Fully revised for 2018!
After checking out my post sharing 72 Amazing Gift Ideas for Travel Lovers, a reader asked if I had any gift suggestions for someone who longs to travel but is unable to do so at the moment, a person who loves learning about places around the world, and is dreaming of a time when they may visit some of them. My mind turned immediately to books!
This guide recommends over 100 books full of travel inspiration, ideas and advice. Enjoy classic guide books; travel memoirs full of wonderful stories; educational books about a place’s history, culture and people; photography books showcasing the world’s wonders; and even fiction through which one connects with a story’s setting…
There are travel books to suit full-on adventurers as well as armchair travellers! I hope you enjoy my suggestions and do feel free to add your favourites in the comments!
Destination Inspiration & Advice
Themed Travel Guides
Travel Writing (Including History & Culture)
Photography, Places & Wildlife
Fiction
Miscellaneous
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This post contains Amazon affiliate links. If you find this guide useful, please consider making your Amazon purchases via our links to support the site. Originally published 2 December 2017, updated for December 2018.
Please leave a comment - I love hearing from you!19 Comments to "100+ Books for Globetrotters, Dreamers & Armchair Travellers"
I loved this blog. I was looking for some recommendations. Though I travel a lot but I have accepted the fact that I can’t travel to all the places ever. These books come to my rescue. I can still learn about exotic cultures without visiting those places. I am bookmarking many of these.
Thanks, so pleased to help you find some enjoyable reading and inspiration!
I love the destination books that Lonely Planet is publishing every year. They are such great inspiration into planning future holidays. I also always buy the Lonely Planet guidebook for every trip I make.
Yeah they’re great for making my travel wishlist ever longer!
I don’t really like reading English books as I’m a Vietnamese and I’m too lazy to read for a while and then stop to look up words. However, some of these look really eye-catching and interesting – especially the book “All the light we cannot see” – isn’t this a really famous book? ;;__;; Anw I’ll give them a try! Thanks a lot!
Yes it is indeed, it won the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the 2015 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction.
I’m finishing my last semester for the next 2 weeks and now I’m looking for some interesting books to read during my holiday. And these travelling books is so appealing to me. Thanks for your great suggestions.
Hope you find some good inspiration!
Thanks for this list! I love travelling and these books are so attracting to me. They will definitely help planning for trips in the future!
My pleasure!
I really appreciate your recommendations with such great books. It sounds dreamy but I hope one day I could become one of these writers and have my books recommended here as well.
No reason why not, look forward to reading your work one day!
Books have been my first love. Even before I could physically travel, I flew on the wings of imagination fueled by the books I read. Of course not all of them were travel books, but I always used to look out for exotic destinations where the stories were set. This is an awesome list and I will check them out and may add a few to my personal library.
I’ve always been a voracious reader too, Sandy and I can still remember some of the childhood books that most inspired me!
Wow what a comprehensive list! Makes me wish I had more time to read.
Have read a few and missed quite a few and did not know about the others. Thanks to your list, I have added quite a bit to my cart now. Cheers for this.
Wow, so many recommendations! I already shared some ideas for my Christmas wish list for my family 🙂
Thanks for this, Kavey. It helped me find a Monty Don book that Mum hasn’t read, and which has gone straight into my basket. Another bit of Christmas sorted.
That’s great, so happy to help!