The Travel Book: A Journey Through Every Country in the World (Lonely Planet)

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In the summer of 2009, Alain de Botton was appointed as Heathrow’s Writer-in-Residence. Given unprecedented access, de Botton took a hard look at the place where many of us spend hours, but never really take the time to see. He spoke with everyone from travelers to senior executives to the airport chaplain to airline staff. Out of those conversations and his own observations, he compiled an insightful look into the magical and the mundane that creates the life of an airport and the people in it. Imagine a compilation of the most incredible storytellers and travel photographers all in one book! National Geographic have gathered the best trips from their writers and brought them together to create a journey around the globe. For the wary soul who needs a bit of extra convincing of the life-changing wonders that await abroad, there’s perhaps no better resource than The Cat Who Went To Paris. Peter Gethers’ global journeys with a cat named Norton puts a dose of adorable humor into many common travel situations.

In How NOT To Travel The World Lauren expertly conveys the fears of a first-time solo traveler who, prior to hitting the road, as she lived a rather sheltered life. The overarching theme is conquering fear and living your dream. verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ Norton accompanies Gethers on filmmaking trips and helps convince the love of his life that he is the one. After years of adventuring the three settle in New York, Norton is one of the city’s most well-traveled felines. Along with all the challenges and wonder they experience on the trip, the book takes you on a beautiful, romantic and deeply personal journey of self-discovery. It’s very entertaining and funny, I couldn’t put it down. Chasing dreams is always scary, but usually worth it.

As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning

Some of my favorite travel books are based on other people’s travel adventures, while travel how-to guides taught me that international travel is accessible to everyone, not just wealthy & retired people. So if you’re looking for motivation from great travel writers, or experience a travel adventure of your own, make yourself comfortable and grab a couple of my favorites listed here.

For the mystery novel fans out there, The Lost City Of The Monkey God is a fascinating medical mystery, based on a pioneering adventure into the world’s densest jungle. It is believed that this particular jungle holds immense wealth inside, but you will have to find it. The only problem is, Indigenous tribes who fled there have warned that anyone who finds the sacred city will die.Elizabeth Gilbert was “living the dream” as a successful writer, yet she was still unfulfilled in her life and marriage. Her memoir recounts how she filed for divorce and left everything behind, and reveals what she discovered as she set out to travel the world. If you need to be inspired to be fearless and search for your best self, this is one of the best travel books for you. It was love at first sight when Frances Mayes saw Bramasole, an abandoned 200-year-old Tuscan farmhouse. A memoir was born as she bought and restored the villa nestled in five overgrown acres. She brings you right along with her as she tells about the pleasures of her adventure and inspires you to embark on your own unique journey. Marching Powder is the true story of a British drug dealer’s five years inside a very strange Bolivian prison, where whole families live with inmates in luxury apartments and cocaine is manufactured.

This humorous travelogue of ideas was crafted out of NPR correspondent Eric Weiner’s yearlong journey to find the happiest places on earth and figure out what we can learn from them. Traveling through Iceland, Moldova, Switzerland, Qatar, Thailand, and a host of places in between, he offers some interesting new ideas for travel destinations. I’ve been traveling the world for 9 years now, and it all started after I was inspired by reading some incredible travel books. The Food Traveler’s Handbook is an extension of Jodi Ettenberg’s excellent travel blog Legal Nomads, a go-to for all things street food (and eating while traveling in general). So it’s no wonder she’s got a top book on the subject.

Holy Cow: An Indian Adventure

I’ve split the list up into two sections. My favorite travel stories/novels, and the most useful books about how to travel the world. Rachel Friedman’s coming-of-age memoir reminds us to live for the moment. In an effort to prolong “adulting”, the straight-laced good girl surprises everyone when she books a trip to Ireland on a whim. Encouraged by an adventurous Australian, she continues to discover more about herself as she takes a year-long journey that spans three continents.

This is a powerful book that inspires courage & chasing your dreams. It teaches important life lessons using entertaining stories. It helped me overcome my own fears about what to do with my life, as well as millions of other readers around the world.Each country is profiled by Lonely Planet's expert authors and features details of when to visit, what to see and do, and how to learn more about the country's culture from its film, music, food and drink. Every entry has a map and statistics about the country.