Where did passports come from? Why did 1930s stewardesses carry wrenches? How did teetotallers shape the modern vacation? Wanderlust answers these questions and more, as Laura Byrne Paquet delves into the social history of travel. Now a multi-billion-dollar industry, travel is also one of the world's oldest.

Paquet follows wisdom-seeking Greeks to the Oracle of Delphi, checks out the bedbugs in medieval coaching inns, and enjoys a Finnish sauna with a group of well-bred Victorian ladies. In her inimitable breezy style, she even explores the future of travel, from grand plans for commercial space travel to underwater hotels.