adventures travel book

13 Best Adventure Travel Books to Inspire Wanderlust

Written By: Louisa Smith

Inspiration

Updated On: January 7, 2024

Adventure travel is all about facing the unknown, braving your fears, and taking on the most challenging, and possibly dangerous, way to travel. For adrenaline junkies, it’s the ultimate way to travel , and there can be no doubt that it leads to some compelling stories. Perhaps they can even inspire you to take on your own adventures.

Table of Contents

Best Travel Adventure Books

In these adventure travel books, you’ll find incredible stories of individuals who embarked on life-changing expeditions, they traveled to off-the-beaten-path locations, chased their destiny, and defied death in the ultimate feats of survival.

If you’re a thrill seeker who loves to read stories about the most extreme travel stories, these adventurous travel books will be right up your street. They also make great travel gift ideas for the adventurer in your life. You may also like our 25 Best Books About Traveling the World

1. Tracks by Robyn Davidson

Tracks is possibly the most inspirational story about travel and self-discovery of all time. It’s the true story of Robyn Davidson, who decided to walk across the length of Australia with her dog and four camels. 

Braving the harshness of the Australian outback possessed all kinds of challenges. She comes face to face with poisonous snakes, the wandering eyes of creepy men, and aboriginal people who prefer the solitude of their own people.

The 1700-mile epic adventure took her 9 months to complete and was well documented by a reporter for National Geographic, Rick Smolan, whom she met in Alice Springs. 

Robyn never intended to write about her journey, she was merely driven by her love of Australia’s landscape. Fortunately, she did, as her book is so inspiring, especially for all the solo female travelers out there looking to embark on their own epic adventures. Get it on Kindle or Paperback

2. The Worst Journey in the World by Apsley Cherry-Garrard

The Worst Journey in the World is the real life story of Apsley Cherry-Gerrard, who was the youngest member of the team accompanying Robert Falcon Scott’s expedition to the South Pole. 

The expedition turned disastrous, leaving him the only survivor of the notorious journey. 

This novel recounts first-hand experiences, as well as sharing diary entries from his teammates, to give a detailed account of what happened during this legendary expedition. 

Apsley’s memoir not only keeps the memory of the brave Arctic explorers alive but tells of a remarkable feat of survival and one incredible adventure to a place most only hear about in books.  Pick it up on Amazon on Paperback or Kindle

3. Life Lessons From the Amazon by Pip Stewart

Pip Steward is an adventure traveler fueled by a zest for life. This travel book takes place over the course of three months, Pip and her team followed Guyana’s Essequibo River from its source to the sea. 

With the help of guides from the Waî Waî indigenous community, Pip and her team journeyed through dense rainforest, over perilous rapids, and across the mountainous Guiana Shield, battling off threats from poisonous insects and dangerous animals along the way.

Using everything she knows about survival, Pip encounters everything the rainforest could throw at her; from flesh-eating parasites to angry snakes. She also meets the indigenous tribes that call the forest their home.

In Life Lessons from the Amazon, you are not just given a detailed account of what a journey through the rainforest is like, but you learn about how the communities thrive here. 

It is a homage to the wilderness and one of the most thrilling adventure books of all time. Purchase it on Kindle or Paperback or Audiobook

4. Footloose: Twisted Travels Across Asia, From Australia To Azerbaijan by Mark Walters

Traveling has been made so easy for us with planes connecting every major city in the world. So in our modern-day society, it’s refreshing to read stories of people who travel without taking any flights – just trains, buses, and help from strangers along the road.

This is exactly how Mark Walters, an Australian adventure traveler, opted to travel. Wearing flip-flops for the entire journey, and failing to pack a towel or shorts, he traveled from his home in Australia across Asia and Europe using boats and land vehicles only. 

Along the way, he meets some risky characters whom he suspects as terrorists, comes face to face with Chinese tanks, and shares a beer with a naked ex-Soviet officer. If you’re looking for a hilarious travel book packed with adventure, this one will have you bent over laughing. Buy it on Amazon

5. Ghost Rider: Travels on the Healing Road by Neil Peart

Neil Peart had a devastating 10-month period where he lost both his wife and his daughter. Overcome with sadness and grief, he isolated himself from the rest of the world in his home by a lake.

Feeling lost and without direction, he decided to embark on an epic motorcycle journey across North America, Mexico, and Belize, covering a distance of 55,000 miles. 

This inspiring book follows Neil as he recounts his journey, he describes not only the memorable landscapes but the people who helped him back on the right emotional path. 

This is a personal odyssey of one man’s quest for self-discovery and healing. It reminds us that adventure is not just a way to explore off-the-beaten-path locations, but to find communities that teach us something, whether that’s how to deal with grief or learn a new meaning to life.  Check it out on Amazon

6. Tuk-Tuk to the Road by Antonia Bolingbroke-Kent

We’ve all heard of traveling by planes, trains, and buses, but how about traveling 12,000 miles in a tuk-tuk? Antonia Bolingbroke-Kent and her friend, Jo Huxster, decided to embark on an adventure no one else had done before.

They decided to buy a tuk-tuk in Thailand and drive it back home to Brighton, United Kingdom – a journey of 12,561 miles. The adventure was not just an inspirational road trip, but a way for the girls to raise money for the mental health charity, Mind, in which they raised £50,000.

Tuk Tuk on the Road describes the incredible journey they took across twelve countries and two continents. They tell of the people they met, how they endured an earthquake, and give a running commentary of every breakdown and hilarious moment.

This is an entertaining and honest travel memoir of sheer determination and prevalence. See it on Amazon / Kindle or Paperback available

7. Cycling Home from Siberia by Rob Lilwall

Cycling Home from Siberia is the thrilling adventure travel memoir by Rob Lilwall about his incredible journey cycling from Siberia to England, crossing the dense jungles of Papua New Guinea, through a cyclone in Australia, and across the war-torn Hindu Kush region of Afghanistan

Rob Lilwall used to be a high-school geography teacher, but all that changed when his sense of adventure took him and his bicycle to Siberia. 

Over the course of three and a half years, he cycles across the world, through some of the most perilous landscapes and encounters some of the most dangerous areas, to make it back home to England. This inspirational book will definitely get you itching to take on an adventure of your own. Get Kindle or paperback on Amazon

8. Riding With Strangers by Elijah Wald

Hitchhiking isn’t for everyone – it’s for the adventurous. Elijah Ward recounts the exciting journey he took hitchhiking his way across the United States in an effort to prove to the world that humanity remains hospitable. 

He recounts the pleasures and tribulations of the open road, as well as tells of the quirky characters he meets along the way – from regular people to businessmen to conspiracy theorists to friendly truck drivers. 

This memoir is funny and quirky, and a real eye-opening adventure travel book for the curious traveler. 

In Riding with Strangers, he aims to prove that hitchhiking is the ultimate form of adventure travel, not only because of the people you meet but because of the lessons you learn from them. See it on Amazon

9. Ubuntu: One Woman’s Motorcycle Odyssey across Africa by Heather Ellis

Ubuntu is an ancient African word that means humanity to others. It refers to how all mankind is bonded as one. It was a lesson that Heather Ellis learned while motorcycling across Africa in her late 20s. 

Leaving her small mining town of Jabiru, she headed to Durban of South Africa with her Yamaha TT600 and began her epic motorcycle road trip.

Her journey took her to the iconic Mt Kilimanjaro and the Rwenzori Mountains, across expansive deserts in northern Kenya, and across the mighty Zaire River.

Along the way, she meets a group of armed bandits and helps to rescue Turkana fishermen, battles against four aggressive Ugandan men, and aids many locals who were kind enough to take her into their homes. It was the people she met that made her truly understand the spirit of ubuntu.

This is a brave adventure travel book about a woman who defied all odds, traveled to the most extreme and dangerous places, and came out of it wiser and with plenty of stories to tell. You can buy it here for Kindle or paperback on Amazon

10. Motorcycle Diaries by Che Guevara

The Motorcycle Diaries is the highly acclaimed travel memoir by Ernesto “Che” Guevara, who is most famous for his role in the liberation of Cuba. This travel book is a classic for those who love cross country road trips.

In his early twenties, Che was a medical student, who left his home in Argentina to explore the countries of South America, before taking a volunteer position helping a leper colony in the Amazon basin.

On his 1939 Norton 500cc motorbike, which he called La Poderosa (or The Mighty One, in English), he and his friend Alberto Granado set out to see the sights they had only read about in books.

As well as historical landmarks and scenic nature spots, they also saw social injustice, poverty, exploited mine workers, the descendants of a tattered ancient civilization, and ostracized societies.

Che’s very real adventure memoir reminds us that although we see many fascinating sites on our travels, there is also poverty and injustice out there. It’s a travel book with a purpose, and this journey may have been the inspiration that sparked his future as a Marxist revolutionary. Buy it for Kindle or Paperback on Amazon

11. Adrift: Seventy-Six Days Lost at Sea by Steven Callahan

While being lost at sea isn’t exactly the plan, what you make out of a bad situation can turn into one heck of an adventure. And that’s what happened to Steven Callahan.

In 1981, Steven left the United States on a Napoleon Solo sailing boat in search of Bermuda. With his friend Chris Latchem, he reached Bermuda and then continued on to England, where he left Chris in Penzance, Cornwall. 

He then sailed for Antigua as part of the Mini Transat 6.50 single-handed sailing race. When he hit a storm in La Coruña, Spain, the weather sunk several boats and severely damaged Stevens’.

Determined to continue his voyage, he repaired his boat and continued on towards Antigua. He got caught in a gale that lasted several days until one night his boat hit an unknown object and created a bad hole in the boat. 

Unable to stay aboard the sinking boat, Steven was forced to abandon ship. He escapes in an inflatable life raft, and he dives aboard his boat to retrieve emergency supplies such as food, navigation charts, solar stills for creating water, and other rations. 

Eventually, the sailboat sank and he was alone in the raft. He spent 76 days lost at sea before he was picked up by fishermen. Adrift is the epic adventure story of Steven Callahan’s fight for survival while lost at sea. Get it now here.

12. Across the Empty Quarter by Wilfred Thesiger

Wilfred Thesiger was a British explorer who traveled across Saudi Arabia after the Second World War. 

He was hired to search for locust breeding grounds across Southern Arabia, which took him across the Rub’ al Khali desert and the Empty Quarter, from Oman to Yemen. 

With camels for company and Bedu’s as guides, he traveled through desolate lands that were threatened by tribal tensions, who opposed the presence of foreigners at the time. 

The journey showed a tremendous amount of strength, courage, and resilience. Across the Empty Quarter is the memoir of his travels from 19945-1950 and aims to bring to light the way of life of the Bedu which is vanishing from existence. 

Wilfred Thesiger’s life is of true adventure travel. He has lived in several African and Middle Eastern countries and didn’t return to England until 1990. He was Knighted in 1995. Available on Amazon

13. Into The Wild by Jon Krakauer

Into The Wild follows a young man from a middle-class family who seemingly had it all. Christopher Johnson McCandless had just graduated from college and was about to enter the world of work.

But instead, he abandoned his former life, changed his name to Alexander Supertramp, gave $25,000 to charity, and hitchhiked to Alaska.

Here he lived alone in the wilderness for four months just North of Mt. McKinley. One day, his body was found by a group of hunters, who also found his journal.

Jon Krakauer’s adventure novel, Into The Wild, is the story left behind in the journal, respectfully pieced together to retell what happened to this brave man whose solo adventure cost him his life. Get it on Amazon

So there you have it, the ten best adventure travel books to inspire wanderlust. Whether you’re looking for something action-packed and gripping, or something spiritual and enlightening, you’ll find something for everyone on this list.

If you are looking for more ideas for the best travel books, read our other recommendations at 25 Best Books About Traveling the World

These travel books are just the tip of the iceberg. There are so many inspiring stories from the usual suspects like Bill Bryson and Jack Kerouac that a person could get lost going down the rabbit hole of best sellers and favorite travel novels. What is your favorite? We’d love to hear about it in the comments below.

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About Louisa Smith

Louisa is the Founder of Epic Book Society , a book blog sharing the most epic reads. Louisa is a nomad traveler and travel content writer who has spent over five years living on the road. She has visited over 53 countries (and counting) and can often be found in the mountains or in far away, off-the-beaten-track locations. Follower Louisa on Facebook / Instagram

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2 thoughts on “13 Best Adventure Travel Books to Inspire Wanderlust”

I would also like to recommend…THE GREAT RAILWAY BAZAAR by Paul Theroux. I am 64 and read this as a teenager. I still find it fascinating and exciting to this day.

Interesting selection of books. I would add also Bill Bryson travel books. Thanks for sharing.

17 Best Travel Adventure Books

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Dreaming of an adventure? These travel adventure books will spark your wanderlust!

While I am an avid traveler, I am also a bit of a wimp. The extent of my “extreme” travel adventures was attempting (and failing) to summit a volcano in Guatemala.

When it came down to it, I opted to stay in the warmth of my tent instead of scrambling the final 1,000 feet to the top in the pitch darkness at four in the morning.

So it’s safe to say that while I may not be that adventurous myself, I LOVE getting swept away reading about crazy adventures that happened to other people.

There is nothing like being on the edge of my seat as I read about people facing peril and defying death as they survive after being stranded in the wilderness, hiking solo across large swaths of land, or brave a deathly mountain summit. It transports me without leaving the comfort of home!

So if you are craving an adventure too, these are the best travel adventure books that will fuel your wanderlust and have you staying up late to finish them.

Where we love to grab our travel adventure books:

• Sign up for a free trial of Audible:  Get 30 days of free access to thousands of audiobooks, and one free premium title of your choice. Perfect for listening on the go!
• Sign up for a free trial of Kindle Unlimited:  Get 30 days of free access to unlimited ebook reading on any device. You will unlock access to over two million titles instantly!
• Sign up for a free trial of Amazon Prime:  Get 30 days of a free trial offering free two-day shipping on all purchases, plus access to hundreds of new ebooks each month.

Best Travel Adventure Books

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.

Buy on Amazon | View in Goodreads

Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer

This gripping nonfiction account of a disastrous Mount Everest expedition is told in a way that will have you flipping the pages long through the night until you’ve finished it. Jon Krakauer is a journalist who was invited along on a fateful expedition that left several of his fellow hikers dead.

Bad Karma by Paul Wilson

In the summer of 1978, twenty-one-year-old Paul Wilson jumps at the chance to join two local icons on a dream surf trip to Mexico, unaware their ultimate destination lies in the heart of drug cartel country. This exhilarating travel memoir will make you feel like you are there.

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.

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.

The Lost City of the Monkey God by Douglas Preston

Journalist Douglas Preston and a team of scientists embark on a harrowing adventure into the heart of Honduras, in search of a legendary lost city in the middle of the jungle.

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.

A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson

The Appalachian Trail is one of America’s biggest adventures, stretching over 2,100 miles from Georgia to Maine, a journey not for the faint of heart. Travel writer Bill Bryson tackles the trail and writes about his experience in this memoir, which is both funny and moving.

The Lost City of Z by David Grann

In 1925, a British explorer ventured into the Amazon rainforest in search of a fabled civilization. He never returned. Eighty years later, a journalist retraces his footsteps in an attempt to find out what really happened, and discover the truth of this mythical Amazonian city.

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.

Touching the Void by Joe Simpson

This harrowing story follows two young hikers attempting to complete an unclimbed route in the Peruvian Andes when a horrific accident during their descent occurs.

438 Days by Jonathan Franklin

This is a remarkable true survival story about a Salvadoran fisherman working in Mexico when he got lost at sea for 438 days before washing ashore on the far side of the Pacific.

The Sex Lives of Cannibals by J. Maarten Troost

He expected paradise, but what he got was an entirely different story. This memoir chronicles the author’s hilarious two-year odyssey in the distant South Pacific island nation of Kiribati, and all the mishaps and misadventures he had along the way while he was there.

Dark Star Safari by Paul Theroux

A rattletrap bus, dugout canoe, cattle truck, armed convoy, ferry, and train are just some manners of transportation Paul Theroux takes on his overland journey from Cairo to Cape Town. In the course of his epic voyage, he endures danger, delay, and dismaying circumstances.

The Beach by Alex Garland

This is the book that inspired thousands of backpackers to make their way to Thailand in search of paradise. This novel is about a young backpacker who arrives in Bangkok, learning about a mythical location known only as “The Beach” that is the closest thing to Eden on Earth.

Vagabonding by Rolf Potts

Part travel memoir and part practical how-to guide, this book provides advice for the art of long-term travel, as told by veteran budget traveler Rolf Potts.

In a Sunburned Country by Bill Bryson

Travel writer Bill Bryson provides a wonderful glimpse into traveling Australia in his book  In a Sunburned Country . He brings to life the land of the friendliest inhabitants, the hottest, driest weather, and the most peculiar and lethal wildlife to be found on the planet.

These are some of the best travel adventure books.

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

Related:  25 Brilliant Travel Memoirs by Women

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16 best travel books to inspire wanderlust and adventure in 2023

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During my twenties, I travelled a lot . I met my husband in Norway while travelling solo around Scandinavia, moved to Switzerland to live by the mountains, and followed the call to the world’s wild places, from Greenland to Mongolia.

Now that we’re settled in Denmark, we still love to travel – especially by train around Europe. But more than ever, I also love sinking into a comfortable armchair and exploring the world through the pages of a good book.

To inspire your wanderlust – or just enjoy a great adventure through a book – here are some of the best new travel books for 2023 .

Read on for my favourite new travel memoirs, beautiful coffee table books about travel, inspiring hiking memoirs, and stories of adventure to enjoy this year. I’ve also included some of the best new fiction books about travel. Enjoy the journey.

The best travel books for 2023 to inspire adventure

Leaving the comfort zone: the adventure of a lifetime by olivier van herck and zoë agasi.

Read Leaving the Comfort Zone for… a stunning hardcover (that would make a perfect coffee table book) about one couple’s adventure of a lifetime.

Gestalten publishes some of the most beautiful travel books you can find, and this new release is no exception.

Detailing a 40,000-kilometre journey spanning four years and accompanied by awe-inspiring photographs, it’s the story of a shared dream and a desire to break free from expectations.

Solo: What Running Across Mountains Taught Me About Life by Jenny Tough

Read Solo for… a fantastic story of self-discovery while running solo across mountains on six continents.

I’ve followed Jenny Tough and her incredible adventures for a few years now, and her time in the High Atlas mountains inspired my own trip to Morocco to hike Mount Toubkal.

After reading this book about adventure, independence, and the courage to meet audacious goals, you’ll find your wanderlust fuelled too.

The Half-Known Life: Finding Paradise in a Divided World by Pico Iyer

Read The Half-Known Life for…. a mesmerizing investigation of the different ideas of paradise and what they can teach about living well.

In this book of journeys – many of them inwards – Pico Iyer upends conventional ideas of what a travel book should be.

Read this unique travel book to explore the paradoxes of paradise and reflect on what peaceful living means to you.

Unforgettable Journeys Europe: Discover the Joys of Slow Travel by DK Eyewitness

Browse Unforgettable Journeys Europe for… a beautiful travel book covering 150 of Europe’s most incredible journeys that are best enjoyed slowly.

If I could, I’d always travel slowly, especially by train. A couple of years ago, Iain and I took the train journey of a lifetime: the Trans-Siberian Express through Russia, Mongolia, and China. But where to go next?

I love this wanderlust-inspiring collection of journeys on foot, by bike, road, rail, and water in Europe, from the snowy peaks of the Alps to the vivid fields of tulips in bloom in the Netherlands.

The Farthest Shore: Seeking Solitude and Nature on the Cape Wrath Trail in Winter by Alex Roddie

Read The Farthest Shore for… Alex Roddie’s story of searching for solitude, quiet, and wild nature in the Scottish Highlands during winter.

The Cape Wrath Trail is one of Scotla­nd’s most beautiful hiking paths… in summer. In winter? It’s an entirely different beast.

Escape into this unique travel memoir for a quietly captivating story of Alex’s 300-mile solo trek through the unforgiving Scottish landscape.

The Last Ride of the Pony Express: My 2,000-Mile Horseback Journey Into the Old West by Will Grant

Read The Last Ride of the Pony Express for… the spellbinding story of a 2,000-mile journey on horseback across the American West.

If you’re looking for something different than the usual hiking mem­oir, this book is a fantastic choice – and an incredible display of horsemanship, history, culture, and adventure.

Immerse yourself in cowboy and journalist Will Grant’s adventure of a lifetime: following the path of the Pony Express, the frontier mail service that spanned the high, dry, and lonesome American West in the 1860s.

How to Be Alone: An 800-mile Hike on the Arizona Trail by Nicole Antoinette

Read How to Be Alone for… Nicole Antoinette’s story of a goal she couldn’t for one second imagine completing: solo hiking all 800 miles of the Arizona Trail.

If you love books like Wild by Cheryl Strayed, How to Be Alone is one of the best hiking memoirs to read next.

This new travel book for 2023 is an immersive, raw, and honest story of one woman’s journey to push herself further than she ever had before – and finally break her habits of codependency and people-pleasing for good.

Windswept: Life, Nature and Deep Time in the Scottish Highlands by Annie Worsley

Read Windswept for… an awe-inspiring story of life today and millennia ago on Scotland’s west coast.

In this wonderful memoir for anyone who loves Scotland’s wild nature, Annie Worsley trades a busy life in academia for managing a croft in the Highlands.

Her book, structured by the solar year, charts the remarkable epic story of how Scotland’s valleys were formed by glaciers, how the earliest inhabitants found a way of life, and what it means to live in such a rugged yet beautiful place today.

Africa is Not a Country by Dipo Faloyin 

Read Africa is Not a Country for… a bright, insightful, and intimate portrait of modern Africa.

How much do you know about Africa’s history? (My English school’s curriculum seemed reluctant to go into details, for some reason.)

This travel book from 2022 offers a much-needed corrective to the ignorance (and harmful stereotypes) of a remarkable continent to tell a much more comprehensive story.

Brave the Wild River: The Untold Story of Two Women Who Mapped the Botany of the Grand Canyon by Melissa L. Sevigny

Read Brave the Wild River for… a vibrant untold story of botany, adventure, and ambition in the Grand Canyon.

With precipitous cliffs, menacing rapids, and boat-shattering boulders, the Colorado River was famed as the world’s most dangerous river in 1938.

However, two botanists, Elzada Clover and Lois Jotter, were tantalized by the prospect of being the first to survey the plants of the Grand Canyon.

This wonderful book traces their forty-three-day journey in a previously untold, breathtaking story.

In the Shadow of the Mountain: A Memoir of Courage by Silvia Vasquez-Lavado

Read In the Shadow of the Mountain for… a captivating story of adventure, resilience, and overcoming adversity on Everest.

Despite making her way in the elite macho tech world of Silicon Valley, in private Silvia was lost: hiding her sexuality from her family, repressing the abuse of her childhood, and struggling with alcoholism.

Her answer was to heed the call of mountains, where the risk, scale, and brute force woke her up – and she took her pain to the biggest ascent possible: Everest.

Accompanied by a group of young female survivors, this is Silvia’s remarkable story of endurance, strength, and healing.

Kinfolk Wilderness by John Burns

Browse  Kinfolk Wilderness  for…  one of the most beautiful travel coffee table books to fuel your wanderlust.

Known for their wonderfully well-made books and magazines,  Kinfolk’s new release for 2023 is the ideal treat for intrepid wanderers.

Mother, Nature by Jedidiah Jenkins

Read Mother, Nature for… the upcoming book from bestselling travel writer Jedidiah Jenkins, author of To Shake the Sleeping Self . (Preorder for November 7, 2023)

Jedidiah and his mother, Barbara, had found themselves divided by her version of a faith that views his sexuality as a sin.

But when she turned seventy, Jedidiah realised that his mother wouldn’t always be there.

This was the time for the trip they’d always talked about, and they knew exactly what they’d do: retrace the thousands of miles Barbara trekked with Jedidiah’s father in the 70s.

While the original journey became the basis for the bestselling “Walk Across America” trilogy, the goal of this adventure was different: to reunite mother and son.

The best fiction books about travel for 2023

Happiness for beginners by katherine center.

Read  Happiness for Beginners   for…  a heart-warming and nourishing read about the solace of wild places, the power of getting lost, and how to get back up after things fall apart.

Newly divorced at thirty-two, Helen Carpenter is desperate for a fresh start. She hopes that her brother’s suggestion of a wilderness survival course in the backwoods of Wyoming is just that, but instead, it’s a disaster.

However, it turns out that sometimes disaster can be exactly what you need to find your strength, courage, and way forwards.

If you love the book, you can enjoy the wonderfully escapist  Netflix movie adaptation of  Happiness for Beginners  soon (it’s due for release on July 27).

The Bird Hotel by Joyce Maynard

Read The Bird Hotel for… a sweeping story that spans four decades, penned with beautiful touches of magical realism.

After a heartbreaking childhood, Irene, a talented artist, finds herself in a small Central American village checking into a beautiful but decaying lakefront hotel at the base of a volcano.

With years of restoration ahead, the hotel, called La Llorona, will become Irene’s home and livelihood, as well as the setting for so much joy and companionship.

Lizzie & Dante by Mary Bly

Read Lizzie & Dante for… a luscious, romantic story about travelling to get your life back on track – and finding love (and good Italian wine) along the way.

This summer read from 2021 is the story of Lizzie Belford, a Shakespeare scholar on the heels of a difficult breakup and diagnosis, whose life turns upside down after meeting an enigmatic chef on vacation in Italy.

I'm Lucy – an adventurer, writer, author of Mountain Song: A Journey to Finding Quiet in the Swiss Alps, and creator of Live Wildly.

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The Best Adventure Travel Books of 2020

These eight titles will keep your wanderlust fired up for when it's safe to travel again

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Opportunities to be transported around the world through the pages of a good read have been a balm for adventure seekers. And with so many great releases this year, we had some trouble narrowing down our list. So we asked eight authors whose own books recently took us to incredible places to recommend some of their favorites. These titles will sate you until it’s safe to travel again.

‘Rockaway’ by Diane Cardwell

According To: Bonnie Tsui , author of four books, including  American Chinatown and  Why We Swim .

Bonnie Tsui, who examines the draw humans have to water in her most recent book,  Why We Swim , returns to a similar theme in her recommended pick. In Rockaway , Diane Cardwell’s focus is on staying above water—literally and figuratively—as she navigates a “failed marriage” and fevered career. “This book is all about starting over and finding the thing—surfing!—that transforms that life into something hopeful and new,” Tsui says. Through a physically challenging endeavor, Cardwell helps readers understand how she has weathered the storm and offers hope to others trying to do the same.  

Why We Need This Now: In a year when the pandemic has added a layer of difficulty onto all of our lives, Rockaway  serves as a guidepost to survival and exploration in our own backyards. “Diane Cardwell’s experience of figuring out how to surf while living in New York City is a great read in a time when we are all desperately seeking newness closer to home. It also has a healthy dose of joy and altered perspective,” Tsui adds.

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‘Leave Only Footprints ’ by Conor Knighton

According To:  Mark Adams , author of four books, including Turn Right at Machu Picchu and Tip of the Iceberg .

“Every human on earth is going to need a long vacation next year, which, if rosy vaccine forecasts come true, could be the greatest road-trip summer in decades. In this charming survey of dozens of national parks, Conor Knighton self-medicates a broken heart by soaking up the wonders of America’s greatest outdoor hits,” explains Mark Adams, whose prolific travel writing career has included journeys that led him to search for the lost city of Atlantis and follow in the footsteps of explorer Hiram Bingham III in the mountains of Peru. 

Why We Need This Now: For Adams, the book offers a worthy distraction from the exhausting news cycle we’ve been faced with this year. “Knighton will have you thinking about better uses for your pent-up energy. Like pitching a tent.”

‘I Hold a Wolf by the Ears: Stories’ by Laura Van Den Berg

According To: Morgan Jerkins , author of three books, including Wandering in Strange Lands   and Caul Baby: A Novel .

One of Time ’s 100 Must-Read Books of 2020, Laura Van Den Berg’s  collection of female-focused horror stories may not seem like a travel narrative at first (unlike the writer’s previous novel, The Third Hotel ) but Morgan Jerkins says the author’s deft portrayal of Florida is just one example of how it is. “Florida is a character itself in the book. Van Den Berg deftly details the heat and nature as well as the people. It’s very distinct, and I’d put her in the group of young esteemed writers like Alissa Nutting and T Kira Madden who are carving out Florida as a necessary place in the literary canon,” Jerkins says.

Why We Need This Now: According to Jerkins, Van Den Berg’s ability to explore complex female emotion and transport readers to each destination offers readers a timely salve. “I think this is the perfect book about travel in 2020 because the author sets stories in different locations, both domestic and international, and the way in which she explores fear might be the sense of understanding we need in such an unprecedented time.”

‘Wanderland: A Search for Magic in the Landscape’  by Jini Reddy

According To: Gina Rae La Cerva, author of Feasting Wild: In Search of the Last Untamed Food .

In Jini Reddy’s memoir Wanderland , the London-based Canadian writer takes a magical journey through her adopted home’s natural landscapes to cope with feeling like an outsider. “Sometimes the best adventures happen in our backyards,’ Gina Rae La Cerva says. “Reddy follows her heart and a good dose of serendipity to explore Britain’s natural wonders. This book is a celebration of the joys of roaming and discovering who we are when we come face to face with nature’s mysteries.”

Why We Need This Now: La Cerva, whose own book is a world-spanning search of what foraging means to different cultures, understands how important connecting to nature is for our well-being. “For many people, the lockdown has made escaping into the wilderness more challenging. Reddy shows us that even the most mundane landscapes contain their own wild magic. I also love that this book is about a woman of color exploring her connection to nature, including the role of her Hindu upbringing in that relationship and her own feeling of otherness.”

‘Underland: A Deep Time Journey’   by Robert Macfarlane

According To: Tom Zoellner, author of eight nonfiction books, including Island on Fire: The Revolt That Ended Slavery in the British Empire and The National Road: Dispatches from a Changing America .

“Less a physical adventure than a startling intellectual journey, Underland invites us to become conscious of a base fact of our everyday existence: the ground we stand on conceals unseen chthonic layers,” says Tom Zoellner about Robert Macfarlane’s latest offering into underground spaces, which range from historic remnants, like nuclear waste burial chambers in Finland and the Paris Catacombs, to places that take us beyond easy accessibility, like Norway’s sea caves. “Macfarlane is like John Wesley Powell without the suntan, taking us on a psychological spelunking odyssey,” Zoellner adds. 

Why We Need This Now: As the world has seemingly shrunk during the pandemic, the idea of exploring our subterranean offerings gives a whole new meaning to appreciating our backyards. “Macfarlane gives us reasons to look deeper into pedestrian landscapes—not just the picturesque ones—and the language we use to make sense of them,” Zoellner says.

‘Spirit Run: A 6,000-Mile Marathon Through North America’s Stolen Land’  by Noé Alvarez

According To: Maggie Shipstead , author of three books, including Seating Arrangements and the forthcoming Great Circle (May 2021).

A quest for connection—to the land and his ancestors—is at the heart of the running journey that Noé Alvarez takes readers on over the course of his book . “The route [that Alvarez ran] was designed to pass through as many tribal lands as possible, and he found himself running alone on gravel roads or simple trails crossing through mountains, rainforest, punishing desert, volcanic moonscape, and sometimes urban centers, contemplating the relationship between Native peoples and the land taken from them,” explains Maggie Shipstead, whose own travelogue, set for release next May, also examines the connections forged on a journey across time (Prohibition through modern day) and place (America, New Zealand, and England). 

Why We Need This Now: “Alvarez is the child of Mexican migrants who endured decades of back-breaking labor [in Yakima, Washington] to make ends meet, and he weaves his parents’ stories into his account of the run, as well as those of the other [Indigenous] runners, many of whom have led crushingly difficult lives. For a lot of us, 2020 has been a year of grappling with the cruelties of the American system while also trying to make sense of mass suffering, and Alvarez’s memoir—deeply personal and moving in its rawness—does both,” Shipstead says.

‘The New Wilderness’  by Diane Cook  

According To: Rahawa Haile , author of the forthcoming In Open Country   (2022).

In her memoir about the Appalachian Trail, set for release in 2021, Rahawa Haile shares her experience of finding herself anew in wild frontiers. Diane Cook’s debut work does the same for its female protagonists who are fighting for their survival. “ The New Wilderness is a speculative novel involving a group of people who seek refuge in the last remaining wilderness when the air in the city is deemed too toxic for children,” explains Haile about the buzzy dystopian debut. “It’s an exhilarating and immersive work, centered on a mother and daughter, that deftly jumps between the physical and interpersonal challenges faced by those who have left everything behind for a chance at struggling anew.” 

Why We Need This Now: The book’s focus on the necessity of working with our neighbors—even those with whom we don’t share a similar life experience—to preserve the planet is timely. According to Haile, “This book is perfect for anyone who spent 2020 cooped up at home due to the pandemic while nursing a healthy anxiety about the climate crisis. If you wish to lose yourself in a story about the natural world set in the long-term consequences of unchecked extractive industries, this is your novel.”

‘Eat the Buddha’  by Barbara Demick

According To: Monisha Rajesh, author of Around the World in 80 Trains: A 45,000-Mile Adventure .

A trip to North Korea introduced Monisha Rajesh to   Barbara Demick’s Nothing to Envy , which she describes as “a gripping examination of the so-called hermit kingdom through the voices of six defectors.” In Eat the Buddha , Demick uses that same ability to turn out a “fair and measured narrative” to Tibet. “This time, she’s pieced together stories told by Tibetans from Ngaba County in China to shed light on the struggles that have taken place since China occupied Tibet [in 1950],” Rajesh explains. “Tracing and tracking down hundreds of eyewitnesses to events between 1958 to present day, she has conducted exhaustive interviews that allow her to recreate everything from the smell of burning villages and the screams of tortured grandparents to softer moments of salty yak butter glistening in tea.” Rajesh, who also visited Tibet by train for her own book, appreciated Demick’s even-handed approach. “We see the raw untouched land pre-invasion and witness the destruction of the natural surroundings as time goes on.”

Why We Need This Now: “Demick presents a nuanced take, explaining that many Tibetans, including the Dalai Lama, were initially open to Chinese assistance when it came to improving the lives of Tibetans, but not to the point that their culture and religion should be eroded,” says Rajesh about current-day acts of suppression against Uyghurs in Xinjiang Province . “This book is a very relevant read that sheds light on the way in which minorities are perceived and treated by the Chinese government and the reasons behind [their persecution],” Rajesh adds.

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9 Books to Spark Your Wanderlust in 2023

By CNT Editors

Armchair travel. We’ve all indulged in it via daydreams and  Parts Unknown,  with weekly trips to  The White Lotus and afternoons spent leafing through the pages of this very magazine. But our editors, avid readers that they are, know that the most transportive (and transformative) stationary adventure is often to kick back with a good book. And we read a lot of those in 2022—from immersive  travel writing  that challenges the reader to breezy beach reads designed to be read on the sand. Here, we’ve rounded up the fiction and non-fiction books that sparked our wanderlust over the past year. Whether you are an accomplished bookworm yourself, or have simply resolved to crack even just one book in the New Year, we’ve got you covered.

All products featured on Condé Nast Traveler are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

The Penguin Book of Italian Short Stories by Jhumpa Lahiri

My lack of familiarity with Italy’s modern literature, combined with my interest in novelist Jhumpa Lahiri’s immersion in the country’s language and literary traditions, motivated me to order this collection of 40 tales from 20th-century Italian writers, which Lahiri edited. The Pulitzer Prize winner curated a super sharp collection from authors who were both known to me (Italo Calvino, Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa) and those unfamiliar (I enjoyed discovering Natalia Ginzburg), translating many of them herself, to telegraph an Italy you don’t see through travel: The dusty backroads of  Sicily in the early 1900s; hardscrabble towns beyond  Florence ; male and female protagonists struggling through banal life choices. More than a varied journey that jumps between eras and places in an often-overlooked Italy, this collection demonstrates the power of fiction to enlighten audiences on cultures and histories that are not their own (nearly half of the stories had never been translated before), mostly thanks to the stewardship of Lahiri herself. — Erin Florio , executive editor

The Portrait of a Lady by Henry James

“It’s nothing to come to Europe … It doesn't seem to me one needs so many reasons for that. It is something to stay at home; this is much more important.” I found a weathered and water-damaged copy of this masterpiece sitting alone on a  Brooklyn stoop this spring and began devouring it immediately—it is by far the longest and most difficult spontaneous read I’ve ever embarked on, and my found edition quickly became mine as I underlined passages more than I did not. Protagonist Isabel Archer is a young American woman, one less in control of her own desires than she is aware, visiting distant relatives in England. Her aunt takes her as a companion on a tour of Europe, and as she traipses from  Paris to  Florence  Archer makes a suitor out of just about every man she encounters. Firmly declining proposal after marriage proposal, Isabel is determined  to accomplish the abstract and impossible: to know everything about the world and about herself before she can marry. What better way to do so than to travel?— Charlie Hobbs , editorial assistant

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt

I was already planning a trip to  Savannah when I picked up the non-fiction novel by journalist John Berendt, which is a page-turning murder mystery and a human interest masterpiece all in one. But it inspired me to make sure I experienced all the smallest nooks and crannies of Georgia’s oldest city—from subterranean antique shops to Flannery O’Connor’s historic childhood home, the Spanish-moss-strewn cemeteries, and an beloved drag show (yes, Club One) that lived up to the hype. Berendt lived the remote-work life, well before we all caught on to it, in order to live out his dream of transplanting to Savannah in the 1980s. The Southern Gothic tale that unfolds shortly after his arrival is one that strings together the small community’s dark past and its many eccentric personalities to paint a colorful picture of a Low Country gem that you can only experience through its people. — Shannon McMahon , editor, destinations

Bluets by Maggie Nelson

In her poetic prose, Maggie Nelson writes a personal exploration of her encounters with the color blue in life and love, and misery and pain. Catching sight of fragments of blue in my own life, Nelson has inspired me to count the colors in all my adventures. Navigating and experiencing travel through the lens of color opens up new and exciting emotions, connections, and realizations. I now find myself asking questions like: Which other city have I seen with this palette before? What does the color of this food remind me of? I jot down my answers and it becomes a story of its own. — Jessica Chapel, editorial assistant

Cassie Shortsleeve

Rachel Chang

Zahra Hankir

Levi Mandel

Less Is Lost by Andrew Sean Greer

I fell for the somewhat hapless, super awkward, but rather relatable Arthur Less in Andrew Sean Greer's Pulitzer Prize-winning 2017 novel  Less during a jaunt around Europe, not unlike the protagonist. This fall, Less entered my life once again with Greer's sequel  Less is Lost . The novel—at times laugh-out-loud funny, deeply heart warming, and an apt portrayal of the current state of America—sees Less once again on a journey; this time on an unexpected  road trip across the United States where he finds himself in unpredictable situation after unpredictable situation. From beginning to end, I found myself armchair traveling through Greer's metaphors and vivid-yet-quirky descriptions from California to New Mexico to Georgia. I was ultimately left with an optimistic view of humanity—and an itch to rent a camper van, grab my dog, and get lost. — Scott Bay , associate editor

Lizzie and Dante by Mary Bly

This summer, when it seemed like everyone was traipsing around Europe, I was reading  Lizzie & Dante , a delicious rom-com about a woman who vacations at a seaside resort on Elba, an island off the  coast of Italy . The titular character, Lizzie (a Shakespeare scholar, because of course), meets a handsome Italian chef and his precocious daughter, and romance ensues. There are yachts,  secret ocean coves, and mouthwatering accounts of a crabby chef’s set menu that’ll have you ready to plan a trip to Elba (or at the very least, make a reservation at a very expensive Italian restaurant). The main character is on holiday with her best friend and his movie star boyfriend, giving it a touch of  The White Lotus  energy, but with far more likable characters. — Madison Flager , senior commerce editor

Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys

This year, I revisited a book I was assigned in high school when it caught my eye on a shelf in New York 's McNally Jackson Nolita, showcased with a group of “eerie” titles in the month of October. In the 1966 novel  Wide Sargasso Sea , Dominican-British author Jean Rhys gives the infamous madwoman in the attic from  Jane Eyre a story, and a life. The feminist, post-colonial prequel is set in the Caribbean, part one in  Jamaica during the protagonist’s childhood, and part two in Dominica during her toxic honeymoon with Mr. Rochester. The descriptions of these islands are at once beautiful and haunting. Take, for example: “The road climbed upward. On one side the wall of green, on the other a steep drop to the ravine below. We pulled up and looked at the hills, the mountains, and the blue-green sea. There was a soft warm wind blowing but I understand why the porter had called it a wild place. Not only wild but menacing. Those hills would close in on you.” These locations are not romanticized—they’re integral to the story Rhys tells about race, power, and assimilation—and in that way, this read will prompt your interest in them in more ways than one. — Alex Erdekian , travel bookings editor

Pachinko by Min Jin Lee

I was utterly transported by the epic sweep of this beautiful, terribly sad historical novel about the Korean experience in  Japan over the course of the 20th century. (I read it right around the time Apple TV+ released its miniseries based on the book, and while I know many people who have enjoyed the screen version, this might be a case where the book hit me so hard I’ll never want to see the adaptation.) The vividly wrought locales are essential to Lee’s storytelling, especially the spartan but pristine world of Yeongdo, a fishing village on a tiny island off the coast of Busan more than a hundred years ago, and the rough-and-tumble milieu of Osaka at mid-century, with its squalid Korean ghetto, crowded markets, and illicit pachinko parlors. There are also gripping forays into Tokyo, Nagano, and the Japanese countryside. I found it to be such an illuminating portrayal of the fraught interlaced history of these two wonderful countries, and a reminder of how deeply I want to spend time in both. — Jesse Ashlock , deputy global editorial director and head of editorial content, U.S.

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

I read Madeline Miller’s  Circe years ago, and was blown away by how she brings Greek mythology to life in a totally fresh format. I finally got around to reading her debut novel,  The Song of Achilles  (2011), about that Achilles—and  that heel—this year, and it reminded me just how transportive mythology can be. It inspired me to buy a book on Sicilian mythology  while on the island over the summer , and my 2023 resolution is to read up on local stories before future trips. (Currently accepting recommendations of books tied to Kenyan and Peruvian folklore for my winter travels.) — Megan Spurrell , senior editor

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The 16 Best Travel Books to Inspire Wanderlust

Nothing inspires wanderlust like getting engrossed in a novel about traveling to a foreign land and the adventures that ensue. You can lose yourself in stories of love, heartbreak, redemption, and self-discovery whether you’re traveling abroad or back home planning your next adventure.

We have been traveling on and off for over 10 years, and along the way, we have taken a lot of long flights, train trips, and bus rides. We always make sure we have a good travel book tucked into our bag to get us through the journey. And if one of your friends is heading abroad, a good book with a heartfelt inscription from you on the front cover is a great travel gift !

Here is our list of the 16 best travel books that have inspired our trips around the globe! We hope that they inspire you to start planning your own adventure!

Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase or booking through one of our links we may earn a small commission (don’t worry, it’s at no extra cost to you).

16 Great Travel Books to Inspire Wanderlust

1. A Cook’s Tour: Global Adventures in Extreme Cuisine

By anthony bourdain.

Anthony Bourdain changed the way the world thinks about food. He taught us to embrace all of the strange and unique cuisines across the globe and that some of the best meals are at a tiny plastic table down a random alleyway. Of course, most people are familiar with Bourdain due to his hit travel TV show , No Reservations . What most people don’t realize is that it was actually his take-no-prisoners, tell-all style of writing that launched his TV career.

A Cook’s Tour recounts Bourdain’s dining adventures across Portugal, France, Vietnam, Russia, Morocco, Japan, Cambodia, Mexico, and Spain . He eats a still-beating cobra heart in Hanoi (we’ve done this too!), samples half-formed duck embryos – otherwise known as balut  – in Cambodia (check!), and enjoys a  tagine in Morocco (been there too!).

Bourdain is a great storyteller, and by the end of this book, you’ll be both hungry and eager to plan your next trip.

2. The Beach

By alex garland.

If you’ve done a bit of traveling and can’t seem to get “off the beaten path,” then try giving Alex Garland’s The Beach a read.

Richard is a British backpacker who is disillusioned with the well-trodden tourist circuit of Southeast Asia. While staying in a cheap hotel on Khao San Road in Bangkok, he is given a mysterious map to a beautiful beach, unspoiled by tourism, hidden in the Gulf of Thailand. He befriends a French couple, Françoise and Étienne, and together they set off to find the secret beach.

It’s a tale of paradise found (and lost) with plenty of adventure, romance, betrayal, and cannabis. It’s truly one of the best travel books out there and anyone headed to Thailand for the first time should read it!

3. Marching Powder: A True Story of Friendship, Cocaine, and South America’s Strangest Jail

By rusty young.

Although Marching Powder  was written by Rusty Young, it is really the story of Thomas McFadden, a British drug trafficker who was caught in Bolivia and imprisoned in Bolivia’s San Pedro prison.

San Pedro turns out not to be your typical prison. Inside its walls, you must pay rent for your jail cell and imprisoned drug lords are joined by their wives and children who enter and leave the prison freely. There is also an onsite cocaine manufacturing operation and a small bribe can get you out of (or into) the prison for a day.

Thomas begins running tours of the bizarre prison and they become a staple of the South American backpacker circuit. When Rusty hears about the tours he signs up for a night in the prison. He winds up staying for 3 months in order to document Thomas’ story and life in San Pedro.

We actually tried to visit the San Pedro prison when we were in La Paz, but by that time the Bolivian government had cracked down on the illegal tours.

4. The Cloud Garden: A True Story of Adventure, Survival, and Extreme Horticulture

By tom hart dyke and paul winder.

The Cloud Garden  tells the story of a fearless young backpacker, Paul, and an impetuous botanist, Tom. Together they decide to attempt a crossing of the impenetrable stretch of swamp and jungle between Panama and Colombia known as The Darién Gap. This no man’s land is also full of guerrillas (not to be confused with gorillas) and drug smugglers. It’s not exactly the kind of place you want to go on vacation but Paul is hunting for adventure, and Tom is hunting for orchids.

Unfortunately, just a short way from the Colombian border, they are captured by a paramilitary group and held against their will for 9-months. Their tale is chock full of suspense, wit, and even a bit of Stockholm syndrome.

We are often told by friends and family not to go somewhere because it is too dangerous. For the most part, we go anyways and discover friendly people and fun adventures. But this travel novel is an example of what happens when you push your luck just a little too far!

5. Shantaram

By gregory david roberts.

Shantaram is an epic saga of loss, hope, faith, and redemption. The protagonist is a convicted Australian bank robber who escapes prison and flees to Mumbai, India (called ‘Bombay’ at the time) to build a new life. Along the way, he works as a slum doctor, drug dealer, passport forger, weapons smuggler, and Bollywood actor.

While some of the events mirror the author’s life, much of the story is obviously fiction or at least significantly embellished. It’s a beautiful read full of gang fights, romance, and impossibly heroic moments. A bit like the main character in your own Bollywood movie.

While many of our book recommendations are quick reads, Shantaram is almost 1,000 pages. It’s the perfect travel novel if you have an extremely long bus ride or flight ahead of you.

6. A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail

By bill bryson.

A Walk in the Woods  recounts Bill Bryson’s attempt to hike the entire 2,100 miles of America’s Appalachian Trail with his overweight, chain-smoking friend, Stephen Katz. Along the way, they meet a host of interesting thru-hikers and develop a begrudging appreciation for the beautiful and fragile wilderness of the United States.

Bryson has a great sense of humor and all of his books will make you chuckle, though this one makes a particularly great gift for hikers. Many people prefer his travel novel about Australia, In a Sunburned Country,  but I have a soft spot in my heart for A Walk in the Woods. Perhaps because I grew up in East Tennessee, just 20 miles from the Appalachian Trail.

7. Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values

By robert m. pirsig.

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance is much more than just a travel book. It tells the story of a man and his son on a cross-country motorcycle trip from Minnesota to California. The book deviates from the main storyline quite often to delve into philosophical pondering (which is the real focus of the book).

It’s an incredibly interesting book if you have an interest in eastern philosophy or if you just want inspiration for a motorcycle trip across the US . Although according to the author, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance “should in no way be associated with that great body of factual information relating to orthodox Zen Buddhist practice. It’s not very factual on motorcycles, either.”

8. Papillon

By henri charrière.

Papillon is the “autobiographical” story of Henri Charrière. He is a French safecracker wrongly convicted of murder and sentenced to a life of hard labor on the penal colony of Devil’s Island (French Guiana). The ensuing tale spans 14 years and involves numerous jailbreak attempts – some successful, some not.

There is a question as to how much of the novel is true with some critics claiming it is about 90% fiction. Regardless, Charrière is a great storyteller and the book became an immediate success upon its release in 1969. It has since been translated into 21 languages and made into a movie three times.

9. Round Ireland with a Fridge

By tony hawks.

You’ve probably had a few too many drinks and made a ridiculous bet with your friends before. And you probably woke up the next morning with a hazy memory of the terms of your silly bet and never actually followed through with it. In the book  Round Ireland with a Fridge , Tony bets a friend that he can hitchhike around the circumference of Ireland with a refrigerator in one month.

He realizes the foolishness of this claim when he wakes up hungover the next morning. But rather than take the easy way out, he decides to give it his best shot. So with his trusty mini-fridge in tow, he sticks out his thumb and heads off on an adventure that turns him into a national hero.

It’s a hilarious tale that will have you believing in the kindness of strangers and the luck of the Irish!

10. The Damage Done: Twelve Years of Hell in a Bangkok Prison

By warren fellows.

Warren Fellows was a drug smuggler who trafficked heroin from Thailand to Australia and got caught. This book is not meant to proclaim his innocence. In fact, Fellows makes it clear that he was guilty (but mainly unlucky).

Fellows is given a life sentence in Bangkok’s notorious Bang Kwang prison. His account of the living conditions and punishment that he endured for over a decade makes prisons in the USA look like 5-star hotels.

It may be obvious to you at this point that I am very intrigued by foreign prisons. So intrigued, in fact, that I actually visited an inmate in Bangkwang prison during a trip to Bangkok in my youth. It turned out to be far less interesting than I was expecting and a bit strange as the inmate wanted me to deliver cryptic messages to people around Bangkok. Better to just stick to reading about them…

11. Heart of Darkness

By joseph conrad.

Heart of Darkness  was written over a century ago but still remains a fascinating read. It’s the tale of Charles Marlow, a riverboat captain and ivory transporter obsessed with the “blank places on the earth”. Otherwise known as those areas that are unmapped and uncivilized.

He journeys up the Congo River in Africa in search of the mysterious ivory trader, Krutz. Marlow’s trip into the heart of the African continent is full of vivid imagery and shines an uncomfortable light on the practice of imperialism in the 19th century.

While the story takes place in Africa, this book was the inspiration for the cult classic movie Apocalypse Now set in Vietnam (it’s also the namesake for one of the best new breweries in Saigon ). Whether you’re headed to Africa or Southeast Asia, this is a classic quick read.

12. Travels with Charley: In Search of America

By john steinbeck.

In Travels with Charley , John Steinbeck recounts his 1960s road trip around the United States with his French Poodle, Charley. Steinbeck was nearing the end of his life and wanted to see America one last time. So he bought a GMC pickup truck, outfitted it with a camper named Rocinante (after Don Quixote’s horse), and set off on his epic journey to rediscover the country he spent his life writing about.

It’s best to not take the story as an actual autobiography. His older son later remarked that “Steinbeck was at heart a novelist” who would never let the truth get in the way of a good story. And it is a great story. In fact, it’s one of the best travel books for anyone planning an American road trip .

13. The Alchemist

By paulo coelho.

Recommending The Alchemist  may be a bit cliché. However, it’s one of the best travel books in the world for good reason. The Alchemist is the quintessential traveler’s tale of learning to listen to your heart and following your dreams.

Santiago is a young Andalusian shepherd who decides to give up his flock of sheep and journey to Africa in pursuit of his personal “treasure” which he believes is at the Pyramids. Along the way, he loses everything he owns (a few times), meets a king, falls in love, and much more.

The Alchemist is a quick, easy read and is a great place to start if you’re looking for a little travel inspiration.

14. The Travel Book: A Journey Through Every Country in the World

By lonely planet.

Lonely Planet’s The Travel Book is not actually a travel novel. It’s a brief overview of every country in the world. Each entry includes beautiful photos, fun facts, and a few key phrases in the local language. Lonely Planet describes it as “850 images. 230 countries. One complete picture.”

At approximately 450 pages, the Travel Book is huge and heavy. So you certainly wouldn’t want to bring it along on your trip. But it’s the perfect coffee table book to help you find inspiration to plan your next exotic vacation.

15. Atlas Obscura: An Explorer’s Guide to the World’s Hidden Wonders

By joshua foer, dylan thuras, and ella morton.

If you prefer visiting obscure destinations overstaying in 5-star hotels,  Atlas Obscura  is the perfect travel book for you! “Inspiring equal parts wonder and wanderlust”, this oddball travel book details 700 of the most bizarre sites around the world.

It’s another book that is better suited for the coffee table at home than your suitcase. But, flipping through the Atlas Obscura will definitely make even the most content homebody curious about visiting some of these off-the-beaten-path adventures.

16. Microadventures: Local Discoveries for Great Escapes

By alastair humphreys.

Alastair offers a fresh take on the concepts of travel and adventure in his book Microadventures . He believes that you can take the spirit of a great big adventure and squeeze it into a short time period with a small budget.

He challenges everyone to get out of their comfort zone. Even if it’s just spending the weekend camped on a nearby hillside or taking a swim in a lake close by. You don’t have to book a plane ticket to experience adventure, sometimes it’s waiting for you right in your own backyard!

What’s your favorite travel book? Tell us in the comments so we can add it to our list!

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About the Author:

Nick took his first solo trip abroad to Ireland and Scotland when he was just 19. Since then he has visited over 70 countries around the world (plus 45 states in the USA). He coupled his passion for travel photography with Val’s passion for writing and thus Wandering Wheatleys was born. He now lives in Asheville with his two rambunctious kids, Humphrey and Wilhelminha. Besides photography, Nick loves eating the weirdest food he can find in a country (sheep’s brain currently sits in first place) and making Val get up an hour before sunrise to make sure he gets “the good light”.

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12 thoughts on “the 16 best travel books to inspire wanderlust”.

These are amazing books on the list that I noted everything except for the Alchemist as I’ve been reading that a lot of times already, it’s my favorite travel book that’s why. Although I am passionate about travel books, I’ve never heard the rest of the list so this is a good information for me. I will definitely start with “A Cook’s Tour” by Anthony Bourdain, that got me interested more.

Being passionate about books from childhood, books have always been the wings that fueled my travel imagination. Many of the places that I visit today are places that I have already visited through the books that I have read. This is an awesome list of books. I have read quite a few of them. my all time favourites are Papillon and The Alchemist.

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Nomadic Matt's Travel Site

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15 Travel Books That Will Give You Serious Wanderlust

The end of the year is just that time for favorites lists – and I’ve written about the best travel books many times over! I love talking about travel books. Why? Because part of the tool belt of any traveler is a good book. Long bus, train, or plane rides can get pretty boring and can give you a lot of “dead” time if you haven’t mastered the art of the 10-hour blank stare. Additionally, reading travel books helps you learn about the destinations you are visiting. The more you know about a place, the more you can understand a place.

I am a voracious reader and even used to have a book club on this website where I shared all the books I read. Today is another one of those days where I share some of the books I’ve read recently! If you’re looking for some great reads, here are my current list of the best travel books to inspire you to travel to far-off lands:  

1. The Alchemist , by Paulo Coelho

2. Love With a Chance of Drowning , by Torre DeRoche

3. The Caliph’s House: A Year in Casablanca  by Tahir Shah

4. On the Road , by Jack Kerouac

5. Looking for Transwonderland , by Noo Saro-Wiwa

6. The Lost City of Z , by David Grann

7. The Beach , by Alex Garland

8. Vagabonding , by Rolf Potts

9. In A Sunburned Country , by Bill Bryson

10. Dispatches from Pluto , by Richard Grant

11. Turn Right at Machu Picchu , by Mark Adams

12. A Year of Living Danishly , by Helen Russell

13. The Art of Travel , by Alain de Botton

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

BONUS: Ten Years a Nomad: A Traveler’s Journey Home , by me!

Books about travel inspire us to go visit far-off lands and imagine us doing incredible things. Bryson’s In a Sunburned Country inspired me to visit Australia! I hope these travel books inspire you to travel the world and feed your wanderlust. If you have any suggestions that I can add to this best travel books list, leave them in the comments.

If you’d like to see some of the other books I’ve recommended (or are currently reading), check out this page I created on Amazon that lists them all!

You can also find them listed in our Bookshop store, which helps support locally-owned bookstores. If you’re in the US, click here to check out my Bookshop store!

Book Your Trip: Logistical Tips and Tricks

Book Your Flight Find a cheap flight by using Skyscanner . It’s my favorite search engine because it searches websites and airlines around the globe so you always know no stone is being left unturned.

Book Your Accommodation You can book your hostel with Hostelworld . If you want to stay somewhere other than a hostel, use Booking.com as it consistently returns the cheapest rates for guesthouses and hotels.

Don’t Forget Travel Insurance Travel insurance will protect you against illness, injury, theft, and cancellations. It’s comprehensive protection in case anything goes wrong. I never go on a trip without it as I’ve had to use it many times in the past. My favorite companies that offer the best service and value are:

• SafetyWing (best for everyone)
• Insure My Trip (for those 70 and over)
• Medjet (for additional evacuation coverage)

Want to Travel for Free? Travel credit cards allow you to earn points that can be redeemed for free flights and accommodation — all without any extra spending. Check out my guide to picking the right card and my current favorites to get started and see the latest best deals.

Need Help Finding Activities for Your Trip? Get Your Guide is a huge online marketplace where you can find cool walking tours, fun excursions, skip-the-line tickets, private guides, and more.

Ready to Book Your Trip? Check out my resource page for the best companies to use when you travel. I list all the ones I use when I travel. They are the best in class and you can’t go wrong using them on your trip.

Got a comment on this article? Join the conversation on Facebook , Instagram , or Twitter and share your thoughts!

Disclosure: Please note that some of the links above may be affiliate links, and at no additional cost to you, I earn a commission if you make a purchase. I recommend only products and companies I use and the income goes to keeping the site community supported and ad free.

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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 | | READ MORE

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 .

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Blog – Posted on Wednesday, May 01

100 best adventure books of all time.

The first adventure novel that you ever read is hard to forget: after all, we all remember the first time our imaginations were lit by whispers of buried treasure, lost worlds, and faraway jungles. As Jane Eyre says: “It is in vain to say human beings ought to be satisfied with tranquility: they must have action; and they will make it if they cannot find it.”

Luckily, we’ve made the act of finding action easy for you! We have 100 of the best adventure books for you in this post, ranging from rollicking journeys over land to tales of high-stakes survival on the sea. Who knows where your next book will take you? Let’s find out.

If you're feeling overwhelmed by the number of amazing adventure books on hand, you can also take our 30-second quiz below to narrow it down quickly and get a book recommendation that's personalized for your tastes  😉

Which adventure book should you read next?

Discover the perfect adventure book for you. Takes 30 seconds!

Classic Books of Adventure

Or: the books that started it all. From Don Quixote to Treasure Island , they invented many of the tropes that we still see in adventure novels today.

1. Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes

Regarded as one of the greatest works in literature, Don Quixote recounts the adventures of Alonso Quixano: a middle-aged man so obsessed with chivalric books that he decides to imitate them and become a knight-errant. So begins his journey to find a faithful squire, save damsels in distress, and fight windmills.

2. The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas

In this classic by Dumas, a young man named d’Artagnan joins the Musketeers of the Guard. In doing so, he befriends Athos, Porthos, and Aramis — the King’s most celebrated musketeers — and embarks on a journey of his own.

3. Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson

Written by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson, this story of “buccaneers and buried gold” launched a million tropes of treasure maps, sea chests, Black Spots, and deserted islands.

4. King Solomon's Mines by H. Rider Haggard and A. C. Michael

The first English adventure novel set in Africa, this 1885 book is considered to be the origin of the Lost World literary genre. It boasts six adaptations, including a 1937 British film and a 2004 American television miniseries.

5. Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne

Journey to the Center of the Earth is exactly that: a trip to the inside of the world, which is where German professor Otto Lidenbrock theorizes that volcanic tubes will lead. Another one of Jules Verne’s magnum opuses — and one of the most famous examples of subterranean fiction.

6. The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

Part adventure story and part revenge thriller, The Count of Monte Cristo is the tale of Edmond Dantès, a man who is falsely imprisoned without trial in an island fortress off France. That is, until one day he escapes and seeks out the men who conspired against him. You’ll find yourself coming for the adventure, but staying for the vindication.

7. Ivanhoe by Walter Scott

First published in 1819, Ivanhoe is a tale of heroism set in 12th-century England after the failure of the Third Crusade. Looking for jousting tournaments, romance, kidnappings, and witch trials? Then you’ve come to the right book.

Adventures in the Jungle

There’s more to the jungle than just The Jungle Book . From boa constrictors to alligators, there’s danger lurking behind every tree in these classics.

8. Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice Burroughs

Immortalized by the Disney adaptation, Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice Burroughs launched the legend of an orphaned boy who is adopted by apes in the African jungle. Named Tarzan, the boy eventually has to prove himself on two fronts: the animal kingdom and the even more menacing world of humans.

9. Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad

One of the most famous and acclaimed English novels in history happens to be a grim adventure story. This 1899 novella by Joseph Conrad tells the doomed story of Charles Marlow, who wishes to leave behind the civilized world and sail up the Congo in Africa. But he does not encounter what he anticipated in his journey into the metaphorical — and very literal — heart of darkness in the middle of the jungle.

10. Hatchet by Gary Paulsen

Brian Robeson is only 13 years old when his bush plane crashes in the forest. Now he must survive — with nothing but a hatchet. This book won the 1987 Newberry Award and has since gone on to spawn four sequels.

Congo by Michael Crichton

Another one of Michael Crichton’s famous adventure-and-science-fiction books, Congo relates the gripping story of an expedition’s desire to find the Lost City of Zinj in Africa — despite the horrors of the jungle and previous deaths.

12. The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling

Rudyard Kipling published this book in 1894 as a collection of stories about a “man-cub” Mowgli who grows up with wolves in the forest. Here’s your chance to meet the original conceptions of these beloved characters yourself: from Baloo the bear to Bagheera the black panther and the villainous tiger Shere Khan.

13. The Lost World by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

An expedition to an Amazon basin in South America to find prehistoric dinosaurs goes awry in this 1912 novel by Sir Arthur Doyle. Sherlock Holmes is nowhere to be found, but this book does introduce the notorious character of Professor Challenger, the founder of the mission.

Adventures of the Sea

The world is 71% sea, which might explain why so many adventure novels take place on these thrashing, unknown waters. From Moby-Dick to 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, they dive under the surface to find the heart of adventure.

14. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne

Hop on board Captain Nemo’s Nautilus to explore the Red Sea, Atlantis, Vigo Bay, and more — everything taking place in (as of 1870) a wild new frontier: the sea.

15. The Cruel Sea by Nicholas Monsarrat

Before The Perfect Storm was The Cruel Sea . This 1951 novel, which takes place during World War II, is considered one of the foremost portrayals of the Royal Navy’s battle against both the sea and the Germans.

16. Captains Courageous by Rudyard Kipling

Fifteen-year-old Harvey Cheyne Jr. is the privileged, arrogant son of a powerful businessman. That is, until he almost drowns in the Atlantic Sea. Luckily, he’s saved from certain death by Portuguese fishermen. Thus begins his life onboard a ship that cares not a whit for his wealth — and his eventual journey back to America.

17. The Long Ships by Frans G. Bengtsson

Written by Swedish writer Frans G. Bengtsson, The Long Ships today remains one of the most widely-read books in Sweden. In it, a kidnapped boy grows up as the son of a Swedish chieftain before setting out on a long adventure to find promised treasure.

18. Moby-Dick by Herman Melville

Call me Ishmael , begins this epic story. Acclaimed as one of the greatest books of the sea that’s ever been written, Moby-Dick relates the timeless story of a voyage to hunt and kill the great white whale that rules the ocean and haunts cruel captain Ahab’s mind.

19. Jaws by Peter Benchley

The 1974 book that inspired Steven Spielberg’s blockbuster movie — which then made beach attendance drop dramatically in 1975. Jaws is the story of three men’s quest to kill a human-eating great white shark. It’s a high-stakes adventure on the sea, which holds more dangers than anyone could have ever imagined.

20. The Odyssey by Homer

You won’t get any story closer to a purer definition of an adventure than The Odyssey . Homer tells the famous story of Odysseus in this Greek epic poem: from the moment that Troy falls to the journey that he must take to get home over the course of ten years.

21. The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket by Edgar Allan Poe

Famed for his short stories, Edgar Allan Poe only ever wrote one actual novel: The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket . But what a thrilling adventure it is, as we follow the life of a young stowaway on a whaling ship who encounters shipwreck, cannibalism, and the South Pole along the way.

22. Life of Pi by Yann Martel

Piscine Patel, nicknamed Pi, relates the story of how he lived on a small lifeboat with a spotted hyena, a zebra, an orangutan, and a tiger for 227 days. But is Pi telling the whole truth? This revelatory book has sold more than ten million copies worldwide and has been adapted into a Hollywood blockbuster.

23. Eric Brighteyes by Henry Rider Haggard

There is one thing that we don’t see enough in adventure fiction, and that’s Vikings. Eric Brighteyes fixes this for us. In this epic Viking saga, a young Eric Thorgrimursson (nicknamed “Brighteyes”) faces drama, love, and rousing adventure as he grows up in 10th century Iceland.

Adventures in the Desert

Remote, isolated, and desolated: what better setting for an adventure than a desert? Meet scorpions, nomadic tribes, and golden sands in the below books that feature desert adventures.

24. Dune by Frank Herbert

The first installment of the Dune series, Dune is an interstellar adventure that revolves around several different noble houses battling to control the desert island Arrakis, upon which the coveted spice mélange resides.

25. Desert Solitaire by Edward Abbey

An autobiographical work, Desert Solitaire is American writer Edward Abbey’s account of his experiences in the southwestern United States — a region that remains largely swathed in desert.

26. The Riddle of the Sands by Erskine Childers

An adventure novel that functions in the guise of spy fiction, The Riddle of the Sands is a fantastic example of how a regular yachting trip might quickly become a madcap investigation of the German’s plan to invade Britain. Plus, it’s perhaps one of the first modern thrillers ever written.

Adventures in Space and the Sky

It’s the X-factor in our knowledge of the world that has yet to be mapped: space and all that it implies. These books breach that border, and boldly go where no man has gone before.

27. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

The British phenomenon by Douglas Adams that is still widely quoted everywhere today. When Earth is destroyed, only one man survives: Arthur Dent. He is picked up by Ford Prefect, an alien writer who’s working on an electronic book called The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy . What follows is an adventure through the grandest landscape of all: the galaxy.

28. Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne

If you had a spare 80 days, what would you do with it? Phileas Fogg and his valet Passepartout decided to use the time to circumnavigate the world. The £20,000 wager helps, of course — but so does the adventure that lies ahead of them. Another shining adventure story that Jules Verne (him again!) published.

\n From \'America’s nerviest journalist\' ( Newsweek )--a breath-taking epic, a magnificent adventure story, and an investigation into the true heroism and courage of the first Americans to conquer space. \'Tom Wolfe at his very best\' ( The New York Times Book Review ) \n

29. The Right Stuff by Tom Wolfe

The Right Stuff directly confronts the unknown, as a group of American pilots engage in the space race against Russia. Inspired by the launch of Apollo 17, Tom Wolfe wrote this book to explore the courage that propels an astronaut to take to the air.

30. Children of the Comet by Donald Moffitt

In the far future, a small community resides in space and harvests frozen air to make a living. But what happens when hunters from neighboring comets — and humans on starships — appear on the scene? This is a cosmic adventure in a very literal sense, as our young hero, Torris, tries to survive on a comet made entirely of ice.

31. The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers

Becky Chambers fundraised this adventure via a successful Kickstarter campaign . Re-published by Hodder & Stroughton, it tells the tale of a human named Rosemary Harper who joins the crew of the Wayfarer as a file clerk. Accidents and adventures ensue!

The Martian by Andy Weir

In the year 2035, a surprise dust storm traps botanist Mark Watney alone on the planet of Mars. Discover how Mark survives alone on this unexplored frontier in this book that took the literary world by a storm when it was self-published in 2011.

Adventures Featuring Animals

What’s better than a regular old tale of adventure, you might ask? Well, an adventure with animals. These books take readers on a journey into another world: where nature reigns supreme and a blade of grass can be the height of the Empire State Building.

33. The Call of the Wild by Jack London

Set in Canada during the 1890s Klondike Gold Rush, this story recounts the adventures of a dog named Buck, who must survive other dogs, nature, and man’s cruelty, to answer the call of the wild.

34. White Fang by Jack London

Considered to be a thematic mirror of The Call of the Wild , Jack London’s White Fang is about a titular wolfdog who is dragged from the wild into domestication — and all that that entails along the way.

35. Watership Down by Richard Adams

Rabbits? What on earth could be exciting or adventurous about rabbits? As it turns out, many things. When Hazel, Fiver, and company escape their warren and struggle their way to Watership Down in this classic book of valor, you’ll find yourself rooting hard for this brave, resourceful group of hoppy adventurers.

36. Raptor Red by Robert T. Bakker

Unlike any other book out there, Raptor Red is told entirely from the third-person point of view of Raptor Red, a female Utahraptor. Robert T. Bakker, the author, expertly draws upon heartfelt research about the Cretaceous Period to bring a prehistoric Earth to life as Raptor Red struggles to survive in a dinosaur-eat-dinosaur world.

Adventures of Identity

By day, you might be another nameless clerk at a nameless company. But when you put on the mask, the Earth opens up to you — along with a whole world of adventures.

Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore: A Novel by Robin Sloan

The US book cover of Mr Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore glows in the dark. Not already enough adventure for you? Then you can dive into the story to follow Clay Jannon’s sojourn as a worker for Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore — which is not, as you might expect, all that it may seem.

38. The Mark of Zorro by Johnston McCulley

Originally published as The Curse of Capistrano , this is the first book to feature Señor Zorro: a mysterious, masked vigilante who defends the people of 19th-century California against villains like Captain Ramon and Sergeant Gonzales.

39. Scaramouche by Rafael Sabatini

A romantic adventure against the backdrop of the French Revolution. Scaramouche is named after its hero, a lawyer who becomes a revolutionary and an actor playing “Scaramouche,” or a stock clown character in comic theatre.

Shipwrecked Island Adventures

You might think that you’re lucky to have survived a plane crash or shipwreck… until you realize that you’ve got a whole other problem on your hands: you now have to survive on an inaccessible island, with no rescue in sight.

40. Lord of the Flies by William Golding

A group of stranded schoolboys. One island. Limited resources. The adventure of a lifetime. What could go wrong? As it turns out, many things, as William Golding’s classic novel brilliantly and darkly illustrates.

41. The Swiss Family Robinson by Johann Wyss

Written by Swiss pastor Johann David Wyss, this book about a family shipwrecked in the East Indies ignited Europe’s imagination in 1812. Read it if you like your adventure stories with a dose of family values and moral lessons.

42. The Mysterious Island by Jules Verne

Another adventure story by Jules Vernes, The Mysterious Island is actually a crossover sequel to Verne’s famous Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea and In Search of the Castaways . Five prisoners of war escape by balloon but crash onto an unknown island off the coast of New Zealand. There they try to survive, not knowing that they may soon get a visitor: for they are residing on (spoiler alert) Captain Nemo’s home port for the Nautilus .

43. Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson

The full title of this acclaimed 1886 book by Robert Louis Stevenson is (deep breath): Kidnapped: Being Memoirs of the Adventures of David Balfour in the Year 1751: How he was Kidnapped and Cast away; his Sufferings in a Desert Isle; his Journey in the Wild Highlands; his acquaintance with Alan Breck Stewart and other notorious Highland Jacobites; with all that he Suffered at the hands of his Uncle, Ebenezer Balfour of Shaws, falsely so-called: Written by Himself and now set forth by Robert Louis Stevenson . That tells you nearly everything you need to know about this book — except that every page of it is a great adventure.

Robinson Crusoe (Signet Classics) by Daniel Defoe

The full title of this book is (another deep breath): The Life and Strange Surprizing Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, Of York, Mariner: Who lived Eight and Twenty Years, all alone in an un-inhabited Island on the Coast of America, near the Mouth of the Great River of Oroonoque; Having been cast on Shore by Shipwreck, wherein all the Men perished but himself. With An Account how he was at last as strangely deliver'd by Pyrates. Again, we think that this tells you just about all that you have to know about the novel before you start reading it. But, as a sidenote, it’s good to mention that this might perhaps be the first English work of realistic fiction ever written.

Adventure Taken by Foot

When human beings didn’t have planes, trains, or automobiles to travel, they still had their feet. These novels feature adventures that were all taken by putting one foot in front of the other.

45. The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper

The second installment in James Fenimore Cooper’s The Leatherstocking Tales and perhaps the most famous, The Last of the Mohicans recounts the journey of Alice and Cora Munro to Fort William Henry. Mark Twain once wrote a scathing review of Cooper’s dubious writing abilities , but the spirit of adventure in this book remains true.

46. True Grit: A Novel by Charles Portis

You might have watched the Academy Award-winning movie already — but, as always, the book is better! 14-year old Mattie Ross’s quest to avenge her father’s death takes her from one end of Arkansas to the other.

47. The Road by Cormac McCarthy

If you like your adventures grim, The Road might be the book for you. In this 2006 novel by Cormac McCarthy, an unnamed father and his son walk through a bleak and desolate post-apocalyptic landscape. What will happen to them along the way is anyone’s guess.

48. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

Mark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn might be a cutting satire of society and racism, but at its heart, it is just that: a young boy’s adventure along the Mississippi River. Frequently called one of the Great American Novels, it’s one that you don’t want to miss.

49. The Man Who Would Be King by Rudyard Kipling

The tin on this 1888 story written by Rudyard Kipling says it all. Two British explorers venture out in India, not knowing that one day they might end up being kings in Afghanistan.

Adventures Set in Foreign Countries

If you’re dreaming of escaping to another country, look no further than these adventure books, which can transport you anywhere from Transylvania to India.

50. A Passage to India by E.M. Forster

Adela Quested and Mrs. Moore travel to India in the 1920s, where Adela is to be engaged to Ronny Moore in Chandrapore. Set against the backdrop of the Indian independence movement, this is a formative text that deals not only with adventure but also with postcolonial discourse.

51. Kim by Rudyard Kipling

Kimball O’Hara, Kim for short, is an orphaned white boy scraping by in the streets of Lahore, India. But his life changes the day that he befriends a Tibetan Lama — and he embarks on an adventure of espionage and enlightenment in the Himalayas.

52. Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts

One of Australia’s most wanted men escapes Victoria’s Pentridge Prison and flees to India — where a dramatic adventure awaits him. Featuring Bollywood, the Mumbai underworld, and trips to Afghanistan, this book is so realistically well-drawn that many questioned whether or not it was an autobiography when it was first published.

53. Dracula by Bram Stoker

If you’re bored of the traditional historical adventures , we have an answer for you: vampires. More specifically, Dracula . Written by Bram Stoker, this novel the archetypical vampire fantasy in which the forces of good must battle against Dracula and the undead. Go here if you like creepy, electrifying adventures in Transylvania. 

Fantastical Adventures

Sometimes the best adventures are the ones that originate from our heads — and these fantasy adventure novels certainly bring us worlds that we couldn’t have begun to imagine for ourselves.

54. The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien

One day while grading essays, JRR Tolkien wrote, “In a hole in the ground lived a hobbit,” on the back of a student’s paper. That single sentence launched this beloved children’s story about one unwilling hobbit who is dragged there (and back again) onto an adventure to the Misty Mountains.

55. The Phoenix on the Sword by Robert Ervin Howard

One of the first stories that launched the legend of Conan the Cimmerian. Conceived by American writer Robert E. Howard, this sword and sorcery tale follows the adventures of its hero in the pseudo-historical Hyborian Age.

56. The Books of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin

Regarded by many as one of the most influential series in fantasy, Earthsea is also an adventure that takes readers across the mountains and plains of — where else? — Earthsea. A Wizard of Earthsea is the first book published in the series, introducing us to Ged, a young boy who will become Archmage.

57. Alanna: The First Adventure by Tamora Pierce

A classic adventure for all young adults. When Alanna of Trebond switches places with her twin to train as a page at the castle of King Roald, she gets more than she bargained for. So begins her epic journey to become a legend in her land.

58. Stardust by Neil Gaiman

One of Neil Gaiman’s earlier works, it’s nonetheless one of the most charming coming-of-age adventures that you’ll find. Young Tristan Thorn grows up in the village of Wall, not once stepping foot into the magical land of Faerie that lies just beyond the border. That is, until a star falls in the distance and he tells his sweetheart that he will do anything to fetch it for her…

59. Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift

Humorist Jonathan Swift chronicles the travels of Lemuel Gulliver in this satirical masterpiece of 1726. Read it if you like a healthy dash of satire with your adventure.

Arthurian Adventures

Camelot was the birthplace for many of the most famous adventures, from Gawain and the Green Knight to the eternal hunt for the Holy Grail. Here are some of the most classic novels that render King Arthur’s adventures faithfully.

60. Le Morte D'Arthur by Sir Thomas Malory

Is there an adventure that’s more iconic than that of King Arthur and his Round Table? Sir Thomas Malory’s rendition of Camelot is perhaps the best compilation of this beloved tale, from the birth of Arthur to his ultimate death in Avalon.

61. The Once and Future King by T.H. White

Based upon Le Morte d’Arthur , T.H. White’s The Once and Future King may be a more gentle reinterpretation of Arthur’s journey to become king — but it’s no less iconic or rich with adventure, danger, and intrigue.

Adventures in a Series

If one standalone book isn’t enough to sustain your thirst for adventure, check out these acclaimed adventure series.

62. Master and Commander by Patrick O'Brian

A cracking nautical adventure set during the Napoleonic Wars, English author Patrick O’Brian’s epic Master and Commander series is grounded by the friendship between Jack Aubrey, the Master and Commander of his ship, and Stephen Maturin, his naval surgeon.

63. Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past two decades, you’ve probably heard of this story. In 1989, billionaire John Hammond contacts paleontologist Alan Grant and paleobotanist Ellie Sattler, inviting them to go on an adventure into the past — and the darkest parts of human ambition.

64. Sharpe's Tiger by Bernard Cornwell

The Richard Sharpe series by Bernard Cornwell is famous for its exhilarating depictions of the British Army during the Napoleonic Wars — and Sharpe’s Tiger is no exception. As the chronological first installment, it introduces readers to the “brilliant but wayward” hero and features a thrilling jaunt through India during the Siege of Seringapatam in 1799 to boot.

Non-Fiction Adventures

Nowhere is the phrase, “The truth is stranger than fiction,” more accurate than in the context of adventure non-fiction . These authors serve up true stories of some of the most daring, hazardous, and tragic journeys that humankind has ever undertaken.  

65. Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer

Bestselling author Jon Krakauer recounts his own experience climbing Everest. And it is a traumatizing story: Krakauer was a part of the doomed 1996 Mount Everest expedition, in which eight climbers were lost and many stranded by an errant storm.

66. The Great Railway Bazaar by Paul Theroux

Paul Theroux is one of America’s foremost travel writers, and he shows why in this seminal travelogue about his journey by train through Europe, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia. He returns by — what else? — the Trans-Siberian Railway.

67. Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

The international bestseller that’s been adapted into a Hollywood blockbuster starring Julia Roberts, Eat, Pray, Love is the true story of one woman’s search for truth. As it so happens, that quest takes her all over the world, from India to Indonesia.

68. Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer

In 1990, Christopher Johnson McCandless gave away all of his money and left home, never to return. Two years later, he headed into the forest in Alaska, where his body would eventually be found. This is his story, related by adventure writer Jon Krakauer.

69. A Cook's Tour by Anthony Bourdain

Anthony Bourdain’s exuberant, witty voice is as alive as ever in this bestselling book. Like other travel accounts, A Cook’s Tour documents Bourdain’s travels across the world. But there’s a twist in this fun travelogue: he’s in search of the perfect meal.

70. The Sea Runners by Ivan Doig

Based on a true story, The Sea Runners is a riveting account of four indentured servants’ plot to escape their Russian work camp in Alaska. But their plans reach a snag when they encounter their greatest foe: the Pacific Northwest coast. Masterfully written, this book pits man against all the elements that nature can throw him.

71. Into The Heart Of Borneo by Redmond Ohanlon

If you’ve never read a travelogue, start with this one. In 1983, a group of three friends embark on an expedition to the center of Borneo. Written with wit and sincerity, writer Redmond O’Hanlon brings the jungles and wilds of Borneo alive in this treasure of a book.

72. A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson

Bill Bryson is synonymous with humor when it comes to travel writing — and this might be one of his most famous installments. In the 1990s, Bryson takes up the challenge of hiking the entire Appalachian Trail with his friend Stephen Katz. Mishaps expectedly occur along this adventure. But, of course, it’s the journey and not the destination that counts.

73. A Voyage for Madmen by Peter Nichols

In 1968, nine men set out to race each other around the world on boat. Only one would eventually cross the finish line. This is the true story about that fateful race, its “sad, heroic characters,” and how one decision can spell life or death.

74. Wild by Cheryl Strayed

Cheryl Strayed’s account of her trek along the 1,100-mile Pacific Crest Trail instantly became a New York Times bestseller when it was published. Fans of Eat, Pray, Love will particularly fall in love with this book.

75. Green Hills of Africa by Ernest Hemingway

One of Ernest Hemingway’s rare nonfiction books, Green Hills of Africa documents the month that he and his wife spent on a safari in East Africa. It’s a sparse, tightly-written book about the hunting that he pursued there, with some choice nuggets about writing interspersed in between.

76. Travels with Charley by John Steinbeck

In 1960, John Steinbeck took a road trip around the United States with his poodle (who was named Charley). From New York to California and back again, Travels with Charley is a ruminative reflection of America and everything that the country Steinbeck loved stood for.

77. The Worst Journey in the World by Apsley Cherry-Garrard

You might think the title is an exaggeration, but let us be the first to assure you it’s not. This book is a memoir of the tragic 1910 British Antarctic Expedition led by Robert Falcon Scott, who wished to be the first in the world to reach the South Pole. The entire party to the Pole died on the journey. This memoir, written by a man on the support team, explains why in grim detail.

78. A Tramp Abroad by Mark Twain

Famous for writing perhaps the greatest work of American literature in The Adventure of Huckleberry Finn , Mark Twain was nevertheless an accomplished traveler. This book details his travels through central and southern Europe. A must-read, if only for his chapter on ants.

79. Mawson's Will by Lennard Bickel

Sometimes adventures must be read in order to be believed. Douglas Mawson faced disease, snow, Herculean winds, the death of his dogs and only companions, starvation, and thirst — and still somehow survived while managing to map nearly 1,500 miles of the Antarctic coastline. This is the dramatic story of the expedition.

80. In the Heart of the Sea by Nathaniel Philbrick

Welcome to the true story that inspired the events of Melville’s Moby-Dick . In 1820, a whaling expedition was foiled when a sperm whale sunk the ship, Essex. For three months afterward, the crew lived on three small boats, facing wild winds, the sea itself, and cannibalism to survive.

81. Wind, Sand and Stars by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

The memoir of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry isn’t just a contemplation of life: it’s a full-fledged adventure book in its own right. Saint-Exupéry was an accomplished aviator and once crashed in 1935 in the Sahara Desert without water or food. This is his story.

82. In Patagonia by Bruce Chatwin

In November 1974, Bruce Chatwin flew to Peru and then made his way down to Patagonia. He would spend six months in the region, traveling over untraveled ground and writing down everything that he saw. This is the seminal work for anyone who wants to know more about this wild, beautiful, and desolate part of the world.

The Road to Oxiana by Robert Byron

Published in 1938, The Road to Oxiana is one of the premiere examples of travel writing. You might not want to miss out on Robert Byron’s account of his ten-month travels in the Middle East, credited by writer Paul Fussell as being to poetry what Ulysses was to the novel.

Adventure Books for Children and Teens

Ignite the spirit of adventure early! From Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland to Wizard of Oz , these classic children's novels will show that people of any age can go on a journey.  

84. The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi

Avi’s popular tale of intrigue on the high seas. 13-year old Charlotte Doyle finds herself the only passenger on a sea voyage that bristles with danger. Features a murder trial, cruel captains, and a brave young girl who has to use all of her wits and resources if she wants to survive.

85. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

Ready for an adventure that’s the darling of children’s book world? Lewis Carroll wrote this book in 1865 but Alice’s journey through Wonderland (which she enters by falling through a rabbit hole) remains one of the most cherished — and extraordinary — stories in English literature.

86. The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis

This children’s classic all began with The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe , in which the four Pevensie siblings step into a wardrobe… and into Narnia, where an entirely magical journey begins. Complete with talking animals, evil queens, and Turkish Delights.

87. Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson

When fifth grader Jesse Aarons befriends his new neighbor, Leslie Burke, a beautiful friendship — and kingdom — is born. Terabithia is the imaginary sanctuary of their minds, but the consequences of building it might be more tragic than they anticipated in this children’s book.

88. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by Lyman Frank Baum

Does The Wizard of Oz even need an introduction? This whimsical story by Frank L. Baum turned into one of the most treasured children’s books in history, spawning spin-offs, sequels, movies, and even musicals. Follow Dorothy as she travels along the Yellow Brick Road in the magical Land of Oz, meeting a Scarecrow, Tin Woodman, and Cowardly Lion in her quest to return back to Kansas.

89. The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo

Edward Tulane is a china rabbit. Bet you didn’t expect that twist, did you? But life can get hard for china rabbits, as Edward falls into the sea and spends 297 days on the bottom of the ocean. One thing’s for certain: it’s a long way back to the surface.

90. Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

You haven’t really read an adventure unless you’ve read Diana Wynne Jones’ timeless Howl’s Moving Castle ! This is the story about Sophie Hatter, the oldest of three sisters, and how she becomes an old crone and meets the powerful Wizard Howl. Delightful, charming, and twisty.

91. The BFG by Roald Dahl

Did you know that Big Friendly Giants provide the best adventures of all? That’s because of all the land they can cover with one stride — and you get an even better view if you’re sitting on their shoulders as they do so,. Follow Sophie and the BFG as they go into a world of frobscottles and snozzcumbers to battle the Fleshlumpeater.

92. The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo

You’ve probably never met a hero like Despereaux Tilling: a young but noble mouse. Now he is on a quest to rescue Princess Pea, a human girl, from evil rats. Beware of underestimating Despereaux: he might be small, but he’s as brave as the biggest adventurers.

93. Martin the Warrior by Brian Jacques

Though Redwall is the first book that Brian Jacques published in the celebrated Redwall series Martin the Warrior is one of the first books chronologically — and it’s one of the more adventurous installments overall. A young heroic mouse named Martin escapes enslavement under the maniacal stout, Badrang the Tyrant. But then he must journey across the land to build an army that will be able to defeat Badrang once and for all.

94. The Princess Bride by William Goldman

The book that spawned the line, “Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.” By turn brilliant, witty, romantic, and thrilling, The Princess Bride (along with Buttercup, Westley, and company) have enchanted hearts across the world. A rollicking adventure through a fantastical world that was later immortalized in film.

95. Coraline by Neil Gaiman

Neil Gaiman came up with the idea for this book when he miswrote “Caroline” as “Coraline” one day. In this dark fantasy novella, Coraline Jones moves into an old house with a mysterious door. A neighbor tells her: “Don’t go through the door.” Of course, Coraline goes through the door — only to find a world that she could never have imagined.

Adventurous Short Stories

You don’t necessarily need 50,000 words to bring the thrill of adventure to life! If you only have 30 minutes on hand, the below short stories will be able to whet your appetite.

96. “The Sea Raiders” by H. G. Wells

Squid monsters. Need we say more? H.G. Wells wrote this short story in the fashion of Moby-Dick and the 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea , but the tentacle-y thrills of this short story are all his own.

97. “A Sound of Thunder” by Ray Bradbury

Time travel has become a reality in 2055 — and a company called Time Safari Inc is advertising a chance to travel back in time to hunt dinosaurs. A lot of things can go wrong — and they do, in this masterful short story by Ray Bradbury about the butterfly effect.

98. “To Build a Fire” by Jack London

As you might be able to tell already, Jack London had a thirst for adventure and the wild. His famous short story, “To Build a Fire,” deals with one man’s struggle against the arctic winter in the Yukon Territory.

99. “Sandkings” by George R. R. Martin

Before A Song of Ice and Fire , George R.R. Martin wrote this fantastically dark novelette that won the Hugo Award, the Nebula Award, and the Locus Award in 1980. Set on the fictional planet of Baldur, it’s about a playboy named Simon Kress who doubles as an exotic animal collector and one day comes across a terrarium filled with creatures called sandkings… and what happens next becomes the kind of dark adventure that only GRRM can write.

100. “The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber” by Ernest Hemingway

Ernest Hemingway was a big-game hunter, and he drew from his own experiences to write “The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber.” In it, Francis Macomber, his wife, and a friend are in Africa hunting buffalo, which does not turn out as they wanted.

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Book review: Every mile through this wild landscape is filled with more than a walking adventure

“Arctic Traverse: A Thousand-mile Summer of Trekking the Brooks Range”

By Michael Engelhard; Mountaineers Books, 2024; 304 pages; $21.95.

Michael Engelhard, a longtime outdoor instructor and wilderness guide as well as a cultural anthropologist and writer (including “Ice Bear” and “American Wild”), spent two months in the summer of 2012 solo-crossing Alaska’s Brooks Range. From the Canadian border he trekked over mountains and across tundra for 48 days and 600 miles. Near the headwaters of the Noatak River he switched to a rowing canoe for the last 400 miles to the coast.

Along the way Engelhard relied on six resupply caches and minimal technology — GPS and a satellite phone, neither of which worked perfectly. He traveled as lightly as he could, without even a camera. He avoided places where he might encounter other humans and stopped, briefly, in a single community, Anaktuvuk Pass, where he picked up a package from the post office and indulged in a pint of ice cream from the local store.

“Arctic Traverse,” written with a decade’s reflective retrospective, is not by any means a guidebook or a journal-like travelogue of day-to-day movements. It is, instead, an exceedingly well-crafted work that combines travel with natural history, anthropology and cultural concerns, literary references, philosophy, personal history, science, linguistics and humor. By intertwining details from the journey with his significant knowledge of the region from both guiding and anthropological work and with impressive observational skills, research and insight, Engelhard has fashioned a text that should appeal to multitudes of readers.

For starters, there’s enough drama for the most demanding of armchair adventurers. On the topo maps that doubled for journal pages, the author kept track of bears he saw and tried to avoid — often several in a day. For his very first day, he leads with his knowledge that his drop-off point along a creek was a very “bear-y” place and tells the story of a prior time, with clients, when they were charged by a mother bear and two cubs. Back in the present, “A total of seven bears, counting cubs, cross my path within the next four hours. Number five gallops up to me from the stream bottom, curious and confident, looking very excited. I unholster my spray can, the fastest gun in the North, before this sub-adult flees.”

Early chapters demonstrate the mix that Engelhard employs throughout. Chapter two, for example, includes more about bears, a narrative history of marking the border between Canada and the U.S., a brief biography of geologist Alfred Hulse Brooks (for whom the range is named), info about other surveys of the region, an account of customs agents preventing the passage of funeral-potlatch gifts between countries, beautifully rendered descriptions of the life around him, forays into thoughts about goal-oriented travel (Grand Canyon, Mount Everest), and reflection about his own expectations.

Typical of Engelhard’s keen observations and botanical knowledge is this passage layered within so much else: “I indulge in a summit nap among butterflies, cream-colored dryas, and Lapland rosebay, a fragrant, heathery bonsai-rhododendron with fuchsia blossoms and relatives in the Himalayas.”

Mosquitoes, ankle-twisting tussocks, alders, rain, cold, swift rivers, blisters, hunger, a painful foot, an aging body, getting lost — there were all those to contend with. In the two-page chapter (day 39) titled “Weakest Member of the Herd,” the author records zero miles covered and considers footgear, the amputated feet of Peter Freuchen, mobility in America, and a favorite song called “The Ramblin’ Rover.”

Sublime moments are also captured, including this one in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge: “After I top out, the sun splits the sky’s scrim about glaciers that melt into the river. It spotlights two rams bedded down on an outcrop not far below as if pointing them out. ... Above the sheep but below me, a golden eagle gyres, wings locked... The configuration of sheep, bird, river, and mountains is perfect, a reward for three days of ankle busting. I’ve seen enough beauty for several lifetimes in one.” Later that day, migrating caribou surround his camp.

[ ‘Looking inside my brain’: 40 years of Ray Troll’s inspiration and imagination captured in new book ]

Engelhard is absolutely an advocate for wild places, generously quoting conservation forebears like Mardy and Olaus Murie, Robert Marshall, Aldo Leopold, Ellen Meloy, Barry Lopez and Edward Abbey, as well as Gwich’in and Inupiat elders and others he has known. He shows the magnificence of the country he traverses (which includes, besides the Arctic Refuge, Gates of the Arctic National Park and Noatak National Preserve) without too much editorializing, but in his final pages, a postscript from the present time, he lets loose about his need to speak up “when some idiocy threatens the Brooks Range.”

The author specifies damages to be incurred to rare and essential wildernesses from the Willow Project’s oil development and the Ambler Access Project, with its plans for a 211-mile road to massive mining operations. He also laments the carbon pollution that’s visibly warming the north, the accelerating extinction of species, and the role we all play in harming the Earth. He finds consolation in the fact that, in the long geological view, “our misdeeds and monuments shall become dust, or rather, a toxic stratum to be superceded.”

As bonuses to his spirited, wonder-inducing account, Engelhard includes both an extensive bibliography and a notes section that expands on his sources and will encourage readers to search out additional writers and historical reports.

[ Book review: Landscapes of family and place flourish in this Alaska memoir ]

[ Book review: ‘A Complex Coast’ details a youthful journey approached with an open mind and heart ]

Nancy Lord is a Homer-based writer and former Alaska writer laureate. Her books include "Fishcamp," "Beluga Days," and "Early Warming." Her latest book is "pH: A Novel."

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BERMUDA TRAVEL GUIDE 2024: Your Complete Bermuda Travel Companion for Exotic Adventures, Pristine Beaches, Rich History, and Unforgettable Island Escapes Paperback – March 31, 2024

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✨ Dive into the Mystique of Bermuda with Our Ultimate Travel Guide! 🏝️🌊

Embark on a journey to Bermuda, where azure waters meet pink sand beaches and lush landscapes beckon adventurous souls. Our Bermuda Travel Guide is your key to unlocking the secrets of this enchanting island paradise. Here's why you need to grab your copy now:

• 🏖️ Explore Exotic Adventures: Are you ready to snorkel in crystal-clear waters teeming with vibrant marine life? Or perhaps you seek the thrill of diving into mysterious underwater caves? Our guide will lead you to the most exhilarating adventures Bermuda has to offer.
• 🌅 Uncover Rich History: Step ashore and delve into Bermuda's fascinating past, from the legendary shipwrecks that dot its coastline to the centuries-old forts that stand as silent sentinels of bygone eras. Let our guide transport you through time and unravel the island's storied history.
• 🏝️ Escape to Pristine Beaches: Picture yourself lounging on secluded stretches of pink sand, with the gentle lull of the waves as your soundtrack. Our guide will reveal the hidden gems among Bermuda's beaches, ensuring you find your own slice of paradise away from the crowds.

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Don't let the fear of the unknown hold you back from experiencing the magic of Bermuda. Grab your copy of our travel guide today and set sail for an island adventure like no other! 🎁✈️

• Print length 146 pages
• Language English
• Publication date March 31, 2024
• Dimensions 6 x 0.33 x 9 inches
• ISBN-13 979-8321459744
• See all details

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Product details

• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0CZJHST88
• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Independently published (March 31, 2024)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 146 pages
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 979-8321459744
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 9.8 ounces
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.33 x 9 inches
• #21 in Bermuda Travel Guides
• #221 in Beach Travel
• #366 in General Caribbean Travel Guides

About the author

Noah Hicks, a seasoned travel guidebook author, boasts over a decade of experience in the vibrant travel industry. His passion for exploration has taken him to more than 30 countries, shaping him into an insightful chronicler of diverse cultures and landscapes.

Noah Hicks is Renowned for his meticulous understanding of the countries he explores, Noah has cultivated a reputation for capturing the very essence of diverse cultures and customs. His books are celebrated for their thoroughness and engaging writing style, reflecting his unwavering commitment to providing readers with an immersive travel experience.

Beyond his guidebooks, Noah extends his influence to numerous travel blogs and magazines, contributing insights and perspectives gained from his extensive journeys. Holding a degree in travel and tourism from the University of Michigan, Noah currently calls San Francisco, California, his home.

Away from the world of writing and exploration, Noah finds joy in the company of his wife and two children. An avid reader, hiker, and guitar enthusiast, he relishes moments of tranquility when not traversing new landscapes or penning his next travel narrative.

Noah Hicks emerges as the quintessential guide for those yearning to traverse the globe. Through his literary works, he generously shares an insider's perspective on the places visited and the people encountered, equipping readers with the confidence and knowledge to maximize their travel experiences.

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Overview of Apart Hotel Yantar

Popular amenities.

• Parking included Parking included Parking included
• Free WiFi Free WiFi Free WiFi
• Child-friendly activities Child-friendly activities Child-friendly activities
• 24/7 front desk 24/7 front desk 24/7 front desk
• Non-smoking Non-smoking Non-smoking

Main amenities

• Daily housekeeping
• Breakfast available
• 24-hour front desk
• Arcade/game room
• Front-desk safe

Feel at home

• Children stay free
• Free self parking

Check out the area

• Popular Location Electrostal History and Art Museum 6 min drive
• Popular Location History of Russian Scarfs and Shawls Museum 19 min drive
• Popular Location Central Museum of the Air Forces at Monino 28 min drive
• Airport Moscow (BKA-Bykovo) 86 min drive

Room options

View all photos for twin room, private bathroom.

Twin Room, Private Bathroom

• 2 Twin Beds

View all photos for Superior Double Room

Superior Double Room

• 1 Queen Bed

View all photos for Triple Room, Private Bathroom

Triple Room, Private Bathroom

• 3 Twin Beds

About the neighborhood

What's nearby.

• Electrostal History and Art Museum - 6 min drive
• Noginsk Museum and Exhibition Center - 10 min drive
• History of Russian Scarfs and Shawls Museum - 19 min drive
• Central Museum of the Air Forces at Monino - 28 min drive
• Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center - 41 min drive

Getting around

• Zhukovsky (ZIA) - 69 min drive
• Moscow (DME-Domodedovo Intl.) - 79 min drive
• Sheremetyevo Intl. Airport (SVO) - 84 min drive
• Moscow (VKO-Vnukovo Intl.) - 122 min drive
• Noginsk Station - 16 min drive
• Monino Station - 22 min drive
• Pavlovsky Posad Station - 25 min drive

About this property

At a glance, arriving/leaving.

• Check-in time ends: anytime
• Minimum check-in age: 18
• Check-out time is noon

Restrictions related to your trip

• Check COVID-19 restrictions.

Special check-in instructions

• Front desk staff will greet guests on arrival

Required at check-in

• Credit card, debit card, or cash deposit required for incidental charges
• Government-issued photo ID may be required
• Minimum check-in age is 18
• If you require a visa to enter the country, your property may be able to help with the supporting documents needed to obtain one*
• Russian citizens: Adults (aged 14 and over) must present a valid internal passport at check-in (international Russian passports and driver's licenses are not accepted). Birth certificates must be presented for all Russian children (aged under 14) at check-in. If a Russian relative or legal guardian (rather than a parent) is traveling in Russia with a child under 14, that relative or legal guardian is also required to present documentation certifying authority to accompany child at check-in. Non-Russian citizens: Adults and children must present a valid passport, visa, and migration card at check-in.
• One child (5 years old and younger) stays free when occupying the parent or guardian's room, using existing bedding
• No cribs (infant beds)
• Pets not allowed
• Free WiFi in public areas
• Free WiFi in rooms
• Free onsite self parking
• Wheelchair-accessible parking on site

Other information

• Smoke-free property

Property amenities

Food and drink.

• Continental breakfast (surcharge) each morning 7:00 AM–11:00 AM

Traveling with children

• Children stay free (see details)
• Children's games
• Safe-deposit box at front desk

Accessibility

• Braille/raised signage
• Wheelchair-accessible parking

Room amenities

Be entertained.

• LCD television
• Satellite TV channels

Home comfort

• Shower only
• Free toiletries
• Hair dryer (on request)

Stay connected

Fees & policies, optional extras.

• Continental breakfast is offered for an extra charge of approximately RUB 200 per person

Also known as

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