The Best American Travel Writing 2000

by Bill Bryson (Editor), Alden Jones

The extraordinary popularity of books and magazines dedicated to travel comes as no surprise, given that more and more Americans are traveling each year for business, pleasure, and especially adventure. Our fascination with travel has never been so well represented as in this new addition to the Best American a wide-ranging compendium of the best travel writing published in 1999, culled from more than three hundred magazines, newspapers, and Web sites.
This first collection of THE BEST AMERICAN TRAVEL WRITING reads like a good novel. Best-selling author Bill Bryson and series editor Jason Wilson have put together a book that will surprise knowledgeable travelers and entrance newcomers with the glories of new worlds. Articles by such well-loved writers as Bill Buford and Ryszard Kapuscinski are included, as are those by exciting new voices. Ranging across myriad landscapes, from Central Park in New York City to the Ouadane oasis in Saharan Mauritania, THE BEST AMERICAN TRAVEL WRITING 2000 showcases the diversity and creative power of travel writing today.

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction, Essays, Short Stories, Anthologies, Writing, Audiobook

320 pages, Paperback

First published October 26, 2000

About the author

Bill Bryson is a bestselling American-British author known for his witty and accessible nonfiction books spanning travel, science, and language. He rose to prominence with Notes from a Small Island (1995), an affectionate portrait of Britain, and solidified his global reputation with A Short History of Nearly Everything (2003), a popular science book that won the Aventis and Descartes Prizes. Raised in Iowa, Bryson lived most of his adult life in the UK, working as a journalist before turning to writing full-time. His other notable works include A Walk in the Woods, The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid, and The Mother Tongue. Bryson served as Chancellor of Durham University (2005–2011) and received numerous honorary degrees and awards, including an honorary OBE and election as an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society. Though he announced his retirement from writing in 2020, he remains one of the most beloved voices in contemporary nonfiction, with over 16 million books sold worldwide.

Reviews

[W · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked it up because it was edited by Bill Bryson and in those days,I was collecting all his books.

It is an entertaining collection of travel and adventure writing. Includes essays about the Congo,Cuba,the river Nile,Central Park New York,Tibet and the Dalai Lama and a trip from Pakistan to India etc.

Two stood out for me :
The Last Safari,a chilling account of tourists being held hostage in Africa.

The article about the remote,isolated mountain kingdom of Bhutan which did not encourage tourists at the time.The capital,Thimpu did not even have traffic lights.

I see that this series has had subsequent volumes as well,and I'd like to read those if I can find them.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read for a Bingo challenge. Mostly forgettable, except for one horrifying essay and one that I did do further research on (felt compelled to see if the two decades of development have totally spoiled Copper Canyon, Mexico). Common theme is looming despoilment. More 'anthropology' than travel... but maybe that's natural... I'm not an experienced reader of travel books and I despise most of Bryson's own works, so, I dunno.

[Eric McGreevy · Rating 4 out of 5]

i've discovered i'm a tremendous sucker for travel writing and have mentally/emotionally/spiritually glamorized the art so much that i find myself thinking of a massive career change....

[Mary Pichotta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great collection of travel stories. I’m interested to read a collection that is more recent: maybe that would have a greater variety of authors (this collection was predominantly male authors).

[Laine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ho hum. I guess I’ve traveled too much myself and have better stories than these. Was hoping it would inspire to write some of my own... it did. Mission accomplished. But many in this best of collection were just tedious to get thru.

[HeavyReader · Rating 3 out of 5]

I finally finished reading this book last night. I enjoyed it, but I'm glad to be able to move on to something else.

I liked several pieces in this installment of the popular series. (Well, I know the series is popular with me, and I suspect it is popular with others, as there is already a Kindle edition of The Best American Travel Writing 2015 available.)

I have yet to read any writing about any country on the African continent that has made me want to visit. This holds true with "This Teeming Ark," by Tim Cahill and "The Last Safari," by Mark Ross. I love the way Cahill portrays himself as grumpy and over the adventure he is experiencing. As "The Last Safari" is about the murders of tourists, it particularly helped keep me from wanting to explore Africa.

Other pieces I enjoyed were "Lions and Tigers and Bears," by Bill Buford (about a man who spends a night in NYC's Central Park); Hitchhiker's Cuba," by Dave Eggers (about picking up hitchhikers in Cuba); "Spies in the House of Faith," by Isabel Hilton (about the Dalai Lama in exile); "Lard is Good for You," by Alden Jones (about living and working and eating and drinking in Costa Rica); and "Weird Karma," by P.J. O'Rourke (about a Land Rover promotional tour from Islamabad, Pakistan to Calcutta).

This collection could have used more women's voices. (Out of twenty-six pieces, only three are by women.)

[Mitch · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've read a few collections of short travel pieces from various years, and this was probably the best of the lot. (It's hard to remember exactly.) It had humor and sadness, confusion and triumph, history and current affairs...the lot. It took me to places I've never been for adventures I will never have, not that I'm complaining. I've had a few!

So here's to the road and a good book that tells about it.

[adam · Rating 4 out of 5]

My wife and I took turns reading these stories out load while we were on a cross-country road trip. Some of them were an absolute joy. Others were duds. Overall, I really enjoy these “Best Writing” series for bite-size chunks to read on the go. It’s especially fun to go back 17 years later as see what’s changed.

My favorites:

Confessions of a Cheese Smuggler: I laughed out load. Turns out, it’s easier to get raw milk 17 years later in the U.S., and I’m going to search for some.

Spies in the House of Faith: An intriguing tale inside the fight for supremacy of the Buddhist order, from Tibet in exile, from Tibet, and from China. I’m looking forward to watching a documentary on the ordeal (https://dharma-documentaries.net/tibe...)

The Last Safari: This was a haunting, scary story about a horrendous situation for Western tourists in war-torn Uganda

Hitchhiker’s Cuba: a lighthearted tale of life in Cuba. Now that the doors to Cuba are opening for Americans, this a great glimpse inside.

The Nile at Mile One: I’ve been fascinating with the corrupt history of water projects in the U.S. (currently reading Cadillac Desert on the subject and can’t get dams out of my mind). This helped put dams and hydropower into a global perspective for me.

The bad: I really did not enjoy the articles from Conde Nast. Maybe I’m not sophisticated enough for them, but I found them uninteresting, longwinded, and condescending.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

“We are all travelers in the wilderness of this world, and the best that we find is an honest friend. He is a fortunate voyager who finds many.” This book made me want to read Travels with a Donkey in the Cévennes by Robert Louis Stevenson. This quote made me appreciate the honest friends I've found in my travels, books and people.

Anthologies are funny things; some stories are terrific, others not so much. This anthology is like a snapshot in time, almost 20 years ago. Most of the pieces are written by white men, the people who wrote about the Arctic didn't know about climate change, the people traveling didn't experience post-9/11 security theater.

[Kyle · Rating 3 out of 5]

The stories are generally entertaining as long as one is willing to skip some, but they feel like stories about the author who happens to be in another country more than about the places traveled. In many of the stories the author is not aware of their own bias, and most of the time their prejudices are obscuring the very place they are ostensibly writing about.

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

In general I enjoy travel writing & that held true for this book - enjoyed most of these quite a bit.

[Mary · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first story was really good. One other story was ok. It was surprising given the title that none of the others were good. I hope that travel writing has improved since the year 2000!

[Edwina Book Anaconda · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun collection of short travel stories set all around the world.
Some really good, some simply ok, but well worth the small amount of time it takes to listen to this.

[Molly · Rating 1 out of 5]

Forgot that i really dont care for short stories/essays

[Kurt Weber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mostly winners, given how different the world is a quarter century down the pike

[Jonathan Blanchet · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5

[Karith Amel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Life-changing? No.
Interesting essays? Yes, certainly.

As for the disparity between the number of male and the number of female writers represented . . . well, I have nothing really to say on the matter. Other than it seems important somehow. And indicative. And bothersome.

[Carrie speaking · Rating 4 out of 5]

A series edited by Jason Wilson (year 2000 volume’s editor is Bill Bryson), The Best American Travel Writing is a series of collections of short stories about travel experiences all around the world. I was impressed by the quality of every single short story included in the book. I discovered new authors and new countries, new kinds of travel experiences. I loved this book because it reconciled me with short stories as a genre. Hopping from story to story, I didn’t feel disoriented at all: whether the editors tried to enhance this or not, all the stories in there are interconnected, they are part of the great, never-ending weaving that Travel performs, everywhere, every time, with and inside everyone. Before I let you discover these stories by yourself, I can’t help but quote the wonderful words of Jason Wilson in his Foreword to the volume:

"The more we know of particular things, Spinoza wrote long ago, the more we know of God. This is perhaps never truer than with travel writing. Having a travel writer report on particular things, small things, the specific ways in which people act and interact, is perhaps our best way of getting beyond the clichés that we tell each other about different places and cultures, and about ourselves."

C.I.D
(Review originally published here: 4 Travel Books For Your Summer)

[Christina · Rating 3 out of 5]

A mixed bag, as with any collection like this. Favorite Essays:
"This Teeming Ark" by Tim Cahill ("Outside" June 1999) - riding a crowded barge down the Congo River
"Hitchhiker's Cuba" by Dave Eggers ("Time/Life" Dec. 27, 1999) - picking up hitchhikers in Cuba
"The Nile at Mile One" by Mark Hertsgaard ("Outside" Jan. 1999) - following Churchill's footsteps along the Nile near Wanseko, Uganda
"Spies in the House of Faith" by Isabel Hilton ("The New Yorker" Aug. 23 & 30, 1999) - the Dali Lama's search for the next Panchrn Lama in Tibet
"Lard Is Good for You" by Alden Jones ("Coffee Journal" Winter 1998-99) - a young female American teacher living on a coffee farm in Costa Rica
"Confessions of a Cheese Smuggler" by David Lansing ("National Geographic Traveler" April 1, 1999) - cheese in Paris
"The Lasat Safari" by Mark Ross ("Talk" Sept. 1999) - harrowing account of tourists held hostage in Uganda
"One Man and His Donkey" by David Wallis ("The St. Petersburg Times" April 11, 1999) - author travels on foot w/ donkey in Morocco

[Kendall]

Nice collection of articles. They range from absorbing to god- when is this thing going to be over. The toughest stories are the ones where every other twentieth word is some unpronounceable jumble. There was one story the other provided phonetic spellings. That's a huge help. I feel inferior when I can't pronounce the names of people and places. It detracts from my enjoying the story. The best story by far- the on that left me simply stunned- was The Last Safari by Mark Ross. He describes the incident in Africa a few years ago where a bunch of people where kidnapped- including four Intel execs- and several of them where killed. It was absolutely harrowing.

[Mel McIvor · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wish I could rate these stories individually—some are witty and fantastic:
Storming The Beach
The Toughest Trucker in the World

...while others are truly harrowing:
The Last Safari
Spies in the House of Faith

Then there are the ones that just go on and ON about a place, more like a verbose travel guide than literary writing:
The Very Short History of Nunavut (ironically titled)
Marseille’s Moment

Frankly, about a third are downright dull and (worse) simply whiny:
Boat Camp
Nantucket on My Mind

It’s a strange mix, but the ones worth reading are certainly worth reading. Take my advice: skip the first one. (A guy decides he wants to ride a race boat...so he does. The End.)

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Compilation of travel stories, edited by Bill Bryson, including one by Dave Eggers picking up hitchikers as he drives through Cuba. Another one to note is the horrifying The Last Safari , about a safari group taken hostage by rebels and marched over the border from Uganda into the Congo. All the authors recall unique experiences gained completely off the tourist track, so you can either live vicariously through them and admire their efforts from an armchair, or get inspired to plan a trip of your own.

[Gary Brecht · Rating 3 out of 5]

Acquired from a pile of duplicate library books made available to the public, I picked up this book for two reasons; Bill Bryson edited it, and other than in magazines, I hadn’t read very many short pieces. The bottom line is that I’d forgotten how enjoyable travel writing can be. My three favorites in this compilation were, Tom Clynes’ The Toughest Trucker in the World, Dave Eggers’ Hitchhiker’s Cuba, and Amy Wilentz’s Marseille’s Moment. In fact, I found all the stories to be interesting and entertaining. Note to self…try reading more travel literature in the future!

[Nayaki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Favourites:
The Toughest Trucker in the World;
Hitchhiker's Cuba;
Lard Is Good for You;
Confessions of a Cheese Smuggler;


Most Prejudiced:
Weird Karma - even for the year 2000, this was the most prejudiced, narrow minded account of India that I have read.. Could not get myself to finish it.. Now I know how we get our 'ideas' about countries, cultures and people.. Also, it felt like an ad for the land rover that sponsored the author..

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've had this book since I lived in the USA briefly from 2002-2004 (I am British) so it was about time that I read it. I enjoyed all of the stories, although some captured my interest more than others. The concept of travel writing is incredibly broad.. I thought the editorial decision to publish the stories in alphabetical order by author surname was a bit arbitrary, and maybe they could have been ordered a little more thoughtfully.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

a great collection. read while traveling and you discover the little things each new place you visit.
oddly (for me), the most memorable story - the last safari (mark ross) - is quite dark for what is normally considered travel writing and leaves you a bit uneasy.
this teeming ark (tim cahill) and hitchhiker's cuba (dave eggers) were 2 other memorable tales.

[Tim · Rating 5 out of 5]

The debut of a new anthology series from the folks who publish Best American Short Stories and Best American Essays. An outstanding collection, consisting mainly of “extreme” adventure narratives but with enough introspective pieces and character studies to leaven the testosterone. Confirms my feeling that travel writing is the only vital form of magazine journalism left.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Living vicariously through other people. Getting to experience exotic places like Bhutan and Tibet. Definitely makes you want to travel even more and experiences places off the typical path of everyday tourists.

[Jenn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty entertaining, though a couple were a bit boring. Be forewarned - The African Safari is rather harrowing!

And now I really want to try the cheese mentioned in Confession of a Cheese Smuggler....

[Vivian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Favorite pieces:
Foreword
Introduction by Bill Bryson
Nantucket on My Mind - David Halberstam
Spies in the House of Faith - Isabel Hilton
The First Drink of the Day - Clive Irving
Lard Is Good for You - Alden Jones
Confessions of a Cheese Smuggler - David Lansing
The Last Safari - Mark Ross