Few things are as exciting as the thought of a journey to a distant place. To a place where the weather is better, the customs are more interesting, and the landscapes offer inspiration.

So why is it that often on our trips we do not derive the satisfaction we expected? In The Art of Travel, Alain de Botton guides us through all those things that bring us joy or disappointment as we travel.

With his now well-known humorous yet insightful perspective, he discusses - among many other things - airports, exotic carpets, holiday romances, and hotel mini-bars. This book opens our eyes and provokes much thought as it reveals the hidden motives, expectations, and difficulties that lie behind a journey in our world.

Along the way, he has, as always, great companions such as writers, artists, and thinkers whose work was inspired by travel in all its forms: Gustave Flaubert, Edward Hopper, Baudelaire, Wordsworth, Van Gogh, Ruskin, and many others offer their thoughts on this strange undertaking, travel.

As the ideal antidote to travel guides that dictate what exactly to do when we reach our destination, The Art of Travel aims to explain the reasons why, in the first place, we started to go to that place - and presents some humble suggestions through which we may learn to derive greater pleasure from our excursions.

[Excerpt from the text on the back cover of the edition]