Our world is constantly changing, so is our way of gaining experience, but reading a book is still one of the best ways to open new windows in your life. If you are a travel lover but don’t have the time or money for it, consider reading a travel book instead!
Ready for a reading list that would change the way you look at your ways of traveling and your whole life?
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1- Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Most travelers are looking for something specific while exploring the world, like the most remote cities to visit in the world, or a certain type of local dish, not knowing that while they think they’re looking for something external, they actually end up discovering themselves!
That’s the story of Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. Alchemist is about a shepherd who starts a long journey to the other side of the world in search of a hidden treasure, but as he meets different people and gaining more experiences along the way, he ends up noticing a lot of things within himself!
Buy now on Amazon.com
2- “The Rings of Saturn” by W.G. Sebald
“The Rings of Saturn” is for those travelers who not only want to visit a place but to scratch the surface of what they see and taking their time to have a better understanding of the people and history behind the place.
The story of “The Rings of Saturn” is the author having a walking tour of the English county of Suffolk. as he walks a few miles down the coast, he talks about historical events related to the places and way beyond that! This book leaves you stunned, thinking how deeply a simple place could be seen and what impacts can a journey has on the traveler!
Buy now on Amazon.com
3- “A Moveable Feast (Life Changing Food Adventures Around The World)” edited by Don George
The main reason for some people to live is to make money for their travels, and they travel to eat!
A Moveable Feast is a beautifully written book, consisting of a few short stories from famous chefs, writers, and foodies around the world, talking about their love for food and the power food has to bring people together. This book gives you an insight into different cultures through the magic of food!
Buy now on Amazon.com
4- “The Art of Travel” by Alain de Botton
Sometimes the fantasies we make in our mind about traveling to a specific place are much more gorgeous than the actual place which results in a shock as we arrive at our destination!
“The Art of Travel” is there to remember us that the small elements of a journey are what making us a good memory, not the perfect pictures we have in mind! We often tend to ignore, or deny these elements!
Buy now on Amazon.com
5- “Medium Raw: A Bloody Valentine to The World of Food and the People Who Cook” by Anthony Bourdain
Anthony Bourdain has a special place in the heart of most travelers, especially those who have a passion for food! He has multiple best-selling books and TV shows that shaped a new culture of traveling for a lot of us, but “Medium Raw” is a little different. You would easily notice that years of traveling has taught Anthony Bourdain to be more patient and has opened his eyes to a lot more than regular cliches since he had seen a lot of people who weren’t as rich as him, but much happier!
Buy now on Amazon.com
6- “Lands of Lost Borders: A Journey on the Silk Road,” by Kate Harris
That indescribable feeling behind exploring the unknown is what makes a lot of people wanting to travel, but nowadays most places have been visited by millions of others, and honestly, what’s the point of traveling some Instagram-famous place and taking the exact same pictures as those perfectly edited ones on IG?
“Lands of Lost Borders” is the journey of a year cycling along the silk road by the author, Kate Harrison. She talks about the meditation and the awesome feeling of visiting unknown places that very few others had the chance to see!
Buy now on Amazon.com
7- “A Woman Alone: Travel Tales From Around the Globe” edited by Faith Conlon, Ingrid Emerick and Christina Henry de Tessan
The fear behind not having a travel companion is what forces a lot of people not to travel solo! If the traveler is a woman, the fear becomes even greater! In A Woman Alone, we read a few stories of solo female travelers who put their fears behind and hit the road. The book has inspired many women around the world to start their solo female journey!
Buy now on Amazon.com
8- “The Adventures of Tintin” by Hergé
The The iconic “The Adventures of Tintin” comic book series is the best gift to younger travelers (or older nomads with a young heart). Tintin and his dog surf around the world and the description is so good that makes you feel like you’ve visited countries like Egypt or Tibet yourself!
Buy now on Amazon.com
9- “Blue Highways: A Journey Into America” by William Least Heat-Moon
Large cities often vacuum all of the tourists with their charms, but small towns seldom get the chance to become as popular!
Blue Highways is about the author, William Least Heat-Moon’s journey within the northern parts of New York state, discovering the glamours of small towns you may not even find on the map, or drove by a hundred times and never noticed!
Buy now on Amazon.com
10- “Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel” by Rolf Potts
Having a 2 weeks vacation during Christmas time is not satisfying for some people. Their soul begs them to hit the road instead of doing the same thing over and over again, so-called work! At the same time, their mind is like, “Are you crazy? You can’t afford it!” and that’s when the Vagabonding says hi!
Vagabonding is about nomad traveler, Rolf Potts who’s been traveling since 2007 around the world! He teaches how to extend your 2 weeks vacation as long as your heart desires! The teaching goes back to the bottom of the issue and starts by teaching you how to start a new relationship with money and how to look at your life during your traveling time!
Tintin was my favorite growing up! Now I’m a TCK!
Right! Good adventures were always so cool! I’m a TCK too!
In fact, I’m so mixed up, I don’t even know where I’m from! 😅
Same! 😂
Thanks for the recommendation. Mavellous list. I have only got 6 out of 10. Haven’t read enough. 😅
6 is still impressive!
Thank you very much for your comment! 😊
I’ve read The Alchemist three times… I’m not familiar with any of the others.
I spent several months in 2005 wandering around the US trying to find myself. I’m thinking that maybe when I’m done with DLTDGB, my next blog will be about that period of my life.
Wow! That would be a very interesting blog! Can’t wait to read it!
It’ll be a long time before I finish DLTDGB. And before I move on to something else, I was also thinking of rewriting certain episodes from DLTDGB from the perspectives of other characters. I have two in mind already that I want to do that for.
That’s fine. I would pateintly be waiting for it. Plus I enjoy your current blog a lot too, then waiting isn’t that hard I guess!
Aww… thank you 🙂
Great list . Thank you.
My pleasure 😊
Thanks for this great list of books. I look forward to reading some…the one about cycling on the Silk Road sounds especially appealing to me.
That’s a special one (or at least for me because I love remote places).
I’m glad to know you enjoyed it.
Thank you for your comment!
I just landed on your website from Google! These books are exactly what I needed for my summer reading list!
I ordered the Tintin series! And I think it’s worth it since a lot of my childhood memories will recover!
Thank you very much for making it super easy with your link!
Glad to know you enjoyed the post!
Have a happy reading time with Tintin!
Thank you. Excellent post! Looking forward to receiving “Vagabonding.”
It’s a great book to read, you’d like it a lot.
Glad to know you enjoyed the post.
Thanks. It’d due to arrive this coming Thursday.
Perfect!
I just ordered the Alchemist using the link you provided!
Thank you very much for this beautiful post!
Looking forward to more posts like this! Keep up the good work
Thank you for the great post. I had meant to read “A moveable feast” for some time now but never got around to it. Thanks for the beautiful reminder. Cheers.
Glad to know you liked it!
My pleasure.
I never heard of it before, but this post and your comment made me want it on my bookshelf 🙂