The Art of Travel cover art

The Art of Travel

 Preview
LIMITED TIME OFFER

3 Months Free + £10 Audible voucher

£5.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly.
Get this deal
Offer ends on 5 July 2026 at 11:59 BST.
More purchase options

The Art of Travel

By: Alain de Botton
Narrated by: Nicholas Bell
Get this deal

£5.99/mo after 3 months. Offer ends on 5 July 2026 at 11:59 BST. Cancel monthly.

Buy Now for £11.31

Buy Now for £11.31

Aside from love, few actvities seem to promise us as much happiness as going traveling: taking off for somewhere else, somewhere far from home, a place with more interesting weather, customs, and landscapes. But although we are inundated with advice on where to travel, few people seem to talk about why we should go and how we can become more fulfilled by doing so.

©2002 Alain de Botton. (P)2013 Bolinda Publishing Movements Personal Development Personal Success Philosophy Social Sciences Travel Writing & Commentary
adbl_web_anon_alc_button_suppression_t1
All stars
Most relevant
Great book... better to read than listen though. The pace is just a little quick for an audio book.

Great book... better to read than listen though.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Insightful and beautifully read, with some moments of gentle humour. Sometimes seemed to wander off the topic of travel but always came back to the point eventually - often in a thought-provoking way.

Good for room travel

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
through his elegant prose, the author analyses the drivers of our usually superficial travel choices and makes us ponder on the deeper motives that move our lives.

thought provoking lucid analysis

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Having both the paperback and the audio versions, I have to say that, while this is a stunning book that I would recommend to all, it doesn't quite fit as an audiobook. While the narration is very good, the book does exactly what it says on the tin - it is a philosophical look into travel, with many comparisons to art. He therefore mentions many art works, or describes scenery on his own travels, all of which are featured as images in the paperback version. While of course you can google certain famous art works, such as Van Gogh's Cypresses, this book just doesn't have the same feel when experienced as an audiobook I'm afraid.

Not suited to audio format

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
The book is structured with many short chapters and parts; this is confusing as the author jumps from historical recounting to descriptions of his own feelings while travelling. It doesn’t work well as a style and I felt unengaged and bored. Kept skipping and then gave up.

Very disjointed and incoherent

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.