OxTravels: Meetings with Remarkable Travel Writers (Ox-tales)

I confess I was not aware of the charitable organization Oxfam when I purchased this incredible collection of top notch travel writers. The credentials of the generous authors who gave their stories without compensation to this anthology are most impressive. Oxfam attempts to alleviate world poverty and uplift the condition of less fortunate around the globe. These stories are not for those looking for escapist armchair travel; rather it is for those who dare to care about the harsh realities people endure.Blood diamonds is about the massacre of diamond diggers in Zimbabwe by the Mugabe regime. Love in a Hot Climate takes you through the life incidents that led Ni Ni into a hideous life of prostitution in Rangoon. Not all of the stories are unspeakably sad. On the Way to Timbuktu is a more gentle travel memoir that is a tribute to an old friend. All of the stories are written brilliantly. But, none are for people wanting to ignore reality rather they are for those who want to better understand the world we live in.[...]

Book is intended as a gift. The used condition was excellent as described.

I absolutely loved this book and every travel story. Great for everyone who enjoys traveling and reading about other cultures and other people's traveling experiences. Recommended!

Really great story from exotic places around the world!

It's hard to fathom given the excellent roster of travel writers why this book did absolutely nothing for me but it did. I got bored halfway through and gave up.I found too many of the travel essays way too abrupt. Yes, this is a collection so the tales will be short but not a single one compelled me or pulled me into their trip. I also found some of the places and topics supremely dire. Far too much of this book is focused on what I'd consider the hippy dippy traveler experience. Hey, if that is what Oxfam wanted as a theme to "sell" its charitable efforts via this publication, fine, but it just did zip for me.The weirdest thing is the intro to each essay had a full page profile photo of the authors in question. Some of these faces are plain disconcerting. Sorry, that's the truth when you look at someone like Nicholas Shakespeare resembling some blonde Bond villain peering at you or Ian Thomson looking like an out patient with some sort of head injury sitting all by his lonesome on some bench (yes, his tale is about being in a Rome hospital but even so). Very very bizarre method of "selling" anyone on any of these authors.

I'm enjoying these stories as bedtime reads. Not normally an avid reader of short pieces (other than in the papers), it's been a pleasant change.One of the surprises has been that I enjoyed some chapters more than I expected to: Victoria Hislop's for instance, looked unpromising given that she hadn't gone to the most obvious sources to research "The Island" (her travel piece describes her encounters with a Spinalonga leprosy victim, the subject of her bestseller). Tricky. But it was quite nicely done and she appeared to have built up a genuine relationship with the man, not to mention going to the trouble of learning Greek. So, hats off after all, Victoria.Others, by contrast, didn't live up to my expectations. It would be churlish to go through those perhaps.But it's all in aid of Oxfam, innit, so I've thrown in an extra star for that, and I'd say this would be a good present for anyone when you don't know what to get for their birthday. Even if they don't like to travel, there's always the armchair version. And for people who do travel, it's a no-brainer. They will enjoy it.

Wonderful. Masterpiece. Exemplory. I am running out of superlatives. This was so much better than I was expecting. Not just travel writing but tales about people who are special in amazing places, or who have lead extraordinary lives. Thank you and can we have more please

Lots of great stories, really enjoyed all of them. This is a great book and introduces you to new writers.Well worth buying

This is an excellent book for travellers or would be travellers or even armchair travellers. It also makes an excellent gift fo a like minded friend.

Excellent book of short stories fascinating read throughout