Travel narratives I’ve read, and loved, this year. Some older, some newer, in no particular order.

Vagabonding, Rolf Potts (this is how I found BNA)

Tales of a Female Nomad, Rita Golden-Gelman

Facing the Congo, Jeffrey Tayler

Journey Across Tibet, Sorrel Wilby (1,900 miles on foot, nicely written)

Hold the Enlightenment, Tim Cahill

Beyond the Sky and the Earth: A Journey into Bhutan, Jamie Zeppa (excellent writing!)

The Happy Isles of Oceania, Paul Theroux (also reading a couple of other Theroux titles)

The Sex Lives of Cannibals, J. Maarten Troost (hilarious, another poster said she got looks from people around her because this book made her laugh out loud…. ditto)

From Here You Can’t See Paris, Michael S. Sanders (currently reading)

Sense of Place, Michael Shapiro (currently reading, highly recommend)

Anthologies:

all four Best American Travel Writing (2000-2003, great way to find new authors)

The Kindness of Strangers, ed. Don George

A House Somewhere, ed. Don George

Wanderlust, ed. Salon.com

Theroux, of course is classic, but of the younger/non travel writers, Zeppa and Troost definitely shine.

Here is my list, altered slightly as time marches on:

(in no particular order)

1. The Road To McCarthy' by Pete McCarthy
2. 'Driving Over Lemons' by Chris Stewart
3. 'Extra Virgin' by Annie Hawes
4. 'Italian Neighbours' by Tim Parks
5. 'Snowball Oranges' by Peter Kerr
6. 'The Wrong Way Home' by Peter Moore
7. 'The Sex Lives of Cannibals : Adrift in the Equatorial Pacific -- by J. Maarten Troost
8. 'An Unexpected Light' by Jason Elliott
9. 'Take Me With You : A Round-the-World Journey to Invite a Stranger Home' by Brad Newsham
10.'The Hotel on the Roof of the World' by Alec Le Sueur

I have left out the really obvious ones (Bill Bryson and Peter Mayle, etc.). Also, there are plenty of bestsellers that are pure crap ('The Olive Farm' ~ Carol Drinkwater). I have saved you the trouble of vomiting into your lap. All my suggested titles are worthy, say I.