On a trip abroad? You know you need to brag about it. So you hunt the kiosks for a sweet postcard to send folks back home. As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words, and you want that picture to get it right: "Feast your eyes on THIS, suckers!"
But what if things aren't all fine and dandy? Not all of these featured artists and writers were in ecstasy 24/7 on their travels. Sarah Glidden, of "How to Understand Israel in 60 Days or Less," struggled to square her political beliefs with her heritage while on her Birthright trip. Lucy Knisley, of "French Milk," started the first leg of her journey with a flight home to Albany, where she discovered that her pet cat had died mere hours earlier. Not a great omen? At least we can be sure Shel Silverstein had fun on his travels cartooning for Playboy.
The summer may be over, but it isn't too late to take one more journey. Flip through our slideshow—you'll be surprised where these artists traveled! Oh, the places you'll go!
"Delisle's Pyongyang (2005) documented two months spent overseeing cartoon production in North Korea's capital. Now he recounts a 1997 stint in the Chinese boomtown Shenzhen. . . . His wry drawings and clever storytelling convey his experiences far more effectively than one imagines a travel journal or film documentary would." —Booklist
"In the hands of an illustrator with such creative gifts, Oaxaca is a brilliant dreamscape whose bugs and vegetation are as visually appealing as its protest graffiti and wild dogs." —World Literature in Review
"Although Neufeld offers some illustrated 'travel tips'—on such nitty-gritty topics as 'Bathing in the Tropics' and 'Gynecology on the Go' (a Wilson piece)—the book is far more valuable as a memoir than for its tourist information. Unencumbered by group-travel agendas and timetables, the couple had genuine adventures." —Booklist
The author spent three months traveling and researching "Habibi." Publishers Weekly praised this graphic travelogue: "Every person he meets is captured with a keen eye and a lively brush, and entries such as one recounting his fascination with Gaudí's architecture in Barcelona, or a day spent with fellow cartoonist Blutch discussing artistic muses, are both thought provoking and touching."
"Best known as a children's author but also a successful songwriter ('A Boy Named Sue') and playwright, Silverstein started out as a cartoonist. In the 1950s and 1960s, Playboy sent him around the world to draw a travel journal. . . . a welcome delight." —Booklist
"With introductory chapters on Afghanistan, 9/11, and the military campaign; a graphic center section; and a post-mortem, this essay/editorial/illustrated travelogue will challenge readers, provoke many thoughtful discussions, and kindle interest in a people and place." —School Library Journal
"The tongue-in-cheek title hints at both the subtle humor and the complex subject matter. Glidden's soft, watercolor palette and realistic art complement without overshadowing this thoughtful exploration of the role that cultural heritage plays in the search for personal identity." —School Library Journal
"[ . . . w]ill make readers with wanderlust wish to drop their everyday responsibilities and trek through a foreign city. It will appeal to the armchair traveler who yearns for a bit of the exotic, the wanderer who wants to someday visit the Land of the Rising Sun, and, indeed, anyone who appreciates the marriage of grit and beauty, self-deprecating wit, and losing oneself in good pictures for a while." —ForeWord
"A word-of-mouth hit when it first came out in a self-published limited edition, French Milk will remind readers of their own early trips to Europe and of traveling in their 20s." —Publishers Weekly
