Yesterday at work we got to talking about what we’d do if we won the lottery or somehow came into oodles of cash.  And that conversation turned into a discussion of what we are most inclined to drop large chunks of change on.  One co-worker loves shoes, another jewelry.  For my part, I confessed that I’d most likely spend my money on experiences – especially travel experiences.  No one was really surprised – after all, I did just hop a plane to England a month ago.  And to France the year before that.  Yes, travel – especially European travel – is definitely my weakness and what I like to daydream about.  In fact, I think that if I suddenly came into wealth, I’d live pretty much as I do now – which is to say, well within my means – but I’d travel a lot more.

Sadly, however, I am not loaded.  I can afford one spectacular vacation and a few shorter weekend getaways a year – both in terms of dollars and in terms of time away from work.  But that doesn’t mean my mind is always in NoVA.  Far from it.  In between trips, I tide myself over by reading travel books… and I have a few favorites, which I am now going to tell you about.  I’m wordy that way.

A Year In Provence, by Peter Mayle – This has to be my favorite travel book of all time.  I read it for the first time when I was actually in Provence, and I laughed my head off at the antics of the locals (that goat race? sublime) and at Mayle’s struggles to renovate his house.  I read it whenever I want to feel the warm Provencal sun on my face – even in the depths of winter.

Encore Provence, by Peter Mayle – Can you tell I like Peter Mayle?  (I would also recommend Toujours Provence, by guess who, but that might be overkill.)  In this volume, Mayle and his wife return to the south of France after several years away and hijinks ensue.  And after reading about the intrigue-riddled truffle trade, you’ll really cherish that bottle of truffle oil we all know you’re hiding in your pantry.

My Life in France, by Julia Child – I think my journey to France began when I read Julia’s memoir of her time there, a year before I actually went.  Julia chats about Paris, Marseille, food, and her social circle in post-war France.  It is magnificent and so much better than Julie and Julia.  If the movie had just been based on My Life in France, I’d have been thrilled.

My Love Affair with England, by Susan Allen Toth – You knew England would turn up sooner or later in this list, didn’t you?  I’ve loved this book since high school, when I read it to escape before I’d ever been to England.  It’s warm, funny, personable, but honest.

A Year in the World, by Frances Mayes – The author of Under the Tuscan Sun explores the concept of home as she trots around the globe.  Her chapter on Andalusia is marvelous and her description of a Scottish garden planted the seed of going to Scotland long before I’d ever been.

Notes from a Small Island, by Bill Bryson – Hilarious depiction of England and its people from the perspective of a long-time resident outsider, this book is part memoir, part travel guide, part goof.  No one is safe around Bryson – he skewers everyone, including himself, with his trademark wit.  My favorite part?  When Bryson goes shopping with his English wife, spends two hours wandering around lost, and then miraculously ends up right where she told him to meet her, at the proper time, too – and then acts offended when the Mrs. is surprised.

That’s just a selection of my own personal favorites.  What about you – any favorite travel books?