Island Travel

Journalist Susan Casey was in her living room when she first glimpsed this strange place and its resident sharks, their dark fins swirling around a tiny boat in a documentary. These great whites were the alphas among alphas, the narrator said, some of them topping 18 feet in length, and each fall they congregated here off the northern California coast.

Born in the Bronx, Guy Trebay was raised in an atmosphere of privilege on Long Island’s North Shore after his entrepreneurial father struck business gold with Hawaiian Surf, a wildly successful cologne company that capitalized on the optimism of the 1960s as marketed to “an adventurous new breed of men.’’ But behind the facade of material prosperity lay the emotional disarray of a household dominated by a charismatic, con artist father, a glamorous yet lost and careless mother, a family haunted by tragedy.

In 1773, 63-year-old literary giant Samuel Johnson joined James Boswell, a 32-year-old Scottish lawyer, on an historic horseback expedition across the Scottish Highlands to the Western Islands. The unlikely duo's travelogue records their fascinating conversations and encounters with great wit and incredible detail. Johnson, one of the 18th century's most celebrated writers, provided an elegant and stately account of everything from Loch Ness's medicinal waters to Scotland's puzzling lack of trees.

Now in its 3rd edition, complete with fresh design and extra stories, the evergreen 'Voices' collection of Seychelles short stories by Glynn Burridge describes the strange secrets, realities and fantasies of life on Seychelles' Outer Islands where the author lived for two decades. Reviewed by the BBC as 'beautiful and powerful', 'Voices' was also selected by journalist and author Anne Morgan as one of her preferred Seychelles books as she read her way around the world and will lead you on an unforgettably rich literary adventure into the twilight of the fast-disappearing world of the true ...

After nearly two decades in Britain, Bill Bryson, the acclaimed author of such best sellers as The Mother Tongue and Made in America, decided it was time to move back to the United States for a while. This was partly to let his wife and kids experience life in Bryson's homeland, and partly because he had read that 3.7 million Americans believed that they had been abducted by aliens at one time or another. It was thus clear to him that his people needed him.

After two grueling years on the island of Tarawa, Troost was in no hurry to return to the South Pacific until he began to feel remarkably out of place in modern America. He knew it was time to set off again for parts unknown. Here he tells the story of his time on Vanuatu, a cluster of islands where he struggles against typhoons, earthquakes, and giant centipedes but finds himself swept up in the laid-back, clothing-optional lifestyle of the islanders.

Best-selling author Brian D. McLaren followed his love of nature (specifically, tortoises) all the way to the Galapagos Islands. There, he paid close attention to the flora and fauna around him but also to what was happening within him, how the natural world awakened his soul in a way that organized religion could not. McLaren's descriptions of birds, reptiles, fish, and flowers sing; he walks in the footsteps of Charles Darwin and grieves that Darwin has been demonized by his fellow Christians; and he reflects on how his own faith has evolved in the years since he left the pastorate.

It started on a summer afternoon in 1795 when a young man named Daniel McGinnis found what appeared to be an old site on an island off the Acadian coast, a coastline fabled for the skullduggery of pirates. Ever since that summer day, the possibility of what might be hidden in the depths of a small island off the south coast of Nova Scotia, Canada, has made it the site of the world's longest, most expensive, and most perplexing treasure hunt. Author D'Arcy O'Connor recounts the fascinating stories and amazing discoveries of past and current treasure seekers who have sought Oak Island's fabled treasure for over 200 years.

The Adriatic is packed with incredible islands, charming towns, and restaurants that will serve you grilled squid so fresh it was probably filling out a job application that morning. But as any seasoned sailor knows, it’s not all picturesque sunsets and effortless elegance. Sailing the Adriatic is also a delicate ballet of dodging overpriced marinas, deciphering restaurant menus that may or may not contain edible items, and attempting to anchor in bays where Poseidon himself seems to be playing an elaborate prank on you. But you don’t just need another dry, boring cruising guide full of...

Anne has been bitten by the travel bug. Again. Would South America heal her? She and her husband Peter begin their epic journey high in the Andes in Quito, Ecuador when Anne encounters a young couple—one miserable and the other clueless. Will this serendipitous happenstance change each woman’s life? While Baby Boomers Anne and Peter commune with Blue-Footed Boobies and one-hundred-year-old tortoises in Ecuador’s Galápagos Islands, then explore ten thousand foot mountains in Machu Picchu in Peru, Millennials Reza and Nico embark as well on an adventurous feat exploring both countries....

Entertainment Weekly calls acclaimed author and essayist J. Maarten Troost a "funny, candid, and down-to-earth travel companion". Both witty and poignant, Headhunters on My Doorstep follows Troost as he retraces Robert Louis Stevenson’s path through the South Pacific. Somewhere between AA meetings in Tahiti and discovering how the Island of Merrymaking got its name, Troost reconnects with himself, his family, and the beauty of life.

In a small Greek island village, a group of travelers from around the world and the local residents they encounter are brought together in unexpected ways when sudden tragedy strikes. In her inimitable style, Maeve Binchy shares with listeners the lives of these strangers, learning their hopes, dreams, and fears as they move forward, forever changed by their experience.

In her late twenties, celebrated poet Jen Hadfield moved to the Shetland archipelago to make her life anew. A scattering of islands at the northernmost point of the United Kingdom, frequently cut off from the mainland by storms, Shetland is a place of Vikings and myths, of ancient languages and old customs, of breathtaking landscapes and violent weather. It has long fascinated travellers seeking the edge of the world. On these islands known for their isolation and drama, Hadfield found something more.

Love in a tropical paradise – too good to be true? Hannah Klein is living a fantasy in the South Pacific: swaying palms, sunny skies, and an aquamarine lagoon that puts travel posters to shame. In two weeks, she’s scheduled to set sail on the voyage of her dreams – hardly the time to be thinking “forever” about the guy she just met. So what if he happens to be sweet, soulful, and absolutely succulent? The closer they get, the more Hannah suspects that Kyle’s the one. But is any man worth trading in her dreams for? Kyle Stanton has it all: a stellar career, an exciting life in ...

In the eleventh book of the Urban Legends of the U.S.A series we head to some more creepy places to find legends and folklore from Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota and Tennessee. Inside are Native American legends and folklore from the deep woods and hills of the United States. Drive into legends about werewolves, witches, cryptids, curses, haunted roads, woods, hotels, trains, lakes, cemeteries, ships and roads. Read personal stories from locals about their encounters with the paranormal. Use the directions inside to have your own adventures hunting for legends and lore.

Are you excited about planning your next trip? Do you want to try something new? Would you like some guidance from a local? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then this Greater Than a Tourist audiobook is for you. Greater Than a Tourist - Wellington, North Island, New Zealand by Leigh Hogle offers the inside scoop on Wellington.

Voyage to the outcrops of the tropics, where dreamers and degenerates mingle in an exotic setting of mysterious jungle ruins, narcotic drinks, and secret un-surfed waves. In this encomium to his experience teaching English in Micronesia, S. Jacques Stratton offers a wry portrayal of the ex-pat life, conveyed through vignettes and characters that evoke a lost, limnal latitude. Both memoir and travelogue, augmented with photographs from the author's collection, Islands on the Fringe will spark the wanderlust of those who crave offbeat adventure beyond the main-traveled routes.

"Through Colorful Doors" is a trio of travelogues by Oregon author, Deleen Wills. If you fancied "Because of Colorful Doors," packed full of escapades and seeking her roots around bonnie Scotland, meandering through merry old England and exploring fascinating Cuba, you will be delighted with her newest collection from her traveler's perspective. "The Sapphire Door," an amusing short story in her first book, "Behind Colorful Doors," is based on her trip to Venice, Italy. Join her gallivanting through and searching for more roots in Ireland, communing with nature and blue-footed boobies in ...

Are you planning a trip to Nantucket but don’t have the time to plan it? Let this stress free guide do it for you. Nantucket is a picturesque island rich in history that has become a trendy vacation spot. Located 30 miles off the coast of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, it is known for its beautiful beaches, highly-acclaimed restaurants and inviting New England charm. From Tik-Tok to travel blogs and influencers there are so many people giving their recommendations of the hottest spots to go during your vacation. With so many options, where do you begin when you don’t have the time to research...

Hatteras Island is a barrier island, part of the famed Outer Banks that run parallel to the North Carolina coast. But any map, let alone a satellite view from space, shows the island is not part of North Carolina at all. Hatteras belongs to the Atlantic Ocean, as much a part of the sea as fish and waves, and as much at the sea's mercy as sandcastles on the beach. And it belongs to the heart. In Hatteras Island: Keeper of the Outer Banks, award-winning coastal writer Ray McAllister returns to the site of his family's annual vacations a quarter-century ago.