The Joys of Travel: And Stories that Illuminate Them is a collection of Thomas Swick's personal essays on what he has identified as "the seven joys of travel": anticipation, movement, break from routine, novelty, discovery, emotional connection and heightened appreciation of home.
The Joys of Travel awakens readers to pleasures that, as travelers, they may be taking for granted. It also shows non-travelers what they've been missing. It offers tips on how people can get the most out of their trips, as well as the titles of travel classics that will not only prepare them for the places they visit but make those places more meaningful once they get there. And it tells, through memories and stories, the tale of someone who has made a living writing about travel. In fact, the story of Thomas Swick's life as a traveler neatly parallels the examination of a journey from beginning to end.
Before you next trip, be it a family vacation or a backpacking tour of Europe, read The Joys of Travel. It will inspire you to get the most out of your time away from home and to get away more often.
"A personal and deeply engaging writer . . . More than just good reading for the armchair adventurer, Swick's book spurs one to get out of that armchair and see the world."
The Washington Post
"I am thankful to Tom Swick for-in the most elegant and insightful way-reminding us why we travel. He is the ideal travel writer, through his example, showing us how to see. The Joys of Travel is itself a joy."
Paul Theroux, New York Times bestselling author of Deep South
"In a genre now saturated with destination marketers masquerading as travel writers, Mr. Swick stands out as a perceptive, old-school travel writer whose prose brings celebrated and obscure destinations to life."
