Best Travel Essays

It’s hard to pick just one book by Bill Bryson that’s good, because they all are.He’s one of the most prolific and recognized names in travel writing.

This is the book that inspired me to go to Australia.

Writer and NPR correspondent Eric Weiner set out on a yearlong journey to find the world’s happiest places.

I randomly picked this up in a bookstore and couldn’t put it down.

Shah is an engrossing writer and I was glued to every word.

If you’re looking for some great reads, here are my current list of the best travel books to inspire you to travel far-off lands: A books about following your dreams, this is one of the most-read books in recent history.

The story follows a young shepherd boy from Spain to Egypt as he follows his heart, goes with the flow, and learns love and the meaning of life.While dealing with corruption, the local bureaucracy, thieves, gangsters, jinns causing havoc, and the hassle that seems to come with even the most simple interactions, Shah weaves a story that is simply one of the best I’ve read all year. Written in 1957, Jack Kerouac’s Beat Generation classic is a timeless travel novel.It’s beautifully written and endlessly enthralling. The story follows his character, Sal, as he leaves New York City and heads west, riding the rails, making friends, and partying the night away.The book is filled with wonderful and inspirational quotes. This book is written by travel blogger Torre De Roche, and, while I normally don’t like “chick travel love stories”, I couldn’t put this one down.My favorite: I’ve read this book multiple times and it always cheers me up and inspires me to keep reaching for my dreams. It’s a beautifully written book about overcoming her fear of the ocean to sail across the Pacific with her boyfriend. Here is my interview with her from earlier in the year.(I like the movie too, but the book is way better.) What I love about Alex Garland’s tale about backpackers and their search for paradise is that you can identify with Richard and his quest to “do something different and get off the beaten path,” but in the end see that as an illusion.It’s also a good tale about how backpackers’ search for the ideal can end up ruining that ideal. Now that I am writing about it again, I think I might re-read it soon.The main character’s frustration and desire to see the world are themes that can resonate with many of us.What I especially love about this story is that through all his travel adventures, he becomes a better, stronger, and more confident person. Written by the founders of Lonely Planet, this tome chronicles the start and rise of the company whose guidebook is probably in your backpack or on your bookshelf right now.I am a voracious reader and have even started a book club on this website to share all the books I read.Today is another one of those days where I share some of the books I’ve read recently!