Travel Dispatches: 6 Best Reads For The Road

It is not far-fetched to say that travelogues changed the world. Historically, travel scribes have been a mixed bag of scholars and merchants. The writers of Today, who bear this legacy proudly, are Just as good at capturing a destination brilliantly, delivering insights around geographies intertwined with culture and memory. How many of these wonderful travel books have you read?

Following Fish by Samanth Subramanian

In his journey around the Indian coast, Samanth Subramanian looks at the lives of fishing communities and the "leaping wealth of the tide" that breathes life into local sea cuisine. If you're interested in lores of the sea, this book will not leave you disappointed. Additionally, Subramanian's prose is littered with amusing characters encountered while traversing the Indian peninsula. From West Bengal's hilsa to the world's fastest fish near Goa, the travelogue brings considerable insights into what makes Indian seafood. The author also raises critical ecological questions about overfishing and the degradation of water brought on by conglomerates.

Penguin Random House India

Hungry by Jeff Gordinier

Noma in Copenhagen, was arguably the "best restaurant in the world" until a bad batch of oysters shook chef René Redzepi's world in 2013. Two gastronauts—Redzepi and Gordinier—set off on a quixotic journey on what can only be called a culinary odyssey, away from personal misadventures and towards the reinvention of the art of cooking. Gordinier describes his four-year-long feat with a delectable twist, from sandpaper figs in Sydney to sea urchins from the Arctic Circle. If your taste buds inspire and dictate your itinerary around the world, Gordinier and his troop of chefs will fill in as perfect companions.

Tim Duggan Books, Penguin Random House India

The Slow Road to Tehran by Rebecca Lowe

In 2015, Rebecca Lowe set out on a bicycle named "Maud" across the Middle East. Inspired by the likes of Dervla Murphy, who biked from India to Ireland in 1963, Lowe narrates her bicycle adventure with exceptional wit. As she sets off on an 11,000-kilometre trip from Europe, she zips past Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Sudan, Oman, and UAE to finally end up in Iran. In this solo ride, she recalls the nights by the Nile River and the cultural and political "mosaic" of lives she encountered during her travels. With compelling prose and cheeky humour, this is a nuanced account of life in the Middle East.

September Publishing

Soundings by Doreen Cunningham

In this heart-warming travelogue, a London-based climate journalist, Doreen Cunningham, sets off on a voyage with her two-year-old son from Baja, California to the Arctic in pursuit of migratory grey whales. On this brave journey through icy seas, Cunningham dives headfirst into the world of these fascinating mammals and their unique motherly traits that allow them to raise calves despite numerous looming threats in the ocean. Besides her distinct and informative prose about whale pods, Cunningham also delivers anecdotes about the Iñupiat—indigenous people of north-western Alaska—in this intriguing travel account.

Virago

The Roads to Sata by Alan Booth

In 1977, Alan Booth decided to undertake a 2,000-mile walk through Japan, starting from Soya in North to Cape Sata in South Japan. This 128-day walk was initiated with an ambition to observe Japan from a Westerner's perspective—a country that remained elusive to many gaijins (foreigners) in the 1900s. After living in Tokyo for six years, Booth wasn't altogether a stranger to the country's customs but could manage a Ryokan-style tour that delivered cultural insights picked from rural back roads of Japan. At the heart of this travelogue are overheard conversations narrated with a sense of British humour that might remind you of James May's "Our Man in Japan."

The Mountains of My Life by Walter Bonatti

If a compelling mountaineering expedition is your choice of armchair adventure, Walter Bonatti narrates a suspenseful account of his controversial 1954 K2 ascent. Bonatti—who was a part of the first successful expedition party on K2—was accused of exhausting fellow mountaineer Achille Compagnoni's oxygen, a matter that was later settled in court. Telling his side of the story, Bonatti discusses dangerous alpine routes and wilderness survival techniques, among many other experiences. Gospel for many beginner mountaineers, Bonatti's writing is about weathering threatening storms, both in life and on mountains.