Top 5 Travel Books For Inspiration
Whether you’re looking for motivation, someone to relate to or just need something to read on the plane, then travel books are definitely the way to go.
I’m not talking about ‘The Lonely Planet’ guidebooks (don’t get me wrong, always up for a bit of Lonely Planet), I’m talking about stories of adventure. I’m talking about overcoming struggles, escaping to new lands and doing new things.
I tend to lean more towards female solo travellers but that’s only because I am one, I can relate to them but any travel book with a gripping storyline will do!
Books always have the perfect way of transporting you to somewhere else, somewhere new and for a lot of us, they actually help guide us into the next phase of our lives.
I’ve read many books over the years during my travels and it's nice to know that there are several of us out there. We all fall on hard times but we all pick ourselves straight back up and laugh about it later.
Travel reads are an absolute must in my collection and here are just a few of my favourites that go far beyond ‘Eat Pray Love’.
I hope you will enjoy them as much as I did!
The Beach
by Alex Garland
I thought I’d start with this one as it’s probably the most well-known on the list and chances are that if you haven’t read the book, then you’ve probably seen the film with Leonardo DiCaprio. I urge you to give the book a try because you know how Hollywood likes to change things!
I actually only read this book in 2018 when I was backpacking in Thailand. Sure, I’d seen the film, but the book captivated me in a way that the film hadn’t been able to do. Cliche I know, seeing as the book is set in Thailand…
The Beach is about a young male backpacker in Thailand who discovers a beautiful remote island and joins the like-minded travelling community that occupy it. He’s living the dream, or so he thinks…
Where Is She? Travel To Trauma: One Woman's Journey To Completely Losing Herself
by Alyshia Ford
Alyshia (Aly, for short) has a really successful YouTube channel and online blog under the name Psycho Traveller. I first came across her channel whilst researching backpacking tips and found myself avidly watching her Australia videos. She also visited New Zealand the same time I did and even stayed in the same hostel I’d once stayed in but hey, missed my chance.
Anyway, what I didn’t know was that she’d been through something truly horrific which is what her book is about. I guess I thought it would be a book about her travels, much like her youtube channel.
To be fair, I should have paid more attention to the title really.
I thoroughly enjoyed the book, even during the dark moments, and I would definitely recommend it, especially to all solo female backpackers!
How Not to Travel The World: Adventures of a Disaster-Prone Backpacker
by Lauren Juliff
Lauren is another very successful British blogger. Her book is about her decision to go travelling whilst suffering from awful, debilitating mental illnesses. It’s ridiculously relatable, to me at least, and it proves that you can do anything you want to do!
I honestly couldn’t put the book down, there’s truth, humour, sadness, happiness… everything you could ever possibly want, it’s all here.
Lauren’s book is the first book I read before setting off for my own adventure back in 2015. It genuinely inspired me and gave me that if she can do it, I can do it attitude.
Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail
by Cheryl Strayed
I have just read this whilst road-tripping around Scotland and feel like I really need to mention it. Although I’ve seen the film, nothing quite compares to the book.
‘Wild’ is another book-turned-film starring Reese Witherspoon and although it’s not about backpacking in some far off country, it still captures the essence of what adventure can really do for your soul.
This is a true story about an American woman setting off on her journey of self-discovery, describing her 1,100-mile hike on the Pacific Crest Trail.
Some parts are deeply upsetting, whilst other parts uplifting but by the end, you’ll be just as enlightened and reinvented as she was.
A Thousand New Beginnings
by Kristin Addis
Now, I have to be honest, I don’t know if this is a very well-known book or not, but if it isn’t, it ought to be!
Kristin Addis tells her story about leaving conventionality behind whilst travelling through Southeast Asia, in search of something more.
The book is a collection of diary entries highlighting different places, friendships and even relationships.
It’s such a great feeling to be able to relate to people through the art of storytelling and in A Thousand New Beginnings Kristin does it perfectly.
And there we have it, my Top 5 Travel Books for Inspiration!
There are a lot of books out there to get lost in, but it’s truly magical when you find that one special gem to inspire you!
