The 30 Best Books To Read While Travelling
“I read, I travel, I become.” One of the best things about travelling is that you suddenly you have all this time to read.
No matter if you are camping, sitting on an airplane for a few hours or lounging at some tropical pool, a good book may just what you need to relax and detox from social.
Especially when travelling to foreign countries I have never been to before, I tend to read a lot more as I am eager to learn more about the history and culture of the country which sometimes simply cannot be picked up while walking the streets.
So here’s my list of the best books to read while travelling. Are you ready? Let’s start!
1. The Kite Runner
With over seven million copies sold in the U.S. and translated into 42 languages, this book surely needs to be included in the top 5 best books to read while on vacation.
It follows the story of two inseparable boys, Amir and Hassan, who grow up together in Kabul, Afghanistan covering a period of change and destruction while focusing on an unlikely friendship.
2. Into The Wild
A book about exploring the outer limits of self, withdrawing from civilization and seeking enlightenment through isolation and unity with nature.
The idea of the book started from the investigation of the true story of Chris McCandless, who went into the Alaskan wilderness and whose SOS note and skeletal corpse were found several months later. One of the best books to read while travelling solo!
3. The Beach
This great novel’s plot is set in Thailand and it presents the story of Richard, a young backpacker, who chooses to find a hidden beach that is believed to be an exotic paradise.
One of the best books to read while backpacking, especially in Southeast Asia, as it just makes your desire to travel to exotic destinations and escape reality bigger and bigger.
4. The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy
An extremely funny book that presents the journey of Arthur Dent and Ford Prefect into space as the Earth is destroyed.
Even their names will make you laugh as you try to pronounce them. Definitely, one of these good books to read while traveling if you want to laugh a lot.
5. Eat, Pray, Love
You must have heard of this extraordinary novel! Dive into one of the best wanderlust books and read about Elizabeth’s choice to leave behind the American modern life and find what she truly seeks.
You will be delighted to find out details about the art of pleasure and the art of devotion, both experienced amid three different cultures: Italian, Indian and Indonesian.
6. Ten Years A Nomad
Do you want to know how one of the most successful travel bloggers feels about walking barefoot on a beach in Thailand? Read this book and you will come to find out what is to be a nomad along with stories from Matt Kepnes’ adventures abroad.
It’s part memoir and partly a philosophical look at the questions of why we travel and in my eyes the best books to read while travelling.
7. The Alchemist
A simple and wise book about a shepherd in search of a treasure buried in the Pyramids turns out to be one of deeply humane story and a real proof of the transforming power of our dreams and goals. I am sure you will devour this one!
8. Girls Who Travel
The general idea of this book revolves around that most women want to experience the world. The main character will soon find that great adventures can happen even without travelling far. One of the greatest travel storybooks that will make you laugh hard and long until the very last page.
9. Life Of Pi
This is the extraordinary journey of Pi Patel, a zookeeper’s son, who manages to coexist on a lifeboat with a huge tiger for 227 days. However, the authorities refuse to believe the boy’s story and he has to invent a new one. Perhaps not as bizarre as the real one.
An international bestseller for a reason! Also makes for a good movie to watch on the plane as it was made into a film also.
10. On The Road
Ever since its initial publication, more than fifty years ago, this novel has been inspirational for many generations of travellers. You will simply love it, as it is a classic novel about the longing for freedom and liberty of two friends travelling cross-country in search of true experiences.
Yep, it’s definitely been one of the best travel books for decades!
11. The Innocents Abroad
his humorous travel memoir was decisive for Twain’s fame for the rest of his life. The book takes you on a journey of an American who goes abroad for the first time. He travels from Paris to Venice and finally to Bethlehem.
His humour will turn out to be tenser for the present generation than for his contemporaries.
12. Wild
After a series of disasters in her life, the author decides to go hiking on the Pacific Crest Trail for a thousand miles all by herself. A stylish, warm, humorous book, and one of the best books to read while backpacking. It will surprise you with the journey that ultimately heals the author and main character.
13. First They Killed My Father: A Daughter Of Cambodia Remembers
This is the real and chilling story of a childhood survivor of the terrible experiences of the communist years in Democratic Kampuchea under the regime of Pol Pot. A must-read when traveling Cambodia.
14. A Sunburned Country
Australia is known for the many things that can potentially kill you. Bill Bryson takes you off the beaten tourist path and along to meet the friendliest Australians, visit beautiful clean cities and wander under the eternal sunshine. It is one of the greatest road trip books that will make you want to come to Australia!
15. All The Light We Cannot See
After ten years of writing, the author manages to bring to us a wonderful book that talks about the lives of a French blind girl and a German boy whose paths collide during the occupation of France in WWII.
An extremely moving and touchy novel about people trying to be good to one another.
16. Last Train To Istanbul
It is the amazing story of a young Turkish woman and a Jewish young man who fled to Paris to marry and build a new life. The Nazis’ period starts and they will learn that nothing in the world can break family bonds.
17. Shantaram
A vivid book with parts based on the author’s known biography. It is the story of an Australian convict who escapes from a high-security prison and flees to India.
The book is fantastic for its great portrayal of the turbulent life and rich diversity of life in Bombay as the main character searches for love and meaning.
18. What I Was Doing While You Were Breeding
For anyone not ready to settle down but need an escape from the daily routine and job.
You will encounter Israeli bartenders, Finnish poker players, sexy Bedouins, and Argentinean priests who come to help the main character to turn into a slower and softer version of her former self. It is one of the best books to read while travelling to South America and beyond.
19. The Backpacker
This book is for everyone who loved “The Beach”! The author shares his turbulent travels through India, Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, Australia and Hong Kong.
After a true story but not for the faint-hearted. Read the book and take a break from the tumultuous rhythm of daily life!
20. A Room With A View
The book portrays the story of a young girl from Britain named Lucy. Set in the early 20th century, the book is a social comedy that tells the love story of a socially unsuitable young man. It is one of the best books to read while travelling in Italy.
21. Uganda Be Kidding Me
On safari in Africa, on a kayak in the Bahamas or in Telluride, Chelsea’s life is dangerous. The book offers incredible travel trips and etiquette. Read, laugh, and travel with one of the best travel books of modern times!
22. The Happiness Project
Warning, this book might make you happy! Even the most modest changes can make the greatest difference in your life.
The Happiness Project is the attempt to discover what truly makes a person happy in a yearlong transformation that really is a lifelong approach to constantly evolve to become our best selves.
23. In Patagonia
This is the book that established Bruce Chatwin as a great travel writer.
His book tells some intriguing stories of wandering around the remote areas of Patagonia. All humans have the need to wander in life and it is a great travel book to read travelling South America.
24. A Walk In The Woods
Another epic read by Bill Bryson and a good book to read while camping. In case you feel like taking a long hike along the Appalachian Trail that covers 14 states and is known as the longest path in the world, this book will take you on a humorous journey through the woods of America.
25. A Year In Provence
The kind of book that shows you how to fulfill your greatest dreams and have the courage to leave behind the world, as you know it. Moving into a very old stone farmhouse in southern France makes the main characters who come from the grey and cold winters of England, understand and live at a tempo perfectly governed by seasons and not by days.
26. Unlikely Destinations
The book is an exclusive combination of autobiography, work history, and travel. It is the personal story of Tony and Maureen Wheeler, the founders of Lonely Planet.
The story behind the birth of the successful publishing company definitely can be included successfully in the Top 10 travel books.
27. I'm A Stranger Here Myself
This is the wonderful story of the author’s family's return to the US after living for 20 years in the UK. They find a totally different country that essentially values things like microwave pancakes and 24-hour dental floss hotlines.
The result is a humorous book about their attempt to readapt to their own country.
28. Vagabonding
Consider it a life-changing book, especially if you have been thinking about that long-term trip for a while!
The author teaches you how to be brave enough to take extended time off from your normal life, decide upon a destination, how to finance your travels with work and volunteering abroad, and ultimately, how to get back to ordinary life.
29. The Year Of Living Danishly
This book is a great record of the author’s journey into rural Denmark. For a whole year, she studied the phenomena of being happy, just like the Danes.
Thus, we find out why Danes are so happy and how we might be able to include the happy Danish lifestyle into our own lives.
30. Crazy Rich Asians
It is the story of a normal girl that accepts to spend the summer with her beloved boyfriend in Singapore, his homeland.
But the young man forgets to give her some major details, which turns her relaxed vacation into an unpleasant combination of old and new money, noisy relatives and greedy social climbers. It is one of the best books to read while travelling in Asia.
Sometimes, you just need to escape from your daily routine. You feel that your work is on high speed with hundreds of deadlines, your personal space becomes smaller by the day and the weather is just so depressing.
Travelling has this wonderful magic that can take all these things off your mind!
Well, sounds like it’s time to book your plane ticket, free your mind in a new destination and get lost in a good book for a couple of days. I promise it’s better than seeing a therapist!
Do you have a favourite travel book? Share it with me in the comments below.
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