I got my hands on an early copy of Chuck Thompson's latest book, To Hellholes and Back: Bribes, Lies, and the Art of Extreme Tourism (on sale Tuesday, December 8, 2009), and enjoyed it immensely. In Hellholes, the original rogue travel writer and author of Smile When You're Lying comes to the conclusion that while he's been all over the world, he's consciously or unconsciously avoided many different places that scared the hell out of him. Feeling like a bit of a fraud, he decides to visit them all. ]]> Victor Ozols 2009-12-05T16:50:22-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/9/26/111138/690

The modern travel guidebook genre is usually traced to Arthur Frommer's seminal 1957 book Europe on 5 Dollars a Day, but tips on making the most of your time abroad have been published in some form or another for centuries. A 13th century Viking travel guide, for example, highlights some of the potential pitfalls of visiting Scotland. A nifty story in the Telegraph points out that the Norse Vikings, as fierce as they may have been, were no match for some of the rougher tribes of Scotland and Ireland, who were said to butcher invaders on arrival. ]]> Victor Ozols 2009-09-26T11:11:38-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/7/23/235737/736

You might not be allowed to get frisky onboard Singapore Airlines' A380 with first class bed suites, and you sure aren't fitting into a regular airplane lavatory without arousing suspicion anytime soon, but that doesn't mean you can't at least read about joining the Mile High Club.

The new book, The Mile High Club: Plane Sex Stories, is a collection of short tales recounting people's experiences putting more than just their tray tables and seatbacks in an upright and locked position. ]]> JetSetCD 2009-07-24T08:44:23-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/7/1/133910/9087

Every American outlet worth its salt is putting out a list of books for best beach reading this week in preparation for the glorious holiday weekend ahead. And while we've never seen a bandwagon we didn't want to jump on and eventually drive, we wonder why no one is offering a warning label of what not to bring on your Fourth of July road or plane trip. Finally, a raison d'etre! If these are in your carry-on, beware:

Jonathan Miles, Dear American Airlines. The New York Times cocktail columnist's debut is uproariously funny, but takes place entirely in Chicago O'Hare Airport on a cross-country trip gone wrong. We're scared even to pick it up in the vicinity of our suitcase for fear we will be jinxed.

Alice Hoffman, The Story Sisters. Hoffman's Turtle Moon and Practical Magic have comingled with sunblock in our beach bag before, but after the author went off on Twitter on a critic who wrote a mildly negative review, we're going to read something that's free to dislike.

Norman Ollestad, Crazy For The Storm. This memoir debuted at #10 on the Times Best-seller List for its riveting true story of an 11-year-old who survived a plane crash in the San Gabriel Mountains, and we're looking forward to picking up when we have no plans to fly anywhere.

Emily Chenoweth, Hello Goodbye. Cosmopolitan put this novel about a girl on vacation with her brain-cancer mum on its Best Beach Books list, which means tears must be sexy this year. (See also: Every Jodi Picoult book. Have fun crying!)

Herman Melville, Moby-Dick. There's no reason why this book is specifically bad for this year, but we once read it while being eaten alive by mosquitoes in the Russian countryside, and we've never forgiven ol' Melville from failing to distract us for our welts.

Related Stories:
· Aspiring Hotelier Reading List: Chip Conley's Book "Peak" [HC]
· What We're Reading coverage [Jaunted]
· Literary Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: josephrobertson] ]]> egw 2009-07-01T15:49:52-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/6/16/121558/487

Don't just be an armchair traveler this summer -- relive your favorite new books with a trip to the cities where they take place. Buckle in! A book's all the in-flight entertainment you need.

Michael Connelly's "The Scarecrow" begins at the L.A. Times where hero Jack McEvoy is just being downsized -- timely! Shake your fist at the Times' headquarters (202 W. 1st St.), then head around the corner to the Lost Souls Cafe (124 W. 4th St.) for a "soul latte" sweetened with half-and-half and condensed milk. You'll need the energy to fight City Hall (200 N. Spring St.) while tracking cyber killers responsible for long-shelved murders. ]]> egw 2009-06-16T15:27:12-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/5/2/155230/8200

Writing about the differences between in-flight magazines got me to thinking about how often I really do read long-form travel writing, compared with the staccato bursts of stylized news briefs one might find on, say, a travel blog. The truth is, I don't often read all the great feature stories published every month, even in magazines I subscribe to. But when I finally make the time to read a lush and descriptive feature by one of today's best travel writers, I'm always glad I did. That's why anthologies like the Best American Travel Writing series are so great. I recently finished reading this year's edition - which has stories originally published in 2008 - and enjoyed it immensely. ]]> Victor Ozols 2009-05-02T15:52:30-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/3/21/143657/392

After I graduated from college in 1992, I moved to Latvia for a couple of years to do the expat thing. As I criss-crossed the continent in search of further adventures, I held my trusty copy of Let's Go: Europe close, relying on it to point me toward the best hostels, museums, and cheap restaurants. Let's Go served me well, and I won't speak ill of it, but when a fellow backpacker shared with me an early copy of Rick Steves' Europe Through the Back Door, I never looked back. I felt Steves' Back Door guides not only contained better practical information, but helped me become a better traveler myself. ]]> Victor Ozols 2009-03-21T14:36:57-05:00 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/