The Joys of Travel

"A perceptive, old-school travel writer whose prose brings celebrated and obscure destinations to life." —The New York Times

"The Joys of Travel is itself a joy." —Paul Theroux, New York Times bestselling author of Deep South

In The Joys of Travel: And Stories That Illuminate Them, veteran travel writer Thomas Swick reflects on what he has identified as “the seven joys of travel”: anticipation, movement, break from routine, novelty, discovery, emotional connection, and heightened appreciation of home. Coupled with the personal essays are seven true stories that illustrate these joys. Each details the author’s experience visiting destinations across the globe, including Munich, Bangkok, Sicily, Iowa, and Key West.

The Joys of Travel awakens readers to pleasures that, as travelers, they may be taking for granted, and shows non-travelers what they’ve been missing. It offers tips on how people can get the most out of their trips, including strategies for meeting locals, and examines how various modes of transportation affect a traveler’s experience. Throughout this enlightening memoir, Swick also supplies readers with the titles of travel classics that will not only prepare them for the places they visit, but make those places more meaningful once they arrive.

Before your next trip, be it a family vacation or a backpacking tour of Europe, read The Joys of Travel. It will inspire you to get the most out of your time away from home—and to get away more often.

Thomas Swick is the author of the travel memoir Unquiet Days: At Home in Poland, and a collection of travel stories, A Way to See the World: From Texas to Transylvania with a Maverick Traveler. For nearly two decades, Swick was the travel editor of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. He has traveled to more than sixty countries, chronicling his experiences in work that has appeared in the American Scholar, North American Review, Oxford American, Missouri Review, Smithsonian, National Geographic Traveler, Afar, New York Times Book Review, and six editions of The Best American Travel Writing. He lives with his wife, Hania, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

"A personal and deeply engaging writer . . . More than just good reading for the armchair adventurer, Swick’s book spurs one to get out of that armchair and see the world." —The Washington Post

"In a genre now saturated with destination marketers masquerading as travel writers, Mr. Swick stands out as a perceptive, old-school travel writer whose prose brings celebrated and obscure destinations to life." —The New York Times

"I am thankful to Tom Swick for—in the most elegant and insightful way—reminding us why we travel. He is the ideal travel writer, through his example, showing us how to see. The Joys of Travel is itself a joy." —Paul Theroux, New York Times bestselling author of Deep South

"A compelling case for the importance of traveling off the beaten path." —Parade

"Swick knows that you need a vacation, and he tells us about the emotional benefits you can expect from a little change of scenery. . . . In sharing stories with other travelers Thomas Swick has recognized common, but perhaps hidden, delights that we can all experience when we travel." —Rick Steves

"Travel writer extraordinaire." —Thrillist

"A uniquely humorous and venerate voice. . . . Readers will be left with a strong urge to catch the next flight to anywhere." –Luxury Travel

"Alert, observant, and always curious . . . When a first-rate travel writer like Swick sets us down in a new city, in a new country, we know we've landed on firm ground." —Perceptive Travel

"Insightful." —The New York Times on Swick’s essay "Emotional Connection"

"Swick is an enjoyable companion: knowledgeable but not too wordy, a fellow who knows when to describe the passing countryside and when to let the people who actually live there just talk." —Publishers Weekly on Swick’s A Way to See the World

"It’s often said that the real test of a friend’s quality is whether he makes a good traveling companion. Thomas Swick is one of the best." —Chicago Tribune

"Swick combines honest wonder at the world, learned perspective, and a healthy skepticism." —Los Angeles Times