Reviews and Blog Posts: armchair travel

A sense of direction: pilgrimage for the restless and the hopeful

by Gideon Lewis-Kraus

DPL Rating:

Gideon Lewis-Kraus is funny, insightful and honest about himself and his journeys in this great memoir. It's a fantastic read!

Women's Travel Writing





Around the World Trip



Around the World Voyage Memoirs:

Deep Cool - Books to Beat the Heat

Shopping for Porcupine (Book Cover Image)

Not a cloud in the sky. I'm sweating in the garden, my scalp slowly broiling. My mind is elsewhere seeking mercy from the sun - dreaming of distant places where I could chill...SERIOUSLY chill. I'm talking the Arctic and the Antarctic.

While you might be able to convince me to briefly set foot someplace in the Arctic (Alaska, anyone?), the Antarctic with its annual mean temperature of -58 degrees is simply out of the question. But in books, I'll happily vicariously experience toes black from frostbite, sleeping in sodden sealskin sleeping bags, and eating nothing but frozen seal meat. These books put my minor discomforts in perspective and leave me with a sense of wonder and awe. I'm glad some braver souls than myself have explored such places and that some have survived to tell the tale.

America's Best Idea

Back in the day camping was cheap entertainment for large families.  My dad could fit five kids in a Volkswagen bug (before seatbelt laws) and we'd inch up Golden Gate Canyon.  When the car began to roll backwards, that's when we'd stop and pitch our tent.

Consequently, I am a big armchair traveler and have visited many of the 392 national parks via video and just a few in person. My favorite production produced by Ken Burns was shown on PBS last year and is available at the library: The National Parks: America's Best Idea. I have also been fortunate to visit many parks in person. Given that my bucket list is r-e-a-l-l-y long, I use the library's books and travelogues to help me prioritize my trips.

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