You are nestled comfortably in your armchair, perhaps with a cup of tea in hand, yet a strange disquiet stirs within you. The pages of a book you hold, seemingly harmless, begin to whisper tales of distant lands and foreign shores. Wanderlust settles in as a yearning for exploration ignited by the potent magic of travel literature. Some travel inspiration books are portals to vibrant marketplaces, breathtaking landscapes, and captivating cultures. They are, in essence, irresistible invitations to pack your bags, and perhaps a good book, and prepare for your next adventure.
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The Best Books to Leave you Inspired
Travel Books:
These books provide destination and activity inspiration in the form of beautiful images and words. Some also provide how-to information.
- 1,000 Places to See Before You Die by Patricia Schultz
- The Bucket List: 1000 Adventures Big & Small (Bucket Lists) by Kath Stathers
- Subpar Parks: America’s Most Extraordinary National Parks and Their Least Impressed Visitors by Amber Share
- Epic Drives of the World from Lonely Planet
- Epic Runs of the World from Lonely Planet
- Drives of a Lifetime 2nd Edition: 500 of the World’s Greatest Road Trips from National Geographic
- The Travel Book: A Journey Through Every Country in the World from Lonely Planet
- Destinations of a Lifetime: 225 of the World’s Most Amazing Places from National Geographic
- Where to Go When from Lonely Planet
- Epic Journeys: 245 Life-Changing Adventures from National Geographic
- 1,000 Perfect Weekends: Great Getaways Around the Globe from National Geographic
Fiction:
The characters in these books, bless their adventurous souls, trek across foreign soil, and suddenly, you find yourself yearning for a similar transformation.
- The Neapolitan Novels by Elena Ferrante for friendship with Neapolitan intensity
- Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert for if you need to find yourself
- The Henna Artist by Alka Joshi for if you want to learn a little about Jaipur culture. I loved this book and just learned that there are two sequels!
- Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan for pure fluff about the sordid lives of the rich and famous. Read the whole trilogy!
- Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi for 18th century Ghana, transatlantic slave trade, colonization, and a lot of deep stuff. Very much worth a read.
- The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho for if you need to be reminded to follow your dreams.
- Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil: A Savannah Story by John Berendt so you’ll know what everyone in Savannah is always talking about
- The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini for a reminder that there are real people living real lives in Afghanistan
- All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr for a WWII story of friendship
- The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah for a WWII story of resilience
- Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster by Jon Krakauer for more reasons not to try to climb Mount Everest
- Less by Andrew Sean Greer for if you want to run away from your problems
- Next Year in Havana by Chanel Cleeton for if you’re interested in ancestry
- Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert M Pirsig for if you’re searching for meaning
- What the River Knows by Isabel Ibañez for treasure hunting in Egypt
- What the Wind Knows by Amy Harmon for a quiet life in Ireland (and some time travel)
So, put down that teacup (carefully, of course) and prepare to embark on a literary expedition.
If you know of other great travel inspiration books, please share in the comments.
Want more travel inspiration? Check out these posts.
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