By the Travel & Create team
At the School of Travel Journalism you learn from working professionals — and many of them are also published authors. From award-winning reporters to food writers and photojournalists, our teachers have written some of the travel-journalism, food and photography books worth having on your shelf. Here is a reading list of their work, and where to buy each title.
Travel journalism & narrative
David Farley
A travel and food writer for The New York Times, National Geographic Traveler and AFAR, and a writing teacher at NYU.
- An Irreverent Curiosity — the Lowell Thomas Award-winning travelogue about a missing relic in an odd little Italian hill town. Buy on Amazon
Aaron Millar
Two-time British Guild of Travel Writers “Travel Writer of the Year”, and a regular for The Times, The Guardian and National Geographic Traveller.

- The 50 Greatest Wonders of the World — the world’s greatest wonders and the insider secrets to seeing them. Buy on Amazon
- The 50 Greatest National Parks of the World — a bucket list of wild places, with tips on how to discover them. Buy on Amazon
Margot Bigg
A Lowell Thomas Award-winning travel writer and guidebook author specialising in India and experiential travel.
- Moon Taj Mahal, Delhi & Jaipur — the definitive guide to India’s Golden Triangle. Buy on Amazon
- Moon Living Abroad in India — the practical, in-depth guide to making India home. Buy on Amazon
Rosie Bell
An award-winning travel writer and editor for Condé Nast Traveler, BBC and National Geographic Traveller.
- Escape to Self — a book about travel, freedom and finding yourself on the road. Buy on Amazon
Ismael Nafría
A journalist and digital-media expert; essential reading for anyone thinking about the future of the profession.
- The Reinvention of The New York Times — how the “gray lady” adapted (successfully) to the digital and mobile era. Buy on Amazon
Food & gastronomy
Alexandra Shytsman
A food writer, recipe developer and food photographer, and the creator of The New Baguette.
- Friendsgiving: Celebrating with Family and Friends — a warm, modern take on the shared table. Buy on Amazon
- The Complete Vegan Cookbook (co-author) — plant-based cooking for the veg-curious. Buy on Amazon
Travel & documentary photography
Alfons Rodríguez
An award-winning documentary photographer with more than 25 years of reportage for National Geographic, The New York Times, El País and Geo.
- Between Gazes — a career-spanning book of documentary photography. Buy on Amazon
- El Tercer Jinete: Un mundo hambriento — a photographic essay on global hunger. Buy on Amazon
All of them share their craft in the classrooms of the Master’s Degree in Travel Journalism and the Master in Gastronomic Journalism and Communication. If this reading list makes you want to write (or shoot) your own stories, that’s exactly where to begin.
Read more on Travel & Create: I Threw a Dart at a Map… and Ended up in Kyrgyzstan · Walls that Speak: A Journey Through Rome’s Street Art.
This article contains affiliate links: if you buy through them, you support the School of Travel Journalism at no extra cost to you.
Want to turn your journeys into stories? Explore the Master’s Degree in Travel Journalism and the Master in Gastronomic Journalism and Communication at the School of Travel Journalism.