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The Art of Travel Alain de Botton 15: A Philosophical Guide to Travelling for Fun

  • danielssusanne1983
  • Aug 17, 2023
  • 6 min read


Alain de Botton's The Art of Travel is again a book that combines literary, philosophical, and artistic speculations, as well as bits of biography and autobiography and applies these to a specific subject -- in this case; travel, more or less. (De Botton specialises in this approach, indeed, it can be found in all his books, fiction or not.) Well-read, with some artistic sensibility and a bit of a philosophical bent, de Botton generally makes an amusing (if occasionally irritating) guide. After tackling Proust (well), philosophy (badly), and love (repeatedly), travel seems an appropriate subject, something the young and not quite jet-setting semi-intellectual is well suited for. In five sections, de Botton moves from Departure to Motives to Landscape to Art to Return, offering for each (but the last) two reflective pieces, such as "On the Sublime". Each piece focusses on a specific place (or several), and is considered through the refractive lens of some literary or artistic guide -- Ruskin, Van Gogh, Edmund Burke, Edward Hopper, among others. Always present too: Alain de Botton.And there are also many illustrations and photographs (all, unfortunately, only in black and white): when writing about seeing clouds from an airplane window de Botton must, of course, offer the reader not one but two pictures of clouds as seen from an airplane window. De Botton does nicely explore the strange thing that is travel -- the desire to be elsewhere, the expectations and hopes, the reality, mind-journeys, etc. etc. He begins with a trip to the Caribbean, contrasting it nicely to Huysman's des Esseintes (a very unsuccessful traveller), and captures the longings and disappointments of any travel-undertaking well. Amusing also: the first thing de Botton's travelling companion ("M.") did when they hit the beach in Barbados was "put on her headphones and began annotating Emile Durkheim's On Suicide". De Botton's readers have it easier -- they can just close the book when they've had their fill of him -- but occasionally as one makes one's way through the book one senses exactly how M. must have felt. Interestingly de Botton, always so keen to explore every detail, doesn't pause to consider what it might mean that she is blocking him (and the lovely beach) out with her headphones (and reading Durkheim). He remains focussed -- nay, fixated entirely on himself. De Botton is also drawn to some quirky characters -- travel-masters, of varying sorts -- and he weaves them into his book, with varying degrees of success. A nice contrast is world-traveller Alexander von Humboldt and Xavier de Maistre, best remembered for his Voyage around my Room (see our review) (with de Botton correctly pointing out that de Maistre -- unlike the fictional des Esseintes -- actually also had gotten around quite a bit in the world).From Job to van Gogh, de Botton finds bits of biography (and writing and art) that he tries to apply to his subject. Much of this is quite well done: when he focusses on a specific artist he often offers some useful insights -- van Gogh allowing us to see the Provence differently (and some of the reasons -- geographic and other -- that the Provence can, indeed, be seen differently), or Wordsworth's strange success in creating a specific image of countryside and nature that in turn was embraced by an increasingly urbanized English population. In a sense The Art of Travel is more paean to art than travel. De Botton recognises (and reminds readers) that much of travel is uncomfortable, disappointing, and even boring. But, as he points out: "Artistic accounts involve severe abbreviations of what reality will force upon us." Compact, condensed: art is immediate, and allows the peruser to revel as much or as little as they want in it. Travel is much more arduous. De Botton even often emphasizes the simplest form of travel: the anticipation and longing to be elsewhere (or to go elsewhere), but it is art that he believes clearly offers most. Despite focussing on different parts of a journey and of the larger concept of travel, the book remains piecemeal. Art unifies the sections -- and there is some narrative flow -- but on the whole it could have done with a tighter structure. The very personal contemplation -- de Botton's I-experiences -- also don't work to best effect here. Still, there's a good deal of cleverness and fun to enjoy in The Art of Travel, and readers not familiar with the figures de Botton introduces (if you haven't read Huysmans or de Maistre, for example) will likely enjoy this cast of characters (and, one hopes, eagerly pick up some of the books discussed).Also: its episodic character, nicely broken up further into small sections, makes for a good travel-book, easily (perhaps even: better) read a few pages at a time.


De Botton travels extensively to lecture.[21] He has given lectures at TED conferences.[22] In July 2011, he spoke in Edinburgh about "Atheism 2.0", an idea of atheism that also incorporates our human need for connection, ritual and transcendence.[23] In July 2009, he spoke at Oxford University about the philosophy of failure and success, and questions the assumptions underlying these two judgments.[24]




the art of travel alain de botton 15



Not that De Botton offers any useful travel information. De Botton despises the tyranny of the guidebook with its imperative to see this museum or that. He despises, as well, our sheepish tendency to follow the leader. This is perhaps an odd objection, given the fact that AirBNB helped relaunch the original 2002 edition, now under the title The New Art of Travel. Listen to AirBNB co-founder and CEO, Brian Chesky.


And yet he goes, forcing himself to see with new eyes. It is what De Botton calls the traveling mindset. In contrast with the blindness that habit brings, the traveler looks with curiosity and humility on that which is new.


De Botton calls on John Ruskin for the solution. We travelers need to sketch. With a proper drafting pencil or a crayon and napkin. With or without any skill. The act of sketching forces the eye to focus. De Botton tries his hand at sketching his window at the Mortal Man Inn. He discovers that what had seemed to be white paint proves to be a kaleidoscope of ash-grey, brown-grey, yellow, pinky mauve and mild green.


Ever dreamed about uprooting your family for one life-changing, globe-trotting year? Kois did exactly that, and lived to tell the tale. Disillusioned with the screen-heavy grind of parenting two pre-teen girls in Washington D.C., Kois and his wife spirited their daughters away to seek new kinds of togetherness in New Zealand, the Netherlands, Costa Rica, and small-town Kansas. The product of their travels is this heartwarming memoir, wherein Kois meditates on parenting, community, and the parts of who we are that follow us, no matter how far we go.


Following two devastating personal losses, Heat-Moon set out across America on a road trip, hewing only to the country highways marked in blue on his atlas. Blue Highways will transport you to a lost place and time: blue collar America in the early eighties, as seen through truck stops, greasy spoons, and majestic landscapes. Sleeping in the back of a Ford pick-up and traveling wherever the winds blow him, Heat-Moon sketches vibrant portraits of strangers and communities, all while making an unforgettable voyage of self-discovery.


This is a wonderful amalgamation of 32 different perspectives of Paris by different writers, experiencing life in the fashion capital in their own ways. This wide range of perceptions and reflections of life, sum up different facets of the one city that every traveler romanticizes.


This is an unconventional guide to kindle the wanderer spirit in you and discover the joy of self-discovery. Rolf Potts spent ten years on the road, traveling in unheard-of places, in the most unconventional of manners, including walking across an entire country. This book contains valuable insights, interesting quotes, and a lot of practical information that will help you fulfill your innate passion of travelling.


Embarking on a journey of self-discovery and identity, Steinbeck traveled through almost forty states with his French poodle during the 1960s. This travel journal reflects life in the country during the troubled times of social revolt.


This voluminous guide is a must have for all avid travelers. The book includes all the popular tourist spots from every continent across the world, accompanied by their contact addresses, numbers and the precise reasons to visit them.


Books are the best companions that never make one feel lonely. And when one has such an incredible and interesting books at hand when traveling, the journey would be a sheer pleasure. For solo travelers, these books can be a fabulous partner.


Want to travel for free?Travel credit cards allow you to earn points that can be redeemed for free flights and accommodation. They are what keep me traveling so much for so little. Check out my guide to picking the right card and my current favorites to get started and see the latest best deals.


Join Rick as he's swept away by a fado singer in Lisbon, learns the dangers of falling in love with a gondolier in Venice, and savors a cheese course in the Loire Valley. Contemplate the mysteries of centuries-old stone circles in England, dangle from a cliff in the Swiss Alps, and hear a French farmer's defense of foie gras. With a brand-new, original introduction from Rick reflecting on his decades of travel, For the Love of Europe features 100 of the best stories published throughout his career.


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. 2ff7e9595c


 
 
 

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