How to prepare for a dream trip with a good book

Travelling the world is like leafing through the pages of a great encyclopaedia, in a continuous discovery that satisfies mind and heart. Sometimes the choice of a trip is dictated precisely by a book that left a deep impression on us. And whenever we return from a journey, it comforts us to go back, through the pages of a book, to places we have visited and experienced with intense emotion. In this new article we suggest 5 works, somewhere between travel writing, autobiography and essay, ideal for preparing you for a departure with the right spirit and a wealth of precious knowledge.

Asia, the continent of a thousand contrasts

Anyone who loves India and, more generally, Asia probably knows a great journalist and writer: Tiziano Terzani. A figure of great charisma and magnetic personality, he travelled the length and breadth of the Asian continent, seeking to capture its most authentic essence in his books.

One of his most celebrated works is “A Fortune-Teller Told Me”, published in 1995. The book stems from a journey the journalist made without ever boarding a plane, travelling only by sea and land. This gave him the chance to travel slowly through several countries, including Thailand, Singapore, Indochina and India, providing a dreamlike yet at the same time lucid account of each of them.

What strikes you above all is the humanity Terzani encounters and interacts with: ordinary people, street dwellers, penniless artists, magicians, astrologers and fortune-tellers. What emerges is an incredible mosaic of cultures, lifestyles, religions and languages, which give the true measure of the complexity and priceless richness of a continent like Asia. This book is therefore aimed at Asia-loving travellers who seek contact with local people and believe they are a great added value, alongside the great historical and cultural heritage of each destination.

Travel Inspiration:
Click here for the itineraries INDIA – THAILAND – INDOCHINA (Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia) – MALAYSIA and SINGAPORE

Among desert oases and fascinating tribes in Jordan

Lovers of the vast, unspoilt spaces of the desert, your moment has come!
In the heart of Jordan there is a unique place that has witnessed a thousand events. One of these directly involves a figure who has passed into legend: Lawrence of Arabia.

An iconic figure, part secret agent, part skilled diplomat, he continues to fascinate with his life among the Bedouin of the desert, whom he stood beside during the revolt against the Ottoman Empire. And it is precisely the retelling of this chapter that lies at the heart of his masterpiece: “Seven Pillars of Wisdom”.

The title takes its name from an imposing rock formation in Wadi Rum. Just past the entrance to the visitor centre, an unparalleled panorama opens up: a rocky desert marked by countless shades ranging from pink to orange and ochre, depending on the hour and the light of the sun.

On this magical stage, it is thrilling to step into the shoes of Lawrence and relive his adventures among his Bedouin friends, whose customs, proud and loyal character, need for freedom and total bond with their surroundings he describes.

The book is also a dazzling description of the Arab personality, dreamy and practical at the same time, pervaded by a great spirituality. In short, the right book if you love great adventures, history and vibrant nature!

Travel Inspiration:
Click here for the JORDAN itineraries

The magic of the city between Europe and Asia

Istanbul: the name alone stirs the desire to travel. This ancient city, forever a privileged bridge between East and West, is today a vast Turkish metropolis gently crossed by the Bosphorus.

Orhan Pamuk, the famous writer awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature, was born and raised in this city, of which he has always been a privileged witness.

“Istanbul” is the title of one of his most famous books, a sort of autobiography in which the protagonist is the city itself, seen through the passing of time. The book also contains wonderful black-and-white photographs. As you read, it almost feels as though you are being led by the hand through the city’s streets and squares: sounds, colours and fragrances become almost tangible.

Characters now rarely seen come back to life, such as the “bozacı”, a street vendor of “boza”, a fermented drink with a slightly sour taste. Entire neighbourhoods are lit up by the story of a pulsating humanity: almost vanished trades, artisans, nostalgic songs and near-mythological figures.

In the background, you can almost hear the soft sound of the ferries plying the waters of the Bosphorus, Istanbul’s extraordinary lifeline, with the cries of the seagulls in search of simit, the famous ring-shaped Turkish bread. In short, a perfect book for those who adored Istanbul or for those who dream of visiting it at least once in their lives, described through the eyes of someone truly in love with it.

Travel Inspiration:
Click here for the TURKEY itineraries

In search of Hanami in Japan

“Hitching Rides with Buddha” by Will Ferguson is a book no lover of Japan should be without. The plot, in brief: a Westerner decides to set off for the Land of the Rising Sun and to explore it by following the cherry blossom across the whole country, from North to South, using hitchhiking as his only means of getting around.

This allows him to immerse himself fully in the depths of Japanese daily life, with all the elements that distinguish it.

And so Ferguson sketches the tangle of contradictions that animates the Japanese people: a mix of ceremonious hospitality and intimate discretion, the great crowded metropolises and that sense of peaceful harmony which is the goal to which all Japanese culture aspires in its various manifestations.

A book that grows dizzyingly in intensity as the protagonist meets along his way a gallery of emblematic and unforgettable characters.

Poised between spirituality and lightness, at times touching and at others a little raw, Hitching Rides with Buddha amuses and moves, in a seesaw of emotions carried off by the wind, like cherry blossom. A perfect book for those who have always dreamed of visiting Japan, to be eagerly underlined and read, if you like, over a cup of tea or a small glass of sake.

Travel Inspiration:
Click here for the JAPAN itineraries

A stroll through Portugal, land of explorers

José Saramago, the clearest voice in Portuguese literature and winner of the Nobel Prize, wrote “Journey to Portugal” in 1981, a book that defies every definition, suspended between reportage and essay on the country. An unclassifiable work, in which the author explores the best-known places and the unknown ones, isolated in the Lusitanian hinterland.

Every place is rich in anecdotes, historical information, curiosities and unmissable details. Saramago stops at nothing, driven by a desire to learn and to know: he knocks at convents, churches, monasteries, historic palaces and the humble homes of farmers.

What emerges is a portrait of Portugal that captivates by its singularity: a country in many ways ancestral, anchored to age-old traditions, peopled by humble, dignified inhabitants united by respect for a great historical past.

Saramago’s erudition is vast, yet with his pen he manages to amuse and intrigue, never coming across as heavy or too academic. And so the reader can follow him on his journey along the roads and paths of Portugal, whether the vast ones of the Alentejo or the wild ones of the region of Galicia.

The gentle hills of the Algarve lapped by the Ocean mark the country’s southern border, while the writer’s advice, for all travellers to bear in mind, echoes on:
“You have to go back over the steps already taken, to repeat them, and to trace new paths alongside them. You have to begin the journey again. Always.”

Travel Inspiration:
Click here for the PORTUGAL itineraries

Why choose a Guiness Travel Tour

For us at Guiness, a journey is a wonderful frame of life.
Our aim is not to “show” places, but to accompany travellers as they immerse themselves fully in the culture and beauty of their chosen destination.

All our itineraries are 100% independently planned, carefully designed and tested for over 30 years, thus allowing the product to evolve constantly, reaching a high, wide-ranging cultural level and guaranteeing maximum comfort in the services on the ground.

This is why we created the Guiness Exclusive Tour:
a unique travel experience, mindful of sustainability and rich in experiences, designed to give you maximum comfort, leaving you free to think of nothing but enjoying the moment.

Every one of our trips comes with guaranteed extras:

• Tour leader departing from Italy and accompanying the group for the whole duration of the tour
• Exclusive departures with a limited number of places
• Departures possible from all over Italy
• 24-hour assistance on every departure
• Cancellation without penalty up to 45 actual days before departure
• No surprise extra costs on arrival
• Free minibar service on board the coaches (guaranteed in all the countries visited)

Click here and discover all the exclusive Guiness Travel itineraries

Team
Guiness Travel T.O.