20 Best Travel Books Every Traveller Must Read

20 Best Travel Books Every Traveller Must Read

What are the best travel books of all time? Whether you’re longing for a remote beach destination or an exotic city getaway, here is a list of the best travel books to help you plan your dream trip.

I have read and loved every one of the travel books in this list. Most of these titles are available in paperback, hardback, Kindle, audiobook and CD. Some of these travel books are fictional novels, some are autobiographical and some are based on true stories.

How to Read the Best Travel Books

There are some great free trials available if you would like to try reading with Amazon Kindle, Audible or Prime. The offers below are the best deals I have seen from Amazon. You could read every book in this list for free, just using one of these links!

• Free trial of Audible: 30 days free access to thousands of audiobooks, and one free premium title of your choice. Prime members get 2 free books!
• Free trial of Kindle Unlimited: 30 days free access to unlimited ebook reading on any device. Unlock access to over two million titles instantly.
• Free trial of Amazon Prime: 30 days free trial offering free two-day shipping on all Amazon purchases, plus access to hundreds of new ebooks each month.
• Free trial of Amazon Prime Video: 30 days of free video streaming, HD movies and shows, watch anywhere on any device, including all downloads and other Prime benefits.

During my research, I found several of my favourite best travel books have actually been made into films too. I have included links where you can watch them on Amazon Prime or purchase the DVD. You can scroll to the bottom of the post to see the DVD covers too.

So without further ado, here are 20 of the best travel books of all time. Most are New York Times bestsellers.

20 of the Best Travel Books Every Traveller Must Read

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1. Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed

Wild is a brutally honest account of Cheryl Strayed’s journey across the West Coast United States, as she treks 1,100 miles with only a few possessions and a determined spirit. Through mental and physical agonies alike, Strayed courageously captures her experience. We see her journey at its lowest ebb as well as its highest tide. This stirring memoir speaks to survival, grief and ultimately hope for all of us.

Wild has also been made into a film starring Reese Witherspoon; you can watch it on Amazon Prime here (sign up for free trial first).

2. Eat Pray Love: One Woman’s Search for Everything by Elizabeth Gilbert

This bestseller follows Gilbert’s transformative journey as she travels from New York to Italy, India, and Indonesia in search of pleasure, spirituality and balance. Eat Pray Love is a voyage of self-discovery in search of enlightenment and contentment.

If you have already read and loved Eat Pray Love, you may be interested in Eat Pray Love Made me Do It: Life Journeys Inspired By The Best Selling Memoir. Published by the same author, this is a collection of short stories inspired by the original book.

Eat Pray Love is one of the world’s best selling travel books, and has also been made into a film with Julia Roberts (you can see the DVD cover at the bottom of this post).

3. Best Travel Books: On the Road by Jack Kerouac

One of the best travel books about road trips, Kerouac’s novel On The Road recounts a cross-country road trip taken in search of carefree abandon. Originally published in 1957, this classic novel follows two friends on their travels across America on a quest for freedom and adventure. It’s a true test of the limits of the American Dream and an exploration of personal freedom.

4. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

Many of the best travel books follow a spiritual theme, and this one is no exception. The Alchemist: A Fable About Following Your Dream is an allegorical journey about following personal dreams and destiny. Our protagonist, Santiago, embarks on a quest through Egypt in pursuit of his dream life. What starts out as a journey to find worldly goods, turns into a meditation on the treasures found within.

5. Vagabonding by Rolf Potts

This is one of the more practical travel books on my list. After quitting his job and selling his possessions, Potts sets off on a round-the-world journey that inspires readers to make travel dreams into reality. Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long Term World Travel provides invaluable travel tips, explaining how anyone with an independent spirit can achieve the dream of long term world travel.

6. Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer

This is the first of two travel books by Jon Krakauer on my best travel books list. Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of The Everest Disaster is a true story that recounts Krakauer’s own experience as he climbs Mount Everest and is caught in a deadly storm that leaves him struggling for survival. This thought-provoking book explores the depths of human endurance under extreme conditions, amidst tragedy and heroism.

7. Turn Right at Machu Picchu: Rediscovering the Lost City One Step at a Time by Mark Adams

A narrative recounting Adam’s own adventures trekking through Peru to trace Hiram Bingham III’s original expedition to Machu Picchu in 1912. Turn Right at Machu Picchu is amongst the best travel books for anyone trekking to Machu Picchu. Be sure to read all the way to the end, as the author later questions or disproves some of the ideas set out in earlier chapters.

8. Blue Highways: A Journey into America by William Least Heat Moon

Another of the best travel books based on road trips, this is an exploration of the backroads of the United States of America. It is filled with colourful characters who share their stories about vanishing ways of life in small towns across the United States. Blue Highways has been hailed as a masterpiece of American travel writing, an unforgettable journey along the nation’s back roads.

9. Down Under: Travels From A Sunburned Country by Bill Brysonts

Three of the best travel books on this list were written by Bill Bryson, but honestly I could have included many more than three. This book is hilarious! Bryson’s humorous yet informative perspectives on all things Australian makes for an entertaining travelogue through one of the world’s most captivating countries. Down Under is the UK title, but it’s called Travels From A Sunburned Country outside of the UK.

10. The Tao Of Travel: Enlightenments From Lives On The Road By Paul Theroux

Based on stories collected over three decades as a traveller himself, Theroux shares insight into why we travel and how it changes us. The Tao of Travel is an assembly of the most influential writing from the most beloved and best travel books that shaped the author, both as a reader and traveller.

11. Best Travel Books: A Walk In The Woods By Bill Bryson

This is the second book from Bill Bryson on my list of best travel books every traveller must read. In this memoir, Bryson recaptures his sense of adventure while reacquainting himself with nature after years away from hiking trails. A Walk in The Woods is an account of an arduous journey along the world’s longest continuous footpath in the Appalachian Trail. Bryson traverses through some of the United States’ most breathtaking scenery across fourteen states and spanning over two thousand miles.

A Walk in The Woods has also been made into a film with Robert Redford and Emma Thompson, you can watch it on Amazon Prime here (don’t forget your free trial) or get the DVD here.

12. The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway

One of the classic best travel books on my list, this novel takes place in Europe during the 1920s. We follow a group of expatriates as they travel from Paris to Pamplona and experience the excitement of the annual running of the bulls. The Sun Also Rises intertwines tragedy and romance, depicting a band of hapless American expatriates. The group collectively yearns for fulfilment whilst living in post-war Europe, drinking, dancing and pursuing their dreams.

I have also found an old 1957 DVD basedon this book, which you can buy here (or see bottom of post for DVD cover).

13. Sailing Alone Around the World by Joshua Slocum

This book is amongst the best travel books based on sailing around the world. An autobiographical narrative detailing the first solo circumnavigation of the world, which began in 1895 and lasted three years. Sailing Alone Around The World is a must-read for all wanderers, sailors and adventure lovers.

14. The Lost City Of Z by David Grann

One of the best travel books based on a true story, Lost City of Z is a thrilling adventure based on the disappearance of British explorer Percy Fawcett. The intrepid explorer was searching for a mysterious lost city in the Amazon jungle in South America in the 1920s. For the next 80 years, hundreds of explorers ventured into the Amazon to find any trace of Fawcett or the Lost City of Z. This is a captivating tale following the footsteps of many adventurers attempting to solve one of exploration history’s most enduring mysteries.

The Lost City of Z has also been made into a major film starring Charlie Hunnan, Robert Pattinson, Tom Holland and Sienna Miller. You can watch it on Amazon Prime here (sign up for a free trial first) or purchase the DVD here.

15. Notes From A Small Island by Bill Bryson

This is the third entry from Bill Bryson in my list of best travel books! Written after twenty years spent living in the UK, this book captures Bryson’s love-hate relationship with England, as he visits each region one final time before returning home to America.

Bryson says Notes From a Small Island is a mission to highlight the extraordinarily loveable parts of the UK, including place names like Farleigh Wallop, Titsey and Shellow Bowells. With his usual charisma and humour, he captures both the bizarre and delightful aspects of British life. An insightful social commentary that perfectly conveys all the wonders of Great Britain.

16. Best Travel Books: Into The Wild by Jon Krakauer

The second Krakauer entry in my list of best travel books, and another true story. This is the thought-provoking tale of Christopher McCandless, who gave away his entire life savings and journeyed into the wild in search of a deeper understanding of himself and life. He ventured deep into Alaska’s wilderness in 1992, only to be found four months later as an emaciated corpse with an SOS note.

The international bestseller Into the Wild explores an obsession which leads some people to explore the outer limits of self. The concept of leaving civilization behind and seeking enlightenment through traveling, solitude and contact with nature.

Into the Wild was made into a film in 2007 starring Sean Penn, Emile Hirsch and Kristen Stewart. You can watch on Prime here or buy the DVD here.

17. Around The World In Eighty Days by Jules Verne

No list of the best travel books would be complete without this classic title. The well-known adventure novel tells the story of Phileas Fogg who attempts to circumnavigate the world in just eighty days while wagering his life’s fortune on the bet. From the Indian jungle to the Trans-Siberian railway, Around the World in Eighty Days is an unforgettable tale of daring and adventure.

Around the World in 80 Days is also a film with David Tennent which you can watch on Amazon Prime here or purchase the DVD here. Don’t forget your free trials linked at the top and bottom of this page.

18. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

The second of two highly acclaimed travel books by Mark Twain, this beloved classic follows the journey of Huckleberry Finn and Jim. The boy and his dog travel down the Mississippi river, seeking freedom and a better life along the way. This story picks up where Mark Twain left off in his previous book, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a story told in the time of slavery with language that embodies the regional dialects that are common to Twain’s work and the Mississippi River Valley in which Twain grew up.

19. The Beach by Alex Garland

A thrilling adventure set in Thailand, this novel follows a group of backpackers searching for an elusive paradise that few have ever encountered. The Beach tells the story of Richard, who ventures to a hidden island after being given a mysterious map. He discovers something beyond his wildest dreams – both beautiful and terrifying.

The Beach is also a major motion picture with Leonardo DiCaprio. You can watch on Prime Video here or purchase the DVD here.

20. Letters from a Stoic by Seneca

Philosophers hail this title as one of the best travel books of all time. This collection of letters from Roman philosopher Seneca reveals his philosophy on the art of living in harmony with nature and in service to others. Letters from a Stoic is considered one of the thought-leaders of philosophy in the history of classical literature. The compilation provides an all-encompassing look into Stoic philosophy.

Best Travel Books: Movies and DVD Adaptations

See below for the DVD covers of the best travel books in my list which have been made into movies. You can click on each DVD cover and it will take you straight to Amazon to see the prices. Don’t forget you can also watch on Amazon Prime (sign up for free trial first).

Best Travel Books: Reading Options

There are lots of ways to read your favourite travel books. When travelling, my preference is to listen to travel books in audiobook format. This way I can still look out of the window and see all of the scenery around me. Kindles are also extremely useful for being able to carry hundreds of books in one device.

Read the Best Travel books with Amazon Free Trials

Here are the Amazon free trials for watching shows and reading books free for 30 days. These are the best deals I have seen from Amazon so far:

• Free trial of Audible: 30 days free access to thousands of audiobooks, and one free premium title of your choice. Prime members get 2 free books!
• Free trial of Kindle Unlimited: 30 days free access to unlimited ebook reading on any device. Unlock access to over two million titles instantly.
• Free trial of Amazon Prime: 30 days free trial offering free two-day shipping on all Amazon purchases, plus access to hundreds of new ebooks each month.
• Free trial of Amazon Prime Video: 30 days of free video streaming, HD movies and shows, watch anywhere on any device, including all downloads and other Prime benefits.

Best Travel Books: Conclusion

Reading books that offer insight into the culture and history of your chosen destination can be a great way to immerse yourself in the journey. From New York City to the Middle East and East Asia, I find travel books a great source of inspiration.

I am currently working my way through my next 20 travel books, starting with Tales of a Female Nomad by Rita Golden Gelman (which I cannot comment on as I have not started reading it yet).

I hope this best travel books list gives you some inspiration for reading material. What are your favourite travel books? Let me know in the comments below.

Best Travel Books: Pin For Later

Best Travel Books: Related Reading

Travelling soon? Check my 20 Must-Have Travel Essentials post before you go.

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