Book Review – The Tao of Travel by Paul Theroux

Posted on 13 October 2011

Paul Theroux takes his travels and, therefore, his writings seriously. Having spent 50 years on the road, this has become his field of expertise. With titles like The Great Railway Bazaar and Dark Star Safari under his belt and an extensive list of fictional and non-fictional titles, it’s safe to say Theroux knows what he’s doing.

But in his latest book, The Tao of Travel, Theroux shifts the focus to his contemporaries, the ones he looked to for guidance and inspiration or simply someone to relate to. Being a full-time traveller gets lonely after all. Subtitled “˜Enlightenments from Lives on the Road’, he collects moments during these writers’ travels and puts the philosophical idea of travel before the actual trip or destination.

The Tao of Travel is made up of short extracts from a myriad of travel books, organised around different themes, such as travel as a waste of time, tourism and sightseeing and the pleasures of railways. These illustrate how writers might have agreed fully on something, despite travelling in contrasting times.

One of the opening quotes is from On the Road by Jack Kerouac and reads: “Our battered suitcases were piled on the sidewalk again; we had longer ways to go. But no matter, the road is life.” It represents the popular theme throughout the book that, for some people, there is an absolute necessity to travel.

What is nice about The Tao of Travel, is that it’s perfect for a lunch break read or those fifteen minutes in bed before switching off the light, because the snippets are short and to the point. If you are able to get your hands on the leather bound version, it would also look great on the coffee table.

The Tao of Travel is not a story, so don’t expect one. It’s easy to forget the country or the desert in question, but this collection of wisdom, adventures and ordeals show that some are simply born for a life of travel. For any Theroux enthusiast, The Tao of Travel is a necessary addition to the bookshelf – as a tribute to travel and the profession of travel writing.

The Tao of Travel (285 pages) is published by Penguin (R110). Click here to purchase a copy.






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