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Looking for your next bedside or plane read? From memoirs to novels, add these titles to your reading list!
Best Travel Books
Written By: Laura Pulling
Table Of Contents
Inspirational Travel Books Must-Reads
Best Books for Travelers In Search of their Next Destination
1000 Places to See Before You Die
1000 Places to See Before You Die
If you are looking for something to pick up and flick through, 1000 Places to See Before you Die is touted as the “best travel book for inspiration” by TFG readers. Each country is listed by places of interest, plus it includes top picks such as events, restaurants, and hotels for your stay.
A great choice for if you are going to someplace new and want some insider details, or to help you find less obvious hidden gems to explore in the future.
You’ll want to look your best when you travel! Read my travel tips to Pack Light Stylishly!
The Bucket List by Kath Stathers
The Bucket List: 1000 Adventures Big and Small
Arranged from north of the earth, to the south, The Bucket List contains magical travel ideas to plan your next vacations. As one of the best books on travel, it contains tons of ideas, from things you would never dream of doing, to things you never even knew you could. Top tips are interspersed with beautiful images in this coffee table book of wanderlust dreams.
Another travel picture book by the same publisher is, The Bucket List: Places to Find Peace and Quiet which is full of serene and calming destinations to visit.
The Travel Book by Lonely Planet
The Travel Book: Journey Through Every Country in the World
Stunning photographs accompany travel tips and facts as you explore each country on earth, from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe. The Travel Book, by Lonely Planet, is a coffee table masterpiece that certainly won’t be going with you on any travels (as it weighs a whopping 8 lbs) but will certainly make you want to get out that passport and book your next flights.
Journeys of a Lifetime by National Geographic
Journeys of a Lifetime: 500 of the World’s Greatest Trips
Journeys of a Lifetime is an inspirational travel guide that reveals 500 loved and lesser-known destinations around the globe. From ocean cruises in Antarctica to horse treks in the Andes, this National Geographic journey book contains beautiful photographs, which capture the beauty of the world.
Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel
Vagabonding is the travelers book that is not for vacationers. It compiles the experience of years of traveling and creates this wanderlust book of quirky anecdotes, practical tips and things to know for anyone who has an adventurous spirit and is looking to escape and explore the world for a while.
World Heritage Sites by UNESCO
World Heritage Sites: A Complete Guide to 1073 UNESCO World Heritage Sites
World Heritage Sites is a world travel book that contains everything you want to know about heritage sites. Each time you flick through the pages, you are guaranteed to find out something new about this fascinating world we live in and add another location to your ever-growing travel list.
Although readers do comment that they find the organization difficult to navigate, as the book lists each site in the date it was added, making it a little challenging to plan a trip to a particular country or region.
Best Travel Memoirs
Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
Eat Pray Love: One Woman’s Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia
A number one bestseller, and raved about by TFG readers, Eat Pray Love is a travelogue of soul-searching and self-discovery. This intelligently witty recount of a year’s travels, from a woman who has fallen out of love with her husband and is looking to find herself, will make the perfect book of travels to slip into your carry-on for your next read on the airplane or on a beach!
The best travel shoes for Italy to avoid looking like a tourist!
Ten Years a Nomad by Matthew Kepnes
Ten Years a Nomad: a Traveler’s Journey Home
Ten Years a Nomad is vagabond book that’s part memoir and part philosophical look at why people travel. Filled with stories of the author’s many adventures abroad, the theme explores the meaning of wanderlust and how travel can make you, and the world, a better place.
Under the Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes
Under the Tuscan Sun
The beautifully written memoir, Under the Tuscan Sun, will have you feeling the heat of the beating sun, smelling the rain in the air and salivating at the tastes of local cuisine. This bestseller is another of the popular wanderlust books among TFG readers and for anyone captivated with the magic of Italy.
Notes From a Small Island by Bill Bryson
Notes From a Small Island
This top travel book is a delightful look at the UK, from Downing Street to Loch Ness. Written by an American who relocated to Britain, Notes From a Small Island gives a wonderful tour that any Anglophile will enjoy.
Indeed, TFG readers love this book (and author)! They say, “If you want to laugh out loud, Bill Bryson’s books are wonderful.” And another quips, “Really anything by Bryson is usually travel related. Always humorous—love his books!”
Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail
This is the memoir of a woman who’s life had been destroyed. She then takes a reckless journey across the Pacific Crest Trail. Against the odds, and with no experience, she does it alone.
Wild is a number one bestseller and was also chosen for Oprah’s Book Club. Readers love the raw, visceral writing and honesty on what it means to go solo.
Here’s the clothing list for the Pacific Northwest Trail!
How Not To Travel The World by Lauren Juliff
How Not To Travel The World: Adventures of a Disaster-Prone Backpacker
This relatable and enjoyable read, How Not To Travel The World, shares how the author becomes a backpacker and all of the trials and tribulations along the way. Reviewers that love books about travel and adventure comment on how connected they become to the character and actually feel as though they are on the journey with her.
Travels with Myself and Another by Martha Gelhorn
Travels with Myself and Another: A Memoir
Travels with Myself and Another recounts the personal travel journeys of Martha Gelhorn, known, as the wife of Ernest Hemingway.
The book focuses mainly on four ‘horror’ trips (as she calls them). First China, in the early war years; then the pre-development Caribbean. A late 60s trans-Africa trip. Lastly, a week in Moscow.
One TFG reader says of this historical memoir, “Should make you feel grateful your travels have been much more pleasant.” Despite the less than smooth account, this is still one of the best travel adventure books for anyone wanting to cut their teeth.
Best Fiction Books About Travel
The Alchemist
Recommended by both TFG readers and TFG Editor-in-Chief, Alex, The Alchemist is a dazzling travel fiction story of a shepherd boy from Andalucia who adventures to the pyramids of Egypt in search of treasures. This easy to read book is perfect for beside the pool on your next vacation, or feel inspired while home.
Read these 15 expat tips to help you plan your Egypt packing list!
Death at Venice Novel Series
TFG readers put us on to this series. Death at Venice is just book one in a thrilling novel saga, based in Italy.
One TFG reader shares, “Love Donna Leon’s series set in Venice starring Guido Brunetti, uno commissario di policia. Just the descriptions of the foods and the eating traditions makes these books worth reading, as do the descriptions of various locations, including an aqua alta event!”
The Corfu Trilogy by Gerald Durrell
The Corfu Trilogy
The Corfu Trilogy gives you three books in one. A set of three shorter stories about the Durrell family as they settle on Corfu during the years preceding WWII, these stories have captivated readers and even inspired a TV series.
One TFG reader shares, “My favourite! I was going to Corfu for my birthday in June having read this book regularly since childhood.” And TFG’s own Rebecca also loves it, “Great for setting the scene for Corfu and it is also really funny.”
Auntie Poldi and the Sicilian Lions by Mario Giordano
Auntie Poldi and the Sicilian Lions
As one TFG reviewer puts it, “This book is a hoot!!!” Auntie Poldi and the Sicilian Lions is a witty mystery set in the tranquil landscape of Sicily (along with the delicious foods and culture).
Another TFG reader explains, “Someone was asking about travel related media-books, films and TV series. I recently finished this book set in Sicily. It was a wonderful backdrop for this cozy mystery.”
More Traveling Books: Honorable Mentions
Revolutionary Ride by Lois Pryce
Revolutionary Ride: On the Search of Real Iran
Busting prejudices and finding the true side of Iran is at the heart, Revolutionary Ride is an adventurous tale of one woman, a motorcycle and the people she meets along the way. One reader recommends this book, saying, “I love reading travel memoirs (especially by women) and this is one of my top picks.”
Round Ireland with a Fridge by Tony Hawks
Round Ireland with a Fridge
The title, Round Ireland with a Fridge, gives you the overall gist of this funny and witty memoir of a man who tries to win a drunken bet. Whilst sharing the delights of Ireland, this is one that will make you want to visit the emerald isle yourself.
A TFG reader shares, “Brought this based on the reviews and I wasn’t disappointed.”
Tales of a Female Nomad by Rita Golden Gelman
Tales of a Female Nomad: Living at Large in the World
Tales of a Female Nomad is a memoir of a forty-eight year old woman, who on the verge of a divorce, left an elegant life in L.A. to follow her dreams of traveling the world. One TFG reader shares her review, “One of my all time favorite books. Highly recommend Tales of a Female Nomad.”
A Little More About Me by Pam Houston
A Little More About Me
Called “a great wanderlust guide,” by TFG readers, A Little More About Me is a celebration of real-life adventures by renowned author Pam Houston. This memoir shares how she follows her heart to experiences that most people can only dream about.
Four Seasons in Rome by Anthony Doerr
Four Seasons in Rome: On Twins, Insomnia, and the Biggest Funeral in the History of the World
TFG readers “love” this book. Four Seasons in Rome is a heartfelt story of an author recounting his move to Italy with his wife and new twin boys is beautifully captured, alongside the sights, smells, and seasons of the city.
A TFG reader shares, “Beautiful writing and such a great visceral portrait of Rome beyond the tourist view.”
We’ve got the do’s and don’ts of what to add to your Rome packing list when visiting this fabulous city!
Top Travel Books Comparison Chart
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