Crossing borders

Travel? A word that seems out of this world considering the era we currently live in. Travel is going from one place to another, as by car, train, plane, or ship based on the definition of dictionaries. But, since the pandemic started, travel as we know it has been put on hold, unfortunately. However, we might have another way to travel that can be considered unusual or weird: reading. It may seem boring said like that, but travelling with a book could take you on a journey you did not expect. Crossing borders. 

That is quite unusual, but that is what makes it compelling and wondering at the same time. Have you never been so fascinated by a book you were reading that you forgot anything around you? Such as the time, your daily tasks, or even making yourself a cup of tea? All that mattered at that moment was the book you were reading. 

We have assembled a list of books that might give you the same feeling, what’s more, it may even take you upon an unusual journey.

A Woman Alone: Travel Tales from Around the Globe by Faith Colon (2001) 

This book is a compilation of short travel narratives, all by women, all of whom travelled alone. You will be taken to India, Thailand, Uzbekistan, Brazil and many other places. This book gives another point of view of solo travel as the author emphasize independence, freedom, self-reflection and especially self-discovery. Not only this book will make you travel; it may teach you something about yourself. 

Adventures of a Lifetime: Travel Tales from Around the World by Janna Graber (2015) 

This anthropology will take you upon 24 adventures of a lifetime through Indonesia, Venice, Hawaii, Latvia or even Mali. This unique collection of travel stories will transport you, move you colourfully and entertainingly, everyone will find an adventure within this book that inspires them.

The Summer Isles: A Voyage of the Imagination by Philip Marsden (2019)

The Summer Isles are an inhabited archipelago of the Scottish Highlands usually explored by adventurers, fishers and monks. This journey is one of a kind because of the nostalgia it brings and a very particular type of geographical yearning. The travel made within this book can make the readers find fulfilment.

The Island by Victoria Hislop (2005)

This novel will draw you into an intrigued and mystical place, the Island of Crete. The author has done remarkable research before writing the book that the reader has no choice but to be taken with the main character Alexis Fielding on that island. If you ever wondered how Greece is, this book will take you there. 

The Shooting Star by Shivya Nath (2008)

This travel memoir will take you on a journey to self-discovery, the author puts travel in introspect as you see more of yourself than the world during an adventure. You will follow the author through the Himalayan villages to the Amazon rainforest of Ecuador, you will learn about a journey full of discoveries about the world, culture and also about the human spirit.

If you enjoyed Crossing Borders why not read the surrealist story Genres without Borders here.