The Road Less Traveled

THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED

Traveling to new places gives us considerable happiness. However, doesn't packing, booking tickets, preparing your passport and visa need a lot of time and money? It's true. Sometimes traveling may just not be an economical option. Falling sick, bad weather, losing one's luggage, delayed or canceled flights are the many things that can ruin your trip.

But fret not! Here's a unique way to travel - as good as FREE! There's no need to wait in long queues, no need to pay for tickets, and what's more - there is absolutely no need to worry about a plane crash! That's right! Ready your cup of tea, grab that book, sit back, and gear up for mission exploration! As Stephen King simply said it, "Books are a uniquely portable magic."

Over the years, writers have produced great works of literature specially related to traveling. Here are a few travel books that will take you around the world without a plane ticket.

The name of Jules Verne for example, has been immortalized in Travel Literature. His notable works include Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, Journey to the Center of the Earth, Around the World in Eighty Days, etc., which are adventure novels, having profound influence on the literary genre of science fiction and travelogues.

For a taste of 19th century Europe, be sure to read A Tramp Abroad, written by Mark Twain. The book details a journey by the author, with his friend Harris, through central and southern Europe and is the third of his travel series, preceded by the celebrated books Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn.

Mark Twain at work (A Tramp Abroad)

The Great Railway Bazaar by Paul Theroux is a book all about trains. As per the author, trains in a country give an insight into its culture: Thai trains have the shower jar with the glazed dragon on its side, Indian ones a vegetarian kitchen and six classes, Iranian ones prayer mats, and on every carriage of a Russian train there is a samovar. Definitely a fun read!

Notes from a Small Island - An Affectionate Portrait of Britain by Bill Bryson is the perfect travelogue for the Anglophiles hidden in so many of us.

For a heavier dose, get hold of books written by James Michener, J. R. R. Tolkien, Ian Frazier, Amitav Ghosh and others. They'll never let you down.

The book Journey, written by Ibn Battuta, gives a more factual and historical experience and consists of his accounts of the places he visited. Ibn Battuta, after all, has been considered as the greatest traveler of all time, who traveled over 73,000 miles and visited the equivalent of 44 countries in his lifetime.

Route taken by Ibn Battuta

"Books are the plane, and the train, and the road. They are the destination, and the journey. They are home." - Anna Quindlen

- Maryam Shaikh