If you like to travel and books, why not combine the two pleasures and get inspired for your next destinations from some fun, easy-reading books.
Single for the Summer – Mandy Baggot
Two friends, Tess and Sonya, and the magical island of Corfu, where the sun is always shining and your senses are activated at every step.
Tess dates a lot but no relationship lasts longer than 6 weeks. Her friend Sonia has a romantic vacation planned with her boyfriend when she suddenly finds herself “on a break”. So, they go on vacation together for a girl’s week to remember.
Andreas, the god-alike sexy Greek man, pops up in the picture and starts a fake relationship with Tess, which goes into not such a phony direction.
Andreas is guiding the two friends through the beautiful places on the island. The descriptions are vivid and colorful. You can feel the sun, and smell the sea and lavender pots near the taverna, while the gorgeous food makes your mouth water.
This book has all it needs for a great summer read: love, drama, laugh. It takes you on a cultural experience of the Greek community and traditions, where family bonds are strong and weddings differ from other parts of the world.
It’s the story that envelops and takes you on a journey. Many hilarious situations make the read entertaining and light. When you are done with it the instinct will be to book a ticket to Corfu before you say Baklava!
Married to a beduin – Marguerite van Geldermalsen
The book is a memoir of Marguerite who travels through Jordan in 1978 and meets Mohammad, a Bedouin from the ancient city of Petra. It is an exciting window into life in Jordan and Petra, where Marguerite lived together with her Arab husband, in an ancient cave, between 1978 and 1985. At that time Petra was not a tourism hot spot yet and life had a different pace. In 1985 the Bdoul Bedouin tribe, to which Mohammad belongs, was relocated outside of Petra, and the ancient city was on the way to becoming a top truistic attraction.
If you don’t have Petra and Jordan on your list it’s definitely a destination you may want to consider. Known as one of the 7 wonders of the new world, Petra was the capital of the Nabatean Kingdom and a thriving spice trade center, at the crossroads between Arabia, Egypt, and West Asia. Petra was “hidden” from the Western world for hundreds of years, until the 19th century, when a Swiss explorer, Johann Ludwig Burckhardt, was set to discover the lost city.
Women in Sunlight – Frances Mayes
This is the story of three American women in their 60s who meet while visiting a retirement home, form a connection and decide to travel to Tuscany and spend a year together. Next door to their country villa lives an ex-pat writer who is struggling with progress on her book and decides to make the life of her fellow neighbors her next novel.
The year in Tuscany proves to be life-changing for all four women while they live the dream of la dolce vita. The Tuscany landscape is rich in culture, architecture, art, history, and food. Prepare to find yourself craving Italian food because the meals are exquisite, always created with the freshest ingredients, and accompanied by the perfect wines.
This book will seriously make you consider moving to Tuscany and have your own adventures and incredibly tasty meals. or at least to finally erase that line from your travel bucket list and book a ticket to Italy. Maybe a one-way ticket only.
A year in Provence – Peter Mayle
Peter Mayle and his wife leave behind England and move to Provence into a 200 years old farmhouse in search of a more quite slow pace life. With the usual English humor, this story covers the first year of Mayles in a new country with all the explorations, ups, and downs, triumphs, and failures of trying to adapt to a new culture while renovating the old house.
The book is divided into twelve chapters, each devoted to one month, starting with January when they move in and ending with their first Christmas in the new home, so the reader gets to enjoy the seasonal changes of the beautiful countryside.
Understanding the importance of gastronomy in French culture, Peter Mayle is not short in describing the food and local wines, while reading you can smell the truffles, takes the garlic, and feel the sunshine on your face.
The spirit of the local people of Provence and their way of dealing with life will give you some good laughs, but nothing cannot be solved with yet another bottle of wine.
One shall not read this book on an empty stomach, or you may end up booking your ticket to Provence instantly.
This book is an invitation to reconsider living at a slower pace, taking everything which comes on the way with a bit of salt and pepper, and from time to time, enjoy a well-deserved siesta.
Eat Pray Love – Elizabeth Gilbert
When it comes to inspiring travel you can think of this book as 3 in 1, because it covers three wonderful destinations: Italy, India, and Indonesia. It is a memoir of the author’s one-year-long trip and the discoveries and transformations she is experiencing during her travels.
Elizabeth spends 4 months in Italy – eating and enjoying life, 4 months in India – finding her spirituality, and the last 4 months of her travel year in Bali, Indonesia – finding balance and as a bonus – love.
Very few of us could really take such a life-changing trip, but the book can be an inspiration for your next travel destination. You don’t need 4 months in Italy to enjoy the famous Napoletana pizza. The breathtaking landscapes of Bali’s rise terraces and iconic temples are something worth considering this exotic destination.
Except for India, I have been in all these places I read about and could say each one is worth a vacation. I like to be inspired by the books I read and then take the journey and live the experience myself.
