Paul Theroux on the "romantic voyeurism" of the traveler

"The traveler is the greediest kind of romantic voyeur, and in some well-hidden part of the traveler's personality is an unpickable knot of vanity, presumption and mythomania bordering on the pathological. This is why a traveler's worst nightmare is not the secret police or the witch doctors or malaria, but rather the prospect of meeting another traveler."
--Paul Theroux, Ghost Train to the Eastern Star (2008)



2 Responses to “Paul Theroux on the "romantic voyeurism" of the traveler”

  1. Sage Says:
    2014-06-23 08:30

    I have read all of Theroux's train travel books and have learned a lot, but I don't think he would be an enjoyable traveling partner.

  2. Roger Says:
    2014-06-24 11:39

    He prefers traveling alone, actually.