A journey does not always begin at an airport. Sometimes it begins with a book, a setting, or a voice that makes an unfamiliar place feel worth investigating. Condé Nast Traveler’s report on this year’s Booker Prize shortlist offers that kind of itinerary: a literary route across the globe, where the destination is encountered through fiction rather than a map or a timetable.

The report describes the shortlisted works as being “set anywhere and everywhere,” quoting prize committee chair Mary Beard. That description makes the list interesting beyond the literary world. It suggests a collection of books that can move readers between different environments and perspectives, creating a broad sense of place without requiring a single, conventional travel plan. Condé Nast Traveler frames the shortlist as a way for readers to go all over the globe, making it particularly appealing to people who enjoy discovering destinations through culture and storytelling.

This is not a guide to one city, region or landmark. It is better understood as a flexible reading journey. Rather than following a fixed route, a reader can choose a book according to the kind of experience they want: a change of setting, an encounter with an unfamiliar perspective, or a chance to think about how writers turn place into part of a story. Since Condé Nast Traveler identifies the shortlist as geographically wide-ranging, the appeal lies in the movement between books as much as in any individual destination.

The concept suits several kinds of traveller. Armchair explorers may appreciate the opportunity to begin with literature before deciding whether a real-world visit is worthwhile. Slow travellers may enjoy spending time with a place through narrative rather than trying to cover several locations in one trip. Readers who already have a destination in mind could also use the shortlist as a prompt to look for a novel connected with a region or cultural context they want to understand more deeply. These are uses of the list rather than claims about the books themselves; Condé Nast Traveler’s reporting establishes the shortlist’s broad global reach, while the reader determines how to turn it into a personal route.

It may also suit travellers who prefer an open-ended itinerary. A conventional trip often begins with a destination and works outward toward transport, accommodation and activities. A reading-led journey reverses that order. A setting or atmosphere encountered in a shortlisted novel can become the starting point for further research. The important distinction is that a book can inspire curiosity without serving as a complete travel guide. Condé Nast Traveler reports on the geographical range of the shortlist, but the source does not provide practical destination information such as transport arrangements, entry requirements, opening hours, costs or local conditions.

Readers should therefore treat the shortlist as an invitation to investigate, not as a booking document. Before arranging a trip inspired by one of the books, research the actual destination through current official tourism, transport and accommodation sources. Check whether the places described are real locations, fictional settings, or combinations of both. Confirm the season, accessibility, required documents and current travel conditions independently. None of those details is supplied in Condé Nast Traveler’s report, so they should not be inferred from a literary setting.

It is equally useful to ask what kind of journey the reading experience is meant to support. Is the aim to visit a specific place, understand a historical or cultural context, or simply enjoy the sensation of moving between far-flung settings? The answer affects what research comes next. A reader looking for a future holiday may want maps, transport information and official visitor guidance. Someone seeking cultural discovery may prefer to follow the reading with museums, translated literature, local history or conversations with people from the place concerned. Because the source presents the shortlist as globally dispersed, it can support either approach without prescribing one.

The list may be especially valuable for travellers who feel that tourism should involve more than collecting sights. Fiction can encourage attention to voice, memory and the way a location is experienced by different people. That does not make a novel a substitute for local knowledge, nor does it guarantee an accurate representation of every destination. It does, however, offer a reason to approach travel with questions rather than assumptions. Condé Nast Traveler’s account supplies the starting point: this year’s shortlisted books take readers across a wide geographical canvas.

For a simple project, choose one shortlisted title and make a research file alongside it. Note every place mentioned, then separate fictional details from information that can be independently checked. Look for the publisher, author or bookseller’s description of the work, and consult reliable destination sources before treating any setting as a possible itinerary. If the book sparks interest in a country or city, investigate current practical guidance rather than relying on the atmosphere created by the story.

The strongest reason to explore the shortlist is its promise of variety. Condé Nast Traveler reports that the selections are set “anywhere and everywhere,” a phrase that turns the shortlist into a broad invitation to travel imaginatively. It is suitable for readers who want their next destination to begin with a question, a narrative or a change of perspective. Whether that journey ends with a plane ticket or remains entirely within the pages, the list offers a way to make reading feel expansive while leaving the final route to the traveller.