Most of us are still in a restricted movement situation. International travel is a long way off. Many of us, including this writer have an extensive traditional home library of travel books. Others may not have this and they also might find getting to a library difficult. If you have an e-reader then perhaps you might like to keep the travel desire juices flowing with these interesting travelogues. If you have an e reader then you will find these on one of your favourite online stores.
In this immersive, in-depth travelogue, rail adventurer Matthew Woodward tackles the longest and highest rail journey in the world – London to Tibet. Somehow, he manages to take on all 20,000km of the Europe to Asia journey completely solo, reflecting on people, places and cultures along the way – via the Trans-Manchurian from Siberia to Beijing, and the Qinghai to Tibet railway across the Tibetan Plateau to Lhasa. Naturally, it’s a must read for train travel enthusiasts, anyone gearing up to plan a true once-in-a-lifetime bucket list trip, and those with a curiosity for what modern day Tibet is like.
The early 90s saw Central Asia’s Soviet states – Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan – each become independent, only to then seemingly fall off the travel radar. Norwegian journalist Erika Fatland passes though the marbled metropolises and sparsely peopled steppe to find darkening clouds hovering over those promised freedoms, if they ever arrived at all. Together, her thoughtful local encounters and measured, meticulous reporting creates a troubled portrait of an epic, untamed landscape.
Amsterdam to Spain doesn’t seem too far – until you decide to make the journey on an old bike you’ve just about dusted off. But new-to-two-wheels Abi and Lili set aside the old stereotypes for cyclists and put their relationship to the test on this funny journey through Europe’s fields, forests and snow-dusted Alpine peaks.
You’ve likely read Helen’s guides to the UK’s greatest walks on Wanderlust.co.uk. In her new book, she’s hitting the bike paths of Europe instead. Cycling across the continent with her teenage son in tow, Helen pedals everywhere from the Rhine and Danube to Bulgaria and Turkey. With birds singing and Europe’s glistening waterways as the backdrop, Helen must discover if she’s pedalling forward or away from the past, and must confront a long-held secret while on the road.
In 1994, Peter Moore set himself a remarkable travel challenge: London to Sydney for just AUD$5,000. The catch? He wasn’t allowed to fly. At all. Travelling overland through 25 countries, Peter experienced a hippie adventure like no other, and then some: the world’s most expensive disco in Albania, the opium fields of Laos, student riots in Jakarta, an all-night beach rave on a small island in Thailand. The tagline ‘funny, irreverent and acutely observed’ is bang on the money. Expect a lot of dry wit. A must-read for adventure seekers.
