Are you looking for travel books to spark the joy of travel and feed your wanderlust during this unprecedented time of social distancing and lockdown? Don't worry, I've got your back.
I spent a good amount of time alternating between writing articles on this blog and reading a ton of travel books during the first lockdown in April 2020 to distract myself from the fact that traveling is no longer possible, and I'm here today to recommend all of you the travel and adventure books that got me through tough times.
Without further ado, here are the 8 best travel books you should read until we can finally travel again. Let's start with the first adventure book that sparks my hiking spirit every time I read it: Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer.
- 1. Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer
- 2. Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer
- 3. The Map of Knowledge by Violet Moller
- 4. A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson
- 5. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
- 6. On the Road by Jack Kerouac
- 7. The Lost City of Z by David Grann
- 8. Touching the Void by Joe Simpson
- Further Reading for Inspiration
1. Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer
Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer has got to be one of my all-time favorite adventure books that I have read. The book is a personal recount of the 1997 Everest disaster, in which eight climbers perished and several others were stranded on the highest mountain by a storm.
Jon Krakauer, at the time, was doing a story for Outside Magazine during the disaster. He went up to the roof of the world together with a handful of expeditions on that fateful day, and he recounted everything from the people he briefly met to a full analysis of what went wrong that day.
It was a chilling recount of just how fragile we are when we are in the mountains, and even though it might scare others from going hiking in the Himalayas, it did the opposite for me. In fact, it motivated me to hike the Everest Base Camp independently to see all the deadly features of Everest with my own eyes.
It is an incredible book based on a gripping real-life event that will either make you cautious about hiking or inspire you to book a flight to Nepal and hike the Himalayas, as it did for me. Either way, there is no better hiking/disaster book to read than this one.
2. Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer
Another great book from Jon Krakauer, "Into the Wild", is another real-life recounting of the story of an American traveler, Chris McCandless, who went "into the wild" and vanished from the face of the earth until his body was found in an abandoned bus on the Stampede Trail in Alaska in 1992.
Jon Krakauer was assigned to write about Chris's story in 1993 by Outside Magazine, and Jon did what he does best: he followed Chris's track, starting from his upbringing to his last moment.
It is an incredible nonfiction story that highlights the issues of how to be accepted into society and how finding oneself sometimes conflicts with being an active member of society.
Shunned from society, Chris hitchhiked his way through the western United States seeking enlightenment. And through his journey, as recounted by Jon, he left a long-lasting impact on many people he encountered along the way.
It is these touching stories of the positive impact he had on people around him, up until the last sentence he wrote in his diary, that make this book among the best travel books you should read.
You may come out after reading this book thinking that his decision to go to Alaska was a mistake, or you may find him inspiring. But no matter what you believe, Chris McCandless's story through Jon's point of view will surely spark the inner free spirit you never knew you had. It is the type of book that you won't be able to let go of until you finish it, and I highly recommend you give the book a go.
3. The Map of Knowledge by Violet Moller
The Map of Knowledge by Violet Moller is, in fact, a history book about how knowledge moved around during the Dark Ages from city to city and how it was preserved through time in Europe. It unexpectedly sparked my curiosity and wanderlust for places in Southern Italy and Southern Spain so much so that it makes me want to visit places like Sicily and Toledo the next time I am in Europe.
The book follows the journey of 3 of the greatest scientific knowledge of antiquity: the Element, Method of Medicine, and Almagest by Euclid, Galen, and Ptolemy, respectively. It travels through seven cities for over a thousand years.
The book will take you to places from the sixth-century Alexandria to the ninth-century Baghdad, from Muslim Cordoba to Catholic Toledo, from Salerno to Palermo of Sicily, and eventually to Venice where it was printed for the first time and where the knowledge was finally preserved.
The amazing journey across Europe and the Arab world will make you curious about these cities of knowledge and will make you want to visit all the places that played a significant part in preserving these valuable scientific discoveries throughout time.
If you are looking for a book that will teach you the history of the European and Arab worlds during the Dark Ages, as well as inspire you to visit these offbeat Southern European cities like Toledo and Salerno that were the center of knowledge back in the day, this is the book for you.
4. A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson
A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson is a hilarious travel book that follows the journey of the author and his unenthusiastic friend as they attempt to hike the 3,500 km Appalachian Trail. The trail is one of the longest hiking trails in the world, taking hikers from Georgia in the southeast to Maine in the northeast of the United States.
Bill's humor, combined with his friend's hilarious complaints throughout the journey, and all the misfortunes they encountered along the trail, make up for quite a fun travel book that tells a story of what it is like to attempt the Appalachian Trail, all the weird characters you meet along the way, and maybe, just might save your life when you encounter a bear in the wild.
It is a page-turner through and through, and you will finish the book before you even know it. If you are looking for a fun travel book to read that sparks your curiosity about the wilderness in the United States, this is a great book to pick.
5. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho is a classic that every traveler should read once in their life. The book is a novel written in 1988 by Brazilian author Paulo Coelho, where the story follows the journey of a young Andalusian shepherd on his journey to the pyramids of Egypt.
Despite it being fiction, The Alchemist is filled with incredibly useful knowledge and inspiring stories from real life that will both inspire you to become a traveler as well as visit the Middle East, one of the most beautiful and unique regions in the world.
6. On the Road by Jack Kerouac
On the Road by Jack Kerouac is another travel fiction classic I highly recommend you read if you are looking for a book to spark your wanderlust. This book was written way back in 1957 and it follows the journey of the two main free-spirited characters as they travel through the United States the old-fashioned way, by hitchhiking and riding boxcar trains.
Despite it being fiction, the stories encountered by the 2 characters are based on Jack's real-life experiences as he travelled through the country, experiencing life against a backdrop of jazz, poetry, and drug use.
It is a great book that will show you what life was like in the US back then and how a free-spirited traveler travels around the country for almost no money. Since the book was written in the 60s, the language can be a bit harder to understand, but the overall experience of reading the book will surely give you the good wanderlust kick you need during this unprecedented time.
7. The Lost City of Z by David Grann
The Lost City of Z by David Grann is a book I brought with me on my 6-month-long South America trip. It is a non-fiction book that recounts the story of the early exploration of the Amazon Forest by the British explorer, Percy Fawcett, who was so obsessed with the forest that, in 1925, he vanished in the Amazon Forest with his son while looking for the infamous ancient lost city full of gold dubbed El Dorado.
The book goes into detail about Fawcett's early explorations of the Amazon Forest, where he heard the story of El Dorado, an ancient city full of gold in the Amazon. This discovery began his obsession, which ultimately consumed him and led to his disappearance into the Amazon Forest. As a result, rumors of the Lost City of Z circulated, sparking a race to find evidence of his whereabouts and the location of El Dorado.
The Lost City of Z is an excellent book that will give you a glimpse of how early explorations were conducted back in the day, how risky it was, and just how terribly unforgiving the Amazon Forest actually is.
The forest is so unforgiving that whenever a fruit is dropped from a tree, it is devoured in seconds by animals, leaving hardly any left for exhibitions exploring the Amazon Forest.
If you are planning to visit the Amazon Forest in South America soon, this book will give you a glimpse of what the Amazon Forest is like and will also provide you with a brief history of the place and all that it took to explore such an unforgiving place.
That is why I brought the book with me on my South America trip as I explored the Amazon Forest in Ecuador. If you are about to make this same trip, I highly recommend you give this book a go.
8. Touching the Void by Joe Simpson
Last but not least, we are back with another non-fiction adventure book, Touching the Void by Joe Simpson, that recounts another disaster in the mountains, this time in the Andes Mountains in Peru. The book follows 2 climbers who reached the 6,344-metre (20,814 ft) high Siula Grande summit, a major peak in the Cordillera Huayhuash in the Peruvian Andes, via the previously unclimbed west face.
On their descent, one of the climbers slipped and plummeted down a deep crevasse, forcing the other climber to cut the rope to save himself, and ultimately leaving his climbing partner to his own fate.
It is a gripping story of every climber's worst nightmares and it displays the sheer amount of survival instinct of humans during desperate situations in a way that is rarely seen in real life.
It is an incredible book that will make you feel humbled every time you step foot into the mountains and make you appreciate the amazing willpower we all have inside. It is a haunting and inspiring book that I highly recommend you pick up if you are looking for a great adventure book to feed your wanderlust during this time.
Further Reading for Inspiration
Looking for more articles to help inspire you to travel more? Here is a collection of articles you might like:
- Hiking to the Everest Base Camp is one of the most memorable epic moments of my life. Here's a long-read piece about my experiences hiking the Everest Base Camp: On My Way To Everest Base Camp.
- Ever wondered what it is like to travel the world on a third-world passport? Check out: Traveling The World On A Third World Passport.
- Here's why I always celebrate turning a year older with a hike: Climbing Kilimanjaro On My 33rd Birthday.
- Are you currently planning a trip around the world and looking for cheap countries to visit? Here are the 13 Cheapest Countries To Visit in the World.
- Traveling in Europe can be cheap, really cheap. These are the 12 Cheap European Countries to Visit.
- Looking for the most beautiful travel blogs to follow? Here are the 24 Most Beautiful Travel Blogs to Follow.
- For adventurers and backpackers out there, here are the 10 Best Adventure and Backpacking Blogs You Should Follow.
- I truly believe we need more Asian representatives in the English-speaking travel blogging industry, especially for blogs about Asia. Here are the Top 10 Kick-Ass Asian Travel Bloggers To Follow.
- For the best travel videos to inspire you to travel even further, here are the 20 Most Creative Travel Videos of All Time.
- If you are looking for travel vloggers to follow on YouTube that aren't cringeworthy, check out: 10 Best Travel Vloggers to Follow On YouTube.
- The best way to improve your photography skills is to learn from the best. Here are the 10 Best Photography YouTube Channels to Follow.
- A photo is worth a thousand words. Here are the 25 Most Beautiful Travel Photos I Ever Took From Around The World.
- Ever wondered what it's like to be a travel blogger during COVID-19? Check out: Being A Travel Blogger During COVID-19 - What Is It Like?
- Looking for off-the-beaten-path destinations to visit this year? Check out: 8 Best Off-The-Beaten-Path Destination to Visit.
- Can't travel internationally for the time being? How about traveling in your own country? Here are the 7 Reasons Why You Should Travel in Your Own Country.
- To find the most inspirational travel quotes and captions to go with your photos on your Instagram, check out 34 Short and Unique Traveller Quotes for Instagram.
- We often hear bad stories about locals from travelers, but what about the other way around? Here are some of the Notorious Stories Of Terrible Backpackers.
- If you lose your bag while you travel, here is how to deal with the situation: My Bag Was Stolen In Germany.
- Have you ever felt that you do not belong in a place you were born in? Read this: Where Is Home? - My Quest In Search Of Where I Belong.
- People often preach about how important it is to live in the moment, but sometimes, that may not be such a good idea. Here is The Problem With Living In The Moment.
- Want to embark on your first solo trip but not sure where to go? As a long-time solo traveler, here are my favorite places based on real experiences: 10 Incredible Travel Destinations for Solo Travelers.
- Solo traveling is not for everyone, and even though I love it to death, it is not always flowers and sunshine for solo travelers. Here are the 10 Things I Hate Most When Traveling Solo.
- Travel friends come and go, but that may not be such a bad thing. Here is why you should embrace your travel friends: A Life Of Brief Encounters.
- Hiking is life. Here's why: One Year Of Incredible Discomfort - 10 Things I've Learned From Climbing Mountains.
- Here's why having no plan is the best plan: Magical Things Happen When You Have Nothing To Do - The Art Of Doing Nothing.
- Is life getting you down? Here's why you can't always blame life for everything: Life Doesn't Suck. We Just Suck At Living It.
- Want to know why I chose to travel alone? Read this: We Travel Alone, NOT To Be Alone.
- For a meaningful solo trip, you need to share it with someone. Here is why Happiness Is Only Real When Shared.
- Traveling is no longer for the rich. Here is why: "People Think I'm Rich".
- The Himalayan Mountain is one hell of a teacher. Here are the 7 Life Lessons The Himalayas Taught Me.
- Want to travel alone but scared that you might get bored out of your mind? Here is How To Enjoy Yourself And Have Fun While Traveling Alone.
- Want to start traveling solo as well? Here is What It's Like to Travel Alone.
- Here is a simple story on how I started traveling: F*ck It, I'll Do This Alone.
- For more inspiring articles like this, visit my Inspiration page.
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4 Comments
Great video and ok dec
Great video and book recommendations Peter. Thank you. Alan
Thank you for the comments Alan. Hope you like the books listed here. :)
Great list, thank you Pete. Few of his books are translated into English, but if you get the chance, read what you can find of Sylvain Tesson. And if you can read French, go for his early book about going around the world by bike, or the one about crossing the Himalaya.
Excellent recommendation Noemi, I'll definitely have to check it out! :)