Part of the Twenty Books in Twenty Days series.
In many ways, this choice [affiliate link] represents travel writing in general. Theroux has written a lot of books that could fit the bill. The reason I include this one is that, towards the end, there’s a very much warts-and-all description of his return journey. He’s bored and hungry and homesick. Many writers would have skipped this part, or at least glossed over the worst parts, but travel isn’t all glamour. Its inclusion here is what makes it a classic.
Whenever I’m travelling and the reality doesn’t match up to what I imagined, I think back to those chapters.