8 Travel Books to Fuel Your Wanderlust From Home
Describing the abundant advantages of travel, Saint Augustine was quoted in John Feltham’s English Enchiridion (1799) as saying, “the world is a great book, and none study this book so much as a traveler. They that never stir from their home read only one page of this book”—an evocative passage that sums up the ultimate desire of modern-day travelers: to learn and discover whatever exists outside our comfort zones.
So, it's safe to conclude that to travel is akin to reading a book. But while we are finding our feet in a world navigating the long tail of global health disruptions, we can let our minds wander by opening up pages that tell stories of epic travels. Here is a curated shelf to transport you across borders, tracks, and untamed terrain.
1. On the Road — Jack Kerouac
"I wished I was on the same bus as her. A pain stabbed my heart as it did every time I saw a girl I loved who was going the opposite direction in this too-big world of ours." — Jack Kerouac, On the Road
In this 1957 classic, Kerouac wrote of his own experiences through the book's narrator, Sal Paradise, in a highly charged tale of self-discovery across the vast frontier of America. Accompanied by Dean Moriarty (based on Neal Cassady), the duo takes off from New York, hitchhiking their way toward Denver, Chicago, San Francisco, New Orleans, Los Angeles, and even down into Mexico City. Along the way, they meet several unforgettable characters and experience countless misadventures. Punctuated by killer prose and romantic descriptions of what it’s like to live in transit, this book will pull you out of your room and make you pack your rucksack in a hurry.
2. The Great Railway Bazaar — Paul Theroux
Paul Theroux is known among travelers for his numerous insightful non-fiction books chronicling his world travels. Undoubtedly, his most popular work remains The Great Railway Bazaar. In this book, Theroux narrates his experiences during an epic rail journey from London, passing cleanly through Europe before crossing the vast subcontinents of India and the rest of Asia. It is a book filled with fascinating accounts of observation in a time prior to Western travelers fully understanding the intricate cultures, religions, and people of the East in the 1970s. It also gives readers a vivid look back at a time when overland transit was a profoundly different discipline than it is today.
3. Into the Wild — Jon Krakauer
The story of Into the Wild was first told in a feature article written by Krakauer for Outside magazine in 1993, focusing on the mysterious death of a young man in the subarctic wilderness of Alaska. That man turned out to be Christopher McCandless. Krakauer followed up that initial reportage by writing an investigative biographical masterpiece about his life.
The book offers a deep glimpse into the mind of McCandless, his intense fascination with the natural philosophies of Jack London and Henry David Thoreau, and his feeling of profound estrangement from modern consumer society. Sometimes sweet, most times heart-wrenching, Krakauer’s narrative introduces us to how McCandless turned his back on a life of convenience to test his will in the backcountry.
Meaning to get the absolute absolute most out of life—but instead, after **119 days** in the brutal Alaska bush—tragedy struck. Reading this book will leave you with a bittersweet desire to explore the great outdoors while instilling a permanent respect for the ultimate supremacy of nature.
4. The Beach — Alex Garland
This is the book that definitively introduced Khao San Road in Bangkok, Thailand to the consciousness of generations of global backpackers. The story of The Beach kicks off right at the epicenter of the *Banana Pancake Trail* in Asia, unpacking a subculture that inspired millions to cast away traditional vacations. Alex Garland's tale of adventure, obsession, and the dark underbelly of finding an isolated paradise on Earth features a cast of gregarious travelers who heeded the call to see the world differently. If there is a piece of contemporary literature that will prompt you to drop everything and book a one-way ticket, this is it.
5. In a Sunburned Country — Bill Bryson
Written with Bryson's signature brilliant and hilarious wit, this travelogue makes trekking across Australia's vast, hot outback region feel like an accessible walk in the park. Functioning simultaneously as an anecdotal journal and a comic guide on how to survive the continent's uniquely hazardous wildlife, Bryson brings your imagination squarely along for the ride. It is a fantastic remedy for itchy feet, pushing you to take those first few steps outside your comfort zone.
6. Wild — Cheryl Strayed
Wild is a powerful memoir detailing Strayed's gruelling **1,100-mile solo hike** along the treacherous Pacific Crest Trail in 1995. Fusing raw flashbacks of grief and personal loss with the immediate physical challenges of the trail, Strayed created an endearing, honest read. It stands as a profound chronicle of self-reckoning and endurance, capturing how an untrained hiker can overcome the wilderness by sheer force of will.
7. The Weekenders: Adventures in Calcutta — Various
Eleven prominent contemporary writers (including Bella Bathurst, W.F. Deedes, Colm TóibÃn, Monica Ali, Victoria Glendinning, Simon Garfield, Irvine Welsh, Sam Miller, Michael Atherton, Jenny Colgan, and Tony Hawks) traveled to the chaotic heart of Calcutta (Kolkata), India to peel back the layers of the city. The result is an evocative anthology of short stories and travel essays that captures the complex, beautiful soul of a compelling literary metropolis.
8. Vagabonding — Rolf Potts
Rolf Potts' Vagabonding is a foundational text that fundamentally shaped and predicted the modern digital nomad movement. Subtitled “An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel,” Potts lays out practical advice, philosophical frameworks, and timeless lifestyle insights on how to stretch your travels around the globe without breaking the bank. From financing your independence to long-range trip logistics and working on the road, Potts makes it clear that long-term travel is an achievable art form available to anyone willing to reorient their priorities.
