always hard to know which books to feast on, so a list of recommendations is below.
Black Ghosts: A Journey into the Lives of Africans in China by Noo Saro-Wiwa
Not a lightweight travel book like Eat, Pray, Love, Black Ghosts is an intriguing read beyond the rhetoric of a historical tale, country politics, or finding oneself adrift in an Asian country—it's a community story of who lingers amidst the city streets. Black Ghosts is about African immigrants living and working, often in second-rate conditions in China, rather than being in their own home country. Noo Saro-Wiwa delves into their world. She regales their lives with a poignant slant, balancing out the humorous aspects. From shady drug dealers hanging out in dark corners to visa overstayers going about their precarious daily lives, Noo Saro-Wiwa even chats to a medical specialist who has chosen to live in a vastly different culture.
A British-Nigerian author, Noo Saro-Wiwa's writing style has plenty of British humor throughout the book. In her quest to discover the communities of 'Black Ghosts' who quite often can be seen gathering at night around the streets of Guangyuan, Sanyuanli, and Xiaobei in Guangzhou, she finds a magical rapport, as many are Nigerian. This is an excellent book for the curious mind.
Wander Woman by Beth Santos
A read for the female who may need a push to venture out into the world traveling solo. Even if you are an old hand at being the daredevil of traversing the globe alone, Wander Woman is worth putting your nose into. Female solo travel is a trending issue due to the changing dynamics of women in society today—many are totally independent. Yet, they still need a nudge to jump on a plane by themselves to explore the world. An inspirational and captivating read verging on being a how-to guide or a self-help chat that infuses your mind with the power of travel. From excellent tips to travel awareness, some women have found it hard to put this book down.
Wild Twin by Jeff Young
A memoir said to be like an 'Orwellian travel book,' Wild Twin is the story of the author as a young man during the 1970s when he ran away from home. He hitch-hiked to Paris, attempting to find the other version of himself, 'the wild twin.' The book is a haunting recount of loneliness and loss as he fell into sleeping rough, violence, thieving, a world of music and drugs, illness, and living in the mind of madness in the red light district of Amsterdam. Eventually, he returns home to care for his dying father, reliving the past that his father can no longer remember. His alter ego, the 'wild twin,' is the epitome of the foolishness and folly of youth that can only be looked back upon with age. A relatable and gritty story, it's a personal journey about what it is to be human.
Abroad in Japan by Chris Broad
A frolick through the pages that will entertain, make you laugh, and highlight your own personal foibles of being in over your head. Abroad in Japan is about Chris Broad's adventures working in rural Japan as an English Teacher. A YouTube superstar with his channel 'Abroad in Japan' that more than 3 million people watch, he's also made documentaries, appeared on television, and can add the quirky fact to his repertoire of having cycled the length of Japan. His tale of navigating a foreign country is told in an honest, quirky, and hilarious manner, with plenty of moments where cultural differences slap him in the face as he goes on his quest to live in Japan. From learning to speak Japanese to hooking up in a 'love hotel,' it's a romp of realistic fun.
Other books to trawl through include On the Hippie Trail by Rick Steves, set in the late 1970s when all and sundry were finding themselves and free love along the road from Istanbul to Kathmandu, and the travelogue On the Shadow Tracks by Clare Hammond about the railway lines built by enslaved labor under Than Shwe's military in Myanmar. Or, try Lost Intentionally: The Inner and Outer Journey of a Spiritual Nomad by Monique Giroux if you are inclined to get into the mind of one woman's journey of spirituality, humanity, and the natural world.
Read for a chance to live vicariously, be inspired, learn about different cultures, or simply to make your feet itch for that next trip; there’s a world of books to curl up in a chair with.
Gail Palethorpe, a self proclaimed Australian gypsy, is a freelance writer, photographer and eternal traveller. Check out her website Gail Palethorpe Photography and her Shutterstock profile.
