Did you know the library has books on just about any way that you can think of to see the world? You can find out about travelling fast.. or slow; by foot, by bike, by rail, by boat, or by motorbike. Here are just a few samples to whet your appetite.

Go Fast!!

36 Hours (2012): 125 Weekends in Europe - Dream weekends with practical itineraries from Paris to Perm. Culture, history, natural beauty, fine cuisine, artistic masterpieces, cutting-edge architecture and style-- Europe overflows with so many riches that a lifetime seems too short to appreciate them. But with the right guidance, you can go far in a single weekend . Stylishly written and carefully researched, this updated and expanded collection of the popular New York Times 36 Hours feature offers you 125 well-crafted itineraries for quick but memorable European trips, accompanied by hundreds of color photographs to fire your imagination.

36 Hours (2011): 150 Weekends in the USA & Canada - The ultimate travel guide to the USA and Canada To travel in North America is to face a delicious quandary: over these vast spaces, with so many riches from glittering cities to eccentric small towns and heart-stoppingly beautiful mountains and plains, how to experience as much as possible in limited time? One answer is the quick hit, a jam-packed adventure that delivers a full sense of a single place's opportunities and personalities over a well-plotted two-night stay. The New York Times has been offering up dream weekends with practical itineraries in its popular weekly "36 Hours" column since 2002.

 

Go Slow!

Go Slow France (2010): Special Places to Stay, Slow Travel and Slow Food - Go Slow France is the third book in Sawday's hugely successful Go Slow series. Discover 47 of France's most exquisite châteaux, B&Bs and hotels chosen as places to 'go slow'.

 

Slow Dorset, [2012] : Local, Characterful Guides to Britain's Special Places - Slow Dorset is a personal celebration of what makes Dorset special - an invitation to slow down and enjoy its beauty. The author takes you on a personal journey through the county introducing some of Dorset's best kept secrets and hidden delights including little known walks, cycle rides, pubs, local craftsmen and visitor attractions.

Go By Foot!

We have several different series of books that cover walking tours.

We have books that help you tour a city step by step, or a pilgrimage route, like the Camino de Santiago.

We have books with walking tours with a literary theme or those with a walk into history.

You can find them in our catalogue by searching "walking guidebooks".

 

 

 

 

Go by Bike!

Our books on cycling cover the world - from specific locations such as Oregon and the Kettle Valley Railroad in B.C. to the fifty places to bike before you die.

We also have books on cycling for all ages. Just search guidebooks cycling.

 

 

 

By Rail or By Boat!

 

The same applies to travelling by Rail; search railroad guidebooks (ignore the first few titles, they can't be borrowed).

For travel by Boat, search guidebooks cruises. You can find cruises everywhere from Alaska to the Caribbean to the Greek Islands.

 

 

 

 

 

By Car Or Even By Motorcycle!

 

If travelling by Car, search using the phrase guidebooks automobile.

If touring on a motorcycle, use the phrase guidebooks motorcycles.

 

 

 

 

 

 

However you go, the library has books to help you plan a great travel adventure! Knowing before you go helps you make the most of your trip. Happy trails!

"There are many paths to enlightenment. Be sure to take one with a heart." - Lao Tzu

All roads lead to enlightenment--but the choice of which to travel is yours. From Sedona to Lourdes to Mecca, there are certain divinely blessed places that can inspire you to renew your sense of wonder, revitalize your spirit, and restore your faith. (Syndetics)

Check out these other books that might take you on the paths of enlightenment.

Looking for a contemplative time of renewal? Why not consider staying in a monastery?

We also have these guidebooks for Italy and France.

We have recently received a new book on this transformative walk, Camino Letters by Julie Kirkpatrick.

"It’s very simple: this book is a quiet masterpiece. Wrought of searing honesty, pain, and humour, these exquisite letters walk a path of brave humility and surrender. They ache with agonies, laugh with magic, bless with insight, and open to the whispered songs of grace. They are dances of sorrow, love, and spirit. They are frozen music, sketches of the divine on earth. This book is a gift."

Alison Wearing, author of Honeymoon in Purdah: An Iranian Journey

I'm off then : losing and finding myself on the Camino de Santiago (2009)
by Hape Kerkeling

Overweight, overworked, and physically unfit, Kerkeling was an unlikely candidate to make an arduous pilgrimage across the French Alps. But that didn't stop him from trying, which he describes in this humorous and inspiring travelogue. (Syndetics)

Walking the Camino de Santiago : [from St-Jean-Pied-de-Port to Santiago de Compostela and on to Finisterre] (2009) by Bethan Davies

Smoothing your way with step-by-step instructions, detailed sketch maps and profile charts, this guide lets you into Spain's cultural and culinary secrets, includes a detailed, illustrated wildlife section, and gives you all the practical information you need for a hassle-free pilgrimage. (Sydetics)

What the psychic told the pilgrim : a midlife misadventure on Spain's Camino de Santiago Compostela by Jane Christmas

To celebrate her 50th birthday and face the challenges of mid-life, Jane Christmas joins 14 women to hike the Camino de Santiago de Compostela. Despite a psychic’s warning of catfights, death, and a sexy, fair-haired man, Christmas soldiers on. After a week of squabbles, the group splinters and the real adventure begins. (Syndetics)

The roads to Santiago : the medieval pilgrim routes through France and Spain to Santiago de Compostela (2008) by Derry Brabbs

Brabbs traces the four main routes within France leading to Santiago de Compostella, the third most important pilgrimage destination for medieval travelers. His photographs of the journeys are breathtaking, showing the tiny towns and grand cathedrals where the pilgrims took, and still take, shelter. (syndetics)

A Pilgrim's Guide to the Camino de Santiago: St Jean, Roncesvalles, Santiago by John Brierley

Now updated to include newer maps and photos and weighing less to support carefree traveling, these comprehensive guidebooks to the Camino de Santiago and its offshoots contain all the information needed by modern-day pilgrims wishing to walk the sacred Way of St. James. (Syndetics)

What better way to take in all the sights and sounds of a country than by seeing it from two wheels - whether on a bike or a motorbike?

Take an armchair trip through South America with Dominic Gill or Glen Heggstad.

Take a seat : one man, one tandem and twenty thousand miles of possibilities

When Dominic Gill set out from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, by bicycle on June 16, 2006, it was to be no ordinary bike ride. His goal was to reach Ushuaia, the southernmost city in South America, nearly 20,000 miles away, and he was starting off with virtually no money in his pocket, barely enough food to last a week, and, worst of all, with thousands of miles between him and his friends and family.

Two wheels through terror : diary of a South American motorcycle odyssey Glen Heggstad's journey through South America involved kidnapping, violent protests, mechanical failures and inhospitable climates, not your average gentle ride through the countryside.

Another trek through South America!!

You can armchair cycle from Siberia to England on a three and a half year trek through Papua New Guinea, Australia and Afghanistan with Rob Lilwall or cross America by bicycle with two intrepid middle-aged women.

Bicycle Diaries, part travelogue, part journal, part photo album, a behind-the-handlebars celebration of seeing the world from the seat of a bike with 100 photos throughout.

Check these books out to see the world from the comfort of your own comfy chair!!

Slow travel is all about getting to know a place and connecting with the people. What better way to see a country than to walk the highways and biways?

The library has some great books that you can check out on walking vacations for locations both near and far.

One of our newest is by Countryfile, Great British Walks. This book features 100 unique walks through the British countryside and has clear, easy-to-follow routes and ordnance survey mapping. It includes notes on what you will see and some lovely colour photographs. It has everything from gentle strolls through the countryside to challenging hikes into the wilderness.

"With its strong binding, attractive photographs, and variety of walks, this guide will make a wonderful companion for enthusiastic country walkers. (Library Journal Review)

You can walk through Provence or Paris:

Or perhaps you would like to walk Down Under.

Or you can stay close to home:

Whether you are a meanderer or a serious hiker, there is something here for you. Happy trails!!