Books That Inspire Travel

Do you need a little inspiration for your next travel adventure or are you just looking for something to do to pass the time while you are getting to your destination? What you need is a great book! Most hardcore travelers know that a good book is essential to keep long plane rides or uneventful bus trips from becoming boring. Check out our list of some of the top books that will inspire travel. Fair warning though, they just might make you want to take a vacation!

Books That Inspire Travel

The Good Girl’s Guide To Getting Lost by Rachel Friedman

This book takes readers on a journey through Friedman’s backpacking expedition after college. Throughout her almost year long travels she visited three continents. The Good Girl’s Guide To Getting Lost will surely keep readers on their toes as they follow Friedman’s many adventures as she explores various countries and tries to keep up with the locals.  From beginning to end, the author’s self-discovery kept me reflecting on my own life path, fears, societal expectations and reasons why I crave travel.

What I Was Doing While You Were Breeding a Memoir by Kristin Newman

While most of her friends in their 20’s and 30’s were married and having a family, Kristin traveled the world for several weeks each year.  She takes solo and girls trips to places far and wide, including Jerusalem, Argentina, France, Russia, New Zealand and Iceland. She does an excellent job of giving the reader just enough detail about the places to set the scene, but sprinkles in information about some of the people she met along the way to keep the story moving.  It’s a compelling debut that we feel will have you ready to renew your passports and start traveling.

Life Is A Trip by Judith Fein

This book is quite interesting as it give travelers another perspective on how to travel. Fein reveals how she travelers more like a journalist than a sightseer. She takes readers on a journey as she dives into a new culture by using cues and clues to discover their way of life and unique country.  Judith’s stories from her travels are both touching and hilarious.

The Beach by Alex Garland

In this book, Garland shows readers how they can find paradise by going off the beaten path. The Beach keeps readers guessing as just when they think they know what’s going to happen next, it ends up being something completely different. Just like Eat, Pray, Love, this book was made into a movie, but I find the book to be so much better as all the little details haven’t been cut out of it.

The Art Of Travel by Alain de Botton

This book talks about some of the disappointments of traveling as well as some of the mundane things that take place. De Botton discusses things like airports, hotel mini-bars and landscapes. The information is presented in an intriguing way that causes travelers to think about what the point of their travels really is and gets them to question how they could get past the little things and enjoy traveling more.

Wild by Cheryl Strayed

This memoir details Strayed’s 1,100 mile hike in 1995 that took her along the Pacific Crest Trail. Readers can delve into her detailed journey in California, Oregon and finally Washington. In this book she also talks about some of her life events that led her to start this adventure. This story is filled with perseverance and self-discovery.

A Year In The World: Journeys of a Passionate Traveller by Frances Mayes

Mayes is known not only for her book A Year in the World, but Under the Tuscan Sun as well. In this book she departs from Tuscany and visits the British Isles, France, North Africa, Portugal, Spain and Turkey. Her journey is filled with many ups and downs and twists and turns.  Slow start, but as I continued to read, I got used to her writing style and ended up really enjoying the rest of the book.

Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

This is probably the most well-known book on the list since it was made into a movie that stared Julia Roberts. Eat, Pray, Love takes readers on a journey to Italy, India and Bali as Gilbert leaves everything behind in order to figure out what she wants out of life. Gilbert immerses herself in all three cultures by doing some unconventional things in order to bring about peace and balance.

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