Below is a list of just some of the books that I have bought and found useful on my travels. I usually read these before I leave and try to memorise as much as I can, as carrying even just one book with you when you travel adds considerably to your load. (That said, I do carry the first book on the list with me as it is tiny).
To be honest, these days I tend to listen to audio books on my iPod mainly, as I can fit a considerable number of books onto it and listening in this way also keeps your hands free when walking around. You can buy these online or in major bookstores on CD. Just search online for audio books.
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Travel Health
Bezruchka, Stephen. The Pocket Doctor: A Passport to Healthy Travel. Mountaineers Books; 3 edition (March 1999). The classic reference for international travelers – completely updated.
Dawood, Richard, M.D. Travelers’ Health: How to Stay Healthy All Over the World. New York: Random House, 1994. With six hundred pages of advice from sixty British and American travel medicine specialists, this is the most complete travelers’ health guide.
Dessery, Bradford L., and Robin, Marc R. The Medical Guide for Third World Travelers: A Comprehensive Self-Care Handbook. San Diego: K-W Publications, 1992. This is a good health guide by two nurses with practical experience.
Schroeder, Dirk G. Staying Healthy in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Chico, CA: Moon Publications, 1993. Another good travelers’ health book.
Equipment
Fletcher, Colin. The Complete Walker. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1984. Dubbed the “hiker’s Bible,” this is a highly detailed look at the gear and philosophy of a wilderness backpacker who has also written several other books.
Working Abroad
Griffith, Susan. Teaching English Abroad. Oxford: Vacation Work, 1994. This is over three hundred pages on the subject, including numerous personal accounts. Distributed in the U.S. by Petersen’s Guides, Princeton, NJ (tel. 800-338-3282).
Communication
Hall, Edward T. The Silent Language. Garden City, New York: Anchor Press/Doubleday, 1959. A groundbreaking work on nonverbal communication.
Pei, Mario. Talking Your Way Around the World. New York: Harper & Row, 1971. Interesting reading on languages by the popular linguist, although you won’t quite be speaking Indo-European come page 288.
Miller, Stuart. Understanding Europeans. Santa Fe: John Muir Publications, 1990. This is an incisive book by an American former professor of European comparative literature who has lived and worked extensively in Europe. It also helps you understand Americans.
