The Art of Travel

by Alain De Botton

Release Date: 30 July, 2002

Edition: Hardcover

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Deliciously Readable philosophy

Alain de Botton's book furthers his exploration of philosophical issues in our every day lives. Travelling for the author becomes a way to discuss our pursuit of happiness as well as they way our expectations affect how we live. While the questions that he raises are sophisticated and he draws on his background as an exquisitely trained philosopher for this book, the narrative is incredibly readable:his anecdotes are witty, the prose flows well, and seemingly a high school freshman could comprehend and digest much of what he is saying.

By no means however does this mean that it is not a challenging and enlightening read. de Botton relates a series of his journeys from comical moments of deciding to travel thousands of miles across the globe from the inspiration of a picture of palm trees to the anxiety we experience when we discover that not only does our destination have palm trees but also dirty streets, traffic, and bureacracy. His personal experiences are sprinkled with insight from other famous travellers from european colonial painters to influential french novelists. The end result is a witty, personal, and thorough exploration of travel and what it tells us about the way we live our lives.

As a side note seeing Alain de Botton read and discuss his work in Oxford displayed his depth of knowledge and comfort in his field. He is truly a philosopher who cares about communicating and discussing ideas about how we can better live our lives in an intelligent and coherent manner for any willing reader which is an admirable task. Do not pass this book up!

An author's philosophical approach to travel.

In today's travel literature market it is not often that we have an opportunity to read a book that is devoid of telling us where and how to go, but rather the philosophical aspects of travel.

Alain de Botton's collection of charming reflections entitled THE ART OF TRAVEL opens up a window to a variety of hidden thoughts that we often ponder but seem to ignore.
How often is the anticipation of a voyage more gratifying than its actual fulfillment, when we can muse, as does the author, when he states, "there were times when I felt there might be no finer journeys than those provoked in the imagination by staying home slowly turning the Bible-paper pages of the British Airways Worldwide Timetable."

In our age of persuasive marketing, glossy photos of far off idyllic places often seduce us to travel to destinations that unfortunately do not seem to resemble our preconceptions. De Botton's poetic essays explore various ingredients of the travel experience, such as, airports, holiday romance, uncomfortable hotels and distasteful scenery. These induce us to question why we travel and what benefits we derive from the adventure. Particularly in today's travel climate with the threat of terrorism, travelling does not seem to have the same sparkle as it once enjoyed. There certainly is no fun attached to standing in line at an airport for three hours waiting to be questioned, searched and eventually admitted to a stale smelling airplane containing seats that are so narrow that even a child would have difficulty in finding comfort. However, even with all of its shortcomings, De Botton reminds us that travel is a learning experience and by effectively employing our senses we will be handsomely rewarded. We are reminded that we travel not only to lose ourselves but also to discover ourselves. To observe and to appreciate surroundings that ordinarily may not be meaningful.

De Botton accomplishes this feat by skilfully blending his own images with the aesthetic endeavours and travel experiences of some of the most renowned authors and painters such as, William Wordsworth, Gustave Flaubert, Edward Hopper, Vincent van Gough, John Ruskin, Charles Baudelaire, and Alexander von Humboldt.

It is the teachings of these individuals that show us how to appreciate nature, to fall in love again, and to recognize the beauty and poetry of such simple scenes as a motel, service station, or an airport. As the author philosophizes, "it is perhaps because, in spite of their architectural compromises and discomforts, in spite of their garish colours and harsh lighting, we implicitly feel that these isolated places offer us a material setting for an alternative to the selfish ease, the habits and confinement of the ordinary, rooted world."

Many of the truisms expounded upon in THE ART OF TRAVEL are far from novel, however, it is the manner in which they are expressed that I found enlightening. Very often I found myself rereading passages and uttering "right on," as they reaffirmed many of my own perceptions of travel.

An interview with the author appeared on the reviewer's own site