Wanderlust

I just got back from a "business trip" to New York City where I spent about 48 hours actually in the City (most of which was occupied by figuring out where I was at and how to get to where I was going). I've never been flown and put-up on somebody else's dollar (who isn't family), so I actually enjoyed the "getting there" part of traveling a lot more than I think I otherwise would have. It is the little differences in travel that often go overlooked but are what often gives much more of an impression of a foreign place: how a toilet flushes, how to order a meal, the shape of public mailboxes, the colors of the street signs... the thousands of subtle differences in universal items.

Immediately upon my return home I reached for my copy of Wanderlust by Troy M. Litten. It is a wonderful travel-sized (4.5" x 6"), full-color collection of travel photography. But rather than being a bunch of pictures of iconic landscapes and postcard-esque buildings, Wanderlust is a document of the little things in traveling. (Example: Royale with Cheese).

The book is divided into six themes, and every individual photo is gorgeous on it's own. The layout switches between panels of several similar (yet unique to their locale) items and large details and spreads. With no text except that in the photos, the pictures do all the talking.

The first section is "Cruising Altitude", which covers all things in air travel: the view out the window of a plane, handpainted airport maps, plane tickets, airport lounges, safety card illustrations, and, of course, airplane meals (yum!).

The next chapter is "A Room for the Night". Beds, alarm clocks, hotel art, room phones, showers, mini-fridges, maid service cards, toilet paper rolls, and individually packages hand soaps are all documented and presented brilliantly. The colors are bright and the forms are bold. These are the details of the places between the destinations, and they often say more of a culture than the international monuments themselves.

The next group of photos are about "Sustenance". From a spread of 18 different cups of coffee to buffet pictures, all the excitement and anxiety of foreign and travel food is here. All the images more than just documents of what the author ate on his travels, but really great photos on their own. The details of grilled squids and Mexican handpainted breakfast menu signs are fantastic. And the compilation of empty ramen bowls just makes me flat-out hungry.

"Getting Around" is a chapter of ground transportation. It covers subway station seats and signs, photo booths, hand painted buses, train tickets, maps, ticket machines, and blurred views out train windows. These are aesthetic details I often missed in the bustle of getting from point A to point B.

The fifth section of images is "People You Meet". These include much more than just the usual "exotic locals carrying baskets on their heads" and "withered old woman in the doorway" pictures (although there are a couple of those). The faces we see and people we meet when traveling are found on currency, in hand-painted movie posters, peeing in the street, mannequins, and the myriad of styles of little guy on road signs.

The final chapter is "Sightseeing", but once again, these aren't your typical postcard pictures and tourist photos. Instead we are treated to compilations of tour buses, people taking pictures, welcome signs, and air mail stamps. Amazing details of postcard racks and "this is NOT a topless beach" signs are here as well. Plus a great image of a local boxing advertisement.

Clearly, the destination is not the point. Wanderlust is a unique and beautiful, and I feel incredibly accurate, portrayal of traveling. Since being published in 2004 by Chronicle books, it has been expanded to wide edition of papergoods: blank journals, stationery, postcards, travel logs, and address books. Sometimes we have Wanderlust goods at Rowan Morrison, but they usually sell-out pretty quickly. The book (which is 208 pages and costs $14.95) is available at chroniclebooks.com.

Almost the entire contents of the book are available for preview at creator Troy Litten's website troyland.com, along with lots of other info and exclusive travel photo prints. I highly, highly recommend checking Wanderlust out. It changed they way I see the world when I travel, and gave me a great appreciation for the little difference that make make the world diverse and beautiful and can even make the least enjoyable aspects of travel special.