13 Travel Books That Will Give You Serious Series
The end of the year is just the time of favorite lists, and many times I have written about the best travel books! I love talking about travel books. Why? Because part of any traveler’s tool belt is a good book. Long trips by bus, train or plane can be quite boring and can give you a lot of “dead” time if you have not mastered the art of the 10-hour blank stare. In addition, reading travel books helps you know the destinations you are visiting. The more you know about a place, the more you can understand it.
I am a voracious reader and I have even started a reading club on this website to share all the books I read. Today is another one of those days when I share some of the books I have read recently! If you are looking for some excellent readings, here is my current list of the best travel books to inspire you to travel to distant lands:
The Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho
A book on how to follow your dreams, this is one of the most read books in recent history. The story follows a young pastor from Spain to Egypt while following his heart, following the flow and learning the love and meaning of life. The book is full of wonderful and inspiring quotes. My favorite: “If you can always concentrate on the present, you will be a happy man … Life will be a party for you, a great festival, because life is the moment we are living now.” This book several times and always encourages me and inspires me to keep looking for my dreams. I cannot recommend this book enough. Will move you.
Love With A Chance Of Drowning, by Torre DeRoche
This book is written by the travel blogger Torre DeRoche, and, although I don’t usually like “girl travel love stories,” I couldn’t stop writing this one. It is a beautifully written book on how to overcome your fear of the ocean to navigate across the Pacific with your boyfriend. The way he describes the landscape, the people and his experience makes me want to follow in his footsteps. It is powerful, vivid and touching. It is the best travel book I have read all year.
The Caliph’s House: A Year in Casablanca by Tahir Shah
Inspired by the Moroccan vacations of his childhood, Shah decides to buy a house in Casablanca. He moves out of England with his family in hopes of getting out of the monotony of life in London and exposing his children to a more carefree childhood. I chose this at random in a bookstore and I couldn’t leave it. Shah is a fascinating writer and was glued to every word. In dealing with corruption, the local bureaucracy, thieves, gangsters, the geniuses that wreak havoc and the annoyance that seems to come even with the simplest interactions, Shah weaves a story that is simply one of the best I’ve read in everything year. It is beautifully written and infinitely fascinating. You must go buy this book!
On the Road, by Jack Kerouac
Written in 1957, the classic Beat Generation by Jack Kerouac is a timeless travel novel. The story follows his character, Sal, when he leaves New York City and heads west, riding on the rails, making friends and partying all night. The frustration and desire of the main character to see the world are themes that can resonate in many of us. What I like most about this story is that through all your travel adventures, you become a better, stronger and safer person. I can relate personally to that.
Unlikely Destinations: The LP Story, by Tony & Maureen Wheeler
Written by the founders of Lonely Planet, this volume tells the beginning and emergence of the company whose guide is probably in your backpack or on your bookshelf at this time. History follows them from England in the 1970s until the beginning of the 21st century. In between, you listen to all their travel stories and learn about their first commercial struggles. While the book is crawling in some parts, it is ultimately a fascinating read about the company that helped start the travel guide industry and forever changed the way we travel.
The Lost City of Z, by David Grann
This book seeks to discover what happened to another explorer from South America: Percy Fawcett, who walked through the Amazon jungle in search of the legendary lost city of Z. Mixing history, biography and travel diary, Grann mixes information on life and expeditions of Percy with The science behind the myth of Z and the possibility that there would have been vast advanced civilizations in the Amazon. The book reminded me of Turn Right in Machu Picchu: the modern writer follows the legendary explorer through the jungle. I learned a lot about the region and the history of the cultures that inhabited the earth long before Westerners came stomping on killing people.
The Beach, by Alex Garland
Besides The Alchemist, this is probably my favorite travel book. (I also like the movie, but the book is much better). What I love about Alex Garland’s story about backpackers and his quest for paradise is that you can identify with Richard and his quest to “do something different and get out of the ordinary.” “But in the end seeing that as an illusion. It’s also a good story about how the backpackers’ search for the ideal can end up ruining it. I love this book a lot. I’ve read it twice. Now that I’m writing about this again, I think I could read it again soon.
Vagabonding, by Rolf Potts
Written by the godfather of wandering, Rolf Potts, this book is a must read for those new to long-term trips. Rolf spent 10 years on the road (he even crossed Israel), and his book contains valuable information, interesting quotes and lots of practical information. From saving to planning and living on the road, this is essential for newbies. It is an inspiring book and one that really affected me when I was planning my trip. It delves into the why and the philosophy of long-term travel that no other book has been close to doing. His book was relaunched and I interviewed him about it.
In A Sunburned Country, by Bill Bryson
It’s hard to choose just one Bill Bryson book that is good, because they all are. It is one of the most prolific and recognized names in travel writing. This book chronicles a trip through Australia and takes it from east to west, through small mining towns, forgotten coastal cities and unusual forests. Bryson includes many curiosities in his story while traveling in amazement, and sometimes in fear (thanks to jellyfish, tides, crocodiles, spiders and snakes), from this huge country. This is the book that inspired me to go to Australia.
The Geography of Bliss, by Eric Weiner
NPR writer and correspondent Eric Weiner undertook a one-year trip to find the happiest places in the world. He goes to places like Iceland, Qatar, Denmark, India and Moldova (the most unhappy place in the world) in his search, and although he never finds the secret of happiness, his trip makes him an incredible and joyful read. In trying to answer the question “what makes a society happy?”, Weiner has some interesting interactions with the locals and cultural experiences.
Turn Right at Machu Picchu, by Mark Adams
This book tells the story of Adams of going through Peru in search of Inca ruins and ancient cities while following the original route of the archaeologist Hiram Bingham. The book taught me a lot about Peru, and I am inspired to visit many of the sites that Adams explored on my trip there next year. Like him, I plan to turn right. It was the best travel notebook I read in the last year and has inspired me to visit many of the places he made in the book.
A Year of Living Danishly, by Helen Russell
This was probably my favorite book of the year. When her husband gets a job at the Lego offices in Jutland, Helen Russell decides to go to Denmark with him, write on her own and try to find out why the Danes are so happy. From childcare, education, food and interior design to taxes, sexism and everything else (it turns out that Danes love to burn witches), Helen’s funny and moving story captivated me from beginning to end. It is informative, hilarious, self-critical, and tells a great story of someone trying to fit. As someone who loves Denmark, has many Danish friends and believes that Copenhagen is one of the best cities in the world, I couldn’t put this down. If you read only one book from this list, do it!