Books |
Travel Anywhere (And Avoid Being a Tourist): Travel trends and destination inspiration for the modern adventurer
Jeralyn Gerba and Pavia Rosati
By
Published: Apr 14, 2019
Category:
Travel
You do not want to open “Travel Anywhere” if you have been drinking or toking. First, you will turn down the corners of pages of destinations, hotels and restaurants that are particularly appealing. Then you will go to the Web to see what it costs to go there. And then, if you are sufficiently blitzed, you will grab a passport and rush to the airport.
There are 10 million travel books. The planet is finite. Surely, somewhere on Amazon you can find recommendations for everything in this book. So why the enthusiasm for this?
Let’s get this out of the way: I know and adore Pavia Rosati. I tried to hire her to replace me when I was leaving bookreporter.com for AOL. I did hire her at AOL. I don’t recall spending a lot of time with her there, but I didn’t need to — everything she created was pretty much what I’d do, just a little bit better. I moved on. So did she, first to DailyCandy.com, then to Fathom, a site she launched with Jeralyn Gerba. They have described it as “a manual for modern travelers.” Translation: “We find ourselves especially drawn to destinations that feel like sanctuaries and that inspire goodwill. If you travel to recharge the senses and want to return home energized and engaged, these places will do all that—and more.”
Still, they’re starting out with a B- — Rosati and Gerba use the word “journey,” which should only be uttered by Best Supporting Actresses when they accept their Oscars. But the places! The photos!
The Arctic Haven Wilderness Lodge, in the northernmost part of Canada. The Faroe Islands, in the overlooked zone between Iceland and Norway. The republic of Georgia, which was recently worthy of an entire book about its cuisine and wine. A converted monastery on an Umbrian hillside. Petit St. Vincent, a secret, but not for long. The Bamurru Plains in Australia. Who wouldn’t slow down at the section on romantic hotels? And there are four pages of general travel advice that are worth the price of the book. [To buy the book from Amazon, click here.]
Loved the restaurants. Gasped at the photo spread of the open-air co-working space in Bali. Applauded the chapter on volunteer opportunities around the world. Wanted to go to almost every architectural destination, starting with the Fogo Island Inn in Newfoundland.
It’s not 100% eye-opening. I yawned at the selections for “wellness travel,” though I was curious about “forest bathing.” Glamping — oh, pull-ease. There’s a list of apparently obligatory “Trips of a Lifetime” — Machu Picchu, Venice, blah blah blah. But then, a few pages later, there’s a yummy list of “Bites Worth the Distance.”
Does it sound like a book for entitled First Worlders? Yes, they’ll love it. For the rest of us, it’s a dream book, a motivator. And if, at times, it gives you the feeling you’re wallowing in travel porn — hey, you’ve done worse.
