If you’re anything like me, you don’t like to go off on an adventure unless you have a book or two to pass your spare time. I remember stopping in every city and town in Southeast Asia while I was backpacking and buying a new book. By the end of it, my backpack weighed a million pounds (because the books were then sentimental and I could not get rid of them haha).
Here is my travel book list – a list of my most favorite books to read while traveling.
The Best Books to Read While Traveling
Paulo Coelho
Paulo is getting his own special section because I love his books so much. You may have heard of his first and most famous book-
The Alchemist
If you haven’t yet, you surely must read it. The book contains an amazing mix of travel with an inner spiritual journey that begins with a shepherd boy in Spain ends in a magnificent climax next to the Pyramids of Egypt. I’ve read it multiple times and it always hits me in different ways.
The Pilgrimage
Another of my favorite Coehlo books, the one that inspired me to walk the Camino de Santiago in Spain. It details his own journey on the way back in the 80s, before it became a big thing.
Hippie
His most recent novel, Hippie is about Coelho in his younger days (back in the 60s or 70s) when he was living in his hippie prime. He decided to take a bus all the way from London to Nepal (and didn’t quite make it, but you’ll see- it’s quite an adventure).
Traveler at the Gates of Wisdom by John Boyne
I picked this book up at a little shop in Burgos, Spain, and read it along the end of my Camino. It’s quite a dark, yet soulfully spun tale of multiple lives all weaving together and reflecting off one another in fascinating ways.
The People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry
A little bit of romance and travel mixed together in a very amusing and entertaining way. Taking this book with you on your next trip will surely not disappoint. And perhaps you’ll meet some people on vacation that you could write your own book about…
Life of Pi by Yann Martel
I read this book while traveling in Israel. I remember throughout the entire novel I thought it was based on a true story. At the end of the book, I was so taken with the story that I looked up the individuals mentioned and realized that no, a dude did not sail across the ocean with only a tiger to keep him company. I also thought Forrest Gump was based on a true story so, what do I expect?
Ishmael by Daniel Quinn
A truly unique way to discuss the current climate situation occurring on a global scale (includes a talking gorilla and one really confused, cynical, and curious guy).
Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murikami
I so vividly remember reading this book at a little cafe in Siem Reap, Cambodia. Murikami is one of my favorite authors, and Norwegian Wood is one I surely will never forget. It follows a man as he remembers his college days back in Japan. There’s a very dark undertone throughout the novel as it deals with depression and suicide in the midst of a coming-of-age scenario. I was so captured by the book that I read it in just a couple of days.
Escape From Freedom by Erich Fromm
Now I venture away from the fiction books for a moment to talk about a book that left me feeling very ‘woke’ after. Absorbed in sociology and history, Fromm attempts to psychoanalyze the human mind and explain the intricacies behind ‘freedom’ and the lack of freedom that ‘freedom’ provides. That sentence will make more sense after you read the book.
On the Road by Jack Kerouac
I picked this book up somewhere in Vietnam after it being on my list for quite a while. One of the quotes from the book was painted on the wall of a coffee shop I frequented back in NYC. I always thought the quote was very beautiful and the book did not disappoint.
The quote:
“The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn, like fabulous yellow roman candles…”
Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
I found this book to be so fun and refreshing. It for sure doesn’t lack anything in the uniqueness factor and had me giggling the entire read.
Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse
I’m such a glutton for spiritual travel books and this is no exception. It details the life of a man on the path to find answers about life and his own enlightenment. He meets Buddha, becomes a businessman, travels extensively, and does everything he can think of to find answers.
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari
This book became a national bestseller for a reason- it follows the narrative of humans throughout the entirety of their history in a unique and exciting way. It’s no boring history book, but one that keeps you glued to the page and ever more curious about our kind.
The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle
I actually listened to this book as an audiobook right after I crashed my motorbike in Indonesia. I was bedridden for a couple of days and had only the audiobooks I had previously downloaded on my phone to keep me company. This book really got me thinking a lot about willpower and the present moment.
The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom
I read this book while I was home in the USA, not while traveling, but it’s the type of book that makes your perspective on life shift in a way that’s similar to how travel does. The world seems bigger, but also more meaningful, like everything that happens has a subtle underlying purpose… including you.
PIN THIS PAGE!
I hope you found this list helpful and found a book for your next trip. I highly recommend every single one on this list. Drop a comment if you have some recommendations for me, I am always so happy to get some!
XO,
Meg
Leave A Comment