Books are a wonderful thing! They can educate us, make us laugh, and transport us a world away. That’s one reason I love reading. Combining two of my favourite things, travel and books, I’ve set off to compile an epic list of travel books and these books inspire travel around the world.
We travel the world over for many reasons. To explore iconic cities like Paris and London as well as to experience ruins, historic sites, charming neighbourhoods and in search of our heritage. There are countless ways we are inspired to travel; from watching movies like Indiana Jones or television shows like Game of Thrones, even songs like Kokomo. For many of us it’s the stories within our favourite books that inspire us to travel.
So, I’ve set off to find at least one book for every country that could inspire you to travel there. These books inspire travel to countries across the globe and come in everything from memoirs to fiction novels. I hope these inspring travel books stir wanderlust within you and maybe even inspire you to travel too. And for the times when you can’t travel, I hope they transport you a world away.
14 Inspiring Travel Books from Around the World
Whether you’re in between trips and have some serious cures to your post-trip blues or are looking for inspiration on where to travel next, here are over 14 books that inspire travel. There’s everything from travel memoirs to books set in destinations that make the place the character and more!
Books Inspire Travel to Europe
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Portugal
Night Train to Lisbon by Pascal Mercier – My pick
Night Train to Lisbon follows a strange Latin teacher, Raimund Gregorious, as he sets out on an unexpected journey that will change his life forever. After a chance encounter with a Portuguese woman in his home town of Bern, Switzerland and stumbling upon a mesmerizing book in his local used bookstore written by a Portuguese doctor, it’s as though Portugal is calling to him. Breaking all routine he heads to Lisbon by train in search of what, he’s not quite sure – the man who wrote the thought-provoking book, a break, or something he’s not yet aware of?
While preparing for my epic solo adventure to the UK & Europe that I took last summer I was reading books that took place in Europe. One such book was Night Train to Lisbon. While Lisbon was already in my sights after reading Night Train to Lisbon I knew I had to travel to Portugal, to see this fabulous yet gritty city for myself, to meet its people and perhaps find my own Lisbon. While I didn’t find Mercier’s Portugal, I did feel the lurking subtext.
England
Notes from a Small Island by Bill Bryson – My pick
I’d been to London, England a few times but had never really ventured farther afield until after I read Bill Bryson’s Notes from a Small Island. I’ve become a big fan of his witty writing and humble adventurous spirit.
After almost 20 years of living in his adoptive home of Britain, he decides to move back to the United States. But before his move, he decides to take a trip around the island. From coast to coast, through oddly named small town after the next, Bryson writes of the interesting yet quirky people and places he encounters. Poking fun at meal choices and whether he spins the staunch English into a strangely entertaining and heart full bunch.
He had me laughing out loud from the very first page and after reading the last page I knew I had explored more of England. So, last year on my epic solo Europe & UK adventure I decided to travel through the charming countryside of England and browse its small towns in search of characters out of Bryson’s novel – and let me tell you, I wasn’t disappointed.
Other Books about England; The Frozen Thames
Germany
Goodbye to Berlin by Chrisopher Isherwood – Tamason Gamble from Travelling Book Junkie
This book, whilst non-fiction is not really a travel book although it did inspire me to book a flight to Berlin before I had even finished reading it. This is one person’s eyewitness account of what happens in Berlin, Germany pre-WWII? Christopher Isherwood highlights the highs and lows of life in Berlin in his short biographical observations from a person who would have potentially been persecuted during the war itself. Split into six short stories, all with inter-linking characters, we trapeze through 1930’s Berlin, getting a brief glimpse of what Germany must have been like before the imposing regime of Hitler.
So why did this inspire me?
I wanted to see Berlin through my own eyes after reading about the wonderful city through the eyes of another. I remember watching TV when the Berlin Wall came down, thinking to myself how awful it must have been for people to feel so constricted in their movements, so when I picked up Isherwood’s book and read about how freely people could move around I wanted to explore.
I went expecting to see a city hardened by its past but all I found were warm, welcoming individuals wanting the world to know that they have moved on from their tragic past.
Looking for more travel books? Click here for more recommendations.
Italy
Death in Venice by Thomas Mann – Patty Berwald from American in Tuscany
The first time I went to Venice was in my Junior Year in College with my classmates from the Tyler Scuola di Arte in Rome. It was April and the City, though it floods more severely and more often today, was damp, dank, shrouded in fog, mysterious and beautiful. It captured my imagination and filled my senses. Naturally I chose Death in Venice to read for our existentialist class while we toured, and I reread it there 20 years later when I returned with my family.
I became obsessed with the visuals of the grey waters flowing between pilings and buildings, the connected and disconnected islands within the City proper and in the lagoons, the decadent, gold washed, Moorish architecture that suggests the exotic tastes, powers and needs of the Doges, adding a 17th century context to the invention and ambition it must have taken to concept and build a city served, protected and, also, ruined by the sea. Venice exerts a controlled chaos over its inhabitants, rulers and conquerors. She literally encourages the visitor to wander map-less and submit to its temptations and mysteries.
Thomas Mann’s story is about the shame of illicit love, the grief of aging and the intangible, fleeting nature of youth and beauty. As Venice continues its graceful decay, perfection is ruined and unreachable. Romance, loneliness, the isolation of deep, uncontrollable passion and longing, all seem at home in Venice. Sadness, greatness, awe, discovery, the losing of oneself among the winding streets and the bridges that connect and punctuate the intersections of canals and pedestrian thoroughfares, are all felt simultaneously, mimicking the desperation and confusion of the main character Aschenbach.
Switzerland
360 Degrees Longitude by John Hingham – Tara Marlow from Travel Far Enough
John Hingham writes about his family’s adventure of travelling the world before an incident in Switzerland takes the trip in a whole new direction. After more than a decade of planning, John and his wife, along with their two children, aged eight and eleven, travel around the world. They visit 28 countries over a year, experiencing a lifetime of adventures, learning not only about each other but also how much a family can weather if they do it together.
This book has inspired me on so many levels: When you plan your dream, it will happen. How travel can show you how resilient you can be and how much it can connect you. After reading about all of the places John and his family explored, Switzerland was the place the stood out most to me. Zermatt particularly. Probably because it was the turning point in the book. But I fell in love with this place. I want to see the boulder that Katrina fell from. I want to have coffee in a restaurant overlooking these gorgeously described mountains. I want to take the tram to the top of a mountain and imagine what life would be like to live there. I want see the Matterhorn.
Switzerland is now on our Living List (we refuse to call it a Bucket List as it’s what we LIVE for) because of this book. We will be exploring Zermatt and more next year when we begin our own World-The-Round adventure (read the book, you’ll understand the reference).
Other books set in Europe that I’ve read are; Girl Gone Greek by Rebecca Hall and The Pillars of Hercules by Paul Theroux. Or if you’re looking for a list of books set in Paris – I’ve got you covered too!
Don’t worry I didn’t forget about Canada! I have a whole list of books based in Canada with everything from memoirs to mysteries.
United States of America
Blue Highways: A Journey into America by William Least Heat – Billie Frank from Santa Fe Travelers
We’re big fans of road trips and William Least Heat-Moon’s Blue Highways: A Journey into America, first published in 1982, is a must read for road trip enthusiasts. My husband Steve and I love road trips and Moon’s 13,000 mile plus journey around the perimeter of United States on back roads (the blue lines on the map, hence the book’s name) spoke to us. He eloquently shares his 1978 journey made in a 1975 Ford van-turned camper that he named “Ghost Dancing.” He visited big cities with familiar names such as Nashville, San Antonio and San Francisco and discovered small towns with quirky names like Simplicity, Virginia; Only, Tennessee; Paradise, Arizona and Remote, Oregon. From then on when traveling we scanned the walls in restaurants to see how many calendars they’d tacked up. Read the book if you want to know the significance of these.
Moon traveled slowly, taking time to talk to people along the way. Today, too many of us either fly over or travel across the country on the vast interstate road system missing the blue highways that dot the American landscape. We celebrated William Least Heat-Moon’s spirit last year exploring back roads between the Arizona/California border and southeastern Ohio. It was a voyage of discovery and we loved it. If you want to see a side of America often missed, read the book, get inspired and hit the road. Part of our back road journey is chronicled here.
Iran
The Way of the World by Nicolas Bouvier – Monika M from Amused Observer
The Way of the World by Nicolas Bouvier made me think of Iran for the first time. I heard a lot about the country as it has been popular with my travelling friends for quite some time, but it was The Way of the World that made me put Iran of my travel bucket list.
The Way of the World is the story of an epic road trip that twenty-four-year old Nicolas and his friend took in the 1950s. They set off from Europe to India and travelled slowly. It is not a simple report of a trip or a string of adventures and you won’t find deep analysis of the countries they passed. Yet, through the descriptions of everyday life and meetings with local people and all the difficulties they encountered on the way you learn a lot because Bouvier is a very observant and entertaining author. The language is rich and descriptive and it’s easy to imagine people, places and events.
Australia
Exploring Australia with Arthur Upfield – Marion Halliday from Redz Australia
I love a good travel book. And I’m a sucker for a good whodunit! So I was thrilled to discover a whole series of 30+ Australian crime novels, each set in a different place WAY off the beaten track, I was stoked. Even if they were written over 50 years ago!
Author Arthur Upfield’s novels feature enigmatic mixed-race Detective Inspector Napoleon Bonaparte – “Bony” – who travels Australia solving cold cases. But with setting as important as character to the plot, Upfield’s descriptions of the remote and unusual locations Bony visits evoke a sense of place inspiring to those who, like me, want to see the ‘real Australia’. After emigrating and serving in the Australian army during World War 1, Upfield travelled extensively in Australia, using his varied travel and work experiences and the colourful characters he met as the basis for his novels. Upfield’s knowledge of aboriginal customs and post-colonial tensions are a key feature, with both worlds skilfully brought together in Bony who draws on his dual-nationality heritage to solve his cases with a blend of traditional police work and traditional Indigenous skills – and a deep understanding of the land.
The landscapes of these quintessentially Australian novels are as relevant now as when Upfield observed them. I see, for example, the Darling River in flood, the sinister side of the Grampians, the remote Kimberley before modern day communications contracted the world. I find eastern South Australia in drought, the vastness of the Diamantina basin, the desert’s all-encompassing sands where secrets and motives for murder are buried.
Papua New Guinea
Four Corners: One Woman’s Solo Journey Into the Heart of Papua New Guinea by Kira Salak – Vanessa Workman from The Island Drum
Four Corners: One Woman’s Solo Journey Into the Heart of Papua New Guinea, is the book that has inspired me to travel to Papua New Guinea. It’s the true account of a young American woman who travelled solo to Papua New Guinea to follow the adventurous footsteps of British explorer Ivan Champion, who in 1927, was the first person to successfully cross the island. Kira also aspired to be a travel writer, which led her to seek more diverse travel adventures and challenges. She accomplished both goals, not only becoming a successful travel writer but she also became the first woman to successfully cross Papua New Guinea.
I was a good ten years older than Kira but I had fantasies of adventure and exotic lands. Kyra as a person (not necessarily as a woman) drew me in immediately. I wanted to be the person who was also brave enough to colour outside the box of lifestyles and travel. Her encounters in Papua New Guinea were an exciting glimpse into a fascinating culture and I immediately put that destination at the top of my bucket list. Her writing was honest, witty and intelligent and to be able to combine this with the telling of such an adventurous tale has me spellbound.
Books Inspire Travel to South America
Peru
Lost City of the Incas by Hiram Bingham III – Lance & Laura Longwell from Travel Addicts
In college, a professor had us read “Lost City of the Incas” by Hiram Bingham III. The book, and the story behind it, captured my imagination and was a large reason for our visit to Peru in 2010. While we didn’t set out to discover any lost lands, our trip was every bit the journey of self-discovery that drove Bingham.
The Lost City of the Incas is the story of the 1911 Yale Peruvian Expedition and the discovery of Machu Picchu. Yale’s Professor South American history, Hiram Bingham, became enchanted with stories of Inca warriors in Peru during his trip to the 1908 Pan American Congress in Chile. He heard tales of a lost capital of the Incas in the Andes Mountains. The Lost City of the Incas chronicles the tale to discover this capital. Bingham is a magnificent storyteller and his book draws readers into the Andes jungle with him. Blending both stories of the archaeological digs and trips to other Incan sites, Bingham weaves a story of the last days of the Incas while he struggles to interrupt his discoveries.
There can be no doubt that anyone who has seen a picture of Machu Picchu perched high in the Andes Mountains is impressed by the location. Bingham’s tale, while maybe not accurate, does capture the attention of anyone who reads it. Many believe Bingham is the inspiration for the Indiana Jones series. Whether that’s true or not, Bingham did inspire us to visit Peru and make our own trek to Machu Picchu.
Colombia
New Granada: Twenty Months in the Andes by Isaac F. Holton – Karin from Girl Astray
I bought this book for two dollars in San Francisco and the vendor couldn´t believe somebody wanted to read it! It is a 19th century travelogue written by Isaac Farewell Holton who describes the land of what is Colombia today as he journeys from the Caribbean coast up to the Andes mountains. He first takes a set of steamers that need to be pushed up by slave-like workers against the powerful flow of the river Magdalena and later on he walks a great distance from the town of Honda across the Andes and finally to Bogotá.
Holton is fascinated with nature and as a knowledgeable botanist, he describes plants in a great detail. Nevertheless, he also writes about the culture, customs, food, wear, architecture, organization of the society, education system and so on. Aside from being detailed and organized, his writing is also very funny and ironic at times.
Although I discovered this book right after leaving Colombia where I have lived for more than a year, I loved reading it as I have visited many places described in it and also because sometimes, things haven´t changed all that much. Later on, when I have returned to Colombia, I was happy to have the opportunity to see the country through a different pair of eyes that belonged to a year 1857 traveller.
Books Inspire Travel to Asia
China
Lost on Planet China by J. Maarten – Mimi McFadden from The Atlas Heart
I had seen J. Maarten Troost’s book, Lost on Planet China, a few times at the bookstore but never picked it up until about a month ago. Once I read the back, I was immediate entranced by his sense of humor and non-politically correct attitude. I brought it home with me and dived into his controversial yet truthful tales of life in China. He wrote about how he went to China to explore whether it was a place and culture he could move to with a family and integrate into.
He went all over the country to the big sights, cities, and small countryside towns that gave a brief break from the heavily polluted air and masses of people. He may have even accidentally stepped into North Korea at one point on a joy boat ride. I found myself laughing uncontrollably but also noticed my curiosity peaking with each page I turned. To be honest, China was a country that had never been high on my list of places to visit, but after reading this book I started researching more about traveling there and eventually put it as my first stop destination during my trip to Asia this coming fall. Troost paints a picture of a place that is not always glamorous but rewarding and lovable in its own smoggy and sometimes interesting smelling way.
I want to travel to China to see if I have a similar experience, to see if I find a connection to a place that has gone through so much change in past decades. It could be the most intriguing place I’ve traveled to as of yet and that alone is worth the journey.
Thailand
Bangkok Days by Lawrence Osborne – Aleah Taboclaon of Solitary Wanderer
Before I traveled to Thailand, I had already read the book-turned-movie The Beach, and although the islands were expertly described, it didn’t make me want to travel there. One reason may be because I’m from the Philippines, an archipelago chockfull of islands and beaches just as beautiful as the ones written in the book. (Though the author did say that the original inspiration for the movie was Palawan, an island in the Philippines.)
Things were different when I first read Bangkok Days by Lawrence Osborne, whose vivid descriptions of the Thai capital and its various interesting characters made Bangkok so alive, so real, for me. I read it again when I lived in Bangkok for four months, and I could perfectly relate with Osborne’s characterization of the city. It’s a highly recommended book for those who have yet to travel to Thailand.
Fiji
Maya by Jostein Gaarder – Rain Campanilla from Words & Wanderlust
On a flight from Brunei to Brisbane, I got hold of the book, Maya, by Jostein Gaarder. Just how Gaarder validated my views on the world through the eyes of Sophie Amundsen in one of his more popular books, Sophie’s World, he ushered me to anew door with Maya.
He spoke of Taveuni, a tiny Fijian Island just over a thousand miles away from my home in Auckland. I have heard of it before, from David, a Polynesian boy I dated for fourteen months. His family owned a piece of land there. He referred to it as the “Garden Island,” where everything planted thrived. Sometimes, he spoke of it as the “Last Paradise.” Garden Island and Last Paradise, both of which was mentioned by Gaarder in his book. I wondered if it was fated: me getting hold of a book that was more philosophical than it was fiction; a novel telling stories that I have already heard from a local I once bared my heart to; and a piece of literature where the line between fantasy and reality, of time and space– was blurred.
Taveuni sits directly on the 180-degree meridian. It means to say that the International Date Line runs through the island’s very soil, making one part of the island today, and the other, tomorrow or depending on where one stands, one can also be today, and the other, yesterday. At once, I fell in love. I kept the discovery my own little secret and held on to it; vowed that I will live the dream one day, when the time was right.
Are you looking for more travel-related books?
I’ve read a host of books that don’t just focus on one specific place but instead take you all around the world! A few are; Turbulence by David Szalay, No Regrets by Linda McDermott, Sand in My Bra by a compilation of writers, and Love with a Chance of Drowning by Torre DeRoche.
Do you have you’d like to add to this list of books that inspire travel?
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. By clicking through and purchasing through these links I may make a small commission to help run this blog.
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