With travelling comes lots of free time on your hands whether it be while waiting for a flight or while on a long road trip. A great way to pass the time is to pull out a great book and one that inspires you to travel is even better. Here are 8 books to read that will make you drop everything and start planning out your next adventure.
The Good Girl’s Guide to Getting Lost | Rachel Friedman
Rachel is the typical goody two shoes type of girl who has always lived life by the books. On a whim she buys herself a ticket to Ireland and ends up breaking free from her shell to go on to travel across three different continents. A great book for those looking for the extra push they need to start planning your own adventure.
Eat Pray Love | Elizabeth Gilbert
One of the more popular books on this list, it is definitely an intriguing read that will inspire you to get out and explore the world. Written about a newly divorced woman, she sets out on a trip to adventure around the world and to experience new things. The book details the adventures she has in places such as Italy, Bali, and India.
The Lost Girls | Jennifer Baggett, Holly C. Corbett, & Amanda Presner
The Lost Girls tells the story of three best friends who leave behind their lives and their jobs for a year to travel the world together. It showcases the great moments they all spend together but also the unexpected downfalls of being with the people you love 24/7. This book will inspire you to get out there and overcome anything in your way to be able to see the world and all that is has to offer.
1000 Places To See Before You Die | Rachel Schultz
If you’re packing up and heading out for an actual adventure, bring this book along with you as a useful travel guide. This book takes you around the world and highlights all the best spots to see in places all around the globe. Just flipping through this book in your local book store will give you a bad case of wanderlust.
Wanderlove | Kirsten Hubbard
The tale of a young girl looking to leave behind her old life and become a global vagabonder, Bria books a trip to Central America in the hopes of finding herself and her sense of independence. Along the way she meets a boy and his friends who inspire her to ditch her guide group to continue on her travels, experiencing things off the beaten path. While travelling through the likes of Mayan villages and Belizean islands, Bria discovers that she can’t always run from her problems.
Ultimate Travel | Lonely Planet
A list dedicated to travel books wouldn’t be complete without including something written by the people at Lonely Planet. This coffee table type book compiles 500 of the most unmissable attractions in the world. All sights included in the book are ranked by the talented travel experts at Lonely Planet to help you choose which places that are worth visiting.
Atlas Obscura | Joshua Foer, Dylan Thuras & Ella Morton
Yet another travel guide type book, Atlas Obscura features some of the lesser known destinations to visit around the world. One of my personal favorite books, inside you will find places such as a bone museum in Italy and Turkmenistan’s hold of fire in the ground nicknamed the Gates of Hell. This book is great for anyone to experience things that are a bit out of the box which is exactly why I love this book so much.
Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art Of Long-Term World Travel | Rolf Potts
For the inspiring vagabonders, this book will give you an insight into the 10 years that the author has spent travelling the world. The term “vagabonding” means to take time off of work and regular daily life for an extended period of time to be able to travel the world. For first time travelers, this book will help put into perspective just what is needed to plan such a long term trip as well as all the ups and downs you might face along the road. A truly inspiring read no matter what kind of travel you are looking into getting into.
If you have any favorite books that are travel related and help to inspire you to get out on an adventure, let me know in the comments below, I’d love to discover some new ones!