Seasonal Travel Reads
This Winter break, we have created a seasonal edit of some books you might like to curl up with, when you’re not watching back-to-back ‘White Lotus’!
Some of our recommendations have come because we know the writers personally like BBC journalists; Alice Morrison and Richard Hamilton, we know they have an interesting and well-crafted take on Morocco. Others have been chosen as they inspire a different way of looking at travel, like seeing a country through the lenses of food, design, sustainability and cultural impact, or because they engage the mind on what travel should be today and how one can be a truly good traveller.
Enjoy having a browse and we hope you find something you will enjoy as much as we have.
Happy reading!
HOW TO TRAVEL – Alain de Botton
From the ‘School of Life’ series of philosophical life texts, “How to Travel” talks about the satisfaction of travel as being something that can’t just be bought, that it has to be learnt. It takes the form of a series of essays on the subject of getting the most out of travel, even the airline experience, with blank pages for your notes, and a wallet at the back for saving any further inspiration you may find.
THE ETHICAL TRAVELLER – Imogen Lepere
We all feel the nagging issues of sustainable and ethical travel hitting us when we book a travel break these days. This book reflects on the conscious decisions you can make along journeys that can positively impact the planet we all share. It contains 100 tips aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals to help us explore the world while preserving everything that makes it so special.
Watch out for more on this subject from Epic in the New Year.
TRAVEL HOME DESIGN WITH A GLOBAL SPIRIT – Caitlin Flemming & Julie Goebel
It’s easy to see, when you visit some people’s homes, whether the owners are true travellers or not. If they are, you will see objects and textiles decorating rooms, mementos gathered from far flung places which bring a different feeling to the interior. This book by San Franciscan designers acknowledges our appetite to collect influences with tips on how to style homes for the travel hungry aesthete.
PORTUGAL THE COOKBOOK– Leandro Carreira
One of the ways you can get closer to a country is through food. “Portugal The Cookbook” by chef Leandro Carreira, a Portuguese chef at The Sea, The Sea, in London’s trendy East End, encourages you to explore the country through its diverse cuisine and intriguing culinary history. The book collects dishes from every region, from shellfish dishes on the Algarve coast to hearty Douro Valley stews. A Portuguese taste adventure published by Phaidon.
THE WINES OF PORTUGAL– Richard Mayson
Richard Mayson has had a long love affair with Portugal having visited as a child he now lives there, combining his love of the country and its distinct regions, with his passion for wine. The book presents wines in four broad categories; from the Atlantic littoral, to the mountains, plains and islands (Madeira and Azores) and charts the evolution of Portuguese wines over recent times. Discover the taste of Portugal and diversity of its regions through wine.
WALKING WITH NOMADS – Alice Hunter Morrison
*Shortlisted for the Edward Stanford Travel Book of the Year*
Adventurer, TV presenter and friend of Epic; Alice Morrison’s books are always evocative and engaging. This book follows her success with ‘Adventures in Morocco’ with yet another fascinating adventure which takes you on three remarkable and inspirational journeys across the country, from the Sahara to the Atlas mountains, whilst at the same time revealing the growing challenges faced by our planet.
Walking with Nomads reveals the transformative richness of the desert and the mountains, provides a total escape from everyday concerns, but it also shows how the ancient world of the nomad is under threat as never before.
THE LAST STORYTELLERS – Richard Hamilton
Amazon best seller in the ‘History of Morocco’ section, former BBC North Africa correspondent, Richard Hamilton’s capture of the Moroccan ancient storytelling tradition also earned him a congratulatory letter from the King of Morocco. Richard’s motivation was to preserve the ancient storytelling traditions of Marrakech, in the face of the competing distractions of the TV, movies, internet and social media.
The book has spurred a revival of the storytelling traditions of Morocco, with a new millennial generation of storytellers – some of whom perform stories about the mysteries, culture and beauty of the Maghreb at special storytelling dinners arranged by epic for clients.
THE WRITER’S JOURNEY – Travis Elborough
Travis explores 35 influential journeys taken by literary greats such as Charles Dickens and Herman Melville and reveals the repercussions of those travels on the authors’ personal lives and the broader literary landscape. Each of the trips is brought to life with fascinating insights into the stories the writers created, and comes with navigational notes, colour photographs and commissioned maps.
ENDURANCE: 100 Tales of Survival, Adventure and Exploration – Levison Wood
Levison has packed this book full of you-couldn’t-make-it-up true stories and adventure fiction classics, from the high seas to the poles, from inhospitable jungles and deserts to the unknown realms of space, through physical and mental despair to euphoric highs. Yet all of these extraordinary stories celebrate the enduring nature of the human spirit, and show the mental and physical determination it takes to achieve personal aims.
A perfect read for the adventurous at heart or in reality.
That’s it for now, but we are always happy to get your recommendations too – if you read a good book on travel feel free to share it at info@epic.travel and we will collate recommendations for future blogs!.