8 Amazing Travel Books to Inspire Wanderlust

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I’ve always loved reading, ever since I was a little kid. Escaping into a world different from my own was very appealing. And what better way to escape to another world than with some travel books.

I still like to read, although I sometimes find I need to remind myself to do it more often. A long plane ride or train trip, waiting at an airport, or spending a sunny day in the park – all contribute to me reading more when I travel. When I am at home it’s often too easy to get home from a long day of work and turn on the TV. But I’ve been making more of an effort recently to pick up a book instead. If it’s nice weather I’ll happily take my book to the park for an hour. Or sit on my balcony and retreat into a literary universe. If it’s cold and rainy outside I’ll light a couple of candles and curl up on the couch with a book and a blanket.

I’m more of a fiction fan. I like a true story, but not really too interested in a book recounting historical events like a school textbook. I need to have a main character I can follow through the story, or read their accounts of what they did. In keeping with my travel blog though, I wanted to recommend a few travel books I enjoyed. Some are fiction, some are true stories, but all of them have a journey as the basis of the book. And all have inspired me in some way.

The Alchemist

The main point of this book is not travel, but rather about destiny. However, in search of his “Personal Legend”, the main character takes on a big journey. Santiago, the main character is a shepherd on his own personal quest, travelling to Africa in search of treasure.

This is not a long book, but it is one that definitely made me think. I read it for the first time last year after a work book swap where we had to recommend a “transformative” book. The person that I received this from explained what this book meant to them and I can see why. Everyone has something that they want to accomplish in life. And this is a beautifully written book that will let you reflect on that as you read. Ultimately the recurring themes of destiny and fate pepper the story as the main character finds out more about himself than he originally set out to.

A Walk In the Woods

Of all the travel books writers out there, I think Bill Bryson might be my favorite. The man has a way at telling a story, keeping you engaged, but adding some humour in there too. Travel often has these funny things that happen to you – most that aren’t funny at the time – and it’s nice for someone to tell it like it is. I can’t count the number of times I’ve been almost crying trying to suppress my laughter while reading one of his books while on a plane, or some other public place. I recently shared one of my favourite quotes by Bill Bryson on my post about the Sunshine Blogger Award:

But the first of his books I read was this one, about his adventures on the Appalachian trail. The trail stretches 2200 miles from Georgia to Maine in the Eastern United States. This book recounts Bill and his friend Katz’s attempt at completing the trail. Clearly unseasoned hikers, they were hilariously ill prepared for the task at hand. Over-packing for the trip, they miscalculated the true magnitude of the trail ahead of them. What comes across in the book is a familiar feeling of wanting to do something fulfilling but perhaps overestimating your abilities. Yet, even though things problems come up along the way they manage to learn something in the process. The main thing would probably be to make sure you know your friend well enough to want to travel with them.

Watership Down

You may argue this shouldn’t be classed with the other travel books, but this fictional story is a big travel adventure through and through. I always loved rabbits since I was a kid. When I moved in with my friend in Vancouver she wanted a cat, and I wanted a rabbit. I kept asking if we could get a rabbit and she always said no. Then I moved in with my boyfriend Jeff, and every week I would ask if I could get a rabbit. He also always said no – seriously, bunny haters much?! I asked, he said no, I asked, he said no. We now have two rabbits. Dogged persistence wins out!

So it’s no surprise that one of my favourite books is about rabbits. My dad used to read it to me, and we watched the (terrifyingly nightmare-inducing) cartoon movie together when I was younger. This should have scarred me for life (watch it if you don’t believe me) but instead my love of bunnies grew. What does this book have to do with travelling you ask? Well the story is about a group of rabbits who end up having to leave their home. One of them has a vision of the destruction of their world and they leave just as men tear up their home for a redevelopment. Leaving in search of a new home, the book follows their journey. They meet new friends along the way, new enemies, and more importantly Hazel, the main character, learns what it’s like to be a leader.

Letters From the Promised Land

I recently visited Ellis Island in New York. As an immigrant to Canada, the first question people always ask me is “why did you move to Canada?”. As much as I’m used to that question now, it still always makes me think. So I generally get curious as to the reason for immigration of others. Not all of it is just because they liked the place they visited and decided to move there. For a lot it’s a story of hardship, or a necessity to leave country of birth. Ellis Island was a place that many immigrants came through in the 1800s and 1900s. For most, they bravely moved halfway across the world based on stories from other people. They had no idea if it would be worth it, but they felt like they needed to take a chance for a better life.

I spent a lot of time at the museum on Ellis Island reading the stories of the immigrants who passed through there. Some were successfully admitted to the United States, and others were sent back home. Looking at the old photos, reading comments from those at the immigration inspection site, it all reinforced the bravery of those people. I bought a book in the gift shop of the history of Ellis Island. It was a little dry and only touched on a couple of specific cases. But this book of letters from Swedish immigrants back home to the people they left behind…this was the real deal. 

Wild

Of all the travel books this might be my favorite. The true autobiographical tale of Cheryl Strayed and her quest to complete the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). The PCT runs from Mexico all the way up to Canada along the west coast. The book is real, and honest, and not just about being healthy and hiking. There are real reasons, difficult reasons, that Cheryl decided she wanted to take on this outrageously challenging hike. Addiction, a divorce and the death of her mother were all contributors to helping her rediscover herself. It’s an empowering book, and even though this woman had no real hiking experience she packed up her bags and made a plan.

The main thing I liked about the book is the whole idea that you can do anything you put your mind to. Give yourself a challenge and you can accomplish the unimaginable. Everyone should travel on their own at least once in their life. I’m not saying quit your job and go out on a 1000 mile multi-month trip into the back country, but you know, take a weekend off for some me-time. I’m really not a hiker, but reading this book left me inspired. Maybe one day I’ll set off walking and just carry on going.

Read more about my first travel blogger conference where I got to listen to and meet Cheryl Strayed.

The Lady and the Panda

I’ve always been a little bit upset that there’s no real need for adventurers anymore. People used to go on expeditions to find out more about a new country, or continent. Or in search of a never before seen animal. That would have been so cool. Can you imagine searching for an animal only few have ever seen before? The other thing I don’t get is that whenever anyone found a new species their first instinct was to shoot it and bring back a dead animal as a trophy, or a hide to display as a rug. If you’re going in search of it, and really must bring one back, at least bring it back alive.

That’s what this book is about. The true story of an explorer who went in search of bringing back the first Giant Panda to the Western world.  Ruth Harkness continued the mission of her deceased husband to bring back a Giant Panda from China. I mean, who doesn’t love pandas? They’re cute! Plus a female explorer in the 1930’s. Girl power! What I was especially enthralled by was that even once she’d decided she was doing this expedition, everyone thought she was crazy. Not in the sense that it was ridiculous for anyone to think they could do this, but that she was a woman doing this. Even her family and friends seemed to not believe in her. But she did it anyway, and that’s the awesome thing about this book.

The Long Way Round

I’ll be honest, if Ewan McGregor didn’t have anything to do with this, I’m not sure I would have paid attention to two grown men traveling the world on a motorbike. But he did, and my interest was piqued. There was a 7 part show on their trip, but also this book which was a great way to follow their adventures. The nearly 20,000 mile journey from London to New York through 12 countries took them 3 months. They started off through Europe, then on to Russia, Mongolia, Canada and the United States.

I’m not one for motorbikes, but the countries they went through interested me and hearing about their experiences. There was also just the sense of personal achievement they were both going for. Really a fun read, they had a number of incidents along the way, some funny stories and encounters, and a lot of reflection. There’s a second book, “The Long Way Down” which was from Scotland to South Africa, also worth a read. 

A Moveable Feast

I’d never read any Hemingway before, but I was curious. I went to the magical world of Powell’s Books in Portland (if you’ve never been you must go, it’s heaven for a book reader). They have a section of cheaper books and I thought for $7 I can probably afford to see if I liked Hemingway. This particular book spoke to me because of my love of Paris. I love sitting in a cafe reading and watching the world go by.

This was basically an account of Hemingway as a struggling writer living the ex-pat life in Paris with his wife. The descriptions of the places he went to on a daily basis, what he saw and what Paris was like at that time drew me in. He talks about their vacations and other places they go, and the people he met. Some of them even helped him become a better writer and get his name out there. If you love Paris and the 20s this is probably a great read for you.

Can you ever read too many travel books?

There are so many travel books that I could recommend, but these are some that had an impact on me. I love reading when I travel as I’m taking a train journey through the countryside somewhere, or trying to forget the person kicking the back of my seat on a plane. Finding a park, or a quiet cafe to read when on vacation is the best way to relax during a day of sightseeing.

If you’ve enjoyed this blog post, leave a comment or give it a share at the social media links below. What are some travel books that inspire you? I’m always looking for my next book to read.