In this research project, the concept ‘sheltering and heating programs’ of philosopher Peter Sloterdijk will be applied to the study of contemporary German language literary travel texts. Programs of sheltering and heating refer to the programmed tendency of human beings to construct protective spaces in which one can experience feelings of interpersonal security and warmth. Due to modern tendencies of globalization and secularization, new ways of constructing sheltering and warming spaces have been and still are being developed, particularly in recent years. Although programs of sheltering and heating are essential elements of literary travel texts, they have to a large extent been neglected in the study of travel literature. Therefore, it is the goal of this project to analyze different forms of ‘sheltering and heating programs’ and to explore how the programs are construed and what their function is in the selected contemporary German language travel novels and stories.