Travel books are not considered excellent by the number of awards they receive, but by the miles they take the reader. A travel book is deemed to be suitable by a reader when it takes him/her for an imaginary ride for long distances and influences the reader to take a hike, take a boat ride, or fly to a particular destination. Reading a travel book should always be transformative as making the journey itself. The paper will look at five travel books namely ‘The Rings of Saturn’ written by W.G. Sebald, ‘A Moveable Feast’ edited by Don George, ‘The Art of Travel’ written by Alain de Botton, ‘The Alchemist’ written by Paulo Coelho, and ‘Lands of Lost Borders: A Journey on the Silk Road’ written by Kate Harris. It will also discuss how these books change the way we see the world.
1. The Rings of Saturn
The author, who is the narrator, presents spectacular scenery where he talks about the places he has gone to and the people he has met along the coast of England. He takes the reader on a roller coaster to the history of fishing down to the colonial era in the Congo, finally ending on the reign of a Chinese empress. “The book changes the perception of how we view the world by creating curiosity to seek out various stories of history by scratching beneath the surface to get to a destination,” says Amanda Chandler, Managing Editor at SolidEssay and ConfidentWriters. The book leaves a dilemma to the reader of not knowing where they might find themselves.
2. A Moveable Feast
The book entices the reader with mesmerizing delicacies found in different parts of the world. It has a compilation of various aspects, which include world-renowned chefs, award-winning writers, and, most importantly, different meals enjoyed at different places around the world. The book gives the reader the enticing feeling of wanting to taste the delicacies but leaves with the option of having to travel to enjoy the food. The changes the way they view the world by embracing the different cultures present in the world. It also gives the reader the urge to travel and experience these different foods.
3. The Art of Travel
With the availability of too much content advising us on different destinations, it is often possible to lose focus. However, this book creates a different dimension when it comes to choosing a particular destination. The author hits home by giving a brutally honest opinion, which can be a destination that is better in fantasy than it is in the real world. “This changes the perspective of the reader and potential traveler as it may affect the decision they want to make about a particular destination,” notes Jason Gardner, online book reviewer at Paper-Research and BeeStudent. The reader usually develops a more accurate picture of a specific destination in the world through the eyes of the author.
4. The Alchemist
Many people look to travel to either discover specific adventures or different sites of archeology or even find a meal they saw and read about in magazines. The cache is most people end up learning things they never knew about themselves rather than the actual things they were looking to find. The book takes the reader through an emotional journey through the story of an individual who traveled to find treasure but instead found himself. The reader is given the willpower to take a walk down their minds to sort out issues that are mental so that they can develop a piece of mind.
5. Lands of Lost Borders: A Journey on the Silk Road
This book gives the reader different options of places less traveled by people. Many people look to find places that have been less discovered, which, in a way, discourage travel. However, the book gives the reader meditation of different places in the world that have rarely travel. It provides the reader with the urge to go and explore these places since nothing much is known about the places.
In general, these travel books change the way the readers view the world in many ways. Some entice the reader to take hikes and rides to explore what the world has to offer and experience a different world from what they are used to having. Others give a true reflection of a particular destination that might not meet the expectations of the traveler. In other books, the option of finding something different from what the traveler expects, such as finding their true self. In general, all these books develop a different mindset of how we see the world as a different idea is planted into our minds that helps us to make different decisions and view the world from a completely different perspective.
Author bio
Paul Bates is a blog writer at Essay Task and Swift Papers. He enjoys traveling and has visited over 50 countries all over the world. He currently contributes his stories to HuffPost, Medium and Data Researchers Network.
