Read your way across the world! The 7 best books about travel

It’s often been said that books have the power to transport you to another world. If you’re stuck at home and wishing you could take a trip (we know we are), pause your Netflix queue and crack open one of these excellent books for the travel-hungry. Maybe they will inspire you to plan your own dream trip for the future!

1. On the Road by Jack Kerouac

This modern classic follow Jack Kerouac on a poetry- and music-filled tour of the United States, checking in with literary stars like William S. Burroughs. The essential road trip book, it will take you from the East Coast to the West Coast and back again, crossing paths with interesting strangers in small town America.

2. Down Under by Bill Bryson

Bill Bryson's body of work lists an impressive number of travel books, but we are particular fans of his amusing take on traveling through Australia. You’ll find personal musings and historical tidbits, as well as stories and lessons from local Aussies.

3. The Motorcycle Diaries by Ernesto “Che” Guevara

Follow Argentine revolutionary Che Guevara on his transformative journey through South America with his friend Alberto Granado. Read along as Guevara explores the far reaches of South America for the first time, and is awakened to the experiences of his fellow man.

4. A Year in Provence by Peter Mayle

Peter Mayle is unsure what exactly to expect when he and his wife decide to move to Provence, France. Enjoy the small victories, faux pas, and friendships of his first year as he finds his stride in a new home.

5. Dark Star Safari by Paul Theroux

Experience Paul Theroux’s incredible overland trip between Cairo and Cape Town, holding your breath as he searches for rides and takes in Africa through the windows of a menagerie of vehicles. Although the tone of the book is dark and often pessimistic, Theroux’s prose pulls you in and makes you feel like you’re standing at the roadside with him.

6. Seven Years in Tibet by Heinrich Harrer

Harrer’s portrait of Tibet between 1944 and 1951 is chock full of history, adventure, and tales of people overcoming the odds. As the mountaineer immerses himself in Tibetan life, he offers a moving snapshot of a snippet of time between periods of heavy unrest.

7. Under the Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes

A feel-good travel read, Mayes’ account of the summers spent renovating her villa in Tuscany with her husband have you rooting for her to finish her dream project. Imagine yourself in the sunny working alongside her as she pieces together her home bit by bit.