Off The Map: Elsewhere Bound

Six books about exploration, discovery and unexpected journeys 

INTO THE WILD: JON KRAKAUER (1996)

Christopher rejects materialism and social norms to seek a more authentic life alone in the remote Alaskan wilderness. Jon Krakauer’s bestselling work of nonfiction celebrates wanderlust, courage and the desire for freedom but it’s also a cautionary tale about isolation, idealism and the limits of self-reliance. 

SHANTARAM: GREGORY DAVID ROBERTS (2003)

Lin arrives in Bombay seeking a fresh start and quickly finds himself immersed in the city’s underground, where he befriends a colourful cast of outcasts, criminals and kindred spirits. Gregory David Roberts celebrates the rewards of stepping beyond the familiar and discovering the authentic heart of a place through the people who live there. 

SOVIETISTAN: ERIKA FATLAND (2014)

Erika Fatland journeys alone through Central Asia, visiting Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, a region largely overlooked by modern travellers. Part travelogue and part hard-hitting journalism, Sovietistan details how a complex Soviet legacy continues to shape daily life across these unique nations.

THE BEACH: ALEX GARLAND (1996)

Richard arrives in Thailand searching for somewhere untouched by mass tourism. When he discovers a hidden island ‘paradise’, he soon learns that his dream destination hides a dark reality. Alex Garland captures both the excitement and danger of getting off the tourist track, while exploring the allure of finding something few others know about.

THE PLACES IN BETWEEN: RORY STEWART (2004)

Shortly after the fall of the Taliban, Rory Stewart undertakes an extraordinary solo walk across Afghanistan, travelling hundreds of miles through snow-covered mountains, remote villages and regions rarely visited by outsiders. Thoughtful and deeply engaging, The Places in Between demonstrates how the most

memorable journeys often lie far off the beaten track.

THE SONGLINES: BRUCE CHATWIN (1987)

Fascinated by the Aboriginal ‘songlines’ that crisscross the Australian Outback, Bruce Chatwin embarks on a journey through some of the continent’s most remote landscapes. Drawing on myth, geography and lived experience, The Songlines celebrates the spirit of exploration and the idea that every journey reveals a deeper connection to place and culture.