Ben Groundwater points out in his Sydney Morning Herald post "Travel Reads for the Road" that a good book is a wonderful companion to have while traveling. Not only can reading help fill up down time in a satisfactory way, a good book can enhance travel experiences.

In his post Groundwater lists ten perfect for travel books that range from serious to humorous and fiction to non-fiction. These are the best books he's read this year. The neat thing about his list is that he pairs several books with locations where their settings will seem most poignant.

For example, if traveling in Africa, read Swahili for the Brokenhearted by Peter Moore and Blood River by Tim Butcher.

His pick for Thailand travel is The Beach by Alex Garland-- and for Russia, particularly St. Petersburg, Groundwater suggests A City of Thieves by David Benioff.

If France strikes your interest, check out A Year in the Merde by Stephen Clarke and Almost French by Sarah Turnbull.

For travel in general, Groundwater recommends Holidays in Hell by P.J. O'Rourke, Rule No. 5: No Sex on the Bus by Brian Thacker, A Cook's Tour by Anthony Bourdain and On the Road by Jack Kerouac.

The last travel related book I read was Step Back From the Baggage Claim. A review is coming your way soon. In the meantime, each of Groundwater's suggestions are appealing. I'm particularly interested in picking up Rule No 5: No Sex on the Bus and Swahili for the Brokenhearted. The titles alone are intriguing. Thacker's book is not new, but it sounds hilarious and Moore's book has a similar theme to Franz Wisner's book Honeymoon with my Brother where travel and self discovery go hand in hand.

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