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14 Amazing Travel Memoirs to Read When You're Stuck at Home

Sarah Schlichter

Deputy Executive Editor Sarah Schlichter's idea of a perfect trip includes spotting exotic animals, hiking through pristine landscapes, exploring new neighborhoods on foot, and soaking up as much art as she can. She often attempts to recreate recipes from her international travels after she gets home (which has twice resulted in accidental kitchen fires—no humans or animals were harmed).

Sarah joined the SmarterTravel team in 2017 after more than a decade at the helm of IndependentTraveler.com. Sarah's practical travel advice has been featured in dozens of news outlets including the New York Times, the Chicago Tribune, USA Today, Budget Travel, and Peter Greenberg Worldwide Radio. Follow her on Twitter @TravelEditor .

The Handy Item I Always Pack: "A journal. Even years later, reading my notes from a trip can bring back incredibly vivid memories."

Ultimate Bucket List Experience: "Road tripping and hiking through the rugged mountains of Patagonia."

Travel Motto: "'To awaken quite alone in a strange town is one of the pleasantest sensations in the world.'—Freya Stark"

Aisle, Window, or Middle Seat: "Aisle. I get restless on long flights and like to be able to move around without disturbing anyone else."

Email Sarah at [email protected] .

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At times when you can’t travel, the best travel memoirs can transport you to far-away places, helping to feed your wanderlust even if you’re currently confined to your couch. The travel memoirs below capture destinations as far-flung as India, Australia, and Antarctica, and are all worth adding to your to-read list.

Travels with Charley in Search of America , John Steinbeck

This classic travel memoir follows John Steinbeck and his French poodle Charley across the U.S. from New York to Maine to California and back again. Travels with Charley offers a striking portrait of early 1960s America, from dramatic natural landscapes and simmering racial tensions to quirky characters he meets along the way.

The Singular Pilgrim: Travels on Sacred Ground , Rosemary Mahoney

From Spain’s 500-mile Camino de Santiago to the Ganges River in Varanasi, India, Rosemary Mahoney follows in the footsteps of religious believers on some of the world’s holiest journeys. The Singular Pilgrim blends humor, curiosity, and keen insight as Mahoney confronts her own Irish Catholic heritage and finds grace in unexpected places.

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From Scratch: A Memoir of Love, Sicily, and Finding Home , Tembi Locke

“In Sicily, every story begins with a marriage or a death. In my case, it’s both,” writes Tembi Locke on the first page of this moving memoir . Locke, an African-American actress, falls in love with a Sicilian chef whose family disapproves of their union. But after her husband’s untimely death, Locke brings their daughter to Sicily and slowly forges a relationship with his family that helps them all heal.

In a Sunburned Country , Bill Bryson

There’s a reason Bill Bryson is one of the most popular travel writers in the English language, and his signature wit and insight are on full display throughout In a Sunburned Country . As Bryson travels across Australia, he peppers fun facts with wry observations and conversations with cheery locals, bringing the country to life in his own inimitable style.

All the Way to the Tigers , Mary Morris

The newest travel memoir in this list, All the Way to the Tigers is well worth a preorder. It covers two journeys in one: Morris’ recovery from a devastating injury and her subsequent trip to India in search of tigers. Morris offers both inspiration and insight in this beautifully written book.

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Comfort Me with Apples: A Journey Through Life, Love and Truffles , Ruth Reichl

In Comfort Me with Apples , readers can eat their way around the world with food writer Ruth Reichl, sampling dry-fried shrimp in China and truffles in France. Reichl’s conversational writing style makes it feel like she’s talking to a friend—and her food descriptions will leave you hungry.

Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail , Cheryl Strayed

You might not expect a story of a woman hiking alone to be a page turner, but this international bestseller proves that wrong. Strayed writes about a period of crisis in her 20s, following the death of her mother and the dissolution of her marriage, when she made the brash decision to hike more than 1,000 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail from California to Washington. Her journey was as much emotional as physical, and Strayed writes about it in raw, visceral prose.

Ice Diaries , Jean McNeil

In Ice Diaries , Jean McNeil combines personal stories from her childhood in the Canadian Maritimes with vivid descriptions of her four months in Antarctica, as well as journeys to other icy destinations such as Svalbard and Greenland. Whether you’ve traveled to Antarctica or it’s still on your bucket list, McNeil’s book offers fascinating insight into the continent’s history and landscape.

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Looking for Transwonderland: Travels in Nigeria , Noo Saro-Wiwa

Though she grew up mostly in London, Noo Saro-Wiwa made frequent visits to Nigeria to visit her father, an activist who was later executed by the government. As an adult, she returns to the country for a deeper exploration of its corruption, culture, and unexpected charms. Looking for Transwonderland uses insight and humor to paint a multifaceted portrait of Nigeria.

The Lady and the Monk: Four Seasons in Kyoto , Pico Iyer

Pico Iyer intended to spend his year in Kyoto studying Zen Buddhism at a monastery and learning about Japan’s traditional culture—but his plans are upended when he meets a woman named Sachiko. The Lady and the Monk details their relationship, marked by cross-cultural misunderstandings and Iyer’s deepening appreciation for Japan in all its complexity.

All Over the Place: Adventures in Travel, True Love, and Petty Theft , Geraldine DeRuiter

Geraldine DeRuiter leads off the aptly titled All Over the Place with a wry disclaimer, noting that her book is not particularly informative and confessing, “If you follow my lead, you will get hopelessly, miserably lost.” But that only makes this book even more fun to read, as DeRuiter and her husband careen around the world, getting sick, getting lost, and falling even more deeply in love.

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Wild Coast: Travels on South America’s Untamed Edge , John Gimlette

If you’re drawn to the unfamiliar, Wild Coast is well worth a read. Gimlette takes readers to three rarely visited countries in South America—Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana—to reveal their colorful history, rare wildlife, and remote jungles.

The Snow Leopard , Peter Matthiessen

A masterwork of nature writing, The Snow Leopard details the author’s trek into the Himalayas in search of one of the Earth’s rarest and most elusive creatures. Matthiessen was a Zen Buddhist, and his memoir also includes his own internal journey toward a deeper understanding of the world around him.

Full Tilt: Ireland to India with a Bicycle , Dervla Murphy

The ultimate adventure story, Full Tilt follows an Irish woman in the early 1960s on a solo bicycle expedition across Europe and through Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India, accompanied only by her .25 revolver. Murphy encounters snow, sunstroke, stomach trouble, and other discomforts, but her struggles are offset by the fascinating people she meets and the magnificent landscapes through which she rides.

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Follow Sarah Schlichter on Twitter @TravelEditor for more travel tips and inspiration.

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25 Best Travel Memoirs and Non-Fiction Books about Travel

One of the best ways to learn about a destination is to read someone else’s account of it. These non-fiction books will inspire wanderlust all over the globe. In this post we asked bloggers for their recommendations for their favourite non-fiction travel books and this post is full of inspiring destinations, memoirs and books about travel and self-discovery. Here are the 25 best travel memoirs and non-fiction travel books to inspire wanderlust.

How Not to Travel the World: Adventures of a Disaster-Prone Backpacker by Lauren Juliffe

Recommended by Book It Let’s Go!

How not to travel the world is a travel memoir by well-known travel blogger Lauren Juliffe who set off on a yearlong adventure to see the world with zero experience and common sense. Lauren elaborates on stories from her blog Never Ending Footsteps and tells stories about how she navigates her way through Europe before meeting a guy online and on a whim decides to jet off to Thailand to meet him in person.

There are a series of misadventures that make you cringe, roll your eyes at her naivety and laugh out loud but ultimately you end up rooting for her all the way through and wondering what could possibly happen next.

Step by Step By Simon Reeve

Recommended by Ben from Ticket 4 Two Please

If you’re from the UK, you’ll be familiar with the work of Simon Reeve. The TV presenter and travel journalist has been gracing our screens since the early 2000s, bringing far-flung destinations directly to our living rooms for over 20 years. 

What you may be less familiar with however, is his journey to where he is today. Through his book, Step by Step, you are given a unique insight into the early life of the TV personality and how he became the face of contemporary British travel documentaries. 

In Step by Step, a fascinating recount of his life, you will learn how the 9/11 disaster had a profound impact on Reeve’s career, as well as how he was able to overcome challenging circumstances in his youth, to become the man he is today. From overcoming deadly diseases in Gabon, to discovering the ‘gates to hell’ in Turkmenistan, Reeve has had some truly wonderful life experiences.

If you can be sure of one thing, after reading Step by Step, even the most avid stay-at-home person will have a sense of wanderlust that they simply cannot shake. If you are a fan of adventure travel and discovering remote, often inhospitable destinations, then Step by Step is the perfect read for you.

The White Masai by Corinne Hofmann

Recommended by Martina from PlacesOfJuma

One of my favourite travel books about Kenya is the “The White Masai” by Corinne Hofmann. This piece is autobiographical and gives deep insights into the cultural life of Africa. It is about a 27 years young Swiss woman named Corinne, who is on vacation in Kenya and fell in love with the Maasai warrior Lketinga.

Overwhelmed by her feelings, she decides to settle down with him in Kenya and give up her old life including her relationship, her lovely boutique and she also sold her apartment in Switzerland. In this exciting book you experience Corinne’s unique story about the simple life in the bush, about her love for Kenya, but also the tragic problems of this unusual relationship and the severe illnesses she had to endure.

The Motorcycle Diaries by Ernesto Guevara

Recommended by Carley from Home to Havana

One of the most classic road trip books of all time, the Motorcycle Diaries is a compilation of the diaries of Ernesto “Che” Guevara as he travelled from his home in Argentina across all of South America, and the inspiration he found along the way.

The diaries follow his mishaps and misadventures through some of Latin America’s most well-known destinations, including Chilean Patagonia, the Atacama Desert, Machu Picchu, and much more. While this book is the perfect travel companion or inspiration for a trip to South America and some of its most emblematic landmarks, the Motorcycle Diaries is also one of the most important  books for travel to Cuba . This inside peek at the personal story and inspiration of the future revolutionary who shaped Cuba offers important insight into the impact he still has on Cuba today.

The Bone Man of Benares by Terry Tarnoff

Recommended by Nadine from The Expat Mummy

The Bone Man of Benares is the book that inspired me to travel and to take each day at a time.  A story of a hippie who headed out across the world during the 1970’s.  This true life account, follows Terry across the globe, through Thailand, Laos, Sweden, Amsterdam, Paris, Greece,  Kenya,  India, Nepal and Indonesia, amongst others.  His freewheeling attitude sees him bounce from country-to-country meeting mad characters and learning a whole lot about himself in the process.  I love the insight into tourist hotspots before they were ‘cool’, including my own current home, Kenya. It was a different time of life for travelling. A time when you could bum your way around the world with little more than a guitar and a smile.

Terry has an enviable, laid back attitude, to some pretty dark encounters. I love that he shares his raw emotions regarding love and life, his description of the places he visits and the facts that he immerses himself in the destinations spending months or years in each place rather than just drifting through. 

To Shake the Sleeping Self by Jedidiah Jenkins

Recommended by James from Wanderus Living

To Shake the Sleeping Self is a true story about a young man who biked from Oregon to Argentina. The non-fiction book is not just a synopsis of different countries, but more focused on the journey and struggles that he endured. For anyone wanting to explore and travel in a more connected way, a bicycle is a great cheap option. 

The book highlights how travel and adventure is more than just visiting unique places, but rather made by the people, your state of mind and attitude. Jedidiah followed the  California coast , to pass into Mexico and then went all the way to Patagonia. His story is truly moving and empowering as it might make you want to bike the Pan-American trail.

Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed

Recommended by Anisa from  Norfolk Local Guide

Wild is the true story of Cheryl Strayed’s solo 1,100 mile hike of the Pacific Coast Trail.  At age 26, after her mother’s death and the end of her marriage, she goes on the hike to discover more about herself and deal with her grief.  She had no previous hiking experience. 

The travel memoir starts by explaining the course of events that lead Cheryl to do the challenging hike.  Then you go along on the journey, starting in the Mojave Desert, through California and Oregon to the Bridge of the Gods in Washington where she reached her goal.  

It was inspiring to read about how Cheryl managed to complete the journey on her own.  She came close to running out of money and got herself in several precarious situations. In addition to the long distance, she had to overcome difficult terrain, weather, and even other hikers.   It wasn’t easy but by the end, she had grown so much as a person and had experiences to treasure for the rest of her life.  The book has made me consider doing a similar challenge, hopefully one day.

Wild was made into a movie in 2014, starring Reese Witherspoon.

Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life by William Finnegan

Recommended by Erin from Flying off the Bookshelf

William Finnegan doesn’t just love to surf — he’s obsessed with it. This travel memoir chronicles his love for surfing and how it has taken him around the world, from his beginnings in California, to his childhood in  Hawaii , to his journey through Fiji to find waves no one had ever discovered. Waves also call to him in Australia, South Africa, Portugal and New York.

In fact, no matter where he finds himself in the world (he spent many years as an international journalist), he is always seeking out the closest surf. His love for the sport is contagious, and you’ll find yourself falling in love with the idea of surfing and longing to travel to some of the places he finds as his obsession takes him around the globe.

Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long & Happy Life by Hector Garcia and Francesc Miralles 

Recommended by Alyse from The Invisible Tourist

This non-fiction travel book is the result of months of research into why people on the islands of Okinawa, Japan live the longest in the world. In fact, the book is a deep-dive into the reasons why these small islands have the highest concentration of supercentenarians (people who live to reach 110 years or more). What’s their secret?

The answer is the residents have all found their  ikigai  – their reason for being. The very thing that makes them happy to continue to get out of bed each day, even in their old age! Due to the islands being rather isolated, Okinawans embrace a close-knit community and have a strong connection with nature. Their healthy diets and dedication to each other provide them with a sense of purpose, contributing to improved health.

Whether you have already found your  ikigai  or are still searching for it deep within, this is one of the most unique  books on Japan  and their culture to inspire you. The intriguing principles discussed in the book are enough to entice you to jump on the next plane to tropical Okinawa to immerse yourself amongst the friendly warmth of locals and see the ideology in action!

Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

 Recommended by Debbie from World Adventurists

A married woman realizes that though she has what most dream of, she is unhappy in her marriage. She realizes that materialistic possessions are meaningless and begins her search to find her life’s true meaning. Taking a leap of faith, she risks everything to embark on a travel journey of self-discovery around the world , traveling solo for a year. As she travels, she finds nourishment in food in Italy, the power of prayer and spiritual development in India, and inner peace and true love in Bali.

Eat Pray Love is a great lesson about self-discovery and what is possible when you start living life on your terms, instead of what society expects of you.

Eat Pray Love was also made into a movie in 2010, starring Julia Roberts.

Holy Cow! An Indian Adventure by Sarah Macdonald

Recommended by Nilima from The Traveling CA

Sarah Macdonald is an Australian journalist, author and radio presenter. She left her successful career in Australia for love, to join her boyfriend in New Delhi. The extreme contrast between the two worlds and her journey to try and find herself in India is narrated hilariously in this book.

Through Sarah’s experiences, we learn more about the many cultures and traditional religious practices across this immense country like when she went to Kerala and was stunned by the extravagant temple celebrations of the state. Holy Cow takes us on a spiritual adventure across all of India and her encounter with the various religions practised in India-Hinduism, Sikhism, Islam, Parsis, Jainism, Buddhism & Christianity.

From the extravagant festivals to the quiet reflections, Sarah wants to explore all that India has to offer. India is a land of festivals where she has enjoyed and described their exuberant celebrations. 

She hoped that she may gain answers to the perplexing life questions about her own existence amidst the chaos in her life. These spiritual experiences finally help her come to terms with her inner peace.

For anyone planning to travel to India, I recommend reading this travel book to understand different religious and spiritual offerings of the country and soften the cultural differences.

First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers by Loung Ung

Recommended by Anna from Packing Light Travel

A compelling read before or after visiting Cambodia is Loung Ung’s stirring account of her life under the Pol Pot regime in First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers. The non-fictional account helps place the Khmer Rouge era of 1975 to 1979 into perspective and provides a powerful background for visiting Cambodia’s dark tourism sites. It also helps explain the relative absence of people aged 60 or older in Cambodian society and enhances a visitor’s appreciation for how Cambodians have emerged from such a tragic period.

Exploring Cambodia’s dark history is a critical component of a visit to this South-East Asian country that has suffered more than most places on earth. One of the best ways to do so is to visit the interrogation centre of S-21 (Tuol Sleng Museum of Genocidal Crime) and the ‘killing fields’ of Choeung Ek in Phnom Penh.

Full Tilt: Ireland to India with a Bicycle by Dervla Murphy

Recommended by Sophie from Just Heading Out

Full Tilt is a memoir based on Dervla Murphy’s travel log and the letters she wrote home to friends and family during her epic adventure. In 1963, she decided to travel from her home country of  Ireland  to India, by bicycle. She was only 21 at the time!

She sets out with minimal luggage during one of the worst winters in Europe. Of course, she encounters many more obstacles along the way, such as melting tires while cycling through the desert, exhaustion, and injuries. She has to trade her bike for the back of a truck, a donkey, or an airplane on occasion, but never relents from her goal of reaching India.

Throughout the book Dervla remains amazed by the warm hospitality, natural beauty, and rich cultures she encounters. Her descriptions of the world as she gets to know it, especially her love for the Middle East, are poetic yet realistic. She doesn’t sugar coat, but appreciates everything for what it is.

The Places in Between by Rory Stewart

Recommended by Erica from Travels With Erica

The Places in Between is written by former British diplomat Rory Stewart and chronicles his journey walking across north eastern Afghanistan in 2002.  Rory makes the journey alone and relies on friendly locals to help him along the way. 

Rory does an excellent job sharing a different side of Afghanistan than the one you typically see in the media.  He shares a more gentle, personal side of the country and focuses on the locals and their experiences rather than the broader socio-political part of the country.

It is a must read for any travel lover looking for an exciting story about a country that is often not talked about.

Turn Right at Machu Picchu by Mark Adams

Recommended by Trisha from  Try Wandering More

Turn Right at Machu Pichu details Mark Adam’s fascinating journey through the treacherous yet stunning landscapes of Peru’s Inca Trail. He retraces the footsteps of the explorer Hiram Bingham, who supposedly discovered Macchu Picchu back in 1911, to understand why the explorer is recast as a villain a century later.  He visits several Inca sites, tells Bingham’s story, discusses Peruvian history, and ultimately brings to light exactly what Macchu Pichu is.

This non-fiction travel book not only interests the reader with its telling of Peruvian history, but also entertains through observations, anecdotes, and humourous tidbits by the author- an office-going adventure writer who finally goes on an adventure himself. 

Amazon Woman: Facing Fears, Chasing Dreams, and a Quest to Kayak the World’s Largest River from Source to Sea by Darcy Gaetcher

Recommended by Megan from Red Around The World

Amazon Woman by Darcy Gaetcher is a non-fiction travel book chronicling her time kayaking from the Amazon headwaters to the Atlantic Ocean with her two kayaking companions.  This is perfect for adventure lovers, whether you love adventure yourself or just reading about it.  It’s even better if you’re very interested in the Amazon Rainforest.  

This 148-day endeavor began on Darcy’s 35th birthday.  She planned to kayak the entire length of the Amazon River through Peru, Bolivia, and Brazil with her boyfriend of twelve years and a mutual kayaking friend/colleague.  She would also be the first woman to do this.  Ever.

They encounter twenty-five days of whitewater rapids, illegal loggers, narco-traffickers, Shining Path rebels, ruthless poachers, and surprisingly friendly locals.  More often than not, the emotional waters were more difficult than the class five rapids on the river.  

Elsewhere: One Woman, One Rucksack, One Lifetime of Travel by Rosita Boland

Recommended by Megan from Hey I’m Reading

Elsewhere by Rosita Boland is an inspiring  solo female travel memoir  from her time galivanting across the globe, always dreaming of Elsewhere.  

After her first life-changing solo trip to Australia as a young graduate, Rosita became enchanted with travel.  Over the next 30 years, she visited some of the most remote parts of the world on her own carrying little more than a backpack and a diary.  

This is a collection of nine journeys from her life exploring the world, showing how people you meet and experiences you have can change the shape and course of your life dramatically.

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt

Recommended by Erin from Savannah First Timer

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt is a must-read before any trip to Savannah! The book was on the New York Times best seller list for a record-breaking (at the time) 216 weeks and is widely credited for the millions of travelers who visit Savannah each year.

The non-fiction book focuses on the story of Savannahian Jim Williams, a local antiques dealer and philanthropist who was tried four times for the murder of his lover, a male prostitute named Danny Hansford.

 Williams was finally acquitted but then died shortly thereafter — in the same room where he was alleged to have shot Mr. Hansford. The book is filled with fascinating characters, such as The Lady Chablis – a transgender performance artist – who bring the eccentricities of Savannah to full light.

Many of the homes and landmarks featured within the book are currently available for touring, such as the Mercer Williams House and  Bonaventure Cemetery , which is considered one of the most beautiful cemeteries in the world.  

Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer

Recommended by Agnes from The Van Escape

Into the Wild is a book by the American journalist, writer, and traveler Jon Krakauer, published in 1996. It is non-fiction. It tells a true story about the life of Chris McCandless.

Chris McCandless as a young man, has abandoned everything. He left loving family and friends . He gave away the money intended for his studies to start on a journey that would give him real freedom. To find this freedom, he decided to travel through America to Alaska. But when he reached Alaska, he clashes with the power of nature, which has no mercy for inexperienced travelers. And he realizes that he misses society.

Based on the memories of Chris’s friends and people he met along the way, and the journal he left behind, the author creates an intriguing portrait of an idealist and a loner. Jon Krakauer is following the “Supertramp” as McCandles called himself. He tries to explain the mystery of Chris’s decisions and his motives.

This beautiful and moving story of youth, rebellion, and the search for freedom has been inspiring for years. On its basis, Sean Penn directed an unforgettable film, Into the Wild, in 2007. It started a series of young tourists’  trips to Alaska in the footsteps of Chris .

Into the wild was made into a movie in 2007, starring Emile Hirsch

All Roads Lead to Ganga by Ruskin Bond

Recommended by Sinjana from Backpack N Xplore

Ruskin Bond is an Indian author of British descent whose literary works have made our childhood memorable. No one has been able to capture the Himalayan landscape, its people and culture with so much love and authenticity as Ruskin bond. In this travel memoir Ruskin Bond talks about the different villages on the banks of river Ganga – the holy river of India.

Ganga, the longest river in India originates from the snowclad mountains in the North and flows through the entire northern plains till it merges with the Bay of Bengal in the East. Ruskin Bond tells stories of the villages he went to, the people, the culture in his unique delightful style that is sure to bring a smile to your face. It is one of the  best books about India  that will take you on a virtual journey through the offbeat places in the country.

A Month in Siena, by Hisham Matar

Recommended by Isabelle from Issys Escapades

A Month in Siena is a memoir by Pulitzer Prize-winning author, Hisham Matar. A short book of just over 100 pages, the memoir traces the month that Matar spent in Siena Italy , observing art, dealing with grief and interacting with the local Sienese people. 

When he was a teenager, Matar’s father disappeared, a victim of the Gaddafi regime in Libya of whom he had been a vocal opponent of. In his grief, Matar took to visiting galleries and developed a keen appreciation and affinity for the centuries old Sienese school of artists. Burnt out after the success of The Return , Matar decides that it’s finally time to visit the hometown of the source of his comfort, booking a solo trip for himself to Siena, Italy. 

While Matar clearly knows his art history, the book is not just about the art, but is as much the tale of a man dealing with grief and passing his observations on the human condition. A beautifully written read, that will have readers both mulling over humankind and lusting for Siena.

How to Be a Family: The Year I Dragged My Kids Around the World to Find a New Way to Be Together by Dan Kois

Recommended by Erin from Three Is Us

Author Dan Kois lives in the Eastern United States with his wife and two kids. They worked long hours and had a busy extra-curricular life with their girls. On a work trip, Kois visits Iceland and sees how families there spend time together every night, soaking in hot pools while in America, his family is too busy and unhappy. He wonders how this family time is possible, and how to achieve it for his family?

Kois and his family decide to take a year to travel and discover how to be happy as a family. Over the next year, they spend four months each in New Zealand, Costa Rica, the Netherlands and end in rural America.

While the book doesn’t read like a travel guide, the author is honest, relatable and gives an insight into slow travel and what it’s like living in each of the four places. It also highlights some of the challenges of travelling as a family, especially with pre-teens.

This is a must-read book for any family thinking of travelling long-term and will open your eyes to the possibilities of living like locals while slow travelling.

Travels with Charley in Search of America by John Steinbeck

Recommended by Chris from Chrisismink

John Steinbeck may be better known for his other works such as, Of Mice and Men or The Grapes of Wrath , but Travels with Charley provides a unique insight into mid-century America and the open road. Travels with Charley is a travel memoir based on Steinbeck’s cross-country journey from New York to the West Coast and back along the Southern United States with his dog, Charley, and his old pick-up truck.

Along the way, he laments about the state of America including industrialization, the attitude of the people, and the countryside in his journal and letters to his wife back in New York. In many ways, some of the views in the book still reflect the world today.  As we go on our journeys in the present day with our own canine companions, take a moment to journal your observations about your country and reflect, is this the country you want for the future?

Riding the Iron Rooster: By Train Through China by Paul Theroux

Recommended by Ariana from  World of Travels with Kids

You either like Paul Theroux or you don’t.  He can be cynical and not politically correct; yet his insights into the places he travels are fascinating! I’m showing my age as I share two books that inspired much of my own 20 something wanderlust through Central Asia and China. 

Paul Theroux published the Great Railway Bazaar in the mid 1970’s, and Riding the Iron Rooster in the 1980’s. The memoir was the perfect travel companion to learning more about the deep heart of China and its fascinating people.  It’s also about travel, the good and the bad, and the travellers you meet on the way.  In fact, I loved this so much I’m going to start reading it again after writing this review.

The Geography of Bliss: One Grump’s Search for the Happiest Places in the World by Eric Weiner

Recommended by Amy from The Fairies Travel Blog

My favourite travel book is ‘The Geography of Bliss’ by Eric Weiner. It is a travel memoir of a self-confessed grump on a journey to find the worlds happiest nation. In the book, Eric travels to the Netherlands, home of the World Happiness Database, to study the facts about happiness before embarking on a round the world trip to some of the most happy countries, like Iceland , Qatar and Thailand, and one of the least happy, Moldova.

The Geography of Bliss explores what these countries are doing that makes the nation so happy, physical and cultural differences and whether we can achieve this level of happiness by visiting or even living in these countries. It ponders some deep questions such as whether money can buy happiness, whether the government should take an active role in a nation’s happiness and whether your level of happiness can change over time but is still light enough that it’s an enjoyable read. The book is funny, interesting and most of all makes me want to set off on a similar journey of my own!

Looking for fiction books for wanderlust inspiration? Check out this post !

Some great recommendations here and we have added loads of these travel memoirs to our ‘to be read’ list. Let us know in the comments which is your favourite non-fiction travel book.

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Steph is the main writer of Book It Let's Go! and is arguably the better half of the couple. She is an expat originally from England currently residing in St Kitts where she teaches veterinary students. In 2019 Steph packed up her old life, her husband Lewis, and their 2 cats in to leave the cold and wet behind in exchange for beaches and palm trees. Now she has made the leap to move abroad she has no plans to return anytime soon and wants to help others make the leap to move abroad too. Steph is currently enjoying being based in the Caribbean and doing some island hopping while planning her next big adventure with Lewis.

10 thoughts on “ 25 Best Travel Memoirs and Non-Fiction Books about Travel ”

“Jupiter’s Travels” by Ted Simon. Ted rides a Triumph Tiger motorcycle through 43 countries from 1973 to 1977. “The Rugged Road” by Teresa Wallach. Two women ride a motorcycle from London to Cape Town through the Sahara in 1934/1935. “Adrift” by Steven Callahan. Accidentally travels across the Atlantic for 76 days in a raft after his boat sinks. “The Masked Rider: Cycling in West Africa” by late Rush drummer Neil Peart. Peart takes a month long bicycle ride in Cameroon. (Additionally Peart wrote a book titled “Ghost Rider: Travels on the Healing Road” following an extended motorcycle ride around North America following the deaths of his daughter and wife.)

Thank you for your suggestions 🙂 will have to check these out!

I love the mix of books you included! My Goodreads list definitely just grew!

I know that feeling! My kindle wish list is huge!

This list definitely inspires my sense of wanderlust for travel!

Sooo much wanderlust!

What a great list! I have read a few of these but see some others I want to add to my list.

The contributing bloggers really went all out on this one 🙂

What a great list! Will have to look into these for next reads. Thanks for sharing!

Thank you Kathryn 🙂

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12 Best Travel Memoirs of All Time

There are several life-changing books that have shook my being and made me question everything I have known to be true. Written words that have pushed me to keep going, travel solo and be the woman I am today. I think it’s important to surround yourself with people who motivate and inspire you. At first, those people might be authors.

I hope you find a book on the list to get lost in and befriend whether you’re at home or on an adventure.

Note: I will update this list with every new book I fall in love with. Cheers!

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My Best Travel Memoirs List

A list of my personal favorite travel memoirs that I love and cherish. The first couple are classics, I’m sure most of you have read these BUT if you haven’t, here’s your sign!

Wild by Cheryl Strayed

Wild is about a woman’s 1,100-mile solo journey across the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) . Cheryl Strayed’s journey is beyond physical; it’s a journey of self-discovery, addiction recovery, and mourning the loss of her mother. The book is relatable, inspirational, and warning: may cause you to start planning a long-ass hike . Her words are comforting and hilarious, you feel as though you are with her on her solo journey.

I am a Cheryl Strayed super-fan. I had the privilege of seeing her on stage at Travel Con . Spoiler alert: she’s even more inspirational in person!!! She also has a podcast called Dear Sugar that I love and recommend checking out!

Click here to purchase Wild on Amazon

“I knew that if I allowed fear to overtake me, my journey was doomed. Fear, to a great extent, is born of a story we tell ourselves, and so I chose to tell myself a different story from the one women are told. I decided I was safe. I was strong. I was brave. Nothing could vanquish me.” cheryl strayed

Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

Gilbert is struck with a feeling that her perfect life isn’t so perfect. She yearns for more, more adventure, more purpose, more meaning in her life. When she can’t run away from the feeling any longer, she quits everything; her job, her marriage, and her “normal” life. She books a trip to Italy (eat), India (pray), and Bali (love) to leap out of her comfort zone and rediscover herself.

I’ve read Eat Pray twice in English, once in Spanish (language learning tip: read a familiar novel for practice!), and watched the movie about 7 times. Some say it’s a cheesy travel novel but it completely changed my life. I bought Eat Pray Love just before my first solo backpacking trip and read it during my first weeks in Lima, Peru. This book is like an old friend, a book I reread from time to time when I need the company.

Tip: I recommend reading the book before watching the movie!!! (although, this is a good rule of thumb and applies to all the books I mention!)

Click here to purchase Eat Pray Love on Amazon

“When I get lonely these days, I think: So BE lonely, Liz. Learn your way around loneliness. Make a map of it. Sit with it, for once in your life. Welcome to the human experience. But never again use another person’s body or emotions as a scratching post for your own unfulfilled yearnings.” Elizabeth gilbert

Under The Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes

Under the Tuscan Sun is a classic (a travel memoir OG). The story is about Frances Mayes who discovers her husband is cheating on her. To bring herself out of a deep depression, her best friend encourages her to take a trip to Tuscany. In Tuscany, Frances ends up impulsively buying and restoring a villa in the Tuscany countryside . *sounds like a good idea right about NOW*

If you feel like visiting Italy this summer, read Under The Tuscan Sun to escape into the warm Italian culture of delicious food, delightful people, and neighborhood markets.

Click here to purchase Under the Tuscan Sun on Amazon

“Life offers you a thousand chances… all you have to do is take one.” frances mayes

Ten Years A Nomad by Matthew Kepnes

Matt took a short vacation from his 9-5 to Thailand that changed the course of his life. On this trip, he realized that living life was more than buying a car, paying mortgage, and moving up the corporate ladder. His Thailand trip inspired him to embark on a year-long trip around the world. Over 500,000 miles, 1,000 hostels, and 90 different countries later, TEN YEARS had passed .

Ten Years a Nomad is about his 10-year journey as a nomad – stories and life philosophies he has learned along the way.

Nomadic Matt is one of my idols in the travel blogging space. I bought his Business of Travel Blogging Course (highly recommend!!!) and shortly after bought his book. I think Matt’s story is worth reading especially those who want to be a nomad or travel blogger. I think it’s always a good idea to read books written by the most successful in your industry. Although it’s not my favorite on the list, I think it’s worth the read.

Click here to purchase Tens Years a Nomad on Amazon

Vagabonding by Rolf Potts

Vagabonding is LOADED with everything you would ever need to be a budget, long-term traveler. It is an information goldmine. If you are apprehensive at all about being a nomad, this book will make you buy your plane ticket, sell your shit and fly one-way to Guatemala.

Click here to purchase Vagabonding on Amazon

“And let me tell you something. That first morning, when you are in your country of choice, away from all of the conventions of atypical, everyday lifestyle, looking around at your totally new surroundings, hearing strange languages, smelling strange, new smells, you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about. You’ll feel like the luckiest person in the world.” rolf potts

Into The Wild by Jon Krakauer

The synopsis is literally on the cover of the book which makes my life too easy. Anyways, this guy sells everything, gives up his entire life to live simply. By live simply, I mean he quite literally moved “Into The Wild.” *lol*

This one is a classic. The moral of the story (much like other travel memoirs) is to value experience over materialism and do whatever the hell makes you happy. Read it. It’s amazing.

Click here to purchase Into The Wild on Amazon

“Make a radical change in your lifestyle and begin to boldly do things which you may previously never have thought of doing, or been too hesitant to attempt. So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservation, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality, nothing is more damaging to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future. The very basic core of a man’s living spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun. If you want to get more out of life, you must lose your inclination for monotonous security and adopt a helter-skelter style of life that will at first appear to you to be crazy. But once you become accustomed to such a life you will see its full meaning and its incredible beauty.” jon krakaur

The Good Girl’s Guide to Getting Lost by Rachel Friedman

Rachel, just like many college graduates, has no idea what to do next. All her life she’s been “the good girl.” On a whim, she buys a ticket to Ireland and it changes the course of her life. She meets a free-spirited Aussie and they become fast friends. Three continents and many adventures later, Rachel finds a passion for travel, but more importantly, the ability to live in the moment.

Click here to go on an adventure with Rachel

“Before, some places just seemed too far, too difficult to reach, but once you start traveling, you never want to stop. You want to hear other people’s stories, see where they live, eat their food. You realize–and of course, it’s a cliche, but like many cliches, it’s true–the way we are all interconnected.” rachel friedman

Without Reservations by Alice Steinbach

Alice Steinbach decides she needs a change (don’t we all?). She quits her job as a journalist and buys a plane ticket to France. Her children are grown, she’s divorced, and she yearns for something different. Without Reservations details Steinbach’s yearlong adventure through Europe.

Click here to be inspired by Alice

“Women would be better off when they no longer needed men more than they needed their own independent identities…How long a time it took me after my divorce to understand that being alone is not the same as being lonely.” alice steinbach

What I Was Doing While You Were Breeding by Kristin Newman

Kristin Newman spent much of her twenties and thirties watching her best friends get married and produce babies. Not ready to settle down and in much need from an escape from her job (fun fact: she was a writer for That 70s Show!), Kristin chooses to travel the world for several weeks each year. Kristin falls in love with cultures, countries, and attractive local men. She shares the good, bad, and ugly of her adventures and sex-capades.

This was one of those books that you can’t put down. It will “ruin” your Saturday, you will cancel all your plans to finish this damn book. It takes a special author to be able to speak to you. I felt like I was Kristin’s best friend observing her life.

Warning: it may lead to sudden bursts of laughter, crying, and/or breaking up with your partner to travel the world.

Read this book if you: are almost 30 or in your 30s. You’re welcome.

Click here to buy my favorite book in the world on Amazon

“The experience also illuminated another fact: regardless of how you travel, as you get deeper into your thirties you might be the only person your age out on the road at all, whether it’s in the hostels with the twentysomethings, or on the fancy cruises with the sixtysomethings. In your fourth decade, your compatriots are mostly at home, working, raising humans, getting husbands through rehab, living for someone besides themselves.  Suckers.” Kristin newman

Bonus: Favorite Travel Memoirs Recommended By Female Travelers

Submissions from you guys. You’re the best. Thanks to everyone who contributed!!!

Thru-Hiking Will Break Your Heart by Carrot Quinn

Like so many people, Cheryl Strayed’s “Wild” introduced me to the idea of hiking the Pacific Crest Trail. Since then, I’ve read numerous memoirs about adventurers who’ve walked from Mexico to Canada. However, no book—nope, not even “Wild” itself—has captured my imagination and allowed me to so fully picture myself on the trail like Carrot Quinn’s “Thru-Hiking Will Break Your Heart.”

Anyone who has ever said “I want more for my life” will appreciate and admire Carrot’s last-minute decision to walk the PCT. Her stream of consciousness narration makes you feel like you’re contemplating a chilly dip in a glacial lake, summiting snow-covered mountains and crossing the storied Bridge of the Gods right alongside her. From periods and hiker hookups to getting sick and running out of supplies, Carrot doesn’t hold back while providing an honest and raw account of life on the trail.

To say Carrot is a likable narrator is an understatement. In some sections of the book, Carrot waxes philosophical about the beauty of nature and the meaning of life. Then, just a few pages later, she’s back to being a person doing her best to keep putting one foot in front of the other. Carrot’s relatability keeps me rereading and recommending this memoir. 

If you’re anything like me, the final pages will have you in tears and wishing for another 2,600 miles with Carrot Quinn.

Submitted by: Alex Wittman, Backpacking Brunette

Click here to check out Thru-Hiking Will Break Your Heart

It’s Only The Himalayas by S. Bedford

“It’s Only the Himalayas” by S. Bedford is a hilarious tale of two Canadian twenty-somethings traveling around southern Africa and East Asia for a year.   The subtitle says it all: “And other tales of miscalculation from an overconfident backpacker”.  Bedford dives into all the mishaps and shenanigans they got into because of the belief that they had already overcome the impossible: leaving their jobs to travel the world.  Everything else should be easy, right?  Like hiking in the Himalayas in Converse… nothing could possibly go wrong. 

This memoir resonated with me when I read it on the heels of my first big backpacking trip around Europe in 2015.  I arrived home feeling like I should visit Machu Picchu next, or tackle Kilimanjaro.  Why couldn’t I trek the Annapurna circuit without any training or fancy equipment?  I picked up this book and was delighted that someone else shared my excitement, but I quickly reigned it in as reality hit me.  I appreciated Bedford’s candor; it helped me reflect on whether there is a ‘right way to travel’.  In the end, no matter what misfortunes we as travelers bring upon ourselves, learning through travel is the best education there is.   

Submitted by: Alexandra, The Adventure Classroom

Click here to check out It’s Only The Himalayas

It’s What I Do: A Photographer’s Life of Love and War by Lynsey Addario

It’s What I Do: A Photographer’s Life of Love and War by Lynsey Addario is a fascinating memoir recounting Lynsey’s life as a photojournalist traveling to some of the most war-torn countries in the world. Lynsey’s courageous travels immediately drew me in – she doesn’t shy away from trying new things, being willing to fail, and walking straight into danger to pursue honest and moving journalism. She takes readers on her journey to shine a light on the lives of others – particularly women – in countries many will never get to visit.

As a young photographer, traveler, and feminist, every reread finds me more inspired by Lynsey’s ability to show how travel and photography can be hugely impactful in the world .

Submitted by: Jen, Glasses and Boarding Passes

Click here to check out It’s What I Do: A Photographer’s Life of Love and War

Another big thank you to those who contributed! Do you love travel memoirs? Have you read any of the books listed above? Have a favorite that’s not on the list? Comment below to share! <3

Need some new podcast recommendations? 18 Podcasts for Female Travelers (Updated 2020)

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13 Comments

The Traveling Tay

I loved reading this list! So many of my personal favorites & also some new reads that I can’t wait to check out. A personal recommendation is Love with a Chance of Drowning by Torre DeRoche. Torre’s story of leaving behind normal life to sail around the world with her new boyfriend continuously inspires me to take risks!

Chills! I want to read them all!!

Thanks a lot for sharing all these interesting titles, there are a few I haven’t read yet, perfect for my summer reading shopping list 🙂

Yay! Happy reading!!

What an inspiring post, I love it! I have read “into the wild” and I have to tell you that story still shakes me today. I recently watched Eat Pray Love on TV and the wanderlust came back.

Yesss love that movie!!! 💛💛💛

Jill Robbins

I’ve heard of some of these but there are lots of new ones for me to check out. Thanks for the recommendations.

Great list. I’d better get reading, I’ve only read two (Wild, and Into the Wild). If you’re looking for recommendations I’d say: We’ll Always Have Paris by Emma Beddington, and for a classic try A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway. Both great books, both very different but both loosely based around Paris.

Yeee thanks girl! 😊

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[…] in love with the world and has a slew of romances.  I’m excited to read this book because all reviews say it is an incredibly funny and frank book that is impossible to put […]

Mary Hollendoner

Thanks for sharing this list – I love these kinds of books and have already read several of those you’ve listed. (And now am adding the rest of them to my to-be-read list :o) Also I’d love to suggest my own family travel memoir – it’s about the 3+ years that my family spent living in a camper van driving from California to Argentina. “Monkeys on the Road: One family’s vanlife adventure south in search of a simpler life” by Mary Hollendoner. I’ll message you directly Courtney to see if you might like to read it. If my comment is too self-promotional please delete it!

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20 travel memoirs to take you around the world (from the comfort of your couch)

• BY Anne Bogel
• IN Book Lists , Books & Reading , Literary Tourism
• 96 Comments | Comment

I love how a good book takes me places I have never been and may never see with my own eyes—whether that place is close to home or halfway around the world.

Readers have long enjoyed vicarious travel and prepared for their trips by turning to the written word. These days I, like many readers, am especially grateful for armchair travel.

When a reader recently asked for travel memoir recommendations on on our  What Should I Read Next Instagram account  as a WSIRNReaderRecs  request, we received piles of great book suggestions. We’ve gone through them all and curated this reader-generated book list for you. As so often happens, my TBR grew as a result.

Today I’m sharing some books I love and some I’m eager to read because of your enthusiastic recommendations. This list of 20 travel memoirs will hopefully provide some vicarious experiences while you dream about your next trip. This is by no means an exhaustive list so I’d love to hear about your favorite travel memoirs in the comments.

Some links (including all Amazon links) are affiliate links.  More details here .

20 travel memoirs to take you around the world

Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail

Alone Time: Four Seasons, Four Cities, and the Pleasures of Solitude

Without Reservations: The Travels of an Independent Woman

How We Fight for Our Lives: A Memoir

Catfish and Mandala: A Two-Wheeled Voyage Through the Landscape and Memory of Vietnam

Rudy’s Rules for Travel: Life Lessons from Around the Globe

A Year in the World: Journeys of A Passionate Traveller

Waking Up On the Appalachian Trail: A Story of War, Brotherhood, and the Pursuit of Truth

Full Tilt: Ireland to India with a Bicycle

Leave Only Footprints: My Acadia-to-Zion Journey Through Every National Park

Hardly Working: A Travel Memoir of Sorts

The Singular Pilgrim: Travels on Sacred Ground

Around India in 80 Trains

A Walk in the Woods

A Cook’s Tour: Global Adventures in Extreme Cuisines

Travels with Charley in Search of America

How to Be a Family: The Year I Dragged My Kids Around the World to Find a New Way to Be Together

At Home in the World: Reflections on Belonging While Wandering the Globe

Paddling with Spirits: A Solo Kayak Journey

What are YOUR favorite travel memoirs? Tell us all about them in comments!

P.S. 20 books to take you around the world , and 20 terrific titles from #ownvoices and #diversebooks authors .

96 comments

‘Wherever the River Runs’ by Kelly Minter is not really a travel memoir, but it tells of her journeys on the Amazon river to minister to the people there. It’s a wonderful book!

I would suggest Notes from a Small Island over A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson and my second of his travel books would be In A Sunburned Country.

Agreed!! Anything by Bill Bryson is wonderful, but Notes From a Small Island is an absolute must-read. (Perhaps not strictly a travel memoir as he had lived there for 20-some years when he wrote it and was preparing to return to the U.S.. Let’s just call it a really LONG trip!! 😁)

I loved In a Sunburned Country. I think it’s my favorite of his.

Second that, absolutely fascinating and really made me want to get Australia

I was supposed to travel to Poland in June with my mom and sister to visit my aunt and uncle. It was a much anticipated trip (I’ve never been) and I was planning to ask for reader recs! No WW2 😉 Alas, we will try again next year. Several of these look really interesting. Sadly my library does not have many of them, but I do have a hold on At Home in the World 🙂

The trumpeter of krakow is middle grade kids lit set in medieval Poland. I really enjoyed it as i knew nothing about Poland with the exception of it’s role in WW 2.

Thanks for the rec! I do love middle grade.

My daughter lived in Warsaw for 3 years, and I had the treat of visiting twice. Never got to Krakow, but Poland is so interesting. If you can, Warsaw is very worth taking time to visit, it has wonderful museums and (before COVID) a really vibrant city vibe with a much more affordable price point. I just used my fav, Rick Steves for planning (I think the guide was Poland and Hungary?). People are very friendly, but most people above 30 don’t really speak much, if any, English, so good to have some key “polite words” memorized.

Paris, Part Time by Lisa Baker Morgan is a memoir that takes you to Paris. Her book is the story of her journey to find the place she can call home – part time. Her book includes many of her recipes, her travels through France and her photos of her favorite city – Paris. Pick it up as it is a wonderful read.

I LOVE A Walk Across America and A Walk Across China by Peter Jenkins. Getting to know a country by getting to know its people is such a precious experience to me. I’ve never had the privilege except through those two books, but would love to do that in either country.

I loved Walk across America and The Walk West, also Jenkin’s book Along the Edge of America. I’ll have to try his one in China.

Added A Cook’s Tour to my list – thanks! There’s another one that’s on my TBR you may be interested in: Four Seasons in Rome by the same author as All the Light We Cannot See.

Four Seasons in Rome is great by Anthony Doerr. Loved this book.

I read Four Seasons in Rome 11 years ago when I was on bed rest in the last few weeks of my pregnancy. I have such fond memories of being “in” Rome when I couldn’t go anywhere but my couch. (I also read all four Twilight books in that same stretch, lest you think I was all classy travel memoirs! ha!)

I loved Four Seasons In Rome!! It’s on my all time favorite list!!

Thanks for this!! I’ve added two more books to my ever-growing TBR list. (I will never live long enough to finish it!!)

Lands of Lost Borders, by Kate Harris. A story of biking along the silk road.

A Walk Across America by Peter Jenkins, as well as his Across China.

J. Maarten Troost – my favorite travel writer -is missing from this list- his books titles alone inspire interest!

Falling in Love with the English Countryside by Susan Branch I read it over a rainy weekend on the couch and felt like I had actually been to England!

Oh yes! I love this one and, in fact, all of her books. They do make you feel as if you have been on a holiday somewhere else.

That one is a delight! It would be a great one to read right now. Very light and enjoyable!

I had the same experience with this book. I loved it and have recommended it to several friends who felt the same. We are planning to take this same trip!

I love all of her books! I like her approach to her visit – visiting homes of authors, National Trust sites, walks about the countryside – I’m in!!

Absolutely agree with all these comments. I read this during quarantine and it was so delightful. Also loved her book about Martha’s Vineyard (Martha’s Vineyard: Isle of Dreams)

I loved The Year of Living Danishly by Helen Russell. It gave words to my experiences in Denmark and taught me some new info that I wouldn’t have known otherwise. I can’t say enough good things.

I loved this book! It was hilarious and informative.

I love this list because I feel like there are so many books (almost all of them) that I haven’t heard of!! And love that there are so many backlist options I can probably find at the library 🙂

Love With a Chance of Drowning was really funny and interesting- the author and her then boyfriend live on a small sailboat for a period of time.

Really enjoyed The Salt Path about the author and her husband and their walk along a sea path after losing their home. Her husband has a chronic disease and their journey is really interesting.

Loved The Salt Path. Listened to it on audio, fabulous.

Does anyone have a suggestion on a travel memoir that is based in Spain? Going there for the first time next year and would love anything that would give me some insights.

Driving Over Lemons, by British writer Chris Stewart. I haven’t read it, but my British sister-in-law loved it.

I hope it is okay drop a link to a different page… But this was JUST in my Google feed: https://bookriot.com/books-set-in-spain/

A lesser known memoir that’s fabulous reading is Miles From Nowhere by Barbara Savage. She and her husband did a round-the-world cycling trip in the late 1970’s, and her descriptions are at times funny, at times truth-is-stranger-than-fiction, and definitely adventurous. The memoir is made even more poignant because she died not too many years later from a triathlon accident, if I remember correctly.

Loved this one too.

Nothing to Declare: Memoirs of a Woman Traveling Alone by Mary Morris. She’s written several other travel memoirs, but this is my favorite of hers. She’s also a wonderful fiction writer – I would recommend her most recent work – Gateway to the Moon.

Susan Allen Toth wrote a wonderful series of travel memoirs about England, beginning with “My Love Affair with England: a Traveler’s Memoir.”

I love her books – so comforting – and her approach to travel.

I love her books and have all of them.

I just loved “A Year in the World.” I’ve read several on this list and am thankful for the reminder of how much I love good travel writing. Also, may I suggest anything by Jan Morris and “Italian Days” by Barbara Grizzutti Harrison.

I loved “The Yellow Envelope” – so did my book club!

From Scratch by Tembi Locke was lovely when we were considering a move to Italy.

I loved “Travels with Charley” by Steinbeck!!!! I have a standard poodle so that’s one reason I loved this travel book!! And thank you for this list. Many more titles to add to my TBR list!

Travels With Charley is one of my all time favorite books, and one I’ve read several times. I rarely do that.

Where do you buy the book- Hardly Working a Travel Memoir of Sorts by Zukiswa Wanner? I can’t find it anywhere.

Blue Highways by William Least Heat Moon is a classic but still so good!

Anything by Paul Theroux

The Cat Who Covered the World by Wren Even my cat hating son liked this when I read it aloud to the children.

Free Country, by George Mahood, is one of my favorites. George and his friend, Ben, have three weeks to cycle 1000 miles from the bottom of England to the top of Scotland. But they start with only their boxer shorts, and rely on the British public for everything else for their journey. It’s an amazing story about the goodness of humankind, and it’s a hilarious read about a beautiful journey.

Am noting alot of these TBR. I loved McCarthy’s Bar which I read years ago. An English comedian travels from Cork to Donegal visiting bars with him name (McCarthy)

A Year in Provence by Peter Mayle made me fall head over heels in love with Provence before I had ever visited! It’s an oldie, published in 1989, but a wonderful member of his first year in this idyllic spot in Southern France.

I loved all of his books, for his humor and the eye openers about the French people in the countryside. Re-reading that one right now.

Loved it! I think I’ve read all but one of his books now.

What an amazing list and more in the comments!! I shall be able to travel through the eyes and experiences and words of these authors, to places I can only now dream of from the comfort (and safety) of my arm chair. I am reminded of Dr Seuss…..’Oh, the Places You’ll Go!’

I must add my enthusiasm for Four Seasons in Rome by Anthony Doerr. I read it years ago and still think about it.

Road Trip Rwanda. by Will Ferguson. He is a Canadian author, often known for his humour. He and his friend, Jean-Claude Munyezamu, who left (escaped) Rwanda just before the genocide travel to Rwanda in 20 years after. It is hopeful, often funny, beautiful book about a country that because of its horrific history, we only know the tragedy, not the beauty and vibrancy of its people and how the country has been reborn. Highly recommend.

I LOVED the memoir The Traveling Feast: On the Road & At the Table with my Heroes by Rick Bass. The author travels around the world, thanking writers that have influenced him, and cooks them a meal in gratitude. (while bringing along some of his own writing students for mentoring.) Its fascinating for the travel, the food and the writing life. Also want to echo the sentiments in the comments of the BRILLIANCE of Four Seasons in Rome by Anthony Doerr. It definitely is one of my favorite travel memoirs. A great list here, as always.

I have so many, but this year liked “ A Paris All Your Own” ( various authors with notes on their trips to Paris). Also, “We’ll Always Have Paris/ A Mother-Daughter Memoir” by Jennifer Coburn telling of trips to several countries with her daughter. Thanks for the list!

I loved To the Field of Stars: A Pilgrim’s Journey to Santiago de Campostela by Kevin Codd. Actually made me want to do the long walk!

Not a travel memoir but I highly recommend the audio version of A Year in Provence. It’s dlelightful — so much so that the author had to move because he did not disguise the actual area and people came from around the world to see his home

I love travel memoirs! Alice Steinbach’s Without Reservations is my favorite book ever, not just for the travel writing but also for how she discusses the seasons of women’s lives. The sequel, Educating Alice, is also fantastic. I also really enjoyed Mark Adams’ Turn Right at Machu Picchu: Rediscovering the Lost City One Step at a Time and Elizabeth Gilbert’s Eat Pray Love.

Yay, another Alice Steinbach fan!

I’ve read both of those multiple times – they’re so great!

Give Me the World by Leila Hadley. She truly had crazy adventures–with her six year old son!–and writes about them so very well.

Anything by Paul Theroux- The Great Railway Bazaar, The Old Patagonia Express, Riding the Iron Rooster… All are lovely to read and re-read!

I’m currently reading Thirst by Heather Anderson. This is another memoir about a solo hike on the PCT. I like this better than Wild because “Anish” Is an experienced hiker with the audacious goal of breaking the record for fastest time. Still all the ups, downs and triumph over adversity themes and compelling insight into how she got to this point in life.

Footprints is also on my TBR after a friend recommended it. We plan all family vacations around visiting national parks. I’m excited to armchair travel with that one!

Three Weeks With My Brother by Nicholas Sparks and Traveling With Pomegranates by Sue Monk Kidd are two I enjoyed. Just read Leave Only Footprints and truly enjoyed that as well.

My favourite is Le Road Trip by Vivian Swift. Illustrated with beautiful watercolour sketches, this travel journal follows her journey through France as a newlywed. I love her sense of humour, travel tips and how she draws comparisons between travel and relationships.

Last year I read “Dear Bob and Sue” by Matt and Karen Smith and really enjoyed it. Matt and Karen Smith, a recently empty nester couple, set a goal to visit all the National Parks in the United States. This book chronicles those trips. It’s interesting, informative and funny. I thoroughly enjoyed Matt and Karen’s personalities and the way they interacted with one another. Travel + Nature + Humor = a winner!

Yes! I was going to say the same! I’ve been binge reading the three books in the “Dear Bob and Sue” series and have their book “Dories Ho!” on my nightstand now.

One Room in a Castle by Karen Connelly.

This is a great list and I really appreciate all the comments as well! I LOVE travel books and have read many, but there are definitely a few on this list and in the comments I had never heard of! So now my TBR has grown again…thanks!

I have to suggest my favorite travel book – Tales of a Female Nomad by Rita Golden Gelman. At the age of 48, the author decides to leave her pampered life and embark on a lifetime of travel. What makes this book so special is that she isn’t content to merely be an observer, she meets the people and learns about their cultures. This book is inspirational – she is living a lifelong dream, beginning in her middle years. It caused me to lift my head, look around at my life, and make significant changes. Thanks to everyone who enlarged the original list! My TBR list has grown by leaps and bounds.

I love this genre! A few I’ve enjoyed immensely: Dove, by Robin Lee Graham. An account of a hippie kid in the 1960s who sailed around the world alone. A Thousand Days in Venice, by Marlena de Blasi. Her account of falling in love with a Venetian and moving to Venice in her 50s. Sometimes her writing is a bit much, but she describes the city beautifully (and makes me want to add velvet wall hangings and crystal chandeliers to my house!) The Innocents Abroad, by Mark Twain. His super-sarcastic sense of humor is perfect in this, as he travels and complains his way around Europe in the 1800s. It was interesting to read about what international travel was like, 150 years ago, as well. Learning to Bow, by Bruce Feiler. A man’s adjustment as he moves to Japan as an English teacher.

I loved all of Marlena de Balsi’s books. Agree the writing can be a little ‘flowery’ to say the least but she has a certain style!

My Love Affair with England & others by Susan Allen Toth

Absolutely loved WILD, also enjoyed A WALK IN THE PARK. Several of the others are now on my TRB list, TX!

My favorite is A House in the Sky – true story following Amanda Lindhout – 19 year old cocktail waitress who saves every penny to go on adventures around the world. If it sounds like a bad idea to travel the world along as a young teen, it is. She gets kidnapped in Somalia and becomes a hostage to a young militant group. It might frustrate some but I could really relate. I was hooked from the start of the book.

I would add:

*anything by Michael Palin, former Python and English traveller extraordinaire *Guy Delisle’s graphic novels ‘Shenzhen’, ‘Burma Chronicles’ and ‘Chroniques de Jérusalem’

Thanks for this great post. Like most people I love to travel, but we can’t right now due to the pandemic. This is a way to satisfy my wanderlust for the time being. I just ordered Without Reservations and At Home in the World and can’t wait for them to arrive!

The two that I still think about to this day are No One Goes to the Ice Alone (which is a memoir of a National Geographic author’s research trips to Antarctica to write about it for the magazine. Faaaaansinatinating look at life on the Antarctic. )

The other is Lost on Planet China- a reporter/memoirist decides to travel along the only highway in China that goes from the coast to the Eastern border. He explores different themes and people’s everyday life along the way. It’s less about his journey and more about the people and everyday life realities of China. But still fascinating.

Tales of a female Nomad by Rita Gelman is another great book if you’ve ever been a guest in other cultures and miss making friends abroad during this time of lock down. Speaking of Bryson, I also laughed out loud at Bill Bryson’s Neither Here nor There: Travels in Europe book. Looking forward to finding some of these mentioned, thank you!

One of my first travel memoirs was “Undress Me in the Temple of Heaven.” This is from Amazon: In 1986, fresh out of college, Gilman and her friend Claire yearned to do something daring and original that did not involve getting a job. Inspired by a place mat at the International House of Pancakes, they decided to embark on an ambitious trip around the globe, starting in the People’s Republic of China. At that point, China had been open to independent travelers for roughly ten minutes.

Found it fascinating!

When I think of travel writing I immediately think of Paul Theroux’s many books, particularly those focusing on his travels in South Africa. His writing style always draws me in and keeps me going. I enjoyed Dark Star Safari and The Last Train to Zona Verde in particular. The Great Railway Bazaar is his best known but I haven’t read it yet.

On the Noodle Road: from Beijing to Rome by Jen Libn-Liu!! It’s still one of my favorite memoirs. Recipes included.

This is concerning Steinbeck’s “Travels with Charley.” I remember the days written about in New Orleans with the desegregation of the New Orleans’ public schools. I was young but I knew the man who walked his daughter to school every day. Fifteen years later I would meet him and 2 years later I would marry him. He died back in 2005. But those days were always fresh in his mind. He and his daughter appeared on the Oprah tv show. He talked about writing a book about those days and calling it the Longest Walk. He was a Methodist minister and his church in the French Quarter district was damaged and his young family(first wife and kids) had to be moved and protected by the FBI. It was a dangerous time for those who chose to protect kids’ rights to get an education.

I love travel books which transport you to different places, times and cultures. Some of my favorite books are: Roughing It–Mark Twain Poisonwood Bible–Kingsolver Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight–Fuller Dark Star Safari: Overland from Cairo to Cape Town–Theroux Iron and Silk–Hessler Ice Bound–Nielsen Skeletons on the Zahara–King

Several years ago I read and loved Tales of a Female Nomad by Rita Golden Gelman.

One of my favorite books is ‘Japan: In Search of Wa’ by Karin Muller. The author lives with a Japanese family as she becomes acquainted with the country and discovers another side of it. Unfortunately, they expect more of her than she bargained for. The writing is beautiful and has a thoughtful cadence to it, if that makes sense!

Sorry, I wrote the title incorrectly. It’s ‘Japanland: A Year in Search of Wa’

Bad Tourist by Suzanne Roberts.

Trying to find the title of a memoir written in (I think) the 1950s. Possibly by a young man who subsequently became a successful ad guy. About his travels to Mexico (I think). Can anyone help?

I loved “The Turkish Embassy Letters” (Mary Wortley Montagu), I read it in full years ago, but keep going back to re-read some parts. It gives an exceptional insight of traveling through Europe and the Ottoman Empire as a woman in the 18th century.

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12 Inspiring Travel Memoirs to Fuel Your Wanderlust

December 14, 2019 By Jen Ambrose 27 Comments

Updated February 12, 2024

For me, one of the small silver linings of the early days of the pandemic is that I finally got into the habit of reading. I’ve always loved books and reading, but it wasn’t until 2020 that it became part of my daily routine.

Now, I read almost every night before bed, and listen to audiobooks while cooking or cleaning, walking, driving, and riding on buses, planes, or trains. I’m usually in the middle of at least four books and one or two audiobooks at any given time. (Add me on Goodreads if you’re on there!)

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In a surprise to absolutely nobody, travel memoirs are one of my favorite genres – especially female travel memoirs, I think because their perspectives tend to resonate more. Likewise, there are some great fiction travel books out there, but I find it a lot easier to relate to non-fiction. Reading about things that actually happened and hearing a real person’s reflections just leaves a bigger impact on me, at least when it comes to travel stories.

For me, books about traveling are both a huge source of inspiration and a means of reflecting on my own experiences. I love reading about the types of travel experiences I’ve had myself and places where I’ve spent time. But I also love hearing about experiences I’ll probably never have (like sailing around the world, biking across the country, and working as a flight attendant).

My “To Read” list in this genre is literally never-ending, and I still haven’t read some of the obvious picks – like Bill Bryson’s In a Sunburned Country (which I do plan to read) and J. Maarten Troost’s The Sex Lives of Cannibals (which I don’t ). And one day I’ll re-read Elizabeth Gilbert’s Eat, Pray, Love to see how differently it lands now, compared to when I read it as a 20-year-old on study abroad in 2007.

But I wanted to share some of the best travel memoirs I’ve read so far. (Update: And I’m always adding to this list!) Whether you’re looking for serious travel inspiration, a fun vacation read, or gifts for travelers who love to read, one of these will surely be the perfect pick.

• 1. Love with a Chance of Drowning – Torre DeRoche

2. Kinky Gazpacho – Lori L. Tharps

• 3. The Yellow Envelope – Kim Dinan

4. Wild – Cheryl Strayed

• 5. Free Country – George Mahood
• 6. Cruising Attitude – Heather Poole
• 7. A Thousand New Beginnings – Kristin Addis
• 8. How Not to Travel the World – Lauren Juliff
• 9. Turn Right at Machu Picchu – Mark Adams
• 10. It’s Only the Himalayas – Sue Bedford
• 11. Adventures of a Continental Drifter – Elliott Hester
• 12. All Over the Map – Laura Fraser

More Memoirs About Traveling

The best travel memoirs, 1. love with a chance of drowning   –  torre deroche.

This is one of those travel books about an experience I don’t plan to ever have. While living in California, Torre falls in love with an Argentinian man whose dream is to sail around the world in his little boat named Gracie .

She’s prone to seasickness and terrified of deep water, but agrees to go on the journey anyway. They spend weeks at a time on the water with no land in sight, subsist on a diet mostly devoid of fresh fruits and vegetables, and brave storms that nearly capsize the sailboat.

While their time on the water is sometimes challenging, Torre and Ivan reap serious rewards, too. They make their way through the South Pacific, visiting idyllic islands that are pretty much only reachable by sailboat and far removed from globalization and mainstream tourism.

I also really enjoyed Torre’s follow-up, The Worrier’s Guide to the End of the World , which is a memoir about travel of a totally different kind. Instead of sailing, it’s mostly about walking pilgrimages – and instead of romance, there’s grief, heartbreak, and female friendship. I would recommend them both, but start with Love with a Chance of Drowning .

Recommended for anyone who dreams of sailing the world or just visiting a remote tropical paradise – and it’s the perfect choice if you’re searching for gifts for outdoorsy women !

There are travel memoirs that relay the story of a trip, and then there are those that weave history, culture, and personal identity with adventure. This book is definitely the latter.

Lori’s story starts with her childhood in Wisconsin, where she’s (no surprise) the only Black student at her school. She’s enamored with Spain from her first Spanish class, but her relationship to the country gets more complicated when she studies abroad there.

The book is a candid account of Lori’s experiences as an African-American in Spain, first as a student, then as part of a blended family over the years, and even as an investigative journalist uncovering the country’s hidden history of slavery. Reading this made me incredibly nostalgic for my year abroad in college, and it helped me think about travel from a perspective that’s totally different from my own.

Recommended for anyone who’s interested in Spain or the Black travel experience  – and this would be a great book club pick!

3. The Yellow Envelope   –  Kim Dinan

When I read this book, I related to it so much. Then I noticed a stark polarization in the reviews: people either related deeply to it like I did, or they absolutely loathed both the story and the author. Interesting.

Like many of the other writers on this list, Kim wanted something different than the career, house, wealth, and other material things we’re told we’re supposed to work for. So, she and her husband left their jobs and their home to explore around the world.  (Um, you’re probably starting to see why I related to it so much!)

They travel from Ecuador to India and many countries in between, sometimes staying in places they love for weeks at a time. The book chronicles their adventures and missteps, the people they meet, and Kim’s reflections on everything from travel to body image to her sometimes-difficult relationship with her husband.

Recommended for anyone who’s thinking of traveling long-term with a partner

I listened to Cheryl Strayed’s Pacific Crest Trail memoir while Ryan and I were walking the Camino de Santiago, which made it feel especially poignant (even though I was reminded every day of how the challenges of the Camino pale in comparison to thru-hiking!).

There are plenty of adventure memoirs out there, so why did Wild become a household name? The writing is beautiful, the stories are entertaining, and the insights are profound.

But I think it’s also because this book is fully a hiking memoir and also fully a memoir of Cheryl’s often-troubled life before the hike – and both threads are incredibly compelling. Interspersed with the PCT journey are her reflections on her unstable childhood, drug abuse, relationships, and most notably, her mother’s death from cancer at age 45.

My only gripe? That Cheryl Strayed didn’t narrate the audiobook herself! I always hate when memoirs are narrated by someone other than the author, especially when the author’s voice is already familiar.

Recommended for anyone who’s grieving, overcoming addiction, or interested in thru-hiking

5. Free Country   –  George Mahood

If funny travel memoirs are what you’re after, this is the one for you. I laughed out loud more than once while reading it, and really, I don’t see how you couldn’t. The premise? George somehow convinces his pal that it would be a fun adventure to cycle the 1,000 miles across Great Britain – with the completely absurd stipulation that they can’t spend any money.

Instead of letting the actual bike ride be enough of a challenge, they start in southern England with nothing – no bicycles, no food, not even any clothes (except their “pants,” as the British would say). The plan is to acquire those things along the way.

Throughout their journey, George and Ben make new friends, encounter all kinds of characters (or maybe they are  the characters), receive help from strangers, and get into more unlikely and hilarious situations than I can count.

George has another book called Not Tonight, Josephine , about road-tripping through the U.S., and it’s equally full of random mishaps, funny stories, and obscure places. It was also a great read, but I’d go with Free Country if I had to recommend just one.

Recommended for anyone who wants both entertainment and a reminder of the goodness in humanity

*The Kindle version of Free Country is currently available for free through Kindle Unlimited!

6. Cruising Attitude   –  Heather Poole

Heather spent 15 years working as a flight attendant, so she has plenty of fodder for this tell-all book about the job. From the strenuous training and hiring process to the high expectations and demanding schedules, being a flight attendant is not as glamorous as it might seem.

Packed with stories of drama involving passengers, pilots, flight attendants, and airlines (both in the air and on the ground), this book is as funny as it is eye-opening. Plus, it’s a quick and easy read – perfect for your next flight !

Recommended for anyone who’s ever been on a plane

7. A Thousand New Beginnings  – Kristin Addis

Kristin is the writer behind a travel blog I used to read while sitting in my office at my old job in Boston (yes, when I was supposed to be working), so I was excited when her book came out. The book follows her initial solo travel journey, a 10-month backpacking trip through Southeast Asia in her mid-20s.

Based largely on Kristin’s old journal entries, the book takes you on a day-by-day journey across Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Indonesia, and the Philippines, often to places far from the tourist trail. Some of the stories that stood out to me covered a silent meditation retreat in Thailand, a wild motorcycle trip, and all kinds of scuba diving adventures. With short chapters, it’s a quick and easy read, but an inspirational one that makes both solo female travel and long-term travel feel attainable.

Recommended for anyone who’s interested in solo travel or getting off the beaten path

*The Kindle version of A Thousand New Beginnings is currently just $2.99 on Amazon!

8. How Not to Travel the World   – Lauren Juliff

Another book by a  popular blogger , this one has a decidedly different bent. Lauren calls herself a walking disaster, and after reading her travel stories, it’s easy to see why. While she’s on the road, she gets scammed, attacked by sandflies, bitten by fish, caught up in a tsunami scare, and has a host of other problems.

In fairness, maybe some of Lauren’s disasters were the result of her carelessness or her sometimes shocking level of naiveté. . But anyone who’s felt unlucky or out of their element will relate to many of the stories, and the way Lauren faces her fears and challenges herself to grow and change is enormously inspiring. By the end of the book, you can’t help but admire her.

Recommended for anyone who feels anxious or insecure about traveling

9. Turn Right at Machu Picchu   –  Mark Adams

This was the slowest read of the books on this list, but that’s only because the travel narrative is accompanied by meticulously researched historical context on Peru. Travel writing that manages to simultaneously inspire a deep sense of adventure and provide a serious education is rare, but this book pulled it off.

Mark sets out to recreate the first recorded expedition to Machu Picchu – which is a massive undertaking for someone who’d never even been camping before (!). As he travels the Sacred Valley, he relies on his guides, treks to areas rarely visited by foreigners, and learns enough history to write a book (literally). It sounds like his books on traveling Alaska and searching for Atlantis are a similar mix of historical research and adventure memoir.

Recommended for anyone who loves history or hopes to visit Machu Picchu

10. It’s Only the Himalayas   –  Sue Bedford

Sue tells the story of a year-long trip she takes with her friend Sara, partly in an attempt to escape her waitressing job and try to figure out what she wants to do with her life. In one of the more memorable sections, the two are joined by their aging fathers to trek the Annapurna Circuit in Nepal, despite all four of them being utterly unprepared. They also tour Southern Africa, study meditation at an ashram in India , and unexpectedly take part in a death ritual on Borneo.

While I have to admit that parts of the second half of the book devolved into a blur of parties, drugs, and hook-ups with little attention to the actual countries Sue and Sara visit, the first half chronicles some seriously inspiring adventures.

Recommended for anyone planning to travel long-term with a friend

11. Adventures of a Continental Drifter   –  Elliott Hester

Another funny travel memoir, this one is truly a round-the-world story. After Elliott leaves his job as a flight attendant in the wake of 9/11, he spends a year traveling solo and ends up visiting more than 20 countries. He seems to be one of those people who just keeps encountering unexpected things on the road, and he writes about it all with a self-deprecating sense of humor that you can’t help but enjoy.

The book is a series of short stories, with tales from places as diverse as Argentina, Ethiopia, and French Polynesia. It’s a quick and easily-digestible read, and each story will keep you guessing. His first book is a behind-the-scenes peek into air travel and the life of a flight attendant, and it looks like it’s just entertaining.

Recommended for anyone who’s thought of leaving everything behind to travel the world

12. All Over the Map   –  Laura Fraser

This story of a solo female traveler breaks the mold of the 20-something globetrotter, something I’m coming to appreciate more and more. When Laura turns 40 at the beginning of the book, she’s already found career success and is torn between searching for love and wanting to be independent. So, she travels, sometimes on writing assignments, sometimes for love, and sometimes simply for the adventure.

No stranger to memoirs of travel, Laura’s even better known for her first book,  An Italian Affair , which tells the beginning of her story of post-divorce travel and romance .

Recommended for anyone who dreams of travel and romance

Like I said, my “To-Read” list of memoirs about travel is never-ending – and these are some of the next ones on the list! Since I haven’t read any of these yet and can’t personally recommend them, I’m including the Goodreads rating for each one.

Catfish and Mandala – Andrew X. Pham (4/5) : After his sister’s suicide, Andrew quits his job to take a year-long bicycle trip, eventually heading to their father’s home country of Vietnam. Cycling from Saigon to Hanoi, the trip becomes his search for cultural identity.

A Cook’s Tour – Anthony Bourdain (4.1/5) : I’ve read (actually, listened to) two of Anthony Bourdain’s books and loved them both, especially Kitchen Confidential . This one was his first travel memoir, and I can’t wait to read it; I’m just sad he’ll never be able to record it.

Around the World in 80 Trains – Monisha Rajesh (3.8/5) : The title is literal – there really are 80 train journeys, covering 45,000 miles (twice the circumference of the earth). Monisha and her fiancé ride everything from Amtrak to the Trans-Mongolian to the world’s highest-elevation railway in Tibet.

Four Corners – Kira Salak (4/5) : Papua New Guinea is one of the least-visited countries in the world, and Kira spent three months traversing it solo. This is a book about places, people, and cultures you’re unlikely to read about anywhere else.

The Cat Who Went to Paris – Peter Gethers (4.1/5) : This was published in 1991, and is exactly what it sounds like. I can’t believe I haven’t read it yet. Former cat-hater Peter receives a kitten named Norton as a gift, falls in love with him, and from then on, they go everywhere together, including Paris.

What are the best travel memoirs you’ve read? Share your recommendations in the comments!

About Jen Ambrose

Jen Ambrose was born and raised in Montana, but has lived on both coasts and abroad. She and Ryan got married in 2016, and promptly got rid of their stuff, quit their office jobs, and left their Boston apartment to travel long-term. Now, they travel together (and occasionally apart) while working remotely, often housesitting along the way. Jen previously served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Rwanda and earned a Masters degree in International Development - both of which have shaped her passion for responsible tourism. She's also a yoga teacher and personal trainer, working both online and in many of the places she visits.

July 4, 2022 at 4:40 am

Heya, thanks for sharing your list and introducing me to a genre, which I’m usually not too fond of. I’ve tried Bill Bryson but couldn’t get access to his writing. The story about the waitress who ends up climbing a mountain unprepared sounds very much like me. I often run naively into travel mishaps but afterward they do make for the best stories, so I may give this one a try!

July 5, 2022 at 1:38 pm

In that case, I think you’ll definitely enjoy that one! 😀

December 1, 2021 at 2:22 pm

Thanks for sharing this list – I love these kinds of books and have already read several of those you’ve listed. (And now am adding the rest of them to my to-be-read list :o) Also I’d love to suggest my own family travel memoir – it’s about the 3+ years that my family spent living in a camper van driving from California to Argentina. “Monkeys on the Road: One family’s vanlife adventure south in search of a simpler life” by Mary Hollendoner. I’ll message you directly Jen to see if you might like to read it. If my comment is too self-promotional please delete it!

May 12, 2020 at 10:09 pm

I love this list! There’s some I’ve read and others I haven’t–the perfect list for right now when we can’t travel! Thanks for sharing (also saw that you’re a fellow Montanan from Practical Wanderlust).

May 14, 2020 at 9:13 pm

Thanks for commenting, Alex! I’m trying hard to find silver linings of the lockdowns, and reading more has definitely been one of them. 🙂 Where in Montana are you from? We both grew up in Great Falls, but Ryan also lived in Bozeman for quite a while and we love going back to visit!

May 14, 2020 at 9:22 pm

That’s so funny! I great up in Kalispell–been to both Great Falls and Bozeman many times, though. Love catching up with fellow Montanans!

May 14, 2020 at 9:36 pm

Ditto! And I’m looking forward to following your blog! 🙂

January 9, 2020 at 6:08 am

Thank you for sharing this! So many memoirs on here I have never heard of and they sound amazing. Will be checking my library for these titles now!

January 10, 2020 at 3:28 am

You’re welcome! Hope you find one you like 😀

December 22, 2019 at 10:49 pm

I really need to start reading all the wonderful books I keep hearing about, I get inspired just reading the summaries but I never seem to get around to it. That one about the guys who biked with no money sounds awesome, that’s definitely going to be the first one I check out!

If you like road trip stories, I’d recommend Chuck Klosterman’s “Killing Yourself To Live”.

January 2, 2020 at 9:22 am

Ooh, I haven’t heard of Killing Yourself to Live – thanks for the rec!

December 22, 2019 at 2:59 pm

Thanks for the great recommendations. This is a reminder that I definitely don’t read enough travel memoirs! I’ll be adding some of these to my list to keep me occupied on my 2020 travel!

December 22, 2019 at 9:45 pm

No better time to read one than on a trip! 🙂

December 21, 2019 at 6:58 pm

Can;t travel without books. Thanks for the great, great list! And keep it up!

December 22, 2019 at 2:14 am

Thanks Elsa! 🙂

December 21, 2019 at 2:44 pm

Great list! I will have to add some of those to my reading list, thanks for sharing!

December 22, 2019 at 2:13 am

Thanks for commenting! 🙂

December 21, 2019 at 2:01 pm

I feel like I already have wanderlust right now, but I’m definitely looking forward to adding these to my to-read list! The only one I’ve read so far is Wild!

December 22, 2019 at 2:12 am

I can’t believe I still haven’t read Wild!

December 21, 2019 at 10:54 am

Oh I love a book that gives me wanderlust. It was the book I am David that first inspired me to travel as a young girl.

Oh, I haven’t heard of that one – I’m going to look it up!

December 21, 2019 at 4:27 am

Travel Memoirs are an addiction of mine! I’ve read some of these but not all. I’ve just added a bunch to my list 🙂

December 22, 2019 at 2:11 am

Mine too! Usually I finish reading one book, and then add about 10 new ones on Goodreads. 😀

December 20, 2019 at 9:54 am

I’m always looking for new travel reads so this was great! Thank you for posting!

December 21, 2019 at 3:43 am

Thanks for commenting, Mary! Hope you find one you like! 🙂

December 15, 2019 at 7:55 am

Beautiful! I love your list, and I’m inspired to pick at least a couple of them and read. Thanks for sharing!

December 20, 2019 at 7:47 am

Hope you like them as much as I did! 🙂

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25 Brilliant Travel Memoirs by Women

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Best Travel Memoirs by Women

Are you looking for travel memoirs by women to read?

Here are some of the best travel books written by women to inspire your wanderlust!

When I was in college, I took a class about travel writing while studying abroad in Paris. Every week we studied different topics in travel writing, and every author we read was male. One week, our topic was “women in travel writing.” That was the only week we read female authors.

So I wanted to use this list to spotlight the best travel memoirs by women.

I have always enjoyed reading memoirs, and travel memoirs are no exception. There’s no better way to travel vicariously through someone else than by reading about their own travel experiences in a memoir. These incredible stories by female travel writers will transport you to faraway places, and have you planning your next travel adventure ASAP!

Here are the best female travel memoirs to add to your reading list:

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1.  Wild   by Cheryl Strayed

This travel memoir follows Cheryl’s journey hiking the Pacific Crest Trail solo. Driven by grief after her mother’s death, she embarked on a hike more than one thousand miles long at age twenty-six for an unforgettable experienced that maddened, strengthened, and ultimately healed her.

2.  Eat, Pray, Love   by Elizabeth Gilbert

This classic memoir was made into a hit movie and is about one woman’s journey through three countries on a mission to eat, pray, and love. After her life fell apart in her early thirties, Elizabeth set off on a pilgrimage to Italy, India, and Indonesia on a journey of self-discovery.

3.  Tracks   by Robyn Davidson

Robyn Davidson completed an epic adventure when she walked alone more than 1,700 miles through the Australian Outback with four camels and her dog at age twenty-seven. Tracks is her memoir detailing the experience and the people she met along the way.

4.  The Year of Living Danishly   by Helen Russell

British writer Helen Russell relocated to Denmark with her husband when he got a job at the LEGO headquarters. She decided to spend a year trying to uncover the secrets of the World’s Happiest Country in this delightful, well-researched, and engrossing book about Danish culture.

5.  Lands of Lost Borders   by Kate Harris

Canadian Kate Harris dreamed of adventures ever since she was young. In between studying at Oxford and MIT, she set off with her childhood friend on the adventure of a lifetime: bicycling the Silk Road. Her memoir follows her journey exploring remote Central Asia by bike.

6.  How Not to Travel the World   by Lauren Juliff

Professional travel blogger Lauren runs the website Never Ending Footsteps, where she shares unfortunate and often hilarious mishaps from the road.  How Not to Travel the World  chronicles some of her funniest travel mistakes from a self-proclaimed disaster-prone backpacker.

7. Travels With Myself and Another   by Martha Gellhorn

Martha was a fearless writer and journalist who covered wars and conflicts around the world. From the Spanish Civil War to Nicaragua to the Vietnam War, she traveled both alone and accompanied at a time when it was uncommon for women to do such things. Her memoir describes her globe-spanning adventures, in a sharp, insightful way.

8.  Under the Tuscan Sun   by Frances Mayes

Frances Mayes, a poet, writer, and gourmet chef, embarked on a life-changing journey when she moved to Italy to renovate an old Tuscan villa. Her evocative memoir has inspired countless others to follow their dreams, whether that is booking a flight to Italy or elsewhere.

9.  Cruising Altitude   by Heather Poole

Have you ever wondered what it’s like to be a flight attendant? While it may seem like a glamorous job that allows you to travel the world, Heather’s memoir  Cruising Altitude  provides an insider look at what it’s REALLY like to be a flight attendant: the good, the bad, and the ugly.

10.  Tales of a Female Nomad   by Rita Golden Gelman

At the age of forty-eight, on the verge of a divorce, Rita left a comfortable life in Los Angeles to follow her dream of traveling the world, connecting with people in cultures all over the globe. She sold all her possessions and set off on an epic journey to far-flung places around the world.

11.  Without Reservations   by Alice Steinbach

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Alice Steinbach wrote this travel memoir about her experiences around Europe as she set off on a voyage to find her true self and be an independent woman.

12.  The Lost Girls   by Jennifer Baggett, Holly Corbett, and Amanda Pressner

Three friends, each on the brink of a quarter-life crisis, make a pact to quit their high pressure New York City jobs and leave behind their friends, boyfriends, and everything familiar to embark on a year-long backpacking adventure around the world. What followed was an epic journey across four continents in this fun memoir about friendship and travel adventures.

13.  What I Was Doing While You Were Breeding   by Kristin Newman

Kristin spent much of her twenties and thirties buying dresses to wear to her friends’ weddings and baby showers. Not ready to settle down herself and in need of an escape from her fast-paced job, Kristin instead traveled the world, often alone, for several weeks each year. Her memoir chronicles her many experiences (and whirlwind romances) on the road.

14.  The Good Girl’s Guide to Getting Lost   by Rachel Friedman

After playing it safe for most of her life, Rachel buys a one-way ticket to Ireland, where she meets a free-spirited Australian girl. Her new friend spurs her on to turn her trip into a year-long odyssey around the world, with plenty of adventures along the way.

15.  Wanderlust   by Elisabeth Eaves

Spanning across 15 years,  Wanderlust  is a travel memoir chronicling the author’s travels on five continents (and the many romances she had along the way.)

16.  Undress Me in the Temple of Heaven   by Susan Jane Gilman

In this hilarious and harrowing travel memoir, Susan Jane Gilman describes her unconventional gap year in the 1980s with her best friend in the People’s Republic of China.

17.  An Embarrassment of Mangoes by Ann Vanderhoof

This memoir follows Ann and her husband, two forty-something Canadians dreaming of life in paradise, who quit their jobs and moved onto a 42-foot sailboat in the Caribbean.

18.  Miss-adventures   by Amy Baker

Humorist Amy Baker decided to quit her job and backpack South America, where she quickly found herself in many hilarious travel predicaments. Her book  Miss-adventures  chronicles her many travel mistakes, and the advice she should have listened to along the way.

19.  A Thousand New Beginnings   by Kristin Addis

This is a memoir written by travel blogger Kristin Addis, who runs the website Be My Travel Muse. Her book provides a deeper look at her backstory, and the time she left her job, boyfriend, and familiar life at age twenty-six to backpack Southeast Asia alone for a year.

20.  Alone Time   by Stephanie Rosenbloom

Set between Paris, Istanbul, Florence, and New York,  Alone Time  is a memoir about traveling solo and the joys and pleasures that solitude can bring in our hectic lives.

21. Confessions of a Middle-Aged Runway   by Heidi Eliason

Feeling suffocated by routine and longing for adventure, 45-year-old Heidi quit her job, sold all her belongings, and purchased an RV. What followed was a five-year RV journey with her trusty dog Rylie, as she discovered new places and experienced freedom like she had never known.

22. If Your Dream Doesn’t Scare You, It Isn’t Big Enough   by Kristine K. Stevens

For her fortieth birthday, Kristine sold her house, quit her job, and embarked on a solo adventure around the world. She braves a monsoon in Zanzibar, trekking in Nepal, kayaking in Thailand, caves in Laos, lava in Hawaii, and grizzly bears in Alaska in this memoir of her travels.

23.  Wild by Nature   by Sarah Marquis

Adventurer Sarah Marquis chronicles her ambitious journey hiking solo over 10,000 miles around the world, from the Gobi Desert to Siberia, in this travel memoir.

24.  Return to Glow   by Chandi Wyant

In her early forties, Chandi’s world implodes in the wake of a divorce and traumatic illness. Determined to embrace life by following her heart, she sets out on Italy’s historic pilgrimage route, the Via Francigena, to walk for forty days to Rome.  Return the Glow  chronicles it all.

25.  Alone in Antarctica   by Felicity Aston

Felicity Aston, physicist and meteorologist, took two months off from all human contact as she became the first woman, and only the third person in history, to ski across the entire continent of Antarctica alone. With just her cross-country skis, she embarked on an epic journey across the ice.

26.  The Same River Twice   by Pam Mandel

When California native Pam Mandel was sent off on a youth tour of Israel at age seventeen, she didn’t realize she was in for the adventure of a lifetime. What started as a poorly-chaperoned trip turns into a journey leading her from London to rural Pakistan to the Nile River Delta to the Himalayas and back on an adventure that would shape the course of her life forever.

27.  Open Road   by T. W. Neal

On the brink of her fiftieth birthday and stuck in the routines of “normal” life, author T. W. Neal realized she needed a new adventure. She and her husband embark on a 12,000 mile journey through America’s national parks in this travel memoir about rediscovering yourself.

These are some of the best travel memoirs by women.

Have you read any of these travel memoirs by women? Do you have any favorite memoirs that I should add to this list? Let me know in the comments below!

Related:  17 Best Travel Adventure Books

One Comment

Yes! I’d love to add The Locust and the Bird by Hanan Al-Shaykh. It’s a beautiful memoir set in Lebanon about her mother’s life.

Thank you so much for compiling this list. I came across it for exactly the same reasons you wrote it except that I was reading a how-to book on travel writing. The author weaved in lots of “expert” advice, recommendations and quotes, but I was shocked by the lack of female representation. Out of 36 book recommendations for further reading only 4 were by women.

Jane Robinson’s Parrot Pie for Breakfast is another great read for anyone who thinks women travel writers are a rarity.

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10 Travel Memoirs to Inspire Your Next Trip

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I’ve been meaning to write about the best travel books for a long time but it was an overwhelming task as there are so many to choose from. To make it more manageable I’m going to break it down by category, mostly by destination as I love to read as much as I can about a place, both novels and non-fiction, before I visit.

I have already written about the best books to read before visiting Iceland ,  Japan and South Africa and the best coffee table travel books , and today I’ll share my picks for the best travel memoirs.

Most of these travel memoirs are about long-term travel, so they are perfect if you are considering a big trip or making a major life change. Armchair travellers will enjoy these fun reads too. They are all written by women and show that it’s possible to travel whatever age you are and whether you are single, in a couple, or have children.

1) Love with a Chance of Drowning by Torre DeRoche

Australian Torre meets a handsome Argentinean in San Francisco and is swept off her feet. The problem is he’s about to set sail for the South Pacific on a small sailboat. Despite her seasickness and phobia of deep water, she decides to overcome her fears and join him on the exhilarating and terrifying voyage. 

Love with a Chance of Drowning is a fun and inspiring read that made us want to buy a boat and explore the remote islands of the Pacific despite the challenges they faced. More than just a love story or travel memoir, it’s a story about living life to the full despite your fears.

See our interview with Torre about her travels and the process of writing and publishing a book.

2) The Worrier's Guide to the End of the World: Love, Loss, and Other Catastrophes—through Italy, India, and Beyond by Torre DeRoche

Torre’s sequel to Love with a Chance of Drowning is just as wonderful, funny and poignant. In The Worrier's Guide to the End of the World she is struggling with grief when she makes an inspiring new friend in Italy. Despite being entirely unprepared she joins her on a walking pilgrimage through Tuscany (heavenly) and India (shocking and challenging). It’s another uplifting story of facing fears and anxiety that I couldn’t put down.

3) How Not to Travel the World: Adventures of a Disaster-Prone Backpacker by Lauren Juliff

Lauren sets off on a typical backpacking trip around the world in her early 20s. The difference is she suffers from debilitating anxiety, is battling an eating disorder, and has led a sheltered life—never before even riding a bus or eating rice.

She hopes travel will change her life—and it does, but along the way she suffers a series of cringe-worthy disasters and hilarious mishaps. Despite these incidents and her ongoing fears, she continues to travel and stretch the limits of her comfort zone. It’s an entertaining read and a good lesson in how not to travel the world.

4) The Yellow Envelope: One Gift, Three Rules, and A Life-Changing Journey Around the World by Kim Dinan

Kim and her husband quit their jobs in Portland to travel the world indefinitely. Before they leave friends give them a unique gift—a yellow envelope of money to give away on their travels to anyone who moves them. There are only three rules: don't overthink it; share your experiences; don't feel pressured to give it all away.

As they travel through Ecuador, Peru, Nepal, India and beyond it turns out to be harder than they expected and their relationship faces major challenges. The Yellow Envelope is an inspiring and honest book, as much about Kim's personal journey as the places they visit and the people they give to along the way.

5) Married with Luggage: What We Learned About Love by Traveling the World by Betsy and Warren Talbot

Married with Luggage is part couple travel memoir, part love story. It tells the story of how Betsy and Warren turned their relationship around from the brink of divorce, quit their corporate jobs, and sold everything they owned to travel the world at age 40.

It’s an honest, engaging, and entertaining book that I devoured in two days. I loved reading about their funny, embarrassing, and frightening adventures including storms in Antarctica, volcanoes in Ecuador, and living with Mongolians in a ger in the Gobi Desert. But the book is more than a travel tale. Along the way Warren and Betsy examined the issues they experienced in their relationship and shared the lessons they learned that have made them closer and stronger.

6) Mother Tongue: My Family's Globe-Trotting Quest to Dream in Mandarin, Laugh in Arabic, and Sing in Spanish by Christine Gilbert

For families and language lovers, Mother Tongue is an inspiring tale of Christine’s ambitious quest to learn Mandarin in Beijing, Arabic in Lebanon, and Spanish in Mexico, with a toddler and less-enthusiastic husband in tow.

Things don’t go quite how she planned—pollution in Beijing and political issues in Beirut force them to leave early and she doesn’t reach the fluency levels she hoped for. But it’s an interesting read with lots of research about language learning and shows how travel with kids is possible—she even has another baby while living in Mexico.

7) Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed

Wild probably needs no introduction as the book and film are now world famous, but I highly recommend it if you haven’t read it yet.

In her mid-20s Cheryl Strayed had lost everything—her mother died, her marriage fell apart, and she fell into a self-destructive life of drugs and sex. With nothing to lose she makes an impulsive decision to hike 1100 miles on the Pacific Crest Trail along the west coast of America.

It’s a beautiful, brutally honest, and raw account of the mental and physical challenges she faces on the trail and how it ultimately healed her.

I also love the words of wisdom she shares in her book Tiny Beautiful Things and podcast Dear Sugars . 

8) Tales of a Female Nomad: Living at Large in the World by Rita Golden Gelman

At the age of 48 and on the verge of divorce, Rita sold her possessions and became a nomad. She lived in a Zapotec village in Mexico, slept with sea lions on the Galapagos Islands, observed orangutans in the rain forest of Borneo, visited trance healers and dens of black magic, and cooked with women on fires all over the world. 

This isn’t a typical backpacker journey as Rita has a knack for really getting to know the people and culture of a place and it’s inspiring to see that it’s never too late to travel.

9) What I Was Doing While You Were Breeding: A Memoir by Kristin Newman

While the books above involve long-term travel, 30-something Kristin takes a different approach to exploring the world. While her friends are getting married and having children, she has no urge to settle down and takes short breaks between her jobs as a television writer for solo adventures.

Along the way she has steamy love affairs in Argentina, Israel, Brazil, Russia and beyond. It’s a hilarious and entertaining read, especially for women who don’t want to conform to society’s expectations.

10) Eat Pray Love: One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia by Elizabeth Gilbert

The book so many people love to hate! Well, I love Eay Pray Love and think you should ignore the snobbery and give it a go (even if you’ve seen the film). In her early 30s, Elizabeth Gilbert has everything you are supposed to want—a loving husband, beautiful house, and successful career—but she feels trapped and miserable.

She leaves it all behind to spend a year of self-discovery in three very different places—Italy, India and Bali. These are three of my favourite places so it’s no wonder that I love reading about her immersion in these cultures, the locals she meets, and the joy she finds along the way.

Where are the writers of colour?

As I finished writing this list I realised how white it is. While I have read and loved many travel books by black and Asian writers, they are usually focused on a particular place and I’ll share those in my destination book lists (like South Africa and Japan ).

Finding long-term travel memoirs by writers of colour is a more difficult task so I’d love to hear your suggestions. In the meantime, I’ve added these travel memoirs by black women writers to my reading list. There’s also  Go Girl! a 20-year-old collection of travel stories by black women, but unfortunately it’s not available for Kindle. 

I hope these travel books inspire your next trip! What are your favourite travel memoirs? Leave a comment below.

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Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail is my favourite one:)) Fred from worldee

Reply ↓

Great article and tips! Looking at your list, I’m wondering whether you might enjoy my book Where to Next? :-)

I’ve read many books on this list, but as a POC, I definitely have felt the lack of diversity. Thank you for addressing this! One memoir I’d love to recommend is From Excuses to Excursions: How I Started Traveling the World by Gloria Atanmo, the mastermind behind The Blog Abroad. While I sometimes toy with the idea of writing one myself, the barriers I would face seem incredibly discouraging.

Thanks for the recommendation Carmela – I will add that to my reading list. And let us know if you ever write your own memoir! I’m sure it would be an incredibly challenging but rewarding experience.

You’ve just added a bunch of things to my TBR! And I also really appreciate your perspective on diversity. It’s something I’ve definitely been paying attention to in my own reading life.

I’m glad I’ve given you some ideas Ally Lou. I hope you enjoy them!

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Best Travel Memoirs – My List of Top Selling Travel Books

In this article, we will explore some of the best travel memoirs out there, all of which I have read.

I have included a diverse selection of travel literature books written from a variety of different perspectives. This list of travel writers includes some of the big hitters like Paul Theroux, Dervla Murphy and Bill Bryson , to lesser-known writers about more specific adventures.

From adventure travel books to books about a journey, these memoirs include sad stories, adventure, war, death, life, survival, incredible landscapes and more.

From London to Lodz, from the Amazon to Antarctica and from Seville to Siberia, this list covers pretty much the entire world. Every book on this list is a gripping read that will have you coming back for more!

If you are looking for books about a journey, you have come to the right place!

So, let’s dive right in and find out some of the best travel memoirs ever written! I have listed these in the order that they were published for want of any better methodology.

What is a Travel Memoir?

According to Writers Digest “A travel memoir is a travel writing genre all its own. It is not a guidebook, trip diary or marketing piece for the Sunday paper. Rather, it is a delicate mixture of recollection and reflection that reveals how a journey, or a series of journeys, transformed the writer.”

What Makes a Good Travel Memoir?

As mentioned above, the best travel memoirs take us on a transformative journey along with the writer. The small stories of everyday life, the first smell or taste of a new dish, the feelings each new experience invokes and the ability to take the reader right there all help to achieve a great read.

Who is the Best Travel Writer?

Well, this is a rather subjective question and depends on your personal tastes. If I had to pick one it would probably be Bill Bryson thanks to his attention to detail, keen interest in everything around him, and hilarious anecdotes.

*Disclaimer: This article contains affiliate links, which means should you click and purchase, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.

My 19 Best Travel Memoirs

• Down and Out in Paris and London by George Orwell (1933)
• As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning by Laurie Lee (1969)
• Lost in the Jungle by Yossi Ghinsberg (1985)
• Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer (1996)
• The Gypsy in Me by Ted Simon (1997)
• A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson (1998)
• Strange Places, Questionable People by John Simpson (1998)
• In Siberia by Colin Thubron (1999)
• The Backpacker by John Harris (2001)
• Lost in Mongolia by Colin Angus (2003)
• Long Way Round by Charley Boorman and Ewan McGregor (2004)
• Big Dead Place by Nicholas Johnson (2005)
• Silverland by Dervla Murphy (2006)
• Blood and Sand by Frank Gardner (2006)
• In Search of Kazakhstan by Christopher Robbins (2007)
• Ghost Train to the Eastern Star by Paul Theroux (2008)
• Cycling Home from Siberia by Rob Lilwall (2011)
• Siberian Odyssey by Stephen A. Rohan (2012)
• Bonus: The Odyssey by Homer (c800BC)

The Best Travel Memoirs – A brief description

Down and out in paris and london – george orwell.

“If you set yourself to it, you can live the same life, rich or poor. You can keep on with your books and your ideas. You just got to say to yourself, “I’m a free man in here” – he tapped his forehead – “and you’re all right.” George Orwell, Down and Out in Paris and London

George Orwell should need no introduction as the author of such seminal works as 1984 and Animal Farm . But before he was a novelist, Orwell wrote autobiographically about his life from his beginnings in Burma to his time in England.

Down and Out… recounts Orwell’s time working in the cafes of backstreet Paris and tramping the lanes of England between shelters after making himself intentionally homeless. You can almost taste the author’s descriptions of poverty; however, the writing is not morose and his journeys through the underbelly of French and British society are both interesting and moving.

This book had sat for many years on my bookshelf in England and my grandfather had urged me to read it many times. It wasn’t until years later that a friend in China also gifted me a copy that I finally got around to reading it. I think my initial hesitation stemmed from the subject matter, but after reading the first few pages had realized my mistake and devoured the book in a matter of days.

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As I walked out one Midsummer Morning – Laurie Lee

“I felt once again the unease of arriving at night in an unknown city–that faint sour panic which seems to cling to a place until one has found oneself a bed.” Laurie Lee, As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning

Another gift from my grandfather, As I Walked Out… tells the story of a young Laurie Lee jumping over his picket fence in the quaint Cotswold village of Slad in Gloucestershire and walking all the way to Spain, arriving at the outset of the Spanish Civil War.

Lee first walks to London and survives by busking with his violin and laboring on building sites. There he decides to carry on to Spain and continues his itinerant existence of busking to strangers outside cafes and sleeping under the stars.

The book finishes with the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War, but this is just the start of Lee’s adventures…

Lost in the Jungle – Yossi Ghinsberg

“I realise just by looking up to the sky that I am part of something infinite, and I feel infinitely grateful for life.” Yossi Ghinsberg, Lost in the Jungle

This tale of adventure, deceit and survival takes place in the remote Amazon Rainforest in Brazil. Ghinsberg, a young Israeli backpacking across South America, joins up with a group of other travellers in search of a semi-mythical “lost tribe” in the jungle.

The four travellers set out together and it isn’t long before things start to fall apart. One of the group is seemingly not cut out for such adventure and begins to slow down the others. The team’s erstwhile leader, a shady Austrian full of menacing bravado, doesn’t help matters. It isn’t long before the team is split up and Ghinsberg finds himself alone in the vast Amazon Jungle after their raft gets overturned in rapids.

The author now finds himself in dire straights as his predicament dawns on him. With no map, food or survival gear the chances of him making out of the jungle alive are slim. This is one of the best adventure travel memoirs and the book has recently been made into a film called Jungle starring Daniel Radcliffe as Ghinsberg.

Into the Wild – Jon Krakauer

“The trip was to be an odyssey in the fullest sense of the word, an epic journey that would change everything.” Jon Krakauer, Into the Wild

Not strictly a travel memoir as the author is recounting the story of someone else (Christopher McCandless), the book does contain autobiographical accounts of Krakauer’s own adventures alongside those of McCandless’.

The story of McCandless, a young ideologue who left the trappings of his well-to-do upbringing to tramp across the US to Alaska and live out his fantasy in the wild, was made famous by the hit movie of the same name directed by Sean Penn.

The film is probably my favourite movie of all time; however, the book is a gripping read with a lot more insight into McCandless’ life including interviews with those he met on the road, his family and more. A must-read!

The Gypsy in Me – Ted Simon

“To be worth making at all, a journey has to be made in the mind as much as in the world of objects and dimensions.” Ted Simon

Ted Simon is most famous for his debut travel memoir Jupiter’s Travels which recounts his journey around the world on his trusted Triumph Tiger motorcycle in 1973. I haven’t yet read this memoir, so instead, I’ll review the one I have read, The Gypsy in Me.

The book charts Simon’s journey from Germany to Romania as he tries to follow his family heritage. As Simon navigates the countries that were once behind the iron curtain, he encounters many interesting people with stories of their own. From drunken factory workers to former soldiers, this journey across a forgotten and oft-neglected part of Europe offers a fascinating insight into its people and culture.

A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail – Bill Bryson

“I wanted a little of that swagger that comes with being able to gaze at a far horizon through eyes of chipped granite and say with a slow, manly sniff, “Yeah, I’ve shit in the woods.” Bill Bryson, A Walk in the Woods

It’s almost impossible for me to choose a favourite of Bryson’s travel memoirs. I first read “Notes from a Small Island” when I was 18 years old and have devoured all his travelogues since, most of them two, three, four times (I’m currently re-reading Down Under).

A Walk in the Woods recounts Bryson’s epic hike across the Appalachian Trail in America with his erstwhile friend Steven Katz (who readers may remember from Neither Here Nor There).

The Appalachian Trail is the longest hiking trail in the USA stretching from Georgia in the south to Maine in the north. The trail crosses a vast and sometimes inhospitable landscape of dense forest and mountains. This moving and hilarious account of the duo’s misadventures is a must for any travel literature fan.

The book was made into a terrible film with Robert Redford and it failed miserably at trying to match Bryson’s wit and dry humour. Get the book, skip the film! The book is listed as one of Goodreads best travel memoirs and one of the top 50 travel books of all time!

Strange Places, Questionable People – John Simpson

“There’s nowhere I wouldn’t go. That’s the job!” John Simpson on going to Chechnya

If I was to nominate the best travel memoir, it would most likely have to come from John Simpson, the former BBC World Affairs editor. Simpson had a strange knack for being at almost every major political event throughout the latter half of the twentieth century just before something huge took place.

From Tiananmen Square and the Fall of the Berlin Wall to the release of Nelson Mandela and the liberation of Kabul, Simpson was in the thick of it before anyone else.

Strange Places… is one of almost half a dozen adventure travel books written by Simpson recounting the people he met around the world. From prime ministers and presidents to bloodthirsty dictators and angry secret policemen, Simpson has sat down to tea with them all.

In this book we see the author narrowly escape death too many times to count, from narrowly avoiding execution to falling bombs, this memoir will keep you on the edge of your seat!

In Siberia – Colin Thubron

“Siberia: it fills one twelfth of the land-mass of the whole Earth, yet this is all it leaves for certain in the mind. A bleak beauty, and an indelible fear.” Colin Thubron, In Siberia

You’ll find a few books about Siberia on this list (including my own modest effort) due in large part preparation for time working on a volunteer project at Lake Baikal .

In Siberia recounts a journey not just through this vast and sparsely populated region of Russia, but also a journey to the heart of its people, their customs, cultures, joys and sadness. Thubron is one of the big-hitters when it comes to travel literature and he approaches his subjects with the gravity and dignity they deserve.

Thubron’s adventures take him to places few will ever visit; the depressing mining town of Norilsk where crime and alcoholism reign, to some of the most beautiful parts of our planet within the vast Russian taiga. One of the top travel memoirs about Russia for sure!

The Backpacker – John Harris

“So, in what we considered the true spirit of freedom and the timeless nature of our travel plans, a few months after the sacrifice of Dave’s airline ticket, the three of us ceremoniously burnt our watches, too.” John Harris, The Backpacker

The Backpacker is a light-hearted adventure travel memoir along the lines of Alex Garland’s famous book; The Beach. This book sees our protagonist leave his girlfriend after a chance meeting in India and go on a whirlwind trip across South East Asia to Australia where he gets into one scrape after another.

Some have called into question the authenticity of the book and it does read more like a high-octane thriller at times and some events do come across as a little far-fetched. However, I’ll give the author the benefit of the doubt, as it is a great read and fits well on a list of best travel memoirs.

Lost in Mongolia: Rafting the World’s Last Unchallenged River by Colin Angus

“I pull my kayak onto the muddy riverbank, spark up a small fire from dry brush and begin my nightly ritual of foraging for food.” Colin Angus, Lost in Mongolia

One of my favourite travel memoirs is Colin Angus’ Lost in Mongolia. This book sees Angus attempt to row the length of the Yenisey River, the fifth-longest in the world.

The title comes from an accident in the lower reaches of the Yenisey in Mongolia where Angus gets separated from his travelling companions and is forced to trek through this wild and untamed land looking for help. At first, he lives off eggs and berries, but is then shown unparalleled kindness by ordinary Mongolian people (and some friendly soldiers too).

The book continues on through Mongolia and into Siberia where the adventure continues.

Long Way Round – Charley Boorman and Ewan McGregor

“What have we let ourselves in for? I mean this is, really is the back and beyond of absolutely nowhere. I mean It’s just extraordinary.” Charley Boorman, Long Way Round

Long Way Round was a British television documentary charting the 31,000km motorcycle journey around the world “the long way round” undertaken by actors Charley Boorman and Ewan McGregor. The book, which is written as a diary with entries from both parties, is a fascinating accompaniment to the series , as well as a great stand-alone read.

The two actors’ adventure takes them across Europe and into Ukraine where they meet some very interesting people (mafia) before going onwards through Russia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia and back into Russia to navigate the infamous “Road of Bones”. This section of the journey is through one of the most remote places on earth and the road was constructed by gulag prisoners, many of whom were buried within the construction.

After completing the Road of Bones the duo fly with their machines to Alaska for the final leg of the journey across Canada the USA to New York and the finish line.

Big Dead Place – Nicholas Johnson

“Mostly, though, I was free of assumptions about the frozen realm of mystery. I knew only that in Antarctica, things would be different, and I was ready to do whatever it too to adjust to the rugged frontier.” Nicholas Johnson, Big Dead Place

“When Johnson went to work for the US Antarctic Program he figured he’d find adventure, beauty, penguins, and lofty-minded scientists. Instead, he found boredom, alcohol, and bureaucracy.”

Not strictly a travel memoir, however this book will certainly appeal to fans of the genre. Big Dead Place is the autobiographical memoir of Nicholas Johnson who worked on the McMurdo Research base in Antarctica on and off for ten years.

Big Dead Place started out life as a satirical newsletter left anonymously around McMurdo which poked fun at the petty bureaucracy that residents faced on a daily basis, and jokingly referred to as the “WikiLeaks of Antarctica” by a former colleague of Johnson’s.

Johnson’s acerbic observations are both shocking and amusing leaving the reader yearning for more!

Silverland – Dervla Murphy

“On my tenth birthday a bicycle and an atlas coincided as gifts, and a few days later I decided to cycle to India…However, I was a cunning child so I kept my ambition to myself, thus avoiding the tolerant amusement it would have provoked among my elders.” Dervla Murphy

Dervla Murphy is an Irish octogenarian grandmother with a penchant for cycling around the world, well into her seventies. This incredible woman’s stories take her to such places as Afghanistan, Ethiopia, India, Iran and more.

Murphy has been cycling and writing for over 45 years and is best known for her debut travel memoir; Full Tilt; Ireland to India with a Bicycle.

Silverland is Murphy’s tour de force about her time exploring far eastern Russia. Many are surprised to meet this Irish babushka travelling the hard way around one of the world’s rarely explored regions.

Blood and Sand by Frank Gardner

“Even during the dark days of the Gulf War in 1991 there had never been anything like this atmosphere of brooding tension.” Frank Gardner, Blood and Sand

Many will know Frank Gardner as the BBC’s security correspondent. Blood and Sand recounts his time spent in the middle east from his early days living in Egypt, to the terrible events that led to him being paralyzed after being shot by Islamic militants, and his long road to recovery learning how to adapt to being wheelchair-bound.

Gardner is an excellent writer and conveys his stories with a natural warmth and charisma. The journey he takes us on, which examines the world pre and post 9/11, is both shocking and moving.

For those less interested in geopolitics, Gardner’s memoir Far Horizons is a collection of stories about his adventure travels as a young man that see him climbing a volcano in Sumatra, travelling through Africa, Japan and Europe.

In Search of Kazakhstan: the Land that Disappeared – Christopher Robbins

“It was dawn as we approached Almaty, the old capital of the country, pushed up against the mighty Tien Shan mountains that rise in the south like a steep, black wall.” Christopher Robbins, In Search of Kazakhstan: the Land that Disappeared

When I picked this book up over ten years ago I had absolutely no clue about Kazakhstan other than it was a former soviet republic. Little did I realise that I would go on to visit the country over ten times and fall in love with this wild and unexplored land.

In Search of Kazakhstan takes us on a journey that starts on a flight to Almaty ; the land of apples and takes us through this vast and unchartered land from the shrinking Aral Sea to the Altai Mountains and everywhere in between.

Be careful when picking up this book, as it may well inspire you to visit and you too will fall for Kazakhstan!

Ghost Train to the Eastern Star – Paul Theroux

“Most travel, and certainly the rewarding kind, involves depending on the kindness of strangers, putting yourself into the hands of people you don’t know and trusting them with your life.” Paul Theroux, Ghost Train to the Eastern Star

Paul Theroux, the father of documentary filmmaker Louis Theroux, is another travel writing heavyweight. This sometimes controversial writer’s acerbic style often comes across as comedically curmudgeonly as he grumbles his way across country after country.

Ghost Train… recounts his second journey across Europe and Asia 30 years after his first memoir The Great Railway Bazaar (1975). Theroux explores eastern Europe, the Caucasus, Russia, China and Japan with a human touch that is often lost by many writers.

Cycling Home from Siberia by Rob Lilwall

“Turned out that the ‘bad people’ in cold, wintry Siberia were amazing, hospitable folks who looked after us so well. And the bears? They were in hibernation!” Rob Lilwall

Cycling Home from Siberia recounts the epic journey of Rob Lilwall as he peddles around the world on his trusty bicycle. This compelling memoir sees the author find love, tragedy and God as he travels through Asia, Australia and Europe.

Lilwall’s three-year journey sees him cover over 30,000 miles and is a gripping story of personal accomplishment in the face of adversity, strange and sometimes dangerous lands and the kindness of strangers.

Siberian Odyssey: Travels Through Europe and Asia – Stephen A. Rohan

“Bored by the banality of life in contemporary Britain, I had been thinking for some time about planning an adventure.” Steve Rohan, Siberian Odyssey: Travels Through Europe and Asia

Siberian Odyssey is my memoir of travelling across Europe and Asia to Lake Baikal in Siberia where I worked on a conservation project back in 2009. Definitely one of the best travel memoirs that should be on everyone’s bookshelf! 😉

Bonus (not really a travel memoir)

The odyssey – homer.

“Sing to me of the man, Muse, the man of twists and turns, driven time and again off course, once he had plundered the hallowed heights of Troy.” Homer, the Odyssey

Although not a travel memoir, Odysseus’ journey home after the first Trojan War is an epic tale of adventure that belongs on every traveller’s bookshelf.

From Greek gods to Gorgons, and siren to cyclops’, the Odyssey is one of the oldest stories ever handed down.

Have you read any of these memoirs about traveling? Do you agree that they are the best travel memoirs? Have I missed something? Leave a comment!

About the author: Steve Rohan is a writer from Essex, England. He has traveled to over 60 countries, lived in Armenia, China and Hong Kong, and is now living the digital nomad life on the road.

Steve prefers “slow travel” and has covered much of the world by train, bus and boat. He has been interviewed multiple times by the BBC and recently featured in the documentary Scariest Places in the World . See the About page for more info.

Where I am now: Yerevan, Armenia 🇦🇲

2 thoughts on “ Best Travel Memoirs – My List of Top Selling Travel Books ”

Good list, Steve, but you left off some seriously wonderful travel memoirs, such as Steinbeck’s TRAVELS WITH CHARLEY, Peter Matthiessen’s THE SNOW LEOPARD, Hemingway’s GREEN HILLS OF AFRICA, Cheryl Strayed’s WILD, Anthony Bourdain’s KITCHEN CONFIDENTAL, Paul Theroux’s THE OLD PATAGONIAN EXPRESS, Martha Gellhorn’s TRAVELS WITH MYSELF AND ANOTHER, Frances Mayes’ UNDER A TUSCAN SUN, and Hemingway’s A MOVEABLE FEAST, just to name a few.

Hi Randall, thanks for your comment. Some good ones there. I feel Wild tops every list ever so purposfully eft that one out to be a little different. Paul Theroux is already represented, but definitely should have included Hemmingway as he’s one of my favourite authors, and Bourdain too (RIP). Under a Tuscan Sun also deserves a mention. Perhaps I’ll update the list as I wrote this a few years ago. Cheeers, Steve

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The 10 best travel memoirs

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1. Viva South America! A Journey Through a Restless Continent

This is South America described by the people who live there. Oliver Balch spends a year talking to prisoners and miners, dance teachers and displaced farmers, about life as they see it.

£10.99, Faber & Faber

Buy from our bookshop

2. Exit into History: A Journey Through the New Eastern Europe

A book that takes you on an intimate journey through Eastern Europe at a time when the dust was still settling from the collapse of the Berlin Wall. Eva Hoffman travels from the Baltic to the Black Sea, building a compelling portrait of a region uncertain about its future.

£16, Faber & Faber

3. Journey Without Maps

When Graham Greene embarked on his trek into Liberia in 1935, the interior of the country was still unmapped. Undeterred, he managed to walk through the entire country, writing a remarkable account of exploring a place that almost killed him.

£8.99, Vintage Classics

4. Arabian Sands

Capturing a period when the Bedouin way of life was in decline, Arabian Sands is an extraordinary record of explorer Wilfred Thesiger’s odyssey through the aptly named “Empty Quarter” of Arabia. The book is a must-read classic for anyone travelling to, or hoping to better understand, the Middle East.

£9.99, Penguin Classics

5. Notes From a Big Country

Bill Bryson’s warm style makes him a pleasure to read and his reflections on everything from gardening to the death penalty provide a welcome narration to any journey stateside.

£8.99, Black Swan

6. In Patagonia

In Patagonia chronicles a remarkable trip through South America. Told in Bruce Chatwin’s meandering style, with 97 short untitled pieces that jump from one experience to the next, the structure seems appropriate for a book that is all about nomadic wanderings.

7. On the Road

Jack Kerouac’s inspirational novel based on the travels undertaken by him and his friends across America during the late 1940s. Full of jazz and Americana, it tells a story of a generation trying to find meaning outside the mainstream.

£7.19, Penguin

8. Ghost Riders: Travels with American Nomads

Inspired by Kerouac, the young, broke Richard Grant set off to roam America, scraping together money for beer and motels, and selling his stories along the way. This book is an account of years spent on the road, as Grant tries to unpick his own impulses to wander.

£10.99, Abacus

9. A short Walk in the Hindu Kush

Travelling doesn’t get more memorable than this. Sparked by a telegram to a friend, Eric Newby and his companion set off from Mayfair to Afghanistan, where they wander the wilderness completely unprepared, but with plenty of wit.

£8.99, HarperPress

10. The Great Railway Bazaar

For anyone smitten with the romanticism of rail travel, this book by Paul Theroux has it all. Theroux’s epic journey was made in the 1970s, travelling routes such as the Orient Express, the Khyber Pass Local, the Delhi Mail from Jaipur, the Golden Arrow to Kuala Lumpur, and the Trans-Siberian.

£10.99, Penguin

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Matador Original Series

The Best Travel Memoirs to Read While You're Stuck Inside

S o the only view you have right now is the one outside your bedroom window. It’s easy to feel cramped, your longing for travel stifled by your equally strong urge to protect public health. There is a way to travel while you’re stuck indoors though. All you need is the right book. These travel memoirs, part personal journey, part travelogue to new and uncharted territories, will lead your imagination on wild adventures to places far beyond the confines of your couch. Dog sled across the arctic tundra with Blair Braverman in Welcome to the Goddamn Ice Cube , explore France’s culinary treasures with Julia Child by your side in My Life in France , or bicycle across continents with Dervla Murphy in Full Tilt . If you’re feeling claustrophobic escape into these stories which offer a much needed change in scenery.

1. In Patagonia by Bruce Chatwin

Photo: Penguin Random House

Bruce Chatwin’s memoir of his travels through Patagonia — a rural region shared by southern Chile and Argentina — is a love letter to a wild country. He imbues strange and unfamiliar lands with a thrilling electricity. Chatwin tracks down the places where Welsh immigrants once settled and bandits roamed, his passion for adventure and history propelling his journey forward. Among the many characters Chatwin encounters are an unlikley incarnation of Butch Cassidy, a guacho posse, and a touring piano player. Credited with infusing the travel writing genre with renewed energy, as well as interest in Patagonia as a travel destination, one might feel compelled to follow in his footsteps, backpack in hand, before even turning the last page of the book.

2. My Life in France by Julia Child

In 1948, Julia Child moved to France with her husband Paul, an officer at the US Information Service at the US Embassy. She knew nothing about French cuisine — not even how to make beurre blanc . Not one to sit around feeling useless, Child enrolled at the Cordon Bleu and discovered a remarkable talent for cooking. Today, we know her as the woman who introduced French cuisine to American housewives, but this memoir tracks her beginnings. Child’s travels through France as she discovers the recipes and ingredients that would become the second greatest love of her life (Paul being the first) is a lively, vibrant tour of the Parisian palate. But it’s Child herself who makes this book sparkle: Gregarious and warm, but full of barbed opinions, she is a refreshingly honest and friendly narrator you will wish you could have dinner with the moment you close the book.

3. Welcome to the Goddamn Ice Cube by Blair Braverman

Photo: Harper Collins

At just 19, Blair Braverman left her home in California and moved to Norway to learn how to drive sled dogs. Quite the extreme career move. Arctic life suits Braverman, and eventually, she lands in Alaska, where she becomes a tour guide, before settling in Wisconsin with her partner (dogs in tow of course). Traversing the icy tundra with her pack of dogs at the helm is dangerous and exhausting (she finds herself stuck in caves and blizzards), but Braverman is a fearless adventurer, carving out a place for herself in a profession dominated by men. Interspersed with action-movie-esque sequences, Braverman’s memoir takes readers on a tour of a perilous yet utterly intriguing landscape.

4. Travels with Charley by John Steinbeck

Considered a classic of the genre, this memoir follows Steinbeck on a 1960 road trip across the US, accompanied by his standard poodle, Charley. Steinbeck said that after devoting his writing career to the landscape and outlook of the American people, he wanted to see the country for himself, but his son Thom claims that he actually took the trip as a sort of last hurrah, as he knew his heart was failing. Steinbeck visits Long Island, the Pacific Northwest, the Badlands of North Dakota, Maine, and the Salinas Valley in California — his birthplace — on his quest to find out “What are Americans like today.” But Steinbeck was a novelist by trade, a predilection that may have influenced his so-called memoir. Recent scholarly work has pointed out that Steinbeck may have fabricated some of the conversations in the book, and new editions contain a note warning readers that it would be a “mistake to take this travelogue too literally.”

5. The Voices of Marrakesh by Elias Canetti

Photo: Barnes and Noble

Nobel-prize winning author Elias Canetti is best known for his memoirs of childhood in pre-Nazi Vienna, but he also wrote a slim volume recording a weeks-long visit to Marrakesh in the 1950s. This vibrant recollection of his time in Marrakech is a series of snapshots: He encounters camels, buys bread, drinks at French bars — small moments that add up to an intimate, loving portrait of a city full of character. This mosaic narrative brings together the city’s Arab, European, and Jewish residents, all of whom Canetti treats with dignity and compassion. His account is full of sensory details too — how the city smells, how it’s organized, and the way its people move and congregate — resulting in a memorable (though perhaps slightly outdated) portrait of the city.

6. The Colossus of Maroussi by Henry Miller

In 1939, Henry Miller traveled to Greece with his friend Lawrence Durrell, a naturalist, to escape the looming Nazi occupation. Miller intended to seek out poet George Katsimbalis, the “colossus” of the book’s title. On its surface, this book pretends to be a portrait of Katsimbalis (who Miller does meet) but it’s also a travelogue. The author hops between Athens, Crete, Corfu, Poros, Hydra, and Delphi in the nine months he spent in Greece, before moving to the United States at the outbreak of World War II. Miller felt something beyond love for Greece — the place where he became “free and whole.” Poor, but full of the spirit of an adventurer, Miller sunbathes naked on a beach, visits a village with just one stove for all its residents, and marvels at the country where he wrote “God’s magic is still at work.”

7. Epic Continent by Nicholas Jubber

Photo: Nicholas Brealey Publishing

There are stories that stick with us now, and then there are stories that have stuck with humanity for centuries. We learn about them in school and we study them in college — think titles like The Odyssey , Beowulf , and The Song of Roland . Nicholas Jubber, an award-winning travel writer and author, visited the real-world locations of these and other classics (at least as close to the original location as can be determined) to see how those stories hold up today. He meets activists who tell him about how the Nibelungenlied shaped Nazi, and later neo-Nazi, rhetoric in Germany, and how The Song of Roland has influenced the way people perceive honor across northern Europe. In the Balkans, he sees the lasting impact — both positive and negative — of the lessons behind the Kosovo Cycle . Everywhere he goes, he learns a little more about himself, the stories we tell ourselves, and how stories are used to build a national cultural identity. — Nickolaus Hines

8. Last Chance to See by Douglas Adams

Douglas Adams’ quirkiness and humor is legendary, but pair it with a side of travel and you’ve got one of most joyful, fulfilling, and touching adventure memoirs out there. In Last Chance to See , Adams joins his friend, zoologist Mark Carwardine, on a trip around the world to see the last specimens of some of the most amazing and most endangered creatures on the planet, and learn what is being done to save them. Together, they travel to China to see river dolphins; to Indonesia to observe Komodo dragons; to New Zealand to see a vibrantly colored and flightless parrot; and more. Last Chance to See is hilarious, heartbreaking at times, and decidedly uplifting, and if there’s one thing we could all use right now, it’s wit, fun, escapism, and adorable animals. Note that if you can’t procure yourself the 1990 book at this time, there is an excellent 20th-anniversary version of the expedition available on Netflix featuring Mark Carwardine and Stephen Fry, which is also a great mood lifter.

9. The Consolations of the Forest by Sylvain Tesson

Photo: Rizzoli

Sylvain Tesson is a hardcore adventurer. He’s gone just about everywhere and roughed it every time. At 21, in 1993, he biked around the world with his best friend Alexandre Poussin; In 1997, he and his same friend crossed the Himalayas on foot; in 2001, he traveled around Central Asia on horseback; in 2003 and 2004, he walked from Siberia to Calcutta, India; and more. But he is no Bear Grylls — he’s not out there to prove his manliness or his ability to survive in the most extreme conditions. Instead, he travels to feel and learn the things he knows he can’t access by staying home in Paris. His most popular expedition, his living in an extremely remote cabin in Siberia for six months, is not a story of wandering adventures and significant encounters, but one of the beauty of isolation in nature in a world where solitude and wilderness are harder and harder to come by. The short novel that recounts this trip, Consolations of the Forest , is filled with sadness and fear, but it’s also punctuated by moments of intense, simple happiness. A reflection on the power of nature and self-contemplation, Consolations of the Forest is the travel memoir that will highlight the positive aspects of this time of isolation, but will also make you crave for the great outdoors for when the time that we can all get out there again comes.

10. Full Tilt: Ireland to India with a Bicycle by Dervla Murphy

Photo: Eland Books

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The Best Books of 2022

This Year's Must-Reads

The Ten Best Books About Travel of 2022

After two years of limited travel opportunities, we’re ready to explore the world once more

Jennifer Nalewicki

Travel Correspondent

Traveling is about much more than your destination—it’s about the people who live there, and for many travelers it’s the experiences they have alongside locals that are the most memorable. Take, for instance, the story of a journalist who lived with an Iñupiaq family of whale hunters in Alaska before setting off with her toddler to follow the gray whale migration, or a young woman who traveled solo 6,800 miles by bike from Europe to the Middle East, often turning to local farmers and villagers to help her navigate unfamiliar territory. Both women adapted their experiences into books where they relive the laughter (and the pain) they shared with members of the local communities that go far beyond anything found in a guidebook.

Here are ten travel book releases from 2022 that are inspiring us to dust off our passports and experience new locales alongside the people who make them unforgettable.

The Catch Me If You Can: One Woman’s Journey to Every Country in the World by Jessica Nabongo

Visiting all 195 countries in the world is no small feat and a goal that most people can only dream of. Luckily, armchair travelers can live vicariously through author Jessica Nabongo’s epic worldwide adventure in her book The Catch Me If You Can . From retelling the blow-by-blow of a scooter accident in Nauru (an island nation in Micronesia that also happens to be the world’s least visited country) and dog-sledding in Norway to swimming with humpback whales in Tonga and learning the art of making traditional takoyaki (octopus balls) in Japan, the 38-year-old, who’s also the first Black woman to travel to every nation in the world, introduces readers not only to bucket-list-worthy places but also to the people who live there.

The Catch Me If You Can: One Woman's Journey to Every Country in the World

In this inspiring travelogue, celebrated traveler and photographer Jessica Nabongo―the first Black woman on record to visit all 195 countries in the world―shares her journey around the globe with fascinating stories of adventure, culture, travel musts, and human connections.

Soundings: Journeys in the Company of Whales by Doreen Cunningham

In an everchanging world threatened by climate change, whales have learned to adapt. Irish British author Doreen Cunningham takes that notion to heart in Soundings , which blends science and nature writing with memoir as she shares her own experiences as a struggling single mother and journalist. Together with her toddler, she follows the migration route of gray whales as they make the long journey between Mexico and Alaska (where years earlier she spent time with Iñupiaq whalers), experiencing from a distance the familial bonds, not unlike her own close relationship with her son, of the marine mammals. “What at first seems a reckless, near-mystical pursuit of an imagined being leads her to find a human pod of her own,” writes the Guardian ’s Edward Posnett.

Soundings: Journeys in the Company of Whales: A Memoir

A story of courage and resilience, Soundings is about the migrating whales and all we can learn from them as they mother, adapt, and endure, their lives interrupted and threatened by global warming.

Bridges of the World by Giancarlo Ascari

Italian cartoonist and journalist Giancarlo Ascari has a degree in architecture, so it’s no wonder why he’s fascinated with bridges. Packed with illustrations by Pia Valentinis , Ascari’s book Bridges of the World highlights recognizable spans like the brightly painted Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco and the Victorian Gothic-style Tower Bridge in London, while also highlighting less obvious examples, including the stretch of wire French high-wire artist Philippe Petit strung between the Twin Towers in New York City and dangerously crossed in 1974. In total, Bridges of the World features 50 human-made and natural wonders accented by interesting facts and anecdotes.

Bridges of the World

Fifty bridges from all over the world to be crossed on foot or with one's imagination.

Black Lion: Teachings from the Wilderness by Sicelo Mbatha

When Sicelo Mbatha was a child, he watched in horror as a crocodile viciously attacked his cousin. Rather than shy away from the cruel realities of nature, the Zulu author, who goes by the nickname Black Lion, confronted them head on to become a wilderness guide. Over the years, he’s volunteered at Imfolozi Game Reserve in KwaZulu-Natal, a province located along the coast of South Africa. Because of his childhood encounter, he has learned to approach the savanna and the lions, elephants and other animals that inhabit it from a spiritual perspective. He has since fostered a deeper connection with the local fauna and hopes to pass that mindset on to visitors on his guided excursions as well as readers of Black Lion , his debut book.

Black Lion: Alive in the Wilderness

Wilderness guide Sicelo Mbatha shares lessons learnt from a lifetime’s intimate association with Africa’s wildest nature.

The Writer’s Journey: In the Footsteps of the Literary Greats by Travis Elborough

Ask any writer, and they’ll likely confirm that a story’s setting plays as critical a role as its plot. Case in point: Would Bram Stoker’s Gothic novel Dracula be as compelling if it wasn’t set in macabre Transylvania? Like Stoker, many literary greats were inspired by places they traveled to before sitting down to write. In The Writer’s Journey , British author and cultural commentator Travis Elborough explores 35 experiences around the globe that influenced authors and helped shape their writings, including Herman Melville’s perilous 1841 whaling voyage on the Atlantic and Jack Kerouac’s cross-country escapades in the late 1940s over “all that raw land that rolls in one unbelievable huge bulge over to the West Coast.”

The Writer's Journey: In the Footsteps of the Literary Greats

Follow in the footsteps of some of the world’s most famous authors on the journeys which inspired their greatest works in this beautiful illustrated atlas.

South to America: A Journey Below the Mason-Dixon to Understand the Soul of a Nation by Imani Perry

What comes to mind when you think of the American South? The Civil War? College football? Gone with the Wind ? Imani Perry , an award-winning author and African American studies professor at Princeton University, tackles all of these topics in her New York Times best seller South to America . Combining history with culture, Perry brings readers on an eye-opening journey south of the Mason-Dixon line, from her native Alabama to Appalachia, focusing not only on past civil atrocities that have scarred the region and the country as a whole, but also on the immigrant communities, artists and innovators leading the way to a brighter future.

South to America: A Journey Below the Mason-Dixon to Understand the Soul of a Nation

An essential, surprising journey through the history, rituals, and landscapes of the American South—and a revelatory argument for why you must understand the South in order to understand America

The Slow Road to Tehran: A Revelatory Bike Ride Through Europe and the Middle East by Rebecca Lowe

While the Syrian War rattled the Middle East in 2015, journalist Rebecca Lowe embarked on a yearlong 6,800-mile grand tour via a bicycle she affectionately named “Maud” from her home base of London to Tehran. During her epic ride, she cycled through Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Sudan and the Gulf, often relying on the knowledge and assistance of farmers, villagers and other locals she met along the way. For her travel memoir The Slow Road to Tehran , she weaves her own experiences as a woman traveling alone through the mountains and deserts of the Middle East with tales about the people and cultures she encountered. Tom Chesshyre of the Critic calls it “modern travel writing at its very best, full of vim and vigor, painstakingly researched, laced with wry humor, political (without being too political), adventurous and rich with anecdote.”

The Slow Road to Tehran: A Revelatory Bike Ride through Europe and the Middle East

One woman, one bike and one richly entertaining, perception-altering journey of discovery.

Antarctica: A History in 100 Objects by Jean de Pomereu and Daniella McCahey

On January 17, 1773, Captain James Cook made the first crossing into the Antarctic Circle aboard the Royal Navy sloop Resolution . Now, on the 250th anniversary of this monumental journey, historical geographer Jean de Pomereu and historian Daniella McCahey have come together to highlight 100 objects (culled from the National Maritime Museum in London, the Library of Congress, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History and many other collections) that define the world’s least-visited continent. Items that made the cut and are featured in their co-written book Antarctica include the tiny, 22-foot lifeboat used by Irish explorer Ernest Shackleton and his crew after their ship struck ice and sunk in 1915; a sealing club fashioned out of the penis bone of an elephant seal; and skis that Norwegian explorer Olav Bjaaland used in the early 1900s.

Antarctica: A History in 100 Objects

This stunning and powerfully relevant book tells the history of Antarctica through 100 varied and fascinating objects drawn from collections around the world.

This Contested Land: The Storied Past and Uncertain Future of America’s National Monuments by McKenzie Long

Despite their federal designation as protected land, national monuments in the United States come under threat. Just look at Bears Ears National Monument, a 2,125-square-mile expanse of red sandstone, cliff dwellings and petroglyphs in the Utah desert held sacred by many Native Americans. The Trump administration decreased the monument in size by 85 percent to allow for oil drilling (only for the Biden administration to later restore its protections). In her debut book, This Contested Land , author and graphic artist McKenzie Long sets out by ski, foot and fin to explore 13 sites across the country, including Maine’s Katahdin Woods and Hawaii’s Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, in a series of compelling essays that convey the importance of protecting these natural resources from the threats of development and climate change.

This Contested Land: The Storied Past and Uncertain Future of America’s National Monuments

One woman’s enlightening trek through the natural histories, cultural stories, and present perils of 13 national monuments, from Maine to Hawaii

Crossed Off the Map: Travels in Bolivia by Shafik Meghji

The world’s highest metropolis is La Paz, Bolivia, home to two million inhabitants living at 13,600 feet above sea level (higher than Mount Fuji). However, not many people know this fact, nor much about the South American country, for that matter. In Crossed Off the Map , author, travel expert and Amnesty International editorial consultant Shafik Meghji introduces readers to the landmarks, history and current issues of Bolivia. Fellow travel author Tim Hannigan says in the book blurb, “Shafik Meghji is a natural travel writer with a ready mastery of history, anecdote and atmosphere, and [this] is the best sort of travel book—an informed and informative portrait of Bolivia that doubles as a vicarious journey for readers on an epic scale, through high mountains, across the altiplano [high plains] and into deep tropical forests.”

Crossed Off the Map: Travels in Bolivia

Blending travel writing, history and reportage, Crossed off the Map: Travels in Bolivia journeys from the Andes to the Amazon to explore Bolivia’s turbulent past and contemporary challenges.

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Jennifer Nalewicki is a Brooklyn-based journalist. Her articles have been published in The New York Times , Scientific American , Popular Mechanics , United Hemispheres and more. You can find more of her work at her website .

30 Of The Best Travel Memoirs for Your Read Harder 2017 Challenge

Claire Handscombe

Claire Handscombe moved from Europe to DC in 2012, ostensibly to study for an MFA in Creative Writing, but actually – let’s be honest – because of an obsession with The West Wing. She is the author of Unscripted , a novel about a young woman with a celebrity crush and a determined plan, and the editor of Walk With Us: How The West Wing Changed Our Lives . She also hosts the Brit Lit Podcast , a fortnightly show of news and views from British books and publishing. Blog: the Brit Lit Blog . Twitter: @BookishClaire

View All posts by Claire Handscombe

If you’re looking for inspiration to tick off the Travel Memoirs box on the Read Harder 2017 bingo card, you’ve come to the right place. We’ve got you covered whether your area of interest is Asian travels, journeys of self-discovery, or exploring how far you can get on a bicycle. You can even use some of these stones to kill multiple birds on the challenge, like a book about sports, a book by a Central or South American author about home, a book about war, and a book set more than 5,000 miles from your location. We’ve got some of the best travel memoirs to scratch your travel itch.

Adventure Divas: Searching the Globe for Women Who Are Changing the World , by Holly Morris

“After years of working behind a desk, Holly Morris had finally had enough. So she quit her job and set out to prove that adventure is not just a vacation style but a philosophy of living and to find like-minded, risk-taking women around the globe. With modest backing, a small television crew, her spirited producer-mother, Jeannie, and a whole lot of chutzpah, Morris tracked down artists, activists, and politicos–women of action who are changing the rules and sometimes the world around them.”

In a Sunburned Country , by Bill Bryson

“Every time Bill Bryson walks out the door, memorable travel literature threatens to break out. His previous excursion along the Appalachian Trail resulted in the sublime national bestseller A Walk in the Woods . In A Sunburned Country is his report on what he found in an entirely different place: Australia, the country that doubles as a continent, and a place with the friendliest inhabitants, the hottest, driest weather, and the most peculiar and lethal wildlife to be found on the planet.”

What I Was Doing While You Were Breeding , by Kristin Newman

“Kristin Newman spent much of her twenties and thirties buying dresses to wear to her friends’ weddings and baby showers. Not ready to settle down and in need of an escape from her fast-paced job as a sitcom writer, Kristin instead traveled the world, often alone, for several weeks each year. In addition to falling madly in love with the planet, Kristin fell for many attractive locals, men who could provide the emotional connection she wanted without costing her the freedom she desperately needed. Kristin introduces readers to the Israeli bartenders, Finnish poker players, sexy Bedouins, and Argentinean priests who helped her transform into “Kristin-Adjacent” on the road–a slower, softer, and, yes, sluttier version of herself at home.!

An African in Greenland , by Tété-Michel Kpomassie

“Tété-Michel Kpomassie was a teenager in Togo when he discovered a book about Greenland—and knew that he must go there. Working his way north over nearly a decade, Kpomassie finally arrived in the country of his dreams. This brilliantly observed and superbly entertaining record of his adventures among the Inuit is a testament both to the wonderful strangeness of the human species and to the surprising sympathies that bind us all.”

Squirrel Pie and Other Stories , by Elisabeth Luard

“Elisabeth Luard, one of the food world’s most entertaining and evocative writers, has travelled extensively throughout her life, meeting fascinating people, observing different cultures and uncovering extraordinary ingredients in unusual places. In this enchanting food memoir, she shares tales and dishes gathered from her global ramblings.”

Station to Station: Searching for Stories on the Great Western Line , by James Attlee

The line from London to Bristol connects two great cities, but what lies in between? London’s western suburbs, the Thames Valley, acres of farmland punctuated by tourist traps and provincial towns; what could possibly be of interest in such a landscape? To his surprise, James Attlee – a regular traveller on the route – finds himself knee-deep in stories, the line awash with ghosts, including those of Charles I, Oscar Wilde, T.E. Lawrence, the Beautiful Spotted Boy, Haile Selassie, Stanley Spencer, Diana Dors, Eddie Cochran and of course the creator of the line himself, Isambard Kingdom Brunel.

Among the living he seeks the stories of the overlooked workers who keep the trains running – including the man who flies an owl to scare the pigeons out of Paddington station. Drawing on his own experience as a commuter Attlee explores the effect of velocity on vision, and the links railways have with music and literature.”

My Paris Dream , by Kate Betts

“As a young woman, Kate Betts nursed a dream of striking out on her own in a faraway place and becoming a glamorous foreign correspondent. After college—and not without trepidation—she took off for Paris, renting a room in the apartment of a young BCBG ( bon chic, bon genre ) family and throwing herself into the local culture. She was determined to master French slang, style, and savoir faire, and to find a job that would give her a reason to stay… Kate Betts’s captivating memoir brings to life the enchantment of France—from the nightclubs of 1980s Paris where she learned to dance Le Rock, to the lavender fields of Provence and the grand spectacle of the Cour Carrée—and magically re-creates that moment in life when a young woman discovers who she’s meant to be.”

The Jaguar Smile: A Nicaraguan Journey , by Salman Rushdie

“In The Jaguar Smile , Rushdie paints a brilliantly sharp and haunting portrait of the people, the politics, the terrain, and the poetry of “a country in which the ancient, opposing forces of creation and destruction were in violent collision.” Recounting his travels there in 1986, in the midst of America’s behind-the-scenes war against the Sandinistas, Rushdie reveals a nation resounding to the clashes between government and individuals, history and morality.”

F ull Tilt: Ireland to India with a Bicycle , by Dervla Murphy

“Based on her daily diary, this is Dervla Murphy’s account of her ride, in 1963, across frozen Europe and through Persia and Afghanistan, over the Himalayas to Pakistan and into India, during one of the worst winters in memory.”

Hamlet, Globe to Globe , by Dominic Dromgoole

“Hamlet Globe to Globe is an unprecedented theatrical adventure, in which Dromgoole shows us the world through the prism of Shakespeare. We see what the Danish prince means to the people of Sudan, the effect of Ophelia on the citizens of Costa Rica and how a sixteenth-century play can touch the lives of Syrian refugees, living in ragged tents, desperate to cross the English channel. We will witness Shakespeare’s power to transcend borders, to touch the human heart, and to truly bring the world closer together.”

My Invented Country , by Isabel Allende

“Isabel Allende evokes the magnificent landscapes of her country; a charming, idiosyncratic Chilean people with a violent history and an indomitable spirit; and the politics, religion, myth, and magic of her homeland that she carries with her even today.

The book circles around two life-changing moments. The assassination of her uncle Salvador Allende Gossens on September 11, 1973, sent her into exile and transformed her into a literary writer. And the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, on her adopted homeland, the United States, brought forth an overdue acknowledgment that Allende had indeed left home. My Invented Country , mimicking the workings of memory itself, ranges back and forth across that distance between past and present lives. It speaks compellingly to immigrants and to all of us who try to retain a coherent inner life in a world full of contradictions.”

Travels with Charley: In Search of America , by John Steinbeck

“To hear the speech of the real America, to smell the grass and the trees, to see the colors and the light—these were John Steinbeck’s goals as he set out, at the age of fifty-eight, to rediscover the country he had been writing about for so many years.

With Charley, his French poodle, Steinbeck drives the interstates and the country roads, dines with truckers, encounters bears at Yellowstone and old friends in San Francisco. Along the way he reflects on the American character, racial hostility, the particular form of American loneliness he finds almost everywhere, and  the unexpected kindness of strangers.”

Wild , by Cheryl Strayed

“At twenty-two, Cheryl Strayed thought she had lost everything. In the wake of her mother’s death, her family scattered and her own marriage was soon destroyed. Four years later, with nothing more to lose, she made the most impulsive decision of her life. With no experience or training, driven only by blind will, she would hike more than a thousand miles of the Pacific Crest Trail from the Mojave Desert through California and Oregon to Washington State—and she would do it alone. Told with suspense and style, sparkling with warmth and humor, Wild powerfully captures the terrors and pleasures of one young woman forging ahead against all odds on a journey that maddened, strengthened, and ultimately healed her.”

All Tomorrow’s Parties , by Rob Spillman

“After an unsettled youth moving between divorced parents in disparate cities, Spillman would eventually find his way into the literary world of New York City, only to abandon it to return to Berlin just months after the Wall came down. Twenty-five and newly married, Spillman and his wife, the writer Elissa Schappell, moved to the anarchic streets of East Berlin in search of the bohemian lifestyle of their idols. But Spillman soon discovered he was chasing the one thing that had always eluded him: a place, or person, to call home. In his intimate, entertaining, and heartfelt memoir, Spillman narrates a colorful, music-filled coming-of-age portrait of an artist’s life that is also a cultural exploration of a shifting Berlin.”

Nine Parts of Desire: The Hidden World of Islamic Women , by Geraldine Brooks

“As a prizewinning foreign correspondent for The Wall Street Journal , Geraldine Brooks spent six years covering the Middle East through wars, insurrections, and the volcanic upheaval of resurgent fundamentalism. Yet for her, headline events were only the backdrop to a less obvious but more enduring drama: the daily life of Muslim women. Nine Parts of Desire is the story of Brooks’ intrepid journey toward an understanding of the women behind the veils, and of the often contradictory political, religious, and cultural forces that shape their lives. Defying our stereotypes about the Muslim world, Brooks’ acute analysis of the world’s fastest growing religion deftly illustrates how Islam’s holiest texts have been misused to justify repression of women, and how male pride and power have warped the original message of a once liberating faith.” (not sure if really travel — can cut?)

On the Road , by Jack Kerouac

“Inspired by Jack Kerouac’s adventures with Neal Cassady, On the Road tells the story of two friends whose cross-country road trips are a quest for meaning and true experience. Written with a mixture of sad-eyed naivete and wild ambition and imbued with Kerouac’s love of America, his compassion for humanity, and his sense of language as jazz, On the Road is the quintessential American vision of freedom and hope, a book that changed American literature and changed anyone who has ever picked it up.”

Eat Pray Love , by Elizabeth Gilbert

“In her early thirties, Elizabeth Gilbert had everything a modern American woman was supposed to want—husband, country home, successful career—but instead of feeling happy and fulfilled, she was consumed by panic and confusion. This wise and rapturous book is the story of how she left behind all these outward marks of success, and set out to explore three different aspects of her nature, against the backdrop of three different cultures: pleasure in Italy, devotion in India, and on the Indonesian island of Bali, a balance between worldly enjoyment and divine transcendence

Butter Chicken in Ludhiana: Travels in Small Town India , by Pankaj Mishra

“Pankaj Mishra captures an India which has shrugged off its sleepy, socialist air and has become instead kitschy, clamorous and ostentatious. From a convent educated beauty pageant aspirant to small shopkeepers planning their vacation in London, Pankaj Mishra paints a vivid picture of a people rushing headlong to their tryst with modernity.”

Assassination Vacation , by Sarah Vowell

“New York Times bestselling author of The Wordy Shipmates and contributor to NPR’s “This American Life” Sarah Vowell embarks on a road trip to sites of political violence, from Washington DC to Alaska, to better understand our nation’s ever-evolving political system and history.

Sarah Vowell exposes the glorious conundrums of American history and culture with wit, probity, and an irreverent sense of humor. With Assassination Vacation , she takes us on a road trip like no other — a journey to the pit stops of American political murder and through the myriad ways they have been used for fun and profit, for political and cultural advantage.”

Dead Presidents , by Brady Carlson

“In Dead Presidents , Carlson takes readers on an epic trip to presidential gravesites, monuments, and memorials from sea to shining sea. With an engaging mix of history and contemporary reporting, Carlson recounts the surprising origin stories of the Washington Monument, Mount Rushmore, Grant’s Tomb, and JFK’s Eternal Flame.  And he explains the strange afterlives of the presidents, including why “Hooverball” is still played in Iowa, why Millard Fillmore’s final resting place is next to that of funk legend Rick James, why “Who’s buried in Grant’s Tomb?” became a running gag for Groucho Marx, why Ohio and Alaska fought for so long over the name of Mt. McKinley (now known as Denali), and why we exalt dead presidents not just with public statues and iconic paintings but with kitschy wax dummies, Halloween costumes, and bobblehead dolls.”

Mud, Sweat and Gears : Cycling from Land’s End to John O’Groats (Via the Pub), by Ellie Bennett

“As Ellie’s 50th birthday approaches and her ambitions of a steady income, a successful career, and an ascent of Everest seem as far away as ever, she begins to doubt she’s capable of achieving anything at all. So when her best friend Mick suggests a grueling cycle ride from Land’s End to John O’Groats [the extreme South West/North East points of Great Britain], she takes up the challenge. They opt for the scenic route which takes them along cycle paths, towpaths, and the back roads and byways of Britain, unable to resist sampling local beers in the pubs they pass along the way. But as the pints start to stack up faster than the miles they’re putting under their tires, Ellie wonders if they’ll ever make it to the finishing line.”

From Heaven Lake — Travels Through Sinkiang and Tibet , by Vikram Seth

“After two years as a postgraduate student at Nanjing University in China, Vikram Seth hitch-hiked back to his home in New Delhi, via Tibet.  From Heaven Lake is the story of his remarkable journey and his encounters with nomadic Muslims, Chinese officials, Buddhists and others.”

Naked in Baghdad: The Iraq War and the Aftermath as Seen by NPR’s Correspondent , by Anne Garrels

“As National Public Radio’s much loved and respected senior foreign correspondent Anne Garrels has covered conflicts in Chechnya, Bosnia, Kosovo, Afghanistan, and Iraq. In Naked in Baghdad she reveals how as one of only sixteen non-embedded journalists who stayed in the now legendary Palestine Hotel throughout the American invasion she managed to deliver the most immediate, insightful and independent reports with unparalleled vividness and immediacy. Her evolving relationship with her Iraqi driver/minder Amer, and the wonderful e-mail bulletins sent to friends by her husband, Vint Lawrence, counterpoint the daily events of her life in Baghdad, and result in a deeply moving, and intimate portrait by one of bravest and most enlightening news reporters.”

Killing Yourself to Live , by Chuck Klosterman

Building on the national bestselling success of Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs , preeminent pop culture writer Chuck Klosterman unleashes his best book yet—the story of his cross-country tour of sites where rock stars have died and his search for love, excitement, and the meaning of death.

All God’s Children Need Traveling Shoes , by Maya Angelou

“In 1962 the poet, musician, and performer Maya Angelou claimed another piece of her identity by moving to Ghana, joining a community of “Revolutionist Returnees” inspired by the promise of pan-Africanism. All God’s Children Need Walking Shoes is her lyrical and acutely perceptive exploration of what it means to be an African American on the mother continent, where color no longer matters but where American-ness keeps asserting itself in ways both puzzling and heartbreaking.”

The Great Railway Bazaar: By Train Through Asia , by Paul Theroux

“First published more than thirty years ago, Paul Theroux’s strange, unique, and hugely entertaining railway odyssey has become a modern classic of travel literature. Here Theroux recounts his early adventures on an unusual grand continental tour. Asia’s fabled trains — the Orient Express, the Khyber Pass Local, the Frontier Mail, the Golden Arrow to Kuala Lumpur, the Mandalay Express, the Trans-Siberian Express — are the stars of a journey that takes him on a loop eastbound from London’s Victoria Station to Tokyo Central, then back from Japan on the Trans-Siberian. Brimming with Theroux’s signature humor and wry observations, this engrossing chronicle is essential reading for both the ardent adventurer and the armchair traveler.”

Gorge: My Journey Up Kilimanjaro at 300 Pounds, by Kara Richardson Whitely 

“Kara knew she could reach the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro. She had done it once before. That’s why, when she failed in a second attempt, it brought her so low. As she struggled with food addiction and looked for ways to cope with feelings of failure and shame, Kara’s weight shot to more than 300 pounds. Deep in her personal gorge, Kara realized the only way out was up. She resolved to climb the mountain again—and this time, she would reach the summit without waiting for her plus-sized status to disappear.”

Crossing Europe on a Bike Called Reggie , by Andrew P Sykes

“The academic year must have been a difficult one as when the summer holidays arrived, secondary school teacher Andrew Sykes was happy to do as little as possible. But while sitting on his sofa watching the exploits of the cyclists at the Great Wall of China at the Beijing Olympics, he realised the error of his ways and resolved to put a bit more adventure into his life. Two years later, accompanied by his faithful companion Reggie (his bike) but only a rudimentary plan, Andrew set off for a trans-continental cycling adventure that would take him along the route of the Via Francigena and the Eurovelo 5 all the way from his home in southern England to Brindisi in the south of Italy. There were highs and lows, rain and shine, joy and despair and they are all recounted here in a light-hearted, brisk style.”

From South and West , by Joan Didion (7th March, Knopf)

“Joan Didion has always kept notebooks: of overheard dialogue, observations, interviews, drafts of essays and articles–and here is one such draft that traces a road trip she took with her husband, John Gregory Dunne, in June 1970, through Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. She interviews prominent local figures, describes motels, diners, a deserted reptile farm, a visit with Walker Percy, a ladies’ brunch at the Mississippi Broadcasters’ Convention… And from a different notebook: the “California Notes” that began as an assignment from Rolling Stone on the Patty Hearst trial of 1976. Though Didion never wrote the piece, watching the trial and being in San Francisco triggered thoughts about the city, its social hierarchy, the Hearsts, and her own upbringing in Sacramento.”

Running in the Family , by Michael Ondaatje

“In the late 1970s Ondaatje returned to his native island of Sri Lanka. As he records his journey through the drug-like heat and intoxicating fragrances of that “pendant off the ear of India, ” Ondaatje simultaneously retraces the baroque mythology of his Dutch-Ceylonese family.”

What do you think are the best travel memoirs? Check out even more 100 travel books here . 

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PEOPLE’s Best Books to Read in May 2024: Tom Selleck and Tiffany Haddish Share Joy and Pain of Fame in New Memoirs

See our picks for the best books of the month

From novels about survival and friendship, to new memoirs from Tom Selleck and Tiffany Haddish  — here are PEOPLE's picks for the best books of May 2024.

'I Curse You with Joy' by Tiffany Haddish

Diversion Books

In the follow-up to her 2017 bestseller The Last Black Unicorn , Haddish returns with a new collection of insightful, reflective essays, writing on topics like the lasting effect of childhood trauma and comedy mentorship from Bob Saget.

“I’ve learned to take tomatoes being thrown at me and turn them into tomato sauce,” the actress tells PEOPLE . “And I’m going to make some spaghetti.”

''You Never Know' by Tom Selleck

Dey Street Books

The Emmy Award -winning actor is looking back on his "lucky life" and career, from his days on Magnum, P.I. to his role as a family man.

“I don’t have the hooks that a lot of people do,” Selleck tells PEOPLE . “I didn’t rehabilitate myself or have this tragic life. I had my own share of certainly ups and downs, but I’ve been very fortunate.”

'By the Time You Read This: The Space between Cheslie's Smile and Mental Illness' by April Simpkins and Cheslie Kryst

Forefront Books

When Extra correspondent and 2019 Miss USA Cheslie Kryst died by suicide in 2022, her mother, April Simpkins, thought that "my body is just going to shut down." Now, Simpkins has fulfilled her daughter's wish of finishing and publishing her memoir.

 "I know there were people who were shocked and did not understand," Simpkins tells PEOPLE . "But when I got to a point that I could process the things that she was saying, I understood the place where she was."

'Daughters of Shandong' by Eve J. Chung

Throw open the doors of your heart for the lionhearted girls of Chung’s gripping debut, based on her own family’s history. Along with their mother, Hai, Di and baby Lan are left behind when their wealthy family flees the Communists: As females, they are that worthless. Finding no landowner at home, the cadres drag Hai to a denunciation rally she barely survives. But these women just keep overcoming the odds—they are heroines for the ages. — Marion Winik

'Reunion' by Elise Juska

A quaint Maine college lures three friends out of pandemic sequestration for their 25th reunion, spurring an intense reevaluation of their lives. A pitch-perfect depiction of New England campus culture, COVID-era child-rearing and how the complexities of adulthood accumulate.  — Claire Martin

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Letter by Letter, Steve Gleason Typed His Memoir With His Eyes

The former N.F.L. player has been living with A.L.S. for more than a decade. Sharing “the most lacerating and vulnerable times” in “A Life Impossible” was worth the physical and emotional toll, he says.

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Describe your ideal reading experience (when, where, what, how).

I have always loved to read, and I read nearly anywhere. Journalists used to get a kick out of the fact that in the midst of the chaotic joy of the [New Orleans] Saints locker room, I would lie on the floor reading books.

These days, while I’m not so good at flipping pages, I still tear through books. I listen on Audible, or read on Kindle, and for the books I’d like to pass on, I buy the book for the shelves in our house.

The ideal reading experience? For me, there is nothing more glorious than sitting outside under the shade of an oak tree with my wife, Michel, or our 12-year-old son, Rivers, listening on Audible or hearing them read the hard copy. (Rivers and I just finished the young readers adaptation of “The Boys in the Boat,” by Daniel James Brown.) Our 5-year-old daughter, Gray, is just learning to read, so I look forward to continuing this tradition in nature, my sanctuary, for many years.

What book do you turn to during hard times?

Viktor Frankl’s “Man’s Search for Meaning.” There were a couple years, as I was losing the ability to move, talk and breathe, that I felt so lonely, ashamed and weary that I was ready to give up and die. His words helped me choose life.

What did it take to write a nearly 300-page book?

In a word … everything. I type with my eyes, letter by letter, so to write this, it took a physical toll to write for several hours each day for two years. It took patience and discipline. People often talk about “writer’s block,” but I think I experienced something of the opposite thousands of times over the past couple years. Ordinary writers may have a wonderful idea to get on the page, then they quickly write it down. But I type so slowly that the wonderful idea that was so vivid and clear eventually slipped into the fog as I trudged and typed.

It also took an emotional toll. To relive the most lacerating and vulnerable times of my life, then to share those experiences in a raw, truthful human way, rather than a heroic way, took an extraordinary amount of trust. It’s clear to me that sharing our shortcomings and weaknesses with each other is our greatest strength. Our salvation.

Why do you describe yourself as afraid to finish it?

There were multiple reasons. Unlike most authors, I’m not able to quickly scroll through a chapter to revise or edit. I have bragged on social media, “I get more done in one day than most people get done in 15 minutes!” So, during the end of the writing process, there was fear that I would lose the input I needed to tell our story fully and truthfully.

Michel and I took some enormous risks in openly and transparently sharing our journey as a couple enduring the dark traumas of life with A.L.S. When you read the searing experience that we have been through, you may feel kind of like you’re overhearing conversations that you shouldn’t be hearing. But these difficult, truthful and compassionate conversations were our redemption, and our healing. I also took some personal risks in sharing my fairly unconventional views on religion and spirituality.

I think the most frightening aspect may be that once published, my life story would become solid, static and fixed. That is so crazy to me, because, as a lifelong explorer, my perspectives, philosophical outlooks, and beliefs are dynamic and fluid.

Galleys for your book opened with a quote from Shakespeare, “Tears water our growth.” How did you come across it? Why that quote?

I know this will come as a shock, but not everything I read on the internet is true! While this quote was attributed to Shakespeare, we did a little digging and there is no record of him ever saying or writing this, even though it’s constantly attributed to him. Although, in “As You Like It,” he does write: “Sweet are the uses of adversity. …” [The quote is now attributed to Author Unknown.]

What kind of reader were you as a child? Do any childhood books and authors stick with you?

My mom was a language arts teacher, so she would read to me nearly every night and I was a voracious reader growing up. The book that stands out from my youth is “Ender’s Game,” a novel by Orson Scott Card. In sixth grade I found this book in the Bookmobile, a big yellow van that I remember with great nostalgia. I can’t say exactly why, but I also read it a couple years after I was diagnosed with A.L.S.

I sense that in both my adolescence and the crazy unknowns of life where I was losing the ability to move, talk and breathe, I resonated with two themes in “Ender’s Game” — feeling isolation, and working to discover my own identity.

I’m reminded of a profound truth in a quote from Ender: “In the moment when I truly understand my enemy, understand him well enough to defeat him, then in that very moment I also love him.” In embracing this paradox, I find strength and compassion in the midst of adversity.

What book has had the greatest impact on you?

Wow, this is an impossible question to answer, but I enjoy dancing with the impossible. It would be “21 Lessons for the 21st Century ,” by Yuval Noah Harari . I read this in early 2019, my ninth season with A.L.S. In “21 Lessons,” Harari explores the profound challenges facing humanity, including technological disruption, political polarization and existential risks. With such rapid change, life will become ever more chaotic.

Harari mentions multiple times that the realest thing in the world is suffering. He goes on to say that suffering is a product of patterns in our own minds, and offers a tool that has helped him alleviate suffering and be more resilient — meditation. I now train my mind in meditation for two to three hours a day. I didn’t realize it then, but as I started meditation, I was embarking on a practice of a lifetime.

What’s the last great book you read?

When I was diagnosed, one of the first questions I asked in a journal entry was, “Can I discover peace of mind, even if this disease destroys my body?” That inquiry has been a guiding light for me the past 13 years. “The Good Life: Lessons From the World’s Longest Scientific Study of Happiness,” by Robert Waldinger and Marc Schulz, has real-life stories I could relate to, providing insights which have helped illuminate the path for me to live longer, and be grateful and content.

The last book that made you cry?

“I Wish for You,” by David Wax and illustrated by Brett Blumenthal. During spring break, as our daughter nestled beside me in bed, our caregiver, Jenni, read from the book. It lists about a dozen of the most important character traits and values that I aspire to embody and instill in our kids. Witnessing Gray following along with her tiny finger, I was overwhelmed by the miraculousness of the moment. Despite being 10 years past my expiration date, here I was, sharing a cherished reading experience.

Explore More in Books

Want to know about the best books to read and the latest news start here..

The complicated, generous life  of Paul Auster, who died on April 30 , yielded a body of work of staggering scope and variety .

“Real Americans,” a new novel by Rachel Khong , follows three generations of Chinese Americans as they all fight for self-determination in their own way .

“The Chocolate War,” published 50 years ago, became one of the most challenged books in the United States. Its author, Robert Cormier, spent years fighting attempts to ban it .

Joan Didion’s distinctive prose and sharp eye were tuned to an outsider’s frequency, telling us about ourselves in essays that are almost reflexively skeptical. Here are her essential works .

Each week, top authors and critics join the Book Review’s podcast to talk about the latest news in the literary world. Listen here .

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Things to Do in Krasnodar Krai, Russia - Krasnodar Krai Attractions

Things to do in krasnodar krai, explore popular experiences, popular cities in krasnodar krai.

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• Central Fountain
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Nordstrom’s Low-key Sale Has Comfy Spring Clothes Up to 60% Off — Shop an NYC Stylist’s 53 Top Picks

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Travel + Leisure / Tyler Roeland

Spring is finally here. After a few false starts and trepidation, I’m finally packing away my sweaters and boots for the sweet embrace of darling sundresses and beach-ready, comfy sandals . To start the season off fresh, I’m doing my spring shopping at Nordstrom — particularly in its sale section, which is booming with deals. With up to 60 percent off clothes , shoes, and travel necessities, it makes finding what I need for the rest of spring and summer easy (and more budget-friendly).  

As an expert shopper, my unofficial job as a fashion stylist and editor, I always look ahead to see if I need (or want) new looks for what I have on my calendar. With vacations booked, most of what I’m eyeing are those effortless travel clothes to wear while in transit or easily packed in my carry-on suitcase (psst: they have those on sale, too, for 60 percent off!) Plus, newly discounted items like flowy maxi dresses (which are 40 percent off) for the beach and a denim jacket for chilly nights; I already have this 50-percent-off one from Mavi in my cart.

This is just a taste of what you can score. To make your life easier, I sorted through everything in the Nordstrom sale section and found the 53 best deals. Keep in mind that you'll have to act fast since some of the spring items are only discounted for a limited time and are selling fast. 

Best Women's Clothing Deals

As stated above, most of my shopping focus is on building my summer vacation wardrobe, so hitting up the women's clothing section on sale at Nordstrom is my priority. The necessities are comfy travel pants, swimsuits, and new fun items, like Free People sundresses (this one is currently 30 percent off), or my favorite travel companion: a denim jacket ; follow my lead and grab this one while it's 50 percent off. 

• Free People Shea Smocked Yoke Shift Minidress , $90 (originally $128)
• Mavi Mellie Denim Jacket , $69 (originally $138)
• La Blanca Island Goddess Ruched One-shoulder Tankini Top , $66 (originally $93)
• Free People Going Steady Ruffle Sundress , $118 (originally $168)
• Open Edit High-waist Wide-leg Trousers , $53 (originally $70) 
• Loveappella Maxi Dress , $41 (originally $68) 
• Noisy May Kirby Cargo Joggers , $34 (originally $55)

Open Edit High-waist Wide-leg Trousers

Best men's clothing deals.

There are also huge deals on men's clothes right now at Nordstrom. Some of the best men's active brands are discounted, like this Vuori high-performance short-sleeve shirt with UV protection, which makes the perfect vacation shirt. And for any man looking for a new bathing suit, these highly-rated and eco-friendly swim trunks are currently priced at under $25.

• Fair Harbor The Anchor Swim Trunks , $24 (originally $68)
• Vuori Bridge Athletic Fit Short-sleeve Performance Button-up Shirt , $59 (originally $74)
• Rhone Gramercy Quilted Zip Vest , $58 (originally $128)
• Zella Restore Soft Performance Half-zip Pullover , $32 (originally $ 69)
• Goodlife Long-sleeve Henley , $49 (originally $98)
• Zella Tricot Performance Joggers , $56 (originally $79)
• O'Neill Reserve Light Check Water Repellent Bermuda Shorts , $42 (originally $60) 

O'Neill Reserve Light Check Water Repellent Bermuda Shorts

Best luggage and travel deals.

I plan on reevaluating my luggage situation before I head off on the few trips I have scheduled in the next few months. As luck would have it, top-quality carry-on and checked bags are now discounted up to 60 percent off. You can also snag some travel bags from Tumi on sale. For shorter excursions (or if you need a second carry-on bag), the brand's Harrison William Backpack at a rare 20 percent off is an awesome option. 

• Briggs & Riley Sympatico 21-inch International Carry-on , $240 (originally $599) 
• Herschel Supply Co. Heritage Hardshell Large Carry-on Luggage , $193 (originally $250) 
• Briggs & Riley Medium Sympatico Expandable 27-inch Spinner Packing Case , $280 (originally $699)
• Mali + Lili Riley Vegan Leather Weekend Travel Bag , $60 (originally $148)
• Herschel Supply Co. Strand Duffel Bag , $32 (originally $80)
• Briggs & Riley Sympatico 30-inch Large Expandable Spinner Packing Case , $308 (originally $769)
• Tumi Harrison William Backpack , $459 (originally $575) 
• Herschel Supply Co. Novel Recycled Nylon Duffel Bag , $83 (originally $110)

Herschel Supply Co. Novel Recycled Nylon Duffel Bag

Best women's shoe deals.

Sandal season is my favorite season. I love letting my toes free and indulging in some biweekly pedicures. What I don't like is paying full price for new pairs — hence, one of my favorite places to shop is Nordstrom's shoe sale section. Besides open-toe options, I'm eyeing new travel sneakers to support a full day of walking. And with a summer wedding to attend, I might take this as an opportunity to get a new pair of heels worthy of a dance floor .

• Veja Dekkan Alveomesh Sneakers , $84 (originally $210)
• Calvin Klein Terisa Slide Sandals , $66 (originally $109) 
• Aerosoles Camera Platform Sandals , $80 (originally $135)
• Nike Air Max 1 '87 Sneakers , $105 (originally $140)
• Sam Edelman Poppy Espadrille Sneakers , $84 (originally $120) 
• Steve Madden Mona Sandals , $54 (originally $90)
• LifeStride Zuri Platform Sandals , $54 (originally $90
• Vionic Beach Collection Malibu Slip-on Sneakers , $53 (originally $70)

Steve Madden Women's Mona Sandals

Best men's shoe deals.

There are some equally good shoe deals for men, too. To get ready for sunny weather and travel, opt for these waterproof Adidas Adilette 22 Sport Slides , which are up to 33 percent off. You can also find travel-friendly sneakers, like this highly-rated style from Cole Haan , for up to nearly 40 percent off. 

• Adidas Adilette 22 Sport Slides , $40 (originally $60) 
• Nike Air Max 270 Sneakers , $99 (originally $160) 
• Reebok BB 4000 II Sneakers , $59 (originally $100) 
• Jordan Air Jordan 1 Retro High Top Sneakers , $
• Adidas NMD R1 Primeblue Sneakers , $98 (originally $150)
• Birkenstock Arizona Slide Sandals With Genuine Shearling , $116 (originally $165)
• The North Face Oxeye Tech Hiking Shoes , $78 (originally $129) 
• Cole Haan GrandPro Topspin Sneakers , $100 (originally $160)

Nike Men's Air Max 270 Sneakers

Best travel accessory deals.

Accessories aren't exclusively used to make an outfit feel new. From a travel perspective, they can make packing a breeze and help you have a smooth trip. Arrive with your bling organized and tangled-free by investing in this on-sale travel jewelry box , now 40 percent off. An array of trendy sunglasses is up to 60 percent off for those wanting an updated summer 2024 beach look. Also, take the opportunity to update your makeup bags and totes.

• Bey-Berk Leather Travel Jewelry Case , $42 (originally $70)
• Kate Spade New York Kimberlyn 56mm Gradient Cat-eye Sunglasse s, $64 (originally $160) 
• Hydro Flask 32-ounce Wide Mouth Water Bottle With Straw Lid , $32 (originally $45)
• Longchamp Small Le Foulonné Leather Crossbody Bag , $274 (originally $365) 
• See by Chloé Joy Rider Belt Bag , $214 (originally $285) 
• Treasure & Bond Vacation Panama Hat , $24 (originally $39)
• Naghedi Medium St. Barths Tote , $187 (originally $310)
• Tumi Alpha Small Ballistic Nylon Crossbody Bag , $219 (originally $275) 
• Herschel Supply Co. Settlement Belt Bag , $16 (originally $40) 
• Brahmin Small Charmaine Croc Embossed Leather Train Case , $102 (originally $145) 

Naghedi Medium St. Barths Tote

Take advantage of the wide selection of travel-friendly beauty products on sale — like sunscreen and dry shampoo , both under 3.5 ounces, making it easy to remain carry-on only. Treat yourself to luxe under-eye patches to apply at the end of a long flight. Upon landing you'll feel refreshed and like you just left a spa, not an eight-hour flight. I am stocking up on my favorite foundation with SPF and other makeup items for my special events.

• Peter Thomas Roth Cucumber De-Tox Hydra-Gel Eye Patches , $47 (originally $55)
• Mario Badescu Drying Duo Set , $21 (originally $24)
• Nars Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer Broad Spectrum SPF 30 , $40 (originally $46)
• Jack Black Two for the Road Value Set , $14 (originally $20) 
• Coola Suncare Classic Face Sunscreen Mist SPF 50 , $28 (originally $32)
• Stila Walk The Line Stay All Day Eyeliner Duo , $19 (originally $38)
• Drybar Detox Scented Dry Shampoo , $13 (originally $28)

Coola Suncare Classic Face Sunscreen Mist SPF 50

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Europe’s best beach holidays: Donoussa, Greece

This quiet island in the Small Cyclades has one small town, several wild sandy bays and a plethora of panoramic walking and running trails

E lias, quiet and unassuming, meets us at the tiny harbour and says he could drive us to the house but it would be quicker on foot. He directs us up a narrow alley past a bustling kafeneio , where people are debating the news of the day over coffee.

One of a little cluster of houses, ours has a pergola of rough-hewn logs and bamboo, and looks out to sea across a garden of rosemary and agave, a vegetable patch and composter, and the pen that is home to a donkey called Yolanda. Inside there is restored wooden furniture and textiles woven on a loom by Elias’s partner, Ploumitsa, who waves as she returns from feeding the chickens. The young couple’s passion for preserving the unspoilt landscape of their island makes Argalios guesthouse an inspiring place.

One of the Small Cyclades, just five square miles in area, diminutive Donoussa feels reassuringly low-key and relaxed. Most of the 150 permanent residents – and visitors like us – are in Stavros, where houses sit among palms and prickly pear and nothing is more than five minutes’ walk from the village beach. There is a bakery, a music bar, and half a dozen places to eat, with traditional dishes such as fava (split pea dip) and goat with potatoes. The shop in the back of the bar is open every day, and the other minimarket sells gloriously misshapen lumps of goat’s cheese, xinotyro , from neighbouring Naxos.

Elias, bringing fresh bread from his grandmother’s wood-fired oven, recommends Kedros beach, south-east across a headland, where his family has a cafe-bar serving organic local produce. After a 20-minute walk we find a gorgeous sweep of pale sand fringing sapphire sea amid gentle hills dotted with low shrub. I swim into the bay and look down through clear water to rippled patterns and wispy sea grass.

Apart from the guesthouse and taverna, Elias’s main occupation is maintaining and promoting the trails for walking and running. Over the following days on these paths we explore the rugged south coast with its old windmills and farmhouses and an ancient settlement.

Bathed in late afternoon light, bright white rock glows and blue sea shimmers. Goatherds call to their goats. From the spring at Mersini, a path of pale ochre stone leads down a valley to Livadi beach, another breathtaking sweep of soft sand, natural and unadulterated, and pale turquoise sea.

Most spectacular is the route to the north of the island, skirting the almost 400-metre peak of Papas. After a hike to the ridge, we look down at Kalotaritissa, a handful of cottages on a deep blue bay encircled by hills. At the end of the zigzagging trail, chickens and goats wander as the priest finishes his weekly call to the oldest resident.

A footpath continues around the edge of the bay to a perfect place for a swim, then we settle on the taverna terrace for a platter of grilled biftekia with a tomato salad, rough-cut slabs of feta drizzled with olive oil and oregano, and dense tzatziki streaked with garlic.

The owners offer a shot of something strong for the walk back. “Come back any time!” As we return to Stavros, the setting sun lights the hillsides like switching on an electric element, and stars pierce the fading blue sky.

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Sequoia National Park’s giants are the friendly type. Hugs are welcome.

People all over the world watched with rapt attention in 2021 as wildfire threatened to engulf the world’s largest tree . Firefighters carefully wrapped the base of the General Sherman Tree in shiny, protective blanketing as flames drew closer at Sequoia National Park .

Ultimately, the roughly 275-foot-tall icon was spared, but other giant sequoias weren’t so lucky. Redwood Mountain Grove in neighboring Kings Canyon National Park “lost an estimated 974 to 1,574 large sequoias,” according to Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, which are managed jointly.

“Given the amount of giant sequoias that were lost in the last few years – almost 20% of the entire giant sequoia population was lost in a short amount of time – we're not feeling as confident as we were just a few years ago about these trees really being around for generations and generations to come,” said Sintia Kawasaki-Yee, chief of Communications and Management Support for both parks in California. “We really want to bring attention to their mortality.”

That’s not the only thing Sequoia visitors should know.

What is so special about Sequoia National Park?

Sequoia protects the largest trees in the world and a wide array of habitats.

“I would say the most special feature is that you enter at about, I want to say, 1,600 feet of elevation and within about a 45-minute span, you're able to reach 6,500 feet, which is a huge elevation gain in a really small amount of miles,” said Kawasaki-Yee. “You come in in the foothills area. In the spring, we have really great wildflowers. We have the river. We have great access there year-round, but if you drive just 45 minutes into Giant Forest , you get to see the change in the terrain and wildlife.”

Visitors can feel the change too, as temperatures dip and winds whip higher up, so pack accordingly.

Is the General Sherman Tree the tallest tree in the world?

No. It’s not the tallest tree in the world. That title belongs to Hyperion, a coast redwood at Redwood National Park, according to Guinness World Records .But the General Sherman Tree is the largest by volume, with a  trunk volume of 52,508 cubic feet, according to the park.

Can you touch the General Sherman Tree?

No. “The Sherman Tree is fenced off, so you cannot touch it, but there are many other sequoias in that same area that you can definitely walk up to and touch,” said Kawasaki-Yee. 

She recommends feeling their fibrous bark, which she noted is softer to the touch than one might expect.

“Feel free to hug a tree, connect with a tree,” she added. “That connection is really important to really build that connection for people and hopefully that commitment to protect these trees in the long term.”

From Acadia to Zion: What travelers should know about each of America's national parks

Which park is better, Redwood or Sequoia?

“They're basically siblings, and so it's like comparing your kids,” Patrick Taylor, Interpretation and Education manager for the National Park Service at Redwood , told USA TODAY in April. “You love them both for slightly different reasons.”

He explained that giant sequoias tend to have more volume to them.

“So they're bigger in the sense that they usually have a wider base, and they don't taper off as fast,” he said. “The coastal redwoods are usually a little taller and a little more slender.”

Is Sequoia National Park free?

No. Most visitors will have to pay a flat $35 vehicle entrance fee that covers access to both Sequoia and Kings Canyon.

Certain groups are eligible for free entry to all national parks, namely military service members, veterans, Gold Star families , U.S. citizens and permanent residents with permanent disabilities, and fourth graders and their families .

Can you just drive through Sequoia National Park?

Yes. “You can actually do both parks in one drive,” said Kawasaki-Yee. “A lot of people that are doing road trips will drive through both parks on the same day or the same trip.”

The park is located about an-hour-and-a-half drive from Fresno. Fresno Yosemite International Airport is the nearest commercial airport.

What is the best time of year to visit Sequoia National Park?

Kawasaki-Yee recommends visiting in the spring or fall to avoid summer crowds and winter road closures.

“Maybe right before Memorial Day weekend, so you don't get the crowds but you still get access to the areas,” she suggested.

Can I stay inside Sequoia National Park?

Yes. The park offers a variety of on-site camping and lodging , though some lodges, operated by third parties, only open seasonally.

Who are the Indigenous people of the area?

“Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks are the homelands of the Mono (Monache), Yokuts, Tübatulabal, Paiute, and Western Shoshone,” according to the parks’ website, which lists the following affiliated federally recognized tribes:

• Big Pine Band of Owens Valley Paiute Shoshone Indians
• Big Sandy Rancheria Band of Western Mono Indians
• Bishop Paiute Tribe
• Bridgeport Indian Colony
• Cold Springs Rancheria
• Fort Independence Indian Community of Paiute Indians
• Fort Mojave Indian Tribe
• North Fork Rancheria of Mono Indians
• Paiute-Shoshone Indians of the Lone Pine Community
• Picayune Rancheria of the Chukchansi Indians
• Santa Rosa Rancheria Tachi-Yokut Tribe
• Table Mountain Rancheria
• Tejon Indian Tribe
• Tule River Tribe
• Utu Utu Gwaitu Paiute Tribe of the Benton Paiute Reservation