NOTE: Click on any of the highlighted words in this story to read more about each country.

Trains in The Netherlands have something amazing. In a country of nearly 18 million people, it can be a challenge to find a quiet spot. But crowded trains in The Netherlands have something called ‘silent carriages’. In these specially dedicated carriages, you cannot have conversations with a friend, nor talk on your phone or listen to loud music. This silence is ideal for those who want to emerge themselves in a good book.

Of course, all travel is enriched by a good book. And sometimes books will make you feel like you’ve been there. I loved reading about Mongolia in Hearing Birds Fly by Louise Waugh. This nonfiction story is an account of living with nomads and describes much of their lives in detail. Walking the Gobi by Helen Thayer describes the incredible feat of an American couple that walks across the country. Their endurance is amazing and the book shares lots of details about Mongolia and its people. I recognized places I visited in Mongolia - a fascinating country with beautiful people.

In Saudi Arabia I had a much better understanding of the difficulties faced by women, after I read In the Land of Invisible Women: A Female Doctor's Journey in the Saudi Kingdom by Qanta Ahmed. As a female within the country, she describes the culture and its strong traditions in such intricate detail that it feels as if you’re right there with her. When I visited Saudi Arabia I had to wear an abaya and headscarf, I couldn’t drive and I had to be accompanied by a male (teacher) when walking around Jeddah. I can only image the obstacles Qanta Ahmed had to overcome.

One of my favorite books ever I found just before visiting Jordan: Married to A Bedouin by Marguerite van Geldermalsen is the facinating story of how this young woman traveled from her home in New Zealand to Jordan, where she fell in love and married a bedouin man. She ended up living most of the rest of her life in a cave in ancient Petra where she raised her children and became part of the community. When we visited Petra, we met her as she was signing books, and had a delightful discussion with the author. We both shared the experience of hosting Queen Elizabeth…

While in Turkey I was given a copy of a graphic novel about growing up in this country in the ’60 and ’70’s. Dare to Disappoint: Growing Up in Turkey by Ozge Samanci is a fascinating inside look at life in a turbulent country.

Signing books at the Istanbul Book Fair, Turkyie.

I got a deeper understanding of children’s life in a slum in Kenya, and of the importance of family, by reading Walking Home by Eric Walters. Having seen the immense slum featured in his book, the city of Nairobi and the vastness of Kenya, it was all the more impressive to read about the author who actually walked with orphans across the country.

Finding Lien by Bruce Logan is a fictional story placed in Cambodia but it is a very realistic tale of the sex trade. This bravely told tale is a scary part of the country’s culture but also one that creates awareness as you travel there.

I haven’t yet been to Zimbabwe, Botswana or India but feel that I’ve been there after reading fabulous, realistic books. Barefoot Over The Serengeti by David Read which gives a great impression of what it was like for the author to grow up in Zimbabwe, a wild and beautiful country. Twenty Chickens For A Saddle, by Robyn Scott is a wonderful, and funny, account of a childhood spent in Botswana as are of course the Number One Ladies Detective Agency books by Alexander McCall Smith.

Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts and Secret Daughter by Shilphi Somaya Gowda are stories about India that stay with you and become part of you as a reader. As do all of Khaled Hosseini’s books, including The Kiterunner. My favourite book of his is And The Mountains Echoed.

And finally a book that makes me want to visit Bhutan: Married to Bhutan: How One Woman Got Lost, Said I Do and Found Bliss by Linda Leaming who did all these things in addition to writing her spellbinding book about an unusual country.

I could go on and on about favourite books about fascinating countries. But I just want to tell you about one more - a book that is leading me on a journey. I picked up The Caliph’s House, A Year in Casablanca by Tahir Shah. As soon as I started reading, I was fascinated by the story and the city. I will tell you in a future blog, how this book took me by the hand, led me to contact the author and how, now, I am on my way to visit The Caliph’s House in Casablanca! Stay tuned.

And happy travels, happy reading!

For a complete list of our favourite travel books, click here: BOOKS