Last Updated on June 18, 2024 by AIFS Abroad
Are you stuck at home and ready to start your summer reading early? These travel-inspiring books will make you feel like you are seeing the world – and help you dream about your next trip!
Here are 8 travel-inspiring books to start reading now:
1. Blue Highways by William Least Heat-Moon
This travel memoir depicts Heat-Moon’s journey in the 1970s to remote small towns across America. After losing his job and marriage, he decides to circle the United States in a van without taking any major highways. He meets many intriguing locals along the way – and learns a great deal about himself.
2. From Excuses to Excursions: How I Started Traveling the World by Gloria Atanmo
Learn how to step outside your comfort zone! Atanmo, a travel blogger, gives relatable advice with equal parts humor and useful information. She offers her perspective as an African-American woman abroad with refreshing candor and profound wisdom.
3. Atlas Obscura: An Explorer’s Guide to the World’s Hidden Wonders by Joshua Foer, Ella Morton, and Maciej Potulny
Atlas Obscura is a guide to avoiding tourist traps and exploring off-the-beaten-path sites around the world. The photographs, trivia and quirky destinations will have your wanderlust at an all-time high!
4. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Coelho’s literary classic is a must-read! The story follows Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd, as he leaves his home in Spain to seek treasure in the Egyptian deserts. He encounters different cultures along the way and learns the power of following your dreams.
5. As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning by Laurie Lee
This is the autobiographical story of Lee, a young man in the 1930s who leaves the English countryside and walks to London. After playing the violin on street corners for tips, Lee leaves for Spain despite only knowing one phrase in Spanish. Throughout Spain, Lee finds both beauty and chaos – and the start of the Spanish Civil War.
6. In a Sunburned Country by Bill Bryson
Bryson combines humor, wit and insightful facts in this non-fiction book documenting his journey throughout Australia. Curl up and enjoy a fresh look inside modern Australia as Bryson visits iconic sites, encounters unique wildlife and interviews locals.
7. Round Ireland with a Fridge by Tony Hawks
Looking for a lighthearted book that doesn’t take itself too seriously? Tony Hawks acts on a bet he made in a bar and commits to hitchhiking throughout Ireland – with a refrigerator. Tony and his faithful fridge travel from Dublin to places like Galway, Cork, Donegal and more while gaining the attention of local news stations.
8. The Odyssey by Homer
Homer’s masterpiece is perhaps one of the most famous and epic journeys. Follow Odysseus as he overcomes monsters and men on his long journey home. With every turn of the page, you’ll be transported to ancient Greece and immersed in its rich mythology.
Do you have a favorite travel-inspiring book? Share your top picks in the comment section below!
