Reading a good book while traveling is relaxing. It is also helpful if one wants to take a break from a lengthy travel.
Danique Van der Burg from the Netherlands and Eloi Lambert from France are traveling in Southeast Asia for months now and currently touring some parts of the Philippines.
Van der Burg, who resides in Utrecht, is on a five-month backpacking trip after getting her bachelor’s degree in Sociology. She has been to Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam and will visit Indonesia and Malaysia during the last months of her travel.
Meanwhile, Parisian Lambert who is finishing his master’s degree in Business Management is on a half-year trip. He has already crossed out Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Burma (Myanmar) out of his travel list and will be capping off his journey in New Zealand.
Danique Van der Burg
“I am reading ‘The Future of the Mind’ by Michio Kaku. It is about what minds can do in the future—how far science is in developing methods like storing memories, or moving robot arms for paralyzed people by using their minds. It often relates to sci-fi and compares this to research that has already been done in science.
“I got the book from another backpacker. I swapped my ‘Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas’ by Hunter Thompson. It was an interesting read because I already saw the movie and really liked it.
“I recommend reading books that are not too difficult because you read for an hour or 20 minutes while traveling from one place to another. Back at home, I prefer good literary books, but I’m reading different kinds right now because these are too heavy to carry around.”
Eloi Lambert
The book that I am reading now is ‘The Truth about the Harry Quebert Affair’ by Joel Dicker. It is about a famous writer who is wrongly accused of murdering a 16-year-old girl. The crime, which happened 40 years ago, resurfaced on trial. His friend, a journalist, helps him in searching for the truth during the investigation. The book is full of surprises. I like that it’s nonlinear and I can’t stop myself from flipping the pages.
“A person who is traveling needs to read an exciting book so he can be inspired in finishing it, because most of the time you don’t have access to a comfortable couch or a reading desk.
“After more than three months of traveling, I noticed that one could have many opportunities to read a book, like during the waiting time for flights or ferry rides and long journeys inside a bus. I like to kill time with a good book because it allows me to free my mind. It is also pleasant to read a book after a busy day.
“Back in France, I like books that are ‘deep’ because I learn a lot from it and they open my mind. I also like books that are related to history and politics, as well as poetry because it transports me to another dimension.”