You do not need a ticket to travel. The right book puts you in a place with its weather, its food and its people, and it is cheaper than a flight. Here are seven books to take you somewhere without leaving your chair.
Seven journeys
Notes from a Small Island by Bill Bryson (1995). A funny, affectionate farewell tour of Britain by an American who has lived there for twenty years.
A Year in Provence by Peter Mayle (1989). An English couple buys a house in the south of France and learns about the local markets, neighbours and long lunches.
Under the Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes (1996). A writer restores an old villa in Italy. Light, food and a slow pace of life.
In Patagonia by Bruce Chatwin (1977). A strange and beautiful journey through the far south of South America, told in short, sharp chapters.
The Great Railway Bazaar by Paul Theroux (1975). A long trip by train across Europe and Asia and back. Full of conversations with people met along the way.
A Time of Gifts by Patrick Leigh Fermor (1977). A young man walks across Europe in 1933 and writes about it decades later with warmth and a great deal of detail.
The Snow Leopard by Peter Matthiessen (1978). A walk through the Himalayas in search of a rare animal, and a thoughtful book about attention and loss.
How to travel from a chair
- Keep an atlas or a map open beside you and find each place as it appears.
- Cook or drink something from the country you are reading about.
- Write down one place you would like to visit after each chapter.
- Check dates: some of these books are decades old, so places have changed since they were written.
Most libraries keep a travel shelf, and it is a good place to wander when you do not know what you want.
