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Travelling Light: Journeys Among Special People and Places
A charming and beautifully written account of the pleasures of slow travel - for readers of Patrick Leigh Fermor, Colin Thubron and Eric Newby.
'Lawrence Sterne once suggested that we travel for one of just three imbecility of mind, infirmity of body or inevitable necessity. One might add to Sterne's little envy, curiosity - or just too much bloody rain at home. Escape, in other words.'
Campaigner, publisher and wanderer Alastair Sawday has spent his life travelling. En route he has unearthed a multitude of stories - stories of people ploughing their own furrows, of travellers' tales, stories from the 'front line' of his publishing , ruminations and reflections about places, people and ideas. In this deeply charming, erudite and spirited book, he shares his experiences and explores the value of travel.
'The richer our imaginations, the richer our travel experience. We British do things one way and the Spaniards another; there are unlimited ways of doing everything. Kindness is found in unexpected places, as is eccentricity. Eccentrics are an endangered species and need as much protection as does the house sparrow.'
Travelling Light is a gradual awakening to the fragility of everything we love through contemplative, consciously slow journeying. Every visit uncovers difference - from France profonde to the darker side of Sicily, and to the woodland, flora, fauna, views and silence of rural Britain. Alastair Sawday gives voice to those of us who have climbed no mountains, discovered no rivers, created no great institutions, powered no legislation, changed very little - but who yearn to understand the world and make sense of its infinite variety.
'Lawrence Sterne once suggested that we travel for one of just three imbecility of mind, infirmity of body or inevitable necessity. One might add to Sterne's little envy, curiosity - or just too much bloody rain at home. Escape, in other words.'
Campaigner, publisher and wanderer Alastair Sawday has spent his life travelling. En route he has unearthed a multitude of stories - stories of people ploughing their own furrows, of travellers' tales, stories from the 'front line' of his publishing , ruminations and reflections about places, people and ideas. In this deeply charming, erudite and spirited book, he shares his experiences and explores the value of travel.
'The richer our imaginations, the richer our travel experience. We British do things one way and the Spaniards another; there are unlimited ways of doing everything. Kindness is found in unexpected places, as is eccentricity. Eccentrics are an endangered species and need as much protection as does the house sparrow.'
Travelling Light is a gradual awakening to the fragility of everything we love through contemplative, consciously slow journeying. Every visit uncovers difference - from France profonde to the darker side of Sicily, and to the woodland, flora, fauna, views and silence of rural Britain. Alastair Sawday gives voice to those of us who have climbed no mountains, discovered no rivers, created no great institutions, powered no legislation, changed very little - but who yearn to understand the world and make sense of its infinite variety.
- GenresTravel
320 pages, Paperback
Published September 4, 2018
10 people are currently reading
66 people want to read
About the author
Alastair Sawday
92 books4 followersA pioneer in the environmental world, Alastair Sawday has had a remarkably miscellaneous and varied career, which has taken him to the most far-flung corners of the globe: he headed up a VSO programme in Papua New Guinea, ran a disaster relief team for Oxfam in Turkey, and has run a small travel company, conducting walking tours throughout Europe. It was this that inspired him to publish his first travel guide, French Bed & Breakfast, after discovering various ‘special’ B&Bs and the extraordinary people that run them
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
January 18, 2023
Delightful journeys in Europe and the UK, full of amusing encounters,inviting travel ideas and an encouragement for environmental awareness for every traveller.
April 16, 2022
I picked this book up at a Paris bookstore. I was very hopeful that it would be an interesting and informative narrative about traveling the world. I was familiar with Alastair Sawday's name from seeing his guidebooks on bookshelves. Alas, if only the book was as charming as it's cover.
This book is a real mishmash of personal experiences, ideas about the environment and care-filled traveling, and quick zips through places around the world.
The early chapters are given over to Mr. Sawday's early life and travel experiences. They are interesting, but really only sketches. After the first few chapters, he starts to jump around from stories about how he got into travel book publishing to places he's visited and interesting people he has met. He tends to be rather dismissive of Americans, especially wealthy ones, who obviously went on his tours and made him money. He laments ecological disasters, and then tells stories about he, with good-intentions, sometimes committed environmental sins. He waxes rhapsodically over remote and primitive places and laments how they will be spoiled, and then talks about publishing travel guides for these places. All this might be interesting if only he didn't jump around so much. He might write a paragraph about a fascinating woman he met at a hotel in the Italian countryside, and never mention her again. It is as if he wriote the book using a stack of index cards. There is no continuity or development of themes. His ideas about living lightly and traveling lightly deserve to be fleshed out in more than random anecdotes.
This book is a real mishmash of personal experiences, ideas about the environment and care-filled traveling, and quick zips through places around the world.
The early chapters are given over to Mr. Sawday's early life and travel experiences. They are interesting, but really only sketches. After the first few chapters, he starts to jump around from stories about how he got into travel book publishing to places he's visited and interesting people he has met. He tends to be rather dismissive of Americans, especially wealthy ones, who obviously went on his tours and made him money. He laments ecological disasters, and then tells stories about he, with good-intentions, sometimes committed environmental sins. He waxes rhapsodically over remote and primitive places and laments how they will be spoiled, and then talks about publishing travel guides for these places. All this might be interesting if only he didn't jump around so much. He might write a paragraph about a fascinating woman he met at a hotel in the Italian countryside, and never mention her again. It is as if he wriote the book using a stack of index cards. There is no continuity or development of themes. His ideas about living lightly and traveling lightly deserve to be fleshed out in more than random anecdotes.
October 25, 2020
Easy to float through and interesting places, people and perspectives on travelling. However I couldnt help cringing and feeling really uncomfortable in parts with the narrator. Specifically with how he related to some of the other people in the book especially women..and also his sweeping assertions with regard to colonised countries such as India
. there was a conceited, public school arrogance that I just couldnt put my finger on but just unnerved me. I really wanted to like this book but somehow it just didnt feel right
. there was a conceited, public school arrogance that I just couldnt put my finger on but just unnerved me. I really wanted to like this book but somehow it just didnt feel right
May 3, 2024
When I bought this book, I thought it was about travelling. So I was a bit disappointed realising it's all about his travel guides editing career and a bit about his personal life. He describes the places he visited to decide which ones were worth promoting in his books. Interesting, but not really my cup of tea...
November 26, 2025
3.5 stars
December 31, 2019
"For my failure to make it to the gypsy caves I, and flamenco, should be truly grateful. I would never have made a flamenco guitarist, and I like to go to bed early. But Spain had its tentacles around my heart."
Alastair is an adventurous traveller and his energy and passion for the world of travel radiates off the pages. This lovely autobiography has it all ; heartship, adventure, bizarre tales with the strangest characters and a lot of love for cultures, both foreign and his own. His environmental background also shines through in many chapters. He sometimes harnesses stories to point out where we have gone wrong and what has to change to be better to our planet.
The book is very personal, even when the topic might at first seem rather general. I very much enjoy his laidback sense of humour that make the tales hilarious. He takes great care to be serious about what he is bringing to the table when he wants to prove a point or make a case. But, he remains reflective and maintains and manages to still leave you laughing at the end. The spoofs in their travel guides are a prime example of how he takes care not to take himself too seriously, something we would all benefit from. I sure had a good laugh over them.
True, I might be a bit biased in this case. I met Alastair two years ago, when I looked after his grandchildren as an au pair. I became very close with the family, Alastair included, and regularly travel back and keep in touch. He is a wonderful friend, an intelligent man and a great storyteller. I could listen to him for hours. All this aside, I can still say I would recommend this book because I thought it was good and I enjoyed it a lot. It has an excellent balance of entertainment and education that are told with a personal touch. What is not to like?
Alastair is an adventurous traveller and his energy and passion for the world of travel radiates off the pages. This lovely autobiography has it all ; heartship, adventure, bizarre tales with the strangest characters and a lot of love for cultures, both foreign and his own. His environmental background also shines through in many chapters. He sometimes harnesses stories to point out where we have gone wrong and what has to change to be better to our planet.
The book is very personal, even when the topic might at first seem rather general. I very much enjoy his laidback sense of humour that make the tales hilarious. He takes great care to be serious about what he is bringing to the table when he wants to prove a point or make a case. But, he remains reflective and maintains and manages to still leave you laughing at the end. The spoofs in their travel guides are a prime example of how he takes care not to take himself too seriously, something we would all benefit from. I sure had a good laugh over them.
True, I might be a bit biased in this case. I met Alastair two years ago, when I looked after his grandchildren as an au pair. I became very close with the family, Alastair included, and regularly travel back and keep in touch. He is a wonderful friend, an intelligent man and a great storyteller. I could listen to him for hours. All this aside, I can still say I would recommend this book because I thought it was good and I enjoyed it a lot. It has an excellent balance of entertainment and education that are told with a personal touch. What is not to like?
November 27, 2025
So in chapter three, this author chooses to describe the SCHOOLGIRLS he was TEACHING as "wide-eyed and delicious", after making other equally inappropriate comments towards women. Save to say I will never read another page of this ever again.
October 1, 2017
A complete change of pace from my usual diet of crime thrillers, but I enjoy travelling so thought I might enjoy reading about it. But, it seems travelling is something you need to do for yourself to get any fun out of .
It started well, with the travels of a young man to exotic places, in the days before long haul mass tourism. It had the slightly smug attitude of those who have found somewhere remote and different before the hordes arrive, forgetting it's their publicising such places that brings the masses.
Then it moved on to a political section and my attention wandered, if there's one thing guaranteed to send me to sleep, it's politics.
Then there was more of the smug tour guide, this time closer to home in European countries, but again despising everything the usual tourist wants. If going off the beaten track involves the lack of basic amenities, cleanliness, and goats eating in the kitchen, then I'm quite happy to stay one of the much despised bog-standard toutists.
It started well, with the travels of a young man to exotic places, in the days before long haul mass tourism. It had the slightly smug attitude of those who have found somewhere remote and different before the hordes arrive, forgetting it's their publicising such places that brings the masses.
Then it moved on to a political section and my attention wandered, if there's one thing guaranteed to send me to sleep, it's politics.
Then there was more of the smug tour guide, this time closer to home in European countries, but again despising everything the usual tourist wants. If going off the beaten track involves the lack of basic amenities, cleanliness, and goats eating in the kitchen, then I'm quite happy to stay one of the much despised bog-standard toutists.
September 22, 2017
Gentle reading
Much enjoyed reading this quiet and gentle book about travel, philosophy and history. I learned much and fully intend to read again within the next month or two to fully absorb the writers thoughts and observations and to attempt to change my own somewhat philosophy of life and the world.
Much enjoyed reading this quiet and gentle book about travel, philosophy and history. I learned much and fully intend to read again within the next month or two to fully absorb the writers thoughts and observations and to attempt to change my own somewhat philosophy of life and the world.
April 26, 2024
A travel book about travel books! Alistair’s book is a delightful journey through Europe and beyond, with brief introductions and stories of local haunts and people that create that intimacy and lasting memories when traveling in another place. Not to go to all these places…
July 30, 2019
I have abandoned this Book Club choice book for a while. It is only moderately interesting and amusing. I may return to it at a later time.
March 15, 2025
A thoughtful, slow read. Highly recommend.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews