A VOYAGE LONG AND STRANGE

Rediscovering the New World

By Tony Horwitz

Henry Holt. 445 pp. $27.50

Travel journalism is a lot like traveling salesmanship -- lots of windshield time, bad food and people who really don't want to talk to you. Tony Horwitz gamely forges on, without a limo or tour guide waiting at the airport. He rents his own cars and drives himself to the nearest saloon or hardware store in search of a loquacious local, who then becomes the reader's tour guide as well. For Horwitz, this serendipitous working style means subjecting himself to the vicissitudes of Third World car rental and roadside diner food, the boredom of the American highway and the torments of thin-walled motels. For readers, it unearths some gems. Continue Reading on The Washington Post