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High gas prices, traffic jams at national parks, train strikes, canceled flights and lost luggage—could travel this summer get any worse?
Yes it can. At least in fiction. For as long as writers have churned out prose-prophecies, they’ve delighted in sending their heroes to postcard-worthy places as undreamed of as they seem.
“There’s something amazing about a bad vacation—all the effort that goes into planning, being able to de-stress and relax, only to have everything go horribly wrong in a place where you don’t speak the language. We don’t know the rules and have no way to get help,” said author Greg Herren, CEO of Mystery Writers of America. “There is an escape in these books.”
Think of Homer Odysseythe Greek Islands for a returning Trojan War hero, or Agatha Christie’s 1920s Egyptian cruise Mandunit; Death on the Nile. Recently, author Lucy Foley (Paris apartment, Hunting lodge) takes her attractive young characters somewhere equally attractive and lets the bodies pile up.
This summer, while you’re thinking your errant bags are more fun than you are, turn to these novels to help get you through.
Hell travels
A great circleBy Maggie Shipstead, 2021
Amelia Earhart-esque aviator Marian Graves sets out to circumnavigate the globe via the North and South Poles. But storms, running low on fuel – and misgivings – derail her daring journey. Woven through this mission is an epic family drama that sweeps from the wilds of Montana to World War II-era London, fueled by passion, perseverance, and a love affair that spans decades.
A photo of a thiefBy Grace D. Lee, 2022
A group of Chinese-American college students turn museum visits in Amsterdam and Paris into art in Lee’s anti-colonial cap. In an attempt to return to China from countries they have previously robbed, would-be criminals run into Interpol and sometimes each other. Masmar also delves into what it means to live between two cultures.
Anomalyby Hervé Le Tellier, 2021
When you read what happens to passengers on Air France 006 from Paris, you won’t complain about the chaos and cramped middle seat on your next transatlantic flight. New York, in this mind-bending novel. Let’s just say that none of their lives are the same again. The consequences of that disastrous flight range from murder and divorce to fame and career-defining success.
The forgivenBy Lawrence Osborne, 2012
After a sumptuous lunch in Tangier, English couple Jo and David Henninger drive into the Moroccan desert for a raucous weekend party at a friend’s backyard. They accidentally hit and kill a local Berber youth on a dark, dusty road, creating a thrilling tale of haves and have-nots, guilt and redemption. Osborne calls out the Sahara’s grim simplicity and rich characters from his son’s bereaved father to a drug-addled party host. (A film version starring Ralph Fiennes and Jessica Chastain has just been released.)
The lionby Chris Bohjalian, 2022
Lion attack. Millions of stinging ants. Kidnappers with elephant guns. The wide open spaces of the Serengeti are full of danger and beauty in the bloody story of a 1960s Tanzanian safari. Centered around an Elizabeth Taylor-esque starlet and her entourage, the travelogue starts out charming (there’s a generator-powered snowmaker and lots of fancy costumes) and quickly descends into a terrifying tale of man and beast.
(Find out why bad trips make for great memories.)
Two nights in Lisbonby Chris Pavone, 2022
An American woman wakes up in her hotel flat after a quick weekend trip to Lisbon with her new husband, much younger than her. The next spy thriller and travelogue is set in the charming streets of Portugal’s coastal capital, full of cinnamon-y scents. butter butter Tarts and vintage cable cars click.
Beach vacation gone bad
Saint X, By Alexis Shaitkin, 2020
Shaitkin uses multiple narrators to tell the story of a wealthy family whose teenage daughter goes missing and dies while vacationing on an unnamed Caribbean island. The event reverberates over the years as the girl’s younger sister and a resort employee are charged with murder. Ultimately, this fascinating debut novel is less about the mystery of the missing person and more about how luxury tourism hides the true culture of a place.
The Garden of Broken ThingsBy Francesca Momplacire, 2022
A Haitian-American mother worried about her young son’s behavior at school took him back to her native Caribbean island to emphasize how lucky he is. Following a devastating earthquake, a family heirloom trip plunges into a nightmare of destruction and death in a country “expected to fall from the sky.” Momplaisir’s prose is as sharp as her insights, and while this is not a feel-good story, it is a poignant examination of family ties and poverty.
Disaster tourist.By Yun Ko-eun, 2013
In this satirical eco-thriller, Jonah Kim works for a dark tourism company that takes visitors to zones affected by hurricanes, floods and other natural disasters. When a predatory co-worker threatens her job, she elopes on a business trip to review the company’s most popular tour package on a yawn-inducing desert island in Vietnam. But what initially seems like an opportunity to advance her career quickly turns into a moral crisis, as Yona becomes embroiled in a conspiracy to orchestrate a global catastrophe that threatens the lives of hundreds of people, including her own.
(Here are 13 interesting true-life stories that went wrong..)
The ruins By Scott Smith, 2006
In this horror/sci-fi parable, hiking to an unknown Mayan temple in the Yucatan jungle of Mexico seems like a bucket list dream for four American tourists. But deadly races put them at odds with bow-wielding natives and vicious vines that make venturing off the beaten path — or touching sacred antiquities — unworthy of an Instagram picture.
Rotten road and train journeys
Nevada, By Imogen Binnie, 2013
Abandoned by her girlfriend and adrift in a foggy haze, trans woman Maria Griffith steals her ex’s car and hitchhikes from New York to Nevada. Along the way, she becomes an unlikely mentor to another trans woman and discovers both the bright and sophisticated downtown Reno and early 2000s Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
The boys, By Katie Hafner, 2022
Anyone who feels comfortable on a group tour can relate to Ethan Fawcett, a young father who takes his twins on a bike trip through the Italian Piedmont. His rambunctious children—and his desperate attempts to retrace his honeymoon (and his estranged wife)—make him unpopular with his fellow travelers. But in these misadventures, there is humor and hope amid the elegant hotels, libidinous tour guides and ancient churches.
This trainby James Grady, 2022
On a damaged commuter train between Seattle and Chicago, Grady bumps into Agatha Christie. Murder on the Orient Express With multiple characters (coder gone wrong, corrupt billionaire, wannabe widow) and crimes (criminal, murder) in a strict prison. Although set in the present, the depictions of iconic Amtrak stations, shadowy outlaws, and lonely western landscapes are striking.
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