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Reclaiming Travel
Based on a controversial opinion piece originally published in the New York Times , Reclaiming Travel is a provocative meditation on the meaning of travel from ancient times to the twenty-first century. Ilan Stavans and Joshua Ellison seek to understand why we travel and what has come to be missing from our contemporary understanding of travel. Engaging with canonical and contemporary texts, they explore the differences between travel and tourism, the relationship between travel and memory, the genre of travel writing, and the power of mapmaking, Stavans and Ellison call for a rethinking of the art of travel, which they define as a transformative quest that gives us deeper access to ourselves.
Tourism, Stavans and Ellison argue, is inauthentic, choreographed, sterile, shallow, and rooted in colonialism. They critique theme parks and kitsch tourism, such as the shantytown hotels in South Africa where guests stay in shacks made of corrugated metal and cardboard yet have plenty of food, water and space. Tourists, they assert, are merely content with escapism, thrill seeking, or obsessively snapping photographs. Resisting simple moralizing, the authors also remind us that people don’t divide neatly into crude categories like travelers and tourists. They provoke us to reflect on the opportunities and perils in our own habits.
In this powerful manifesto, Stavans and Ellison argue that travel should be an art through which our restlessness finds expression—a search for meaning not only in our own lives but also in the lives of others. It is not about the destination; rather, travel is about loss, disorientation, and discovering our place in the universe.
Tourism, Stavans and Ellison argue, is inauthentic, choreographed, sterile, shallow, and rooted in colonialism. They critique theme parks and kitsch tourism, such as the shantytown hotels in South Africa where guests stay in shacks made of corrugated metal and cardboard yet have plenty of food, water and space. Tourists, they assert, are merely content with escapism, thrill seeking, or obsessively snapping photographs. Resisting simple moralizing, the authors also remind us that people don’t divide neatly into crude categories like travelers and tourists. They provoke us to reflect on the opportunities and perils in our own habits.
In this powerful manifesto, Stavans and Ellison argue that travel should be an art through which our restlessness finds expression—a search for meaning not only in our own lives but also in the lives of others. It is not about the destination; rather, travel is about loss, disorientation, and discovering our place in the universe.
- GenresTravelNonfiction
168 pages, Hardcover
First published March 20, 2015
3 people are currently reading
364 people want to read
About the author
Ilan Stavans
240 books133 followersIlan Stavans is the Lewis-Sebring Professor in Latin American and Latino Culture at Amherst College. An award-winning writer and public television host, his books include Growing Up Latino and Spanglish. A native of Mexico City, he lives in Amherst, Massachusetts.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
April 11, 2015
I enjoy reading travel writing, nearly as much as I enjoy the actual act of traveling. While perusing the travel section of NetGalley, I came across Ilan Stavans and Joshua Ellison's book Reclaiming Travel. The blurb on the book made it seem like an examination of how the world views travel and how to become a better traveler. My Interest= piqued. Thank you to Duke University Press Books for an advanced copy of Reclaiming Travel, in exchange for an honest review.
PLOT - In Reclaiming Travel. Stavans and Ellison examine a wide range of subjects related to travel. They start with travel in mythology and travel writing from early explorers. They look at travel from immigration and war, as a contrast to our contemporary leisure seeking travel. The book explores mapmaking, photography and the explosion of kitsch culture. The overall theme that ties the sections together, is a examination of what makes travel an art form? How does one go from being a tourist to being a traveler?
LIKE - I liked the scale in Reclaiming Travel. This short book spans a great number of topics and feels very inclusive of many of the most important areas relating to travel. My personal interest was primarily with the modern travel, especially theme parks and cruise lines. This is one of those books that is filled with interesting factoids and I kept pausing to share tidbits with my husband. For example, I had no idea that Paris was the world-wide top tourist destination. I was surprised at the scale of Chinese workers in the hospitality industry. I also enjoyed the section on photography. It's amazing how much digital photography and cell phones have shaped our culture and the way in which we capture vacation memories. I felt that there was a strong argument against our current need to photograph and document everything.
DISLIKE - I have two major complaints about Reclaiming Travel, both of which really hindered my enjoyment of this clearly well-researched book. First, the writing was too technical. It read like a text book, certainly not something that I would purchase at a bookstore. Maybe this was the intent? If I had not been reading this for a review, I likely would not have finished it. However, worse than the density factor, was the voice of the authors. They came across as very smug and quite honestly, the very question of tourist or traveler, is obnoxious. This attitude that was sprinkled throughout the book, made it difficult for me to respect their authority as experts in this field. It was very off-putting.
RECOMMEND - Although Reclaiming Travel does have plenty of fascinating chapters, overall, I cannot recommend this book for most people. It might be useful for academics in Sociology or History.
Like my review? Check out my blog!
PLOT - In Reclaiming Travel. Stavans and Ellison examine a wide range of subjects related to travel. They start with travel in mythology and travel writing from early explorers. They look at travel from immigration and war, as a contrast to our contemporary leisure seeking travel. The book explores mapmaking, photography and the explosion of kitsch culture. The overall theme that ties the sections together, is a examination of what makes travel an art form? How does one go from being a tourist to being a traveler?
LIKE - I liked the scale in Reclaiming Travel. This short book spans a great number of topics and feels very inclusive of many of the most important areas relating to travel. My personal interest was primarily with the modern travel, especially theme parks and cruise lines. This is one of those books that is filled with interesting factoids and I kept pausing to share tidbits with my husband. For example, I had no idea that Paris was the world-wide top tourist destination. I was surprised at the scale of Chinese workers in the hospitality industry. I also enjoyed the section on photography. It's amazing how much digital photography and cell phones have shaped our culture and the way in which we capture vacation memories. I felt that there was a strong argument against our current need to photograph and document everything.
DISLIKE - I have two major complaints about Reclaiming Travel, both of which really hindered my enjoyment of this clearly well-researched book. First, the writing was too technical. It read like a text book, certainly not something that I would purchase at a bookstore. Maybe this was the intent? If I had not been reading this for a review, I likely would not have finished it. However, worse than the density factor, was the voice of the authors. They came across as very smug and quite honestly, the very question of tourist or traveler, is obnoxious. This attitude that was sprinkled throughout the book, made it difficult for me to respect their authority as experts in this field. It was very off-putting.
RECOMMEND - Although Reclaiming Travel does have plenty of fascinating chapters, overall, I cannot recommend this book for most people. It might be useful for academics in Sociology or History.
Like my review? Check out my blog!
October 31, 2019
(Review first published in Shelf Awareness)
Ilan Stavans and Joshua Ellison's 2012 New York Times opinion piece on traveling garnered attention for its insightful commentary about travel in the modern, globalized world. In Reclaiming Travel, Stavans and Ellison further explore why and how people travel.
They examine the differences between travel and tourism. Travel is a challenge, and one's experiences traveling are not always easy to explain or identify to others. To go on such a journey is to open oneself to risk and misunderstanding. Tourism is fairly effortless, often a passive experience that demands cultures accommodate and insulate visitors. With tourism, locals perform a pantomime of digestible culture that can be captured in photographs and translated into stories for audiences back home.
Stavans and Ellison also note that travel is a privilege largely available to upper- and middle-class people who seek authentic and unusual experiences. But their presence changes the places they go; landscape, culture and activities reshape themselves to accommodate travelers and tourists alike. The demand for exclusive experiences eliminates the "authenticity" sought in the first place, tending to turn travel into mass tourism.
In Reclaiming Travel, rather than draw on personal adventures to share their ideas, Stavans and Ellison offer stories from literature, including Homer's Odyssey and Jamaica Kincaid's Small Island. This helps make their book accessible to any audience because, while it's difficult to experience another person's vacation, these clear, well-written narratives resonate.
Ilan Stavans and Joshua Ellison's 2012 New York Times opinion piece on traveling garnered attention for its insightful commentary about travel in the modern, globalized world. In Reclaiming Travel, Stavans and Ellison further explore why and how people travel.
They examine the differences between travel and tourism. Travel is a challenge, and one's experiences traveling are not always easy to explain or identify to others. To go on such a journey is to open oneself to risk and misunderstanding. Tourism is fairly effortless, often a passive experience that demands cultures accommodate and insulate visitors. With tourism, locals perform a pantomime of digestible culture that can be captured in photographs and translated into stories for audiences back home.
Stavans and Ellison also note that travel is a privilege largely available to upper- and middle-class people who seek authentic and unusual experiences. But their presence changes the places they go; landscape, culture and activities reshape themselves to accommodate travelers and tourists alike. The demand for exclusive experiences eliminates the "authenticity" sought in the first place, tending to turn travel into mass tourism.
In Reclaiming Travel, rather than draw on personal adventures to share their ideas, Stavans and Ellison offer stories from literature, including Homer's Odyssey and Jamaica Kincaid's Small Island. This helps make their book accessible to any audience because, while it's difficult to experience another person's vacation, these clear, well-written narratives resonate.
October 4, 2017
I liked this book quite a bit. Some of the reviews suggested it was too dense and required an understanding of some of the classics, but I didn't find it that way. It's mostly a series of essays. I especially enjoyed the discussion about travel, in the age of digital photography, questioning how much travel is simply to have "been there," and to document it. I may plead guilty to that, as I enjoy photographing my travels and sharing via social media, but I think my pictures are reasonably good, and I try not to overdo it. Discussions about the impact travel has on indigenous cultures was also informative; I have always felt uncomfortable visiting poorer locations and feeling like an interloper, who changes the locale because of the relative wealth I bring. Anyway. I thought it was a good read.
March 24, 2019
An interesting dissection of the origins of travel, tourism, and the intersection between the two. The anthropological approach to it does feel a little pretentious at times, with a fair-share of eye rolling from time to time. Nevertheless, there's a lot to gain from this book for the modern traveler, and whether you love the book or you're indifferent to it, a few things will stick with you next time you set foot on a foreign destination.
A favourite part were the discussions about indigenous cultures and the impact of travel, both as migrations and early-tourism.
I wish, however, that the book didn't feel so much like a collection of (sometimes judgemental) essays. The content is good and highly recommended to anyone who thoroughly enjoys traveling; but having it delivered in a different form would have been more welcome.
A favourite part were the discussions about indigenous cultures and the impact of travel, both as migrations and early-tourism.
I wish, however, that the book didn't feel so much like a collection of (sometimes judgemental) essays. The content is good and highly recommended to anyone who thoroughly enjoys traveling; but having it delivered in a different form would have been more welcome.
April 28, 2022
Elegant prose full of references to other thinkers, writers, & poets. Unfortunately the point it makes is rather cliché - we have to be thoughtful & intentional travelers, rather than mindless consumerist tourists. Less a call to reclaim travel than a meandering set of erudite musings on the meaning of travel itself.
I most recommend Chapter 6, Transported!
I most recommend Chapter 6, Transported!
April 9, 2015
I really disliked this book. I looked forward to a meaty discussion about traveling but instead got more of a meta-analysis of literature pertaining to travel. The aspects of travel that were discussed, like photography, were loosely connected and it seemed like a cry of, “Look how well-read we are”. It is also a rather cynical look at travel and hardly relatable to the average traveler. This might be a good book to discuss in a sociology class, but it was definitely a disappointment to me. The one good thing about it was all of the good quotes from other bodies of literature.
Disclaimer: I received an eARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Disclaimer: I received an eARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
January 19, 2015
Thoughts on my advance review copy -- My advice - Read the NYT editorial, skip the book, unless you are really a fan of thinking of the Odyssey, Heart of Darkness, the history of photography, and Carnival cruise lines. Too academic to be a fascinating general read, and too general and light to be a thoroughly academic resource, it felt custom made for a Cultural Anthropology 101 type of class. I'm kind of in love with the review cover image though. Also! Ilan Stavans wrote El Iluminado, which was pretty awesome, so I have to give it a few cool points for that.
July 29, 2015
Whether you are a tourist, a traveller or a dreamer this is a book to open your mind and reflect on the evolution and personal journey of travel.
Though it does feel like it could have a little more omph in the pages, I really enjoyed the narrative.
I loved flipping through the book and reflecting on not only my own personal journey of travel but also on the journey of people i know.
Though it does feel like it could have a little more omph in the pages, I really enjoyed the narrative.
I loved flipping through the book and reflecting on not only my own personal journey of travel but also on the journey of people i know.
February 17, 2015
Reclaiming Travel is an extensively researched exploration of the philosophy, psychology and history of the human race’s roamings. While thought provoking, the overall tone felt jaded and cynical giving little hope until the last pages that travel could indeed be reclaimed.
August 27, 2015
Well written and insightful
December 21, 2015
A bit pretentious in tone and when I was done it felt like everything else was talked about except the main issue. Nevertheless, some interesting points.
January 31, 2016
Excellent book that will get you thinking in interesting ways about modern travel. Having said that, it's not an easy read.
July 5, 2016
A nice mid-brow read for people interested in travel, the concept, history, and problematics. It has its moments, but didn't quite love it.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews