Go globetrotting from the comfort of your home. Read travel narratives to live the magic of distant lands.
Many of us are expatriates in the UAE and, as such, frequent-flyers and travellers. But, there are times when either you cannot or simply do not want to jump on the next aeroplane to explore a bit of the world yet unknown to you. So, why not stay at home, curl up on the sofa and read your way around the world?
The following books present a mix of novels and travel narratives, often written by expatriates about the country they are living in.
Fasten your sofa cushion, lean back and enjoy your trip around the world.
Europe
- Italy – Try Italian Neighbours by Tim Parks — an honest account of the joys and downsides of living in Italy and trying to fit in with the locals.
- France — A Year in Provence by Peter Mayle. Need I tell you about this? Despite dubious fame, it is an enjoyable read about setting up home in Provence.
- Great Britain — Notes from a Small Island is by Bill Bryson, an expat from the UK. He walks his way around the place.
- Greece — My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell, an autobiographical account of life on Corfu, narrated by the author as a young boy living with his eccentric family.
Asia
- The UAE — Mother without a Mask, by Patricia Holton. An American expat from London becomes friends with a Shaikh's family in Al Ain and gets a rare insight into the life of the natives, their traditions and the UAE, at a time when the discovery of oil was heralding sweeping changes through society.
- Qatar — If the Sun doesn't Kill you the Washing Machine will, by Peter Wood, is a hilarious account of an Englishman in Qatar and the trials and tribulations he faces when setting up home there in the 1970s.
- India — The City of Djinns, by William Dalrymple, is a very readable account of modern-day Delhi with the history of the place explained and brought to life in his words.
- China — When we were Orphans, by Kazuo Ishiguro. A London detective visits the Shanghai of his childhood and tries to lay some ghosts to rest.
On a Chinese Screen by W. Somerset Maugham — a series of accounts of early European expats in China after the First World War.
Australia
- Billy Connolly's World Tour of Australia is an account of his travel around Australia, described in typical Connolly style with lovely pictures to boot.
- Clive James' Unreliable Memoirs tells about growing up in Sydney as it used to be.
Americas
- The US — The Horse Whisperer by Nicholas Evans — not an expat living in the US, but a great painter of pictures in words.
- Mexico — On Mexican Time, by Tony Cohan, tells us how he visited, fell in love with and finally moved to Mexico.
- Argentina — Bad Times in Buenos Aires, by Miranda France. Not everybody likes the country. But, the title is misleading. The book gives an insight into the history of Buenos Aires and the soul of
Argentina.
Africa
- Egypt — The Map of Love, by Ahdaf Soueif, is the love story of an English lady living in Cairo in the early 1900s and is interwoven with a corresponding story unfolding in the present.
- Kenya — Out of Africa, by Karen Blixen. It is an old-time favourite. And for a tug at the heartstrings, I Dreamed of Africa by Kuki Gallman, whose story is sad but inspirational.
- South Africa — A non-fictional and biographical book, but one relevant to South Africa, is The Last Empire, De Beers, Diamonds and the World by Stefan Kanfer. It details the history of De Beers and with it the history of the country.
Antarctica
- Terra Incognita by Sara Wheeler. Having spent six weeks in Antarctica, Sara Wheeler passes on her insights of travel and life on the ice.
Disclaimer: The chosen route reflects one followed by many but not all travellers. The number of destinations, directions and stopovers are too diverse to be covered in just a few books. Please feel free to get tickets to other countries at your local or online bookstore.
— Ulrike Lemmin-Woolfrey is a UAE-based freelance writer.
