Going traveling is one of the few things we undertake in a direct attempt to make ourselves happy—and frequently, in fascinating ways, we fail. We get bored, cross, anxious, or lonely. It isn’t surprising: our societies act as if going traveling were simple, just a case of handing over the right sum of money. But a satisfying journey isn’t something we can simply buy, and sadly something that should fill us with excitement can often end up being a source of angst and stress. This is the guide: not to any one destination but to travel in general. It talks to us, among other things, about how we should choose a place to go, what we might do when we get there, how we should make good moments stick in our minds and why hotel rooms can be such liberating places… In a succession of genial essays, we become students of an unexpected but vital topic: how to understand and more fully relax and enjoy (what should be) some of the finest experiences of our lives.
Jadual kandungan
How to Choose a Destination
What Is ‘Exotic’?
The Suspicion of Happiness
Anxiety
Small Pleasures
Water Towers
The Importance of the Sun
Travel as a Cure for Shyness
The Pleasure of the Airport
The Pleasure of the Flight
Pretty Cities
The Pleasure of Otherness
The Longing to Talk to Strangers
The Vulnerability of Perfection to Emotional Troubles
The Importance of Family Holidays
The Pleasure of the Romantic Minibreak
The Little Restaurant
In Defence of Crowds
The Pleasure of Room Service
The Pleasures of Nature
Drawing Rather than Taking Photographs
Holiday Fling
Traveling for Perspective
Travel and Pilgrimages
How to Spend a Few Days in Paris
How to Come Home
The Advantages of Staying at Home
Cherishing Memories
The Shortest Trip: Going for a Walk
The Shortest Travel Quiz
Mengenai Pengarang
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