The Geography of Bliss

The Geography of Bliss tells former NPR correspondent Eric Weiner's tale searching for the happiest places in the world. In his year-long project, his visits include Iceland (one of the happiest places in the world), India (a world of contradictions with relatively high levels of happiness), the Netherlands (where he finds tolerance and the Center for Happiness Studies), Bhutan (a small Himalayan nation striving towards Gross National Happiness) and Moldova (one of the world's unhappiest places). In each place, he strives to understand the factors and cultural aspects leading to the country's high level (or low level in Moldova's case) of happiness.

Witty and enlightening, The Geography of Bliss is one of my favorite examples of travel writing. While Weiner doesn't profile any Spanish-speaking countries, he does discuss the relatively high levels of happiness in Latin American countries despite their relatively low incomes.