9 Travel Books to Spark Serious Wanderlust

Nothing beats the pleasure of cracking open a brand new book, with excitement at each turn of the page. Not only that, stories can magically transport you to faraway lands...keeping your travel itch satisfied in between adventures.

Today I have rounded up a few of my top travel books - and a favorite quote from each - to inspire you to get out and see the world! Cue the wanderlust…

Bill Bryson

This autobiographical account of Bryson’s attempt to hike the Appalachian trail with a buddy as inexperienced as himself will have you laughing the whole way through. He endures many setbacks along the way, yet keeps a sense of humor. Will the duo make it the entire 2,200 mile trek together?

“[When you take the world on foot…] life takes on a neat simplicity, too. Time ceases to have any meaning. When it is dark, you go to bed, and when it is light again you get up, and everything in between is just in between. It’s quite wonderful, really...You have no engagements, commitments, obligations, or duties; no special ambitions and only the smallest, least complicated of wants.”

Bonus! If you are heading to Australia, check out Down Under: Travels in a Sunburned Country, another comical read by Bryson about a diverse, yet often forgotten country.

Jon Krakauer

An enlightening, true story of a young man who gave up all of his belongings to live in the Alaskan wilderness alone. It alludes to man’s role in nature and the ability to find happiness in solitude.

“So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservation...The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun.”

Elizabeth Gilbert

A travel memoir set in the midst of a divorce, where Gilbert decides to take a year to travel in search for the independence she craves. She visits Italy to experience pleasure, India for spirituality and Indonesia to strike a balance between the worldly and the divine. She uses travel to fall in love with herself all over again.

“When I get lonely these days, I think: So BE lonely, Liz. Learn your way around loneliness. Make a map of it. Sit with it, for once in your life. Welcome to the human experience.”

Rolf Potts

This comprehensive guide to the art of long-term travel is from the king of vagabonding himself. Rolf spent 10 years on the road and shares his experiences, covering everything from choosing a destination, to working abroad and later re-acclimating back to normal life.

“The value of your travels does not hinge on how many stamps you have in your passport when you get home -- and the slow nuanced experience of a single country is always better than the hurried, superficial experience of forty countries.”

Alastair Humphreys

Not enough free time or extra cash flow to travel the world? It is possible to still get away from it all when you take microadventures - a shorter, cheaper, closer-to-home experience! This practical guide is filled with ideas that will fulfill you similar to the way a longer trip would.

“Sometimes all you need is to climb a simple hill, to spend time staring at an empty horizon, to jump into a cold river or sleep under the stars, or perhaps share a whisky at a small country inn in order to remind yourself what matters most to you in life.”

Cheryl Strayed

Grieving from her mother’s death and a failed marriage at age 22, Strayed decided she had nothing left to lose and everything to gain. With no experience, she set off alone to hike 1,000 miles of the Pacific Crest. Follow her adventures from the Mojave Desert to Washington on a journey that both strengthened and healed her back to life. This book will inspire you to embrace the great outdoors in all its glory.

“I knew that if I allowed fear to overtake me, my journey was doomed. Fear, to a great extent, is born of a story we tell ourselves, and so I chose to tell myself a different story from the one women are told. I decided I was safe. I was strong. I was brave.”

Off Track Planet

This one’s all just for fun. An uncensored, budget-friendly look at 100+ countries around the world. Because there’s no better time than when you’re young, sexy and broke to just GO!

“We believe that luxury travel is for people with arthritis; backpacking, with an open mind and an empty bank account, is the best way to learn about the world.”

Rick Steves

A powerful narrative on the fear many people have amidst terrorism and other scary events around the world. Steves believes that the risks of travel are exaggerated by the media and that most places are in fact, safe to visit. And at this time it’s more important than ever to see the world and put those worries to bed.

“Ideally, travel broadens our perspectives personally, culturally, and politically. Suddenly, the palette with which we paint the story of our lives has more colors.”

Tsh Oxenreider

An American couple embarks on a long-term trip around the world with their young children. While experiencing a diverse range of cultures, they discover it is possible to combine a love for adventure with an appreciation for home.

“Two opposing things can be equally true. Counting the days till Christmas doesn't mean we hate Halloween. I go to church on Sundays, and still hold the same faith at the pub on Saturday night. ..And perhaps most significantly: I love to travel and I love my home.”

A few of these books made it to the big screen...but hey, the book is nearly always better than the movie version, right?

Now over to you! Join our Facebook community and share your favorite books to inspire that next adventure!