One of my favorite genres in books is reading travelogues. I grew up reading Outlook magazines and watching travel shows on TV for hours.
Every book you read is like a story intertwined to yours. It makes you a think, feel, sense the same way like the protagonist or the author. This becomes even more real when you're reading a book about travel experiences. So here I've come up with a list of my favourite books that have inspired me to take that leap, book that ticket, buy that rucksack and write about my experiences.
1. Into The Wild
"The very basic core of a man's living spirit is his passion for adventure"
One of my favourite genres is adventure and books about mountains, but this gem is so much more than that. The book is filled with a lot of emotions but the one that stays with you till the end is the feeling emptiness even when you have everything going good around you. You begin to nod your head in agreement with the thoughts of Chris McCandless, on whose life the book is based upon. The narrative is brilliantly written and it gives you space to retrospect about what really makes you happy and what doesn't. The year is about to come to an end and this is definitely my Book of the Year.
2. Hippie
“Those who wish to learn magic ought to begin by looking around them”
If there's any book that you should read to rekindle your love of travelling then Hippe is the one. A lot of people around me are not comfortable reading Paulo Coehlo but this book reads like breeze. You feel the thrill of traveling to a new country and just spending time at the hot-spot of that city. You feel the rush in meeting strangers and ending up friends or lovers. The account of his experiences in Amsterdam and later on the magic to Nepal is exhilarating. Since I've read it, I have been wanting to go a road trip across countries and continents! The story is much more than just an epic travelogue, it also deals with sad elements and moments of life and death.
3. The Art of Travel
“Journeys are the midwives of thought. Few places are more conducive to internal conversations than moving planes, ships or trains”
The Art of Travel is like a self-help book for travelers who often find themselves surrounded by questions like why to travel and where to travel. It attempts to bring out the philosophical side to traveling but in a way that leaves you with self-introspection, in a positive way indeed. Alain de Botton's account will leave you turn page by page in a quest to find answers to those questions.
4. Land of Lost Borders: A Journey on the Silk Road
“How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives”
This book is an account of the bicycle journey across the ancient Silk Road undertaken by a scientist and the author Kate Harris and her friend. The book takes you to the route crossing Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan and other countries of Central Asia, China, Nepal and India. Harris childhood mystique for Marco Polo and his adventures inspired her to go on the longest trip of her life. But the purpose of this book is more than just a leisure read, it makes you ask the right questions about territorial quarrels and makes you think how fluid borders can actually be. Read this remarkable book review to convince yourself to buy it right away!
5. The Great Railway Bazaar
"All travel is circular. After all, the grand tour is just the inspired man's way of heading home"
If you're a fan of the classics, then this one is for you. It is a classic of travel literature, a piece of art. The author, Paul Theroux takes an epic train journey across continents of Europe, Asia and Middle East. His account makes you fall in love with train journeys and the joy it brings for some people.
6. The Geography of Bliss
“For me, a place unvisited is like an unrequited love ”
Eric Weiner's book is masterpiece of a travel memoir. He calls it a travelogue of ideas. It is a man's search for the happiest places on the planet. When I found out about this book, I instantly fell in love with the idea and theme. He hoped from Iceland to Bhutan, a place where Gross National Happiness is prioritized. His next pit-stop was Moldova, then Switzerland where he gives a quirky account of boredom. Further moving to the east, Eric visits the country of Qatar, then India - The Land of Gurus and has some accounts of his stay in Thailand. This is one of those books that deserve a special place in your bookshelf and if this doesn't motivate you to back your bags, I don't know what will.
7. Life is a Trip
Life is a Trip is a perfect souvenir for someone who travels for wisdom. It has all the right reasons why one should travel and will you visit the same old places but differently. Travel is so much more than just clicking photographs or making memories. Sure, these are important parts but one should travel to know more about the world they live in and explore culture, history, language of different cities. In short, Judith Fein's account helps you become a better traveler!
The isn't an exhaustive list, there are so many more books that I can add but with list I'v tried to cover different aspects of traveling for each kind of traveler.
Want to be inspired for your 2020 traveling ventures?
Head out and read one!