10 Travel Books to Give You Serious Wanderlust

Every once in a while, we get sick of our routine and have the urge to book the next flight to anywhere and just go. Break out of the rut that our daily lives are. The longing for new skies and new vistas gets insatiably strong.

While there’s nothing that can replace the exhilaration that traveling to a faraway land brings, reading a good travel book provides for a decent alternative. I love travel books because they can mentally transport you to a brand new location, without having to actually go anywhere.

Especially in the present times, It’s getting increasingly hard to get out and abate that travel itch, what with the whole entire world under a lockdown. And I reckon things will take time to stabilize. It’ll be a while until we can get back to traveling with the liberty and convenience we always took for granted.

[You Might Like: 10 Ways to Satiate Your Wanderlust During the Coronavirus Pandemic]

Books That Will Inspire You to Travel

For me, books provide that mental getaway. They give me a chance to venture out and experience stunning, new places vicariously through the stories of others. Considering you’re reading this article, I’m certain you’re also always looking for the best armchair travel books, because why not?

So, while you’re planning your next vacation (or simply looking for inspiration), I recommend these 10 must-read travel books and I know for a fact that you’ll love them!

1. Neither Here Nor There: Travels in Europe – Bill Bryson

It’s not even surprising that Bill Bryson is the first name on this list. He’s the funniest travel writer there has ever existed, far and away!

In the 1970s, as a college student, Bryson backpacked Europe with a friend. Twenty years later, he traveled through the continent again to revisit his experience. Except that he was now craving the comfort of hotel beds, hearty breakfasts, and slower travel, rather than zipping through countries on the cheap.

Neither Here Nor There is one hilarious travelogue about the changes he saw, how he reflected on cultures, people, food, accents, and his personal growth through the years. And he’s remodeled all of this information into a ridiculously funny travel book.

[Related: 15 No BS Ways to Save Money Traveling in Europe]

Trust me, if you’re visiting Europe soon, or if you plan to visit at some point, you HAVE to give this one a read before you go!

You’ll be inspired to travel to: Visit Europe

Order a copy: Amazon India | Amazon Worldwide

2. Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail – Cheryl Strayed

Prior to reading this memoir, I didn’t really know about the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT).

At the age of twenty two, Cheryl Strayed was going through very testing times in light of the loss of her mother, a terrible divorce, heroine addiction, and a series of bad decisions that drove her into self-loathing and depression. On a whim (which is easy to establish as Cheryl is visibly impulsive), she decided to hike 1,100 miles on the PCT as a journey to self-discovery.

But this book isn’t just about the hike and how incredibly difficult it is. It’s about connecting with nature, feeling gratitude for things we absolutely take for granted, shedding the things that weigh us down, and reconciling with our past. It’s about finding the strength we never knew we had, it’s about being resilient, and it’s about staying true to our goals.

Travel really is this soul-baring, epiphanic experience and especially when we challenge ourselves to do something outside of our comfort zone- traveling solo, visiting underrated destinations, volunteering, or even just talking to the locals in a foreign land.

This travel book is about connecting with that transformative, introspective side of travel. It’ll definitely move you. And it’ll make you want to go on a hike asap.

You’ll be inspired to: Hike the PCT

Order a copy: Amazon India | Amazon Worldwide

3. The Beach – Alex Garland

This is a novel but the premise is as real as it gets.

Richard, a British backpacker, arrives in Bangkok and gets to know about a secret beach that only a handful of travelers know about. From there on, the story turns into a rollercoaster ride, and it takes you between places that are at once idyllic and dark. The book has such varying moods and such a perfect pace, it’s impossible to put down.

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We’ve all been there – backpacking, staying in hostels, meeting people from across the world. We’ve also given in to the lure of visiting islands or beaches that aren’t choc-o-bloc with tourists. We’re always searching for off the beaten path destinations.

‘The Beach’ is a heck of a wanderlust-inducing page-turner.

You’ll be inspired to: Backpack to Thailand

Order a copy: Amazon India | Amazon Worldwide

4. The Cat Who Went to Paris – Peter Gethers

This book is about a Scottish Fold called Norton, and his owner, Peter Gethers.

Gethers is, at first, a cat hater. He deplores the idea of having them around. Then, things change and he ends up with a cat.

The book relates the travel adventures of the author and his cat, and the beautiful bond they build in the process. It’s a book as much for animal lovers (cat people or not) as it is for travelers.

Of course, the cat and his owner don’t just visit Paris – they go to a whole bunch of places. If you’re looking for a read that inspires you to travel abroad while doting on cute little things cats do, and reflecting on an animal finding true happiness with its owner, this book is for you!

You’ll be inspired to: Travel with your pet / Get a pet

Order a copy: Amazon India | Amazon Worldwide

5. The Penguin Lessons – Tom Mitchell

While we’re on the subject of traveling/moving abroad, can we talk about what a charmer of a book this one is?

Such a beautiful, moving, inspiring story – and a true one at that.

Mitchell decided he wanted to travel to South America, and in his twenties, he moved to Argentina and got a job teaching English at a school. During his visit to Uraguay, he chances upon how an oil spill has affected a lot of penguins. Somehow, he manages to smuggle a penguin out of there and adopt it.

[You Might Like: 10 Surprising Things That Happen When You Move Abroad]

This beautiful memoir is encapsulated in about 300 pages, and I’m sure every word in the book will make you sigh.

You’ll be inspired to: Move to South America

Order a copy: Amazon India | Amazon Worldwide

6. Jerusalem: Chronicles from the Holy City – Guy de Lisle

First of all, this is no ordinary travel chronicle.

It doesn’t drag on for pages upon pages of monologue, beefed up with the hardest words in a thesaurus. It’s actually a simple, breezy comic-strip illustration of life in a mysterious city.

Lisle moved to Jerusalem with his wife and kids, as an Expat spouse. It’s crazy they would accede to spending a year in Jerusalem, given its political disquiet and complex history, but as it happens, Lisle finds himself witnessing curious customs and strange dispositions.

The book is written from the lens of a North American but the writer sure managed to keep the tone light and humorous. The book also offers solid perspective in the current scenario, with Trump in the picture.

And thanks to colorful illustrations, you’ll keep turning pages through this one, I’m telling you!

You’ll be inspired to: Visit Jerusalem

Order a copy: Amazon India | Amazon Worldwide

7. The Sex Lives of Cannibals – J. Maarten Troost

Troost, the author, more than compensates for the strange title by throwing in punchlines after punchlines in this laugh riot of a book.

Outline: Troost moved to a remote small island in the Pacific with his girlfriend, and he takes the reader through his journey, the people he meets and the way of life he gets used to.

Is the title what the book is truly about? Is there an investigation into sex lives, cannibals or not? I’ll leave that to your imagination(or as little bait to make you read this book). I’m not a fan of spoilers so we’re definitely not giving away the plot!

Of course there are some parts that are disturbing, but the world abounds with bewildering things that are done in the name of culture. The book draws an interesting contrast between our privileged Western lifestyle and the reclusive, virgin life on a far-out remote island.

What I can tell you is that, while reading this book, I laughed out loud (in public and otherwise) on many occasions and it takes a really good writer to elicit that kind of emotion, ESPECIALLY in public places – I’ve gotten quite a few stares on the bus. This one’s truly one of the funniest travel books to read!

You’ll be inspired to: Go to South Pacific

Order a copy: Amazon India | Amazon Worldwide

8. Travels with Charley: In Search of America – John Steinbeck

I want to start off by telling you that this book is massively underrated. And I bet you’ll agree once you read it.

John Steinbeck is a legendary name in fiction but this is a travel memoir from his voyage across America, the fascinating country he spent all his life writing about.

Steinbeck began his journey at the age of fifty-eight along with Charley, his French poodle. That by itself sets an example for how it’s never too late to do something you’re passionate about, and that you don’t have to venture very far from home to indulge your wanderlust.

The book also paints an enchanting picture of 20th century America, and gives the reader a lot to reflect on how much it has changed in the last few decades.

You’ll be inspired to: Travel across America

Order a copy: Amazon India | Amazon Worldwide

9. Turn Right at Machu Pichu – Mark Adams

I loved this book and it made me want to travel to Machu Pichu RIGHT AWAY.

Adams built a career out of writing for travel and adventure magazines, so it was no surprise that he undertook a hike through the Andes mountains to arrive at Machu Pichu, on the 100th year anniversary of the citadel.

Except that Adams was not quite an adventure traveler himself. The book gets exceedingly funny and real as the writer navigates through the highs and lows of the journey, makes choices he’d bever have made otherwise, and after a grueling excursion, he makes pretty interesting discoveries.

The icing on the cake is Adams’s cheery and funny writing style; he’ll put a smile on your face and it’ll stay till the end of the book!

You’ll be inspired to: Visit Machu Pichu

Order a copy: Amazon India | Amazon Worldwide

10. Notes from a Small Island – Bill Bryson

Wait… Is Bill Bryson already making a comeback on my list? Heck yes – have you even read his books?!! He’s hilarious!

After living in Britain for 20 years, Bryson makes a farewell journey across the length and breadth of the country. He visits the smallest towns and the busiest cities. The entire book is packaged with umpteen jokes which are very “Bill Bryson”. He’ll make you burst into peels of laughter, sometimes snicker a tad, and he’ll often make you think really hard about how culturally diverse people can be even within the same coordinates.

Especially having spent time in London and having noticed some typical English habits that stand out, the book had tons of little nuggets that made me go, “Oh this is too accurate!”

[You Might Like: 10 Typically English Things to Do in London]

So if you’re from Britain, or if the island holds a special place in your heart, make sure you read this awesome, side-splitting travelogue!

You’ll be inspired to: Visit the United Kingdom

Order a copy: Amazon India | Amazon Worldwide

Have you read any of the recommendations above? Which travel books have you read that have stayed with you? Any you’d like to recommend?

P.S. This article originally appeared on my website, My Right Sock. If you enjoyed the read, I can promise you I'm a lot more entertaining on Instagram. Hop over and say hi!