“Reading is like travel, allowing you to exit your own life for a bit, and to come back with a renewed, even inspired, perspective.”
—Laurie Helgoe
A running list of my favorite books related to travel that make me want to explore the world and dive into cultures different from my own. Follow me on Goodreads to see what else I'm reading!
What I Was Doing While You Were Breeding by Kristen Newman
I had never laughed out loud while reading until this book. While the rest of her friends are getting married and having babies, Kristin is jetting off solo to explore the world. She details her love affairs with various countries as well as the local men in them. Her relatable writing is both humorous and inspiring and has given me one of my favorite travel mantras: “doing the thing you’re supposed to do in the place you’re supposed to do it.”
Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
I consider Elizabeth Gilbert one of my greatest role models and personal guru. She has a fixed seat at my ideal dinner party, and I even went so far as to tattoo an excerpt of a quote of hers on my body. Needless to say, everyone needs to read this book (in addition to all of her others). Spurred by a divorce, depression, and failed rebound relationship, Liz decides to undertake a yearlong journey around the globe. She travels to three different countries, hoping to reclaim parts of her identity in each-- pleasure in Italy, spirituality in India, and a balance between the two in Bali. The memoir reminds us of the magical self-discovery possible when we abandon the things that society believes are supposed to fulfill us.
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
This book is a modern classic and one that I recommend to everyone. The story chronicles a young boy’s journey to find a treasure hidden in the Pyramids that appears to him in a recurring dream. It is full of messages about following your life’s mission, the importance of travel, and listening to signs from the universe.
At Home in the World: Reflections on Belonging While Wandering the Globe by Tsh Oxenreider
Tsh so accurately depicts the tension between enjoying the comforts of home and wanting to abandon all your worldly possessions in pursuit of an epic adventure. After a bit too much time on the settled end of the spectrum, Tsh and her husband decide to sell their house, put their belongings in storage, and uproot their lives with three children and five backpacks in tow. This book is a testament to how beneficial travel is for children, the ways we can create homes in the most foreign of places, and how it is possible to balance a passion for travel with a love of roots, stability, and home.
The Yellow Envelope: One Gift, Three Rules, and A Life-Changing Journey Around the World by Kim Dinan
Don't overthink it; share your experiences (if you want to); don't feel pressured to give it all away. These are the only three rules attached to the $1,000 gifted to Kim and Brian after quitting their jobs to embark on a journey around the world. However--not sugarcoating their experience-- Kim details the marital issues that came to light during their travels and their struggle with the ‘appropriate’ situations in which to give away the money. She also conveys how travel forces us to embrace the uncertain and put our trust in the world to take care of us. “That’s the irony of travel. The bigger the distance between you and the familiar grew, the smaller and safer and friendlier the world felt.”
Wanderlust: A Love Affair with Five Continents by Elisabeth Eaves
I found this book super relatable, as Elisabeth was an International Relations masters who lived in an Arabic speaking country, New York, and Paris (three places I’ve also lived). The memoir reflects on her cultural and romantic encounters across five continents, beginning in her sophomore year of college. It is a light read that provides a great take on romance, responsibility, and self-discovery through travel.
Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah
You probably recognize Trevor Noah from his successful career on the Daily Show. However, you may not know that he grew up the son of a white Swiss father and a black Xhosa mother in apartheid South Africa. His memoir gives us a unique perspective on the realities of apartheid and the way his childhood was shaped by the disadvantages laid out before him from birth. Through humorous yet emotional anecdotes, he reflects on the unconventional ways in which his mother sought to protect him from generational trauma and abuse.
Our Women on the Ground: Essays by Arab Women Reporting from the Arab World edited by Zahra Hankir
Nineteen female journalists provide candid firsthand accounts of reporting in the Arab world during various conflicts. Each story is raw, eye-opening, and inspiring in their own way. I consider this book a must-read, especially due to the misconceptions and stereotypes surrounding this region of the world and its women.
Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed
After her mother’s sudden death, Cheryl entered a spiral of self-destruction that involved alienation from her family, divorce, and an addiction to heroin. Four years later, at the age of 26, a lost and broken Cheryl embarks on a 1,100-mile solo hike along the Pacific Crest Trail. Her memoir describes not only the grueling physical challenges of the trail but the emotional roadblocks in her journey to healing and forgiveness. Cheryl’s raw writing resonates strongly with those who want to find themselves again after loss and reclaim their power.
My Life on the Road by Gloria Steinem
When you hear the word ‘feminism’, you can’t help but think of the legendary journalist-activist Gloria Steinem. Although a bit all over the place, her book contains wonderful anecdotes about activism, feminism, and travel. Reflecting on her life on the road, she remarks “when people ask me why I still have hope and energy after all these years, I always say: Because I travel.”
The 4-Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferriss
This book provides practical advice for people who want to escape the 9-5 lifestyle. Ferriss invites us to challenge traditional notions about work and life in order to enjoy ourselves now rather than work ourselves to death in pursuit of the “post-retirement good life.” I find his advice even more relevant in the post-COVID world where people recognize that we don’t need to be in an office five days a week to be efficient and are starting to embrace the concept of 'work from anywhere.'
No One Tells You This by Glynnis MacNicol
If you feel like you are continuously justifying your unconventional life choices, this book will make you feel seen in more ways than one. Glynnis takes readers along a tumultuous journey of grief, friendship, travel, love, and self-discovery as a single, childless woman. Her memoir is relatable, empowering, and assuring that an untethered female life can be just as fulfilling as a settled one.
One Italian Summer by Rebecca Serle
After Katy’s mother dies, she is left with grief and two tickets to Positano for what was supposed to be the mother-daughter trip of a lifetime. Katy decides to take the trip alone, and once in Italy begins to learn more about the version of her mother who visited this magical place years ago. While pulling at your heartstrings, this book will transport you to the Amalfi Coast, where you can feel the salty air on your skin while sipping on a glass of chilled wine.
The Paris Hours by Alex George
It’s 1927 in Paris, and four people are each searching for something they’ve lost. Told over the course of a single day, George artistically weaves these four characters’ stories together until their paths finally cross in a dramatic ending. Beautifully written and emotional, this book is a must-read for anyone who loves Paris.
The Paris Bookseller by Kerri Maher
This historical fiction novel transports you back in time into the magical literary world of early 20th century Paris. In 1919, American Sylvia Beach moved to Paris and opened the famous bookstore Shakespeare and Company, which became a haven for writers like Joyce and Hemingway. Soon after, Sylvia undertook the daunting task of publishing Joyce’s banned novel, Ulysses, which resulted in great strain on her personal and financial life. Despite these challenges, Sylvia remained committed to keeping the bookshop’s doors open and getting important works out into the world. This is a novel for those who appreciate the magic of bookstores, Paris, and determined women.