Essays & Travelogues Audiobooks | Travel

Modern Age Slavery is a marvellous opportunity for people to find out some of the most hidden, uncensored truths about a seaman’s life on board cruise ships. This poignant memoir will open a sensational perspective about the cruel operational standards of cruise line companies globally. It is an excellent chance to sneak “behind the curtain” and taste the actual bitterness of the seaman’s life, understand the big picture, and realise what the cruise liners are hiding under those glorious, sensational sailing lights. This inspiring book will also help you overcome your most significant life obstacles personally; it will motivate you to become more resilient and search deeper for your inner strengths and undiscovered potentials. After reading some eye-opening chapters, you will be motivated to keep pushing your limits in life to the next level, regardless of any difficult circumstances or adversity. Modern Age Slavery breaks the silence about many irregularities in the cruise ship industry. Behind those glorious and shiny lights of the guest area at the cruise ship, a dark part of the slavery regime still goes unnoticed and is kept away from the public. This book will give you an opportunity to discover the deviant daily life at sea.

Mladen Jakovljevic (Author), James M Flory (Narrator)

Audiobook

[German] - Unterwegs zwischen Grenzen: Europas Minderheiten im Schwitzkasten der Nationen

In meiner Familie gibt es ein Geheimnis. Niemand hat darüber gesprochen, als ich im Kärnten der Neunzigerjahre aufgewachsen bin – und doch war es immer irgendwie präsent. Dieses Geheimnis ist die slowenische Sprache, die im Dorf meiner Großeltern bis vor wenigen Generationen noch alle gesprochen haben und von der heute kaum mehr jemand etwas wissen mag. Denn hinter diesem Geheimnis verbirgt sich eine schmerzhafte Geschichte der Verfolgung, Vertreibung und der sturen, unnachgiebigen Assimilation. Ich hatte irgendwann genug davon. Mein gemütliches Dasein in der angeblichen Mehrheitsbevölkerung, die einfachen Kategorien der Zugehörigkeit. Zum Teufel damit! Ich spürte, es war für mich an der Zeit, zu lernen, wie divers meine Heimat tatsächlich ist. Und nicht nur die, sondern unser gesamter Kontinent – sobald man nur hie und da leicht an der Tapete zieht. Nicht zuletzt war es für mich aber an der Zeit, meinen eigenen Platz in all dem zu finden. So reiste ich ein Jahr lang in die Grenzregionen Europas, sprach mit Menschen aus verschiedenen ethnischen Minderheiten und versuchte zu verstehen, was diese Länder an den Grenzen – diese Länder im Schwitzkasten der Nationen – so besonders macht. Dabei stieß ich auf die faszinierenden Geschichten dieses Kontinents, die an seinen Grenzen noch immer weiter geschrieben werden. Meine Reisen brachten mich in: - Die sorbische Lausitz - Das mythische Siebenbürgen in Rumänien - Die Jenische Welt Mitteleuropas in Österreich, der Schweiz und Deutschland - Das Burgenland und schließlich nach Hause nach Kärnten Überall sprach ich mich Menschen aus nationalen Minderheiten über ihren Alltag und die Probleme des Erhalts ihrer Kultur: Mit Sorben und Sorbinnen, Siebenbürger Sachsen und Sächsinnen, mit Jenischen, Burgendlandkroaten und Kroatinnen und mit Kärnten Slowenen und Sloweninnen. Bist du bereit, mit mir an der Tapete der nationalstaatlichen Tapete zu ziehen? Dann lies gleich rein in dieses Reisebuch an die Grenzen Europas.

Ralf Grabuschnig (Author), Ralf Grabuschnig (Narrator)

Audiobook

Cougars on the Cliff: One Man's Pioneering Quest to Understand the Mythical Mountain Lion, A Memoir

Maurice Hornocker is recognized worldwide as the first scientist to unravel the secrets of America's most enigmatic predator-the mountain lion. A story of redemption, this book is a memoir about the never-before-told adventures, challenges, and controversies surrounding Hornocker's groundbreaking study of cougars in the remote reaches of the Idaho Primitive Area. North America's biggest cat was once killed for bounty dollars, slaughtered with impunity and driven toward extinction. But today's cat of intrigue, despite our lingering fears and misconceptions, has returned to much of its native range in the western United States and gained respect as a predator integral and necessary to wild ecosystems. This turnaround was triggered by one man: Maurice Hornocker. Cougars on the Cliff recounts the early years of his research when he tracked lions following a dog's nose and footprints in the snow-before telemetry was available. Hornocker was first to learn that mountain lions living in stable populations limit their own numbers through territoriality and a concept he called 'mutual avoidance.' This insight flew in the face of long-held beliefs that cougars were prolific and wanton killers that needed to be controlled as vermin. Thanks to Hornocker's work, today cougars can be found throughout the West and have even started to reclaim their place in New England.

Maurice Hornocker (Author), Joel Richards (Narrator)

Audiobook

Women and Water: Stories of Adventure, Self-Discovery, and Connection in and on the Water

This inspiring collection contains powerful narratives from women who swim, surf, kayak, study glaciers, advocate for water conservation, carry forward their ancestral fishing traditions, and more. Collected by the team at She Explores, a media company and community that celebrates women in the outdoors, these first-person stories explore themes of independence, strength, healing, and self-discovery in nature. Helpful how-tos on everything from cold water swimming to taking underwater photos are interspersed throughout the book, making it easy for listeners to get outside and get their feet wet. The result is a joyful tribute to the strength women exude in and on the water in an empowering must-listen for teenage girls, new graduates, and outdoorsy women of all ages. Perfect for nature enthusiasts, ocean lovers, and scientists alike, this book: presents a fresh angle on women's empowerment by focusing on women's relationships to water; celebrates a wide range of voices and perspectives; offers fans new ways to engage with She Explores (an accessible community that's deeply respected in the outdoor world with a significant and devoted online following); and celebrates nature as a place for self-discovery, wellness, and connection.

Gale Straub, Hailey Hirst, Noel Russell (Author), Sanya Simmons (Narrator)

Audiobook

A Line in the World: A Year on the North Sea Coast

Dorthe Nors's first nonfiction book chronicles a year she spent traveling along the North Sea coast-from Skagen at the northern tip of Denmark to the Frisian Islands in the Wadden Sea. In fourteen expansive essays, Nors traces the history, geography, and culture of the places she visits while reflecting on her childhood and her family and ancestors[ ties to the region as well as her decision to move there from Copenhagen. She writes about the ritual burning of witch effigies on Midsummer's Eve; the environmental activist who opposed a chemical factory in the 1950s; the quiet fishing villages that surfers transformed into an area known as Cold Hawaii starting in the 1970s. She connects wind turbines to Viking ships, thirteenth-century church frescoes to her mother's unrealized dreams. She describes strong waves, sand drifts, storm surges, shipwrecks, and other instances of nature asserting its power over human attempts to ignore or control it. Through a deep, personal engagement with this singular landscape, A Line in the World accesses the universal. Its ultimate subjects are civilization, belonging, and change: changes within one person's life, changes occurring in various communities today, and change as the only constant of life on Earth.

Dorthe Nors (Author), Ann Richardson (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Heartbeat of the Wild

In this inspiring collection of essays, acclaimed author David Quammen journeys to places where civilization meets raw nature and explores the challenge of balancing the needs of both. For more than two decades, award-winning science and nature writer David Quammen has traveled to Earth's most far-flung and fragile destinations, sending back field notes from places caught in the tension between humans and the wild. This illuminating book features 20 of those assignments: elegantly written narratives, originally published in National Geographic magazine and updated for today, telling colorful and impassioned stories from some of the planet's wildest locales. Quammen shares encounters with African elephants, chimpanzees, and gorillas (and their saviors, including Jane Goodall); the salmon of northeastern Russia and the people whose livelihood depends on them; the lions of Kenya and the villagers whose homes border on parks created to preserve the species; and the champions of rewilding efforts in southernmost South America, designed to rescue iconic species including jaguars and macaws. With a new introduction, afterword, and notes framing each story, Quammen reminds us of the essential role played by wild nature at the heart of the planet.

David Quammen (Author), Jason Culp (Narrator)

Audiobook

Asia—Culture Smart!: The Essential Guide to Customs & Culture

This collection of Culture Smart guidebooks introduces listeners to China, Japan, and India. Each guidebook includes concise chapters on the local customs, traditions, and values of the country's inhabitants and, crucially, the key historical and cultural events that have shaped them. There are sections on social and business etiquette, tips on communication, both verbal and non-verbal, and advice on how to be a good guest. The guidebook on China is written by Indre Balcikonyte-Huang and Kathy Flower. The guidebook on Japan is written by Paul Norbury. The guidebook on India is written by Becky Stephen.

Becky Stephen, Culture Smart!, Indre Balcikonyte-Huang, Kathy Flower, Paul Norbury (Author), Anna Bentinck, Charles Armstrong, Peter Noble (Narrator)

Audiobook

[Spanish] - Elogio del caminar

Caminar es una evasión de la modernidad, una forma de burlarse de ella, de dejarla plantada, un atajo en el ritmo desenfrenado de nuestra vida y un modo de distanciarse, de aguzar los sentidos. David Le Breton mezcla en Elogio del caminar a Pierre Sansot y a Patrick Leigh Fermor, pero también hace que Bashô y Stevenson dialoguen sin preocuparse por el rigor histórico, pues el propósito de este exquisito libro no radica ahí, se trata solamente de caminar juntos, de intercambiar impresiones, como si estuviéramos en torno a una mesa en un albergue al borde del camino, por la tarde, cuando el cansancio y el vino nos hacen hablar.… 'Un emocionante breviario sobre una manera de estar y comportarse en el mundo. Un catecismo laico para caminar, para no dejar nunca de pensar en medio de este mundo ruidoso y automatizado'. César A. Molina, ABC Cultural 'Delicioso tratado de lo que sucede cuando a un pie le sigue el otro, y al otro le sigue una idea, y a la idea, un pensamiento, y al pensamiento, una reflexión'. Heraldo de Aragón

David Le Breton (Author), Raúl Rodríguez (Narrator)

Audiobook

[German] - Dupins Bretagne - Ein Reiseführer (Ungekürzte Lesung)

Seit über zehn Jahren ermittelt Kommissar Georges Dupin bereits in der Bretagne. Mit jedem neuen Fall verschlägt es ihn an einen anderen faszinierenden Ort dieser so vielfältigen Region. Mit dem Reiseführer Dupins Bretagne stellt Bestsellerautor Jean-Luc Bannalec die Schauplätze und Gegenden seiner Krimireihe vor und führt durch seine Bretagne. Von Dupins Stammrestaurant, dem Amiral, über die fantastischen Felsnadeln der Belle-Île, die ausgezeichneten Restaurants in den Gassen Saint-Malos und den mythischen Artuswald Brocéliande, bis hin zu den berühmten Salzgärten der Guérande - die Liste der bretonischen Lieblingsorte und -dinge, die der Kommissar während seinen Ermittlungen führt, ist mittlerweile so lang wie legendär. Der Reiseführer Dupins Bretagne versammelt nun all diese magischen Orte und enthält darüber hinaus viele weitere Empfehlungen und Geheimtipps von Jean-Luc Bannalec sowie Co-Autor und Bretagne-Experte Manfred Görgens: Hinweise auf malerische, stürmisch-wilde, romantische, noch zu entdeckende Gegenden der Bretagne, Spaziergänge, Tagestouren, Hotels, Restaurants, Bars, Manufakturen, kulinarische Spezialitäten und das bretonische Savoir-vivre. Ein Hörbuch zum Träumen, Planen und Verreisen. Ken emberr, bis bald - in der Bretagne!

Jean-Luc Bannalec (Author), Christian Berkel (Narrator)

Audiobook

Europe—Culture Smart!: The Essential Guide to Customs & Culture

This collection of Culture Smart guidebooks introduces listeners to Italy, Germany, and Spain. Each guidebook includes concise chapters on the local customs, traditions, and values of the country's inhabitants and, crucially, the key historical and cultural events that have shaped them. There are sections on social and business etiquette, tips on communication, both verbal and non-verbal, and advice on how to be a good guest. The guidebooks on Italy and Germany are written by Barry Tomalin. The guidebook on Spain is written by Bélen Aguado Viguer and Marian Meaney.

Barry Tomalin, Belen Aguado Viguer, Culture Smart!, Marian Meaney (Author), Anna Bentinck, Charles Armstrong, Peter Noble (Narrator)

Audiobook

Map Addict: The Bestselling Tale of an Obsession

'My name is Mike and I am a map addict. There, it's said…' Maps not only show the world, they help it turn. On an average day, we will consult some form of map approximately a dozen times, often without even noticing: checking the A-Z, the road atlas or the Sat Nav, scanning the tube or bus map, a quick Google online or hours wasted flying over a virtual Earth, navigating a way around a shopping centre, watching the weather forecast, planning a walk or a trip, catching up on the news, booking a holiday or hotel. Maps pepper logos, advertisements, illustrations, books, web pages and newspaper and magazine articles: they are a cipher for every area of human existence. At a stroke, they convey precise information about topography, layout, history, politics and power. They are the unsung heroes of life: Map Addict sings their song. There are some fine, dry tomes out there about the history and development of cartography: this is not one of them. Map Addict mixes wry observation with hard fact and considerable research, unearthing the offbeat, the unusual and the downright pedantic in a celebration of all things maps. In Map Addict, we learn the location of what has officially been named by the OS as the most boring square kilometre in the land; we visit the town fractured into dozens of little parcels of land split between two different countries and trek around many other weird borders of Britain and Europe; we test the theories that the new city of Milton Keynes was built to a pagan alignment and that women can't read maps. Combining history, travel, politics, memoir and oblique observation in a highly readable, and often very funny, style, Mike Parker confesses how his own impressive map collection was founded on a virulent teenage shoplifting habit, ponders how a good leftie can be so gung-ho about British cartographic imperialism and wages a one-man war against the moronic blandishments of the Sat Nav age.

Mike Parker (Author), Mike Parker (Narrator)

Audiobook

My Own Magic: A Reappearing Act

Read by the author. Despite what appeared to be a glamorous existence full of globetrotting adventures, behind the scenes, Anna Kloots felt invisible in her own life. Consumed by a relationship that left no space for her own desires, she chose to reframe the end of her marriage as an opportunity to begin again. Now, for every woman searching for her voice, Anna shares her story of starting over by trusting the magic that was always within. Anna’s innate sense of adventure and love for the unknown led her to move abroad, travel to eighty countries around the world, start a business, and marry a magician, all before her midtwenties. From the outside, her jet-setting lifestyle alongside her husband looked perfect. But as she explored deeper, and let each destination challenge, change, and shape her, Anna began to realize that perfection was just another illusion. Though she appeared to have all the freedom in the world, in reality, she was trapped inside a box, slowly disappearing. When her marriage ended, Anna decided to use her unhappy ending as a chance for a new beginning. Following Anna’s extensive travels from the bustling streets of Jaipur to the canals of Venice to the desert of Dubai, My Own Magic is a true coming-of-age story about a woman rediscovering the magic that was always inside her. Anna’s memoir is proof that travel can transform you, inspire you, and even save you.

Anna Kloots (Author), Anna Kloots (Narrator)

Audiobook

Essays & Travelogues Audiobooks in Travel