10 Travel Books to Change the Way You Wander Around the World
“To travel is to live” – an oft-quoted statement revered by travelers around the world. But how many of us delve into the depth of the statement? Do we live to travel or travel to live? The answers may vary but one thing is sure that we all learn a good lot while traveling, be it the mantra of simpler living, adapting to a new culture and food habits, or getting attuned to a new language and lifestyle experience. We do learn and grow like that. Travelers around the world resolve to step into a world outside and to meet with new experiences from all spheres of life. This openness conjures up gratitude and perseverance in them. However, the path is not so smooth. There are so many hurdles on the way for travelers of all kinds – be it safety concerns, laws and regulations, and other subsequent factors. But, in spite of all these, they do venture out, take risks, and sustain with the greater flow of life. However, it is always better to be prepared and more importantly to learn. And in doing so, it is the books in the form of travelogues, travel memoirs, or guidebooks that come as the primary source of knowledge and inspiration for the travelers. Travel books are not only documents narrating a trip, but also treasure troves of mindful experiences and vivid descriptions of a place. They act as companions for travelers planning a trip. As the pandemic has kept us all inside our homes barring all travel activities temporarily, what can be a better way to keep our travel genes intact than reading some masterful travel books? Keeping that in mind, we have curated a list of travel book recommendations to help you beat the pandemic blues as well as to keep your travel genes at check. From Pacific Crest Trail to Indian bazaars, from lush forests to vast oceans, we have covered it all. Let’s check it out. 1. Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed Published in 2012, Wild is a travel memoir by American writer, author, and podcaster Cheryl Strayed, where she narrates her journey of self-discovery through an 1100 mile hike on the Pacific Crest Trail. The memoir is based on Cheryl’s hike in 1995, a phase when she was devastated by her personal miseries and hence sought out for an escape to win her own self back. And she succeeds in the end. This book is about a journey of self-discovery through hardships and misery, where a woman goes out into the woods and come out triumphant against all odds. The vastness of the landmass, the harshness of the snow, the stillness of the nights, and the mindfulness of a solitary traveler all converge together to form a coherent whole which gives the readers a sense of peculiar belongingness. More than the physical journey, it is her quest for discovering herself anew from the bruised past she left behind that is more touching. The book reached No. 1 on the New York Times Best Seller list and was the first selection for Oprah’s Book Club 2.0. Subsequently, it was made into a movie by Reese Witherspoon, where she starred herself and was released in 2015. 2. Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert Published in 2006, Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman’s Search for Everything Across Italy, India, and Indonesia is a memoir by American author Elizabeth Gilbert, where she narrates her journey around the world after her divorce and the discoveries she makes on the way. The book had been on The New York Times Best Seller list for 187 weeks, one of the longest stints to date. The 2010 movie adaptation starring Julia Roberts made the book even more iconic with all the critical accolades it received. The book centers around Gilbert in her mid-thirties, when she grows discontent with her marriage and files for a divorce. She then embarks on a journey of self-discovery where she eats her heart out in Italy, gets spiritual lessons in India and experiences love on the shore of Bali in Indonesia. And hence, she beautifully weaves all her anecdotes in these three prime phases of her journey. 3. Notes from a Small Island by Bill Bryson Bill Bryson is a master of travel writing. He has a great collection of travel books under his name. Notes from a Small Island is his humorous take on Great Britain from his travels around the great nation. First published in 1995, this book is an account of Bryson’s travels around Great Britain before he moves to the US, his native country. Here, Bryson narrates his experiences from every nook and corner of the island as he reaches out and talks to people from as far afield as Exeter in the West Country to John o’ Groats at the north-eastern tip of Scotland’s mainland. He also gives historical commentary on the rich heritage and culture of the British. In a 2003 poll conducted by BBC Radio 4, the book was voted as the book which best represented England by its listeners. 4. The Great Railway Bazaar: By Train Through Asia by Paul Theroux First published in 1975, The Great Railway Bazaar: By Train Through Asia is a travelogue by American novelist and travel writer Paul Theroux, where he narrates his four-month journey in 1973 by train from London through Europe, the Middle-East, the Indian subcontinent, and Southeast Asia. It also takes into account his illustrious return journey via the Trans-Siberian Railway. Theroux embeds themes of colonialism, American Imperialism, poverty, human experience, and hardship into the book. His vivid descriptions of the places and people he meets along the way through the diverse nations alleviate the book into a document of history. 5. The Songlines by Bruce Chatwin Not every trip
