Le Road Trip: A Traveler's Journal of Love and France [Hardcover]

Vivian Swift (Author)

Book Description

Release date: April 10, 2012

Road trip: those are still the two most inspiring words to vagabonds and couch potatoes alike; after all, the great American spirit was forged by road trippers from the Pilgrims to Lewis and Clark to the Dharma Bums. Le Road Trip combines the appeal of the iconic American quest with France's irresistible allure, offering readers a totally new perspective of life on the road.

Le Road Trip tells the story of one idyllic French honeymoon trip, but it is also a witty handbook of tips and advice on how to thrive as a traveler, a captivating visual record with hundreds of watercolor illustrations, and a chronicle depicting the incomparable charms of being footloose in France. Armchair travelers, die-hard vagabonds, art journalists, and red wine drinkers will all find something to savor in this story.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Vivian Swift, author of When Wanderers Cease to Roam: A Traveler's Journal of Staying Put, is a freelance writer and former assistant vice president of Christie's Inc. When not traveling, she lives on the Long Island Sound with her husband.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Bloomsbury USA; 1 edition (April 10, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1608195325
• ISBN-13: 978-1608195329
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 0.8 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (36 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #53,378 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #89 in Books > Education & Reference > Writing, Research & Publishing Guides > Writing > Travel
  • #91 in Books > Travel > Reference > General

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A must-read for travelers - especially exchange students, college year abroad students & Peace Corps volunteers April 11, 2012

By Making Art

Format:Hardcover

"Le Road Trip: A Traveler's Journal of Love and France" follows on the success of Vivian Swift's delightful and genre defying first book "When Wanderers Cease to Roam: A Traveler's Journal of Staying Put." In "Le Road Trip" Swift has given us another gift for the senses. This book celebrates in both word and image how to be a tourist in your own life - take it in, savor it, but also don't take any of it too seriously.

Her "chocolate box" approach to books allows you to read in any order you like (though chronological is fun because it gives you the unfolding experience of the trip). As with her first book, "Le Road Trip" is completely hand-lettered by the author as well as full of her gorgeous watercolors and line drawings, perfect and often obscure quotes as well as thoughtful reflections on what it is like to travel (and be in love). I find that Swift's books lend themselves to re-reading. You'll always notice something new, most notably in the deceptively simple illustrations.

How I wish this book had been around when I first went abroad as a teenager and young adult. It'd have been a help and encouragement to find my own unique way of traveling - the way that was right for me. Indeed, I plan give this book to anyone about to travel or live abroad (perfect for exchange students, college year abroad students and even Peace Corps volunteers). On the surface "Le Road Trip" is about a trip to France, but really the subject is universal - the joys and, at times, difficulties of any kind travel outside of the familiar (going to college, living on the other side of the globe, starting a new relationship).

Nancy Pearl, Seattle librarian and book reviewer extraordinaire said it best: "A perfect gift for travelers, those with artistic souls, those with a sense of wonder, those who are hug-the-hearths--in short--nearly everyone on your gift list."

All I can add to that is be sure to put yourself at the top of that list!

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars bliss for armchair travelers - Vivian Swift does it again! April 14, 2012

By Chel Micheline TOP 100 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I'm not a fan of travel. I'm not a big fan of France. But I LOVE this book. LOVE it.

Full of beautiful color watercolor illustrations, travel information (such as "there are no wrong trains"), memories, funny little antecdotes, "Le Road Trip" is a blissful vacation unto itself. This isn't a little slip of a book that you will get a few moments of flipping through, this is a BIG, HEAVY book full of stories. As with "When Wanderers Cease to Roam: A Traveler's Journal of Staying Put, I have spent several afternoons curled outside on the porch swing, immersed in this book. There's so much to read and look at and ponder. There is an actual BOOK under the beauty, much to read about traveling and personal adventures and information about France (who knew there wasn't really breakfast in France?)

I really appreciate what Vivian Swift does. I love her style, and I've said before that I wish all books were like the ones she creates. Art books don't have to be completely visual, and memoirs don't have to be black and white. There is a happy mix between art books and "reading" books and Vivian Swift has found it.

I highly recommend this.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfectly Gorgeous June 5, 2012

By Bobbi

Format:Hardcover

Without a doubt, this beautiful book filled with Vivian's beautiful paintings and words, is destined to become THE book the captures the ecstasy (and the occasional agony) of travelling through the world's most popular country. It's more than a book, it is a true work of art. The perfect way to travel, a passport to adventure and a book that defines the word delightful.