Travel News: book about Britain wins travel book of 2010

December 2 2010 , Written by thediversetraveller Published on #Britain, #Frommer's, #HolidayExtras.com, #Jenny Diski.Griff Rhys Jones, #New York Photo Guide, #travel awards, #Travel Beyond the UK, #Travel books, #travel guides, #travel narratives

A recent HolidayExtras.com poll revealed that nearly half (48%) of all Brits prefer reading on a flight to any other activity and with so many great books available it’s hardly surprising.

The travel novel is a popular genre of writing. Last month at the 2nd annual Travel Press Awards:

winner of the Narrative Travel Book of the Year was Rivers: One Man and His Dog Paddle into the Heart of Britain, by Griff Rhys Jones, published by Hodder & Stoughton,

winner of the Travel Guide book of the Year was Frommer's Marrakech Day by Day (Frommer's Day by Day: Marrakech (Pocket), by Kerry Christiani, published by John Wiley & Sons.

Steve Lawrence, HolidayExtras.com chairman and senior travel industry leader, who was one of the panel of judges for the Travel Book of the Year commented: “It’s very heartening to see that people are still choosing to read on a plane journey – and what better way to start a holiday than reading a good travel book.

“The standard of all the books was very high and it was a tough choice. However, I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to have a good read. Congratulations to the winners.”

The results of the poll were compiled from the answers of 1,500 HolidayExtras.com customers during the first week of November 2010.

Shortlisted books:

Travel Guide Book of the Year:

Australia – Published by Lonely Planet

Back Roads Great Britain – Published by DK Eyewitness Travel

Camping in Britain – Published by Rough Guides

Frommers’ Marrakech Day – Published by John Wiley & Sons

Narrative Travel Book of the Year:

Alan Whicker Journey of a Lifetime by Alan Whicker - published by Harper Collins

Blue Skies & Black Olives by John Humphrys & Christopher Humphrys - published by Hodder & Stoughton

Last Call for the Dining Car - The Telegraph Book of Great Railway

Journeys - edited by Michael Kerr - published by Aurum

Rivers by Griff Rhys Jones - published by Hodder & Stoughton.

Amazon.co.uk Widgets

This year my favourite travel guide books, though not published in 2010, are:

USA by Rail (Bradt Travel Guide), a great planning tool for navigating the unwieldy US train service that is Amtrak, and

the New York Photo Guide: (Monaco Books Photo Guides) walking around New York with this guide made me see the city with fresh eyes.

My favourite travel narrative read in for 2010 is Stranger on a Train: Daydreaming and Smoking Around America by Jenny Diski.(not published in 2010) This is not a typical travel book, painting us intricate pictures of the passing scenery; instead we learn about Jenny's stay in a mental institution, when she was growing up, and how this experience shapes her interactions with the many strangers she meets on the trains. Perhaps, this book is more about people, than place, that it captivated me so. Fingers crossed I shall take a a similar journey in 2011.

Have you read any of the above books? Do you agree? If not what is /are your favourite travel reads of the year?

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