15 Must-Read Books For Every Ardent Traveler!

Author: Priyanka Saxena on Sep 05,2023

Traveling is spiritual & so book!! It makes out that there is a very close connection between traveling & books.

If you are a traveler or if you want to be a traveler, Books has to be a part of your life. If you research a little, you will discover a bunch of books that relate to the traveler inside of you! 

One may argue, how can books help with our traveling spirit, but it does. Like the nutrients for a healthy body, a good travel book can act as that much-needed nutrient for your travel spirit. 

A good book will catalyze the process and suddenly, you will get to realize what wonder you have been missing for long. Most people, unfortunately, do not realize the role that READING RIGHT can play in your life. 

Lets help you with some of the best must-read books on travel. Here we go:

1. The Alchemist

The book is not particularly for travelers, but it takes you through a journey to discover your dreams. It helps you through your traveling journey in a way that the book helps you find out how traveling can let you discover your dreams. 

Through the story of a young boy, who, in spite of societal pressure to act in a certain way, ventures out unconventionally to find his dreams. He travels from Spain to Egypt! After his travel journey, he discovers the meaning of life. His journey will definitely inspire you to travel & discover the meaning of love & life. 

2. Vagabonding

Its a must-read for those who are thinking about long-term traveling considerations for the first time. It narrates the journey of Rolf, the author who spent around 10 years exploring it all through his travel journey by road. Its amazing to read his story and the adventurous journey. There are plenty of quotes & insights & other real-time information from his real journey - while you read the book you will take to another wonderful journey discovering many valuable things. For every new traveler, the book is a must-read, which all the information on planning, discovering, and enjoying a road trip. 

3. The 4-hour Workweek

While this book is all about self-development and the title itself suggests. Yet there are things and quotes every traveler would like to imbibe and live by. Around the world, readers of this book have been found quoting that it has been a real life-changing experience ~ particularly the digital nomads, travelers & businesspeople have been benefited by this book. So, if you fall under any of these categories, make sure that you have The 4-hour Workweek in your kitty. With the help of this book, Tim Ferriss, the author tells about his own stories of experiments, which will fill you with zeal to travel while you work and how one can make early mini-retirements while they are still in jobs. 

4. The Promise of a Pencil

This book is all about how traveling can surprisingly come up with something to experiment with and bring about positive changes in the lives of people who really want those changes to happen. Adam Braun was an ardent traveler & he traveled throughout the world wherever his feet could fit. On one of his trips, Adam met a boy begging on the streets of Indi. When he asked the boy, what is that one thing that he wants in life ~ boys answer was stupendously moving. He just said A Pencil! At the very moment, Adam decided to help every child like him. He then started his organization for purpose, which works on building schools around the world. The organization has built thousands of schools across Thailand, Laos, and Nicaragua and has provided basic education to thousands of children. The book narrates the story of his travel journey and where he got motivated and how he worked on this motivation. 

5. The Beach

The beach narrates the story of the British backpacker, Alex Garland, who travels in search of paradise on earth. His story has inspired generations to travel. The book tells you how traveling voraciously could provide an escape from everyday life. 

6. Unlikely Destinations

Unlikely Destinations ~ its the complex mix of travel tales, business history & and autobiography. It narrates the story of how he struggled to lead to the evolution of the biggest travel publishing company in the world. It gets you to learn the personal story of the funder of Lonely Planet, Tony and Maureen Wheeler. For every traveler, this book is a must-read. 

7. Eat, Pray, Love

Eat, Pray, Love is the story of Liz, a woman who initially thinks that she is all happy and she has everything required to be happy ~  loving husband, career, & family. But, when she is faced with the cruelty of life (divorce), she feels completely disturbed & destroyed. To cope up with all the loss she ventures out for a world tour & discovers the beautiful countries of Bali, Italy & India. For those going through any bad phase in their life, this can be an antidote as it tells how traveling can help you discover yourself and happiness. 

8. On the Road

On the Road, the book narrates the travel tales & the story of the trips made by Kerouac and his Beat Generation friends through America. These travel tales belong to the period after WWII. With a couple of great poetry & jazz, this entire journey thrills you and fills you with the zeal to travel. 

9. The Turk Who Loved Eating Apples

It features the story of the travel tales of the frugal traveler Matt Gross, who wrote an article in the New York Times. He shares his story of struggle & the experiences he went through while traveling through different parts of the world. 

10. Into the Wild

The book tells you how you do not really need to fit into society & still make your life an amazing journey. Or all those who do not want to accept the rules made by the society & make their own rules. This will give you the inspiration to find different ways of finding yourself. 

11. The Looptail

This book reveals the story of Bruce Poons entrepreneurial journey and how he honed his skills becoming one of the biggest travel companies in the world. His Adventure travel company, G Adventures now serves all across the seven continents and in 100 plus countries. This story will inspire you to travel and be a part of this amazing business. 

 12. In a Sunburned Country

Bill Bryson is known for his popular essays. This is the funniest of all his writings. In the book, he tells the story of his journey through the country of kangaroos, Australia. He narrates the events of the trip and how he explored the oceans, cities, people & the deserts around the country. While you read the book, you will learn the best way of traveling and how the zeal drives the explorer inside of you. 

13. The Geography of Bliss

The Geography of Bliss is another bliss for any traveler. It features the story of Eric Weiner who travels around the world to discover what happiness is like in different parts of the country and what each of them does to search for happiness. Along his journey, he travels to Bhutan, Qatar, Iceland, and Moldova.

14. The Places in Between

The Places in Between was named among the top ten books of 2006 by the New York Times. It is the traveling tale of Scottish author Rory Stewart. He traveled through north-central Afghanistan all on foot and alone. Its about thoughtful traveling. He tells how the visit to the Buddhas of Bamiyan, two of the 6th-century statues of Budhha that have been destroyed by the Taliban. After reading the book, you will be moved and feel like traveling to discover stories of the creation of the Universe. 

15. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

In the book, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain will have you introduce you to how life is in the Mississippi region. He focuses majorly on racism and how it affects lives. This is the perfect thing to explore something about the place before even departing. 

So, these are some of the books that will inspire you to travel. If you want motivation to travel, then you must read these books based on different travel stories.