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Kinfolk Islands
“Wanderlust inspiration.”
— GQ , The Best Gifts for Coworkers
Join Kinfolk on a journey off the beaten track, to islands big and small, in this collection of eighteen new travel stories. Whether it’s a tour of the otherworldly landscape of Socotra in Yemen or a hike into the old growth of a Japanese forest on Yakushima, each slow travel itinerary invites you to set sail at a pace that allows for true discovery and immersion.
Filled with ideas and inspiration for where to escape, explore and unwind, Kinfolk Islands is full of vibrant photography, practical guidance and thoughtful reflections on why the idea of an island embodies so many of our travel fantasies. There are the charms of urban islands, including Montréal’s beloved Mile End neighborhood. Truly unexpected destinations, like Hormuz, off the coast of Iran, with its psychedelic scenery and bohemian spirit. Italy’s sun-soaked Ponza, perfect for languid afternoons. And of course some of the world’s most beautiful beaches, from jungle-fringed Caribbean sands to rugged and remote Nordic shores.
Believing that travel is as much a state of mind as an action or itinerary, Kinfolk celebrates a way of exploring our world that not only fosters thoughtful perspectives on the places we visit but also deepens our relationship with home once the journey is over.
— GQ , The Best Gifts for Coworkers
Join Kinfolk on a journey off the beaten track, to islands big and small, in this collection of eighteen new travel stories. Whether it’s a tour of the otherworldly landscape of Socotra in Yemen or a hike into the old growth of a Japanese forest on Yakushima, each slow travel itinerary invites you to set sail at a pace that allows for true discovery and immersion.
Filled with ideas and inspiration for where to escape, explore and unwind, Kinfolk Islands is full of vibrant photography, practical guidance and thoughtful reflections on why the idea of an island embodies so many of our travel fantasies. There are the charms of urban islands, including Montréal’s beloved Mile End neighborhood. Truly unexpected destinations, like Hormuz, off the coast of Iran, with its psychedelic scenery and bohemian spirit. Italy’s sun-soaked Ponza, perfect for languid afternoons. And of course some of the world’s most beautiful beaches, from jungle-fringed Caribbean sands to rugged and remote Nordic shores.
Believing that travel is as much a state of mind as an action or itinerary, Kinfolk celebrates a way of exploring our world that not only fosters thoughtful perspectives on the places we visit but also deepens our relationship with home once the journey is over.
256 pages, Hardcover
Published November 1, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
December 1, 2025
An odd one. I read this as a second choice for the popsugar 2025 challenge, A book featuring an activity on your bucket list. I was looking for a walking tour book. But this is what was at my library. And we do go to islands on vacation.
This is a tour of islands of various sort. But it doesn't really give enough information about any one of them to figure out whether I'd actually want to go there. The places and photos were also kind of a random selection.
So interesting. And conceptually useful. But a little too chaotic and inconsistent to really recommend.
This is a tour of islands of various sort. But it doesn't really give enough information about any one of them to figure out whether I'd actually want to go there. The places and photos were also kind of a random selection.
So interesting. And conceptually useful. But a little too chaotic and inconsistent to really recommend.
August 16, 2023
It’s fine. The pictures are decent. But often the writing tells your mind “I want pictures of the thing they described” while the pictures shown are not of the described thing, and far less inspiring. Like a majority of pictures for one island were construction materials and close ups of a fire. I didn’t feel there were many islands where the pictures transported me there even a smidge. The idea that any itinerary could be formed from this book is … not real.
November 30, 2025
Off-the beaten track and often hard-to-get-to islands. 18 chapters on single or adjacent islands, three short essays, beautifully photographed. Each chapter includes very brief directions on getting there, what to see, where to stay, and what to know. Aimed, like many of the Kinfolk resources, at persons with extra money and time, or, in this case, also armchair travelers looking for places further afield.
November 16, 2023
Short chapters describing lesser-known islands. I enjoyed Yemen, Corsica, Zanzibar, Ponza in Italy, Büyükada in Turkey.
Some islands have less than 100 full-time inhabitants. They receive few tourists. The book describes the guesthouses and transporation.
Some islands have less than 100 full-time inhabitants. They receive few tourists. The book describes the guesthouses and transporation.
March 4, 2023
Another beautiful book of photos accompanied by short essays, this time of/on islands including Europe, Asia, and the Americas.
June 19, 2025
This book made me travel while staying on my couch.
September 15, 2023
I’ve missed out on a large part of this book by not being able to see the photographs in colour, reading on an eReader.
But still, I am largely disappointed by Burns’s choice of islands, many of which are far from wildernesses. It’s difficult to write about Cuba or Corsica in the same book as Harris or Utö. There’s also very little to the actual writing. At one stage he refers to Schalansky’s Atlas of Remote Islands: Fifty Islands I Have Never Set Foot On and Never Will, which is indeed appropriate. That book certainly takes advantage of its purchasers.. there’s practically nothing to it.
Burns does have his photographs, but really there is very little else here.
But still, I am largely disappointed by Burns’s choice of islands, many of which are far from wildernesses. It’s difficult to write about Cuba or Corsica in the same book as Harris or Utö. There’s also very little to the actual writing. At one stage he refers to Schalansky’s Atlas of Remote Islands: Fifty Islands I Have Never Set Foot On and Never Will, which is indeed appropriate. That book certainly takes advantage of its purchasers.. there’s practically nothing to it.
Burns does have his photographs, but really there is very little else here.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews