Travel Writers were Inspired to Travel by These Books

Walking Home from Mongolia ✈ Mongolia

Contributed by Sinead of Map Made Memories

Walking Home From Mongolia is a detailed account of the author’s epic fundraising walk from Mongolia to Hong Kong. Starting in the Gobi desert, Rob Lilwall, accompanied by Leon McCarron, walked unsupported for 3,000 miles across Mongolia and China to his home in Hong Kong. Their six-month walk encountered many challenges including harsh winter weather, language, and bureaucratic difficulties, and personal injuries. 

The book is written in exquisite detail so it is easy to conjure up pictures of the barren, wild landscapes of Mongolia, the contrasts of China, and the interesting characters Lilwall meets along the way. The intrepid pair also describes the kindness and hospitality they experienced from strangers. ‘Walking Home From Mongolia’ portrayed a different picture of China and Mongolia to one that is often conveyed and convinced me to travel there with my three children. Shortly after reading the book, our family of five traversed China and Mongolia using a more comfortable – but no less scenic – method, the Trans Siberian Railway.

Maya’s Notebook ✈ Island of Chiloe

Contributed by Joanna of The World in My Pocket

I received “Maya’s Notebook” as a birthday gift, from my mother. I remember it stood on a shelf for quite some time before one day, I picked it up and put it in my beach bag. I started reading it on the beach, and immediately the story captured me. Maya’s Notebook is about a troubled teen who is sent by her grandmother to live with some relatives she never met, on the remote island of Chiloe, in Chile. The book fascinated me – whilst it is written on two different narratives, one fast paces, explaining the troubled life of Maya, and another one slow, after she arrives in Chiloe. The island is full of mysteries, or legends and of folklore.

I had already booked a trip to Chile, but this book made me add Chiloe Island to my itinerary, even if that added a few thousand kilometers to my trip. Once there, I had the incredible opportunity to be invited to a traditional curanto, made by no other than the woman who hosted Isabel Allende, the author of the book, whilst she was researching the local folklore. One of the main characters in the book is actually based on her.

I highly recommend reading this book before you book a trip to Chile. You will end up doing what I did, going searching for mysteries on Chiloe Island.

Paris: The Novel ✈ Paris, France

Contributed by Lisa Garrett of Waves and Cobblestones

I’ve always loved how historical fiction can transport you to another place and time, and I’ve always been a sucker for books set in France.  So, the novel ‘Paris’, by Edward Rutherfurd, ticked all the checkboxes.  ‘Paris’ succeeds on all counts.  This epic novel follows the stories of six families across eight centuries.  It brings the City of Light to life as it intertwines the stories of fictional characters with true historical events and figures.

Paris and its famed monuments, such as Notre Dame and the Palace of Versailles, make up the gorgeous landscape against which these stories unfold.  More than just a background, the iconic Paris attractions are practically another character in the novel.  One storyline focuses on the construction of the Eiffel Tower for the 1889 Universal Exposition.  A key moment occurs as the Nazis are occupying Paris.  In order to prevent Hitler from ascending to the top of the Eiffel Tower to look over the city he has overtaken, the workers damage their own work by cutting the cables to the elevator.

This is just one example of a true moment in history that Rutherfurd skillfully weaves into ‘Paris’, and this one has stuck with me over the many years since I read the novel.  You can’t help but want to visit Paris to look at it through this new perspective!

To Shake the Sleeping Self ✈ Oregon Coast to the tip of Patagonia

Contributed by Jess of Uprooted Traveler

To Shake the Sleeping Self: A Journey from Oregon to Patagonia, and a Quest for a Life with No Regret by Jedidiah Jenkins is a memoir, written by a successful lawyer, who decides to quit his job and bicycle, with no previous experience, all the way from the Oregon Coast to the tip of Patagonia. Along the way, he wild camps on the mountain slopes of Peru, explores the streets of Mexico City, and hikes to the “End of the World” in Ushuaia, Argentina. He, of course, also goes on a journey of self-discovery, evaluating everything from what he wants to do with his life to reconcile his sexuality with his religious upbringing. 

As an attorney by day and wanderlusty travel blogger by night, I very much identify with Jedidiah. Sometimes, it takes a radical change- like quitting your job and bicycling the length of two continents- to figure out what will truly make you happy in life. I’m not sure I’m looking for quite as drastic of a change as his, but the book inspires me to integrate more adventure, travel, and wonder into my 9-5 life. 

A Walk in the Woods ✈ Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia & North Carolina

Contributed by Bret Love & Mary Gabbett of Blue Ridge Mountains Travel Guide

Growing up in Atlanta, I was backpacking 14+ miles on the Appalachian Trail in Georgia with my parents by the time I was 7 years old. We may have only spent a few days hiking trails to waterfalls and breathtaking summits, crossing rushing rivers, and camping along the way. But that trip left an indelible impression on me and inspired a lifetime love of nature, travel, and outdoor adventure. Those formative memories came flooding back as I read Bill Bryson’s 1998 bestseller, A Walk in The Woods, which details his hilarious misadventures trying to hike the entire 2,190-mile trail. 

Starting at Springer Mountain in North Georgia (the same place my family had started back in the ’70s), Bryson and his friend Stephen Katz prove woefully underprepared for the rigors of the mountain wilderness, struggling with challenges ranging from interpersonal squabbles and inclement weather to hunger and Katz’s poor health. In the end, the book is not just an entertaining cautionary tale about how unforgiving Mother Nature can be, but a loving ode to the natural beauty of America. And though Bryson never makes it to the end of the trail at Maine’s Mount Katahdin, he (and the reader) come away with greater respect for those who do, and for the immense value of the nation’s protected wilderness areas. 

The Hunchback of Notre Dame ✈ Paris

Contributed by Christine Rogador of Journey To France

The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo creates such a vivid setting that readers would feel compelled to see where the story took place. There are years between my reading of the book and my trip to Paris, but the impressions it left on me remain strong. The Notre Dame de Paris. The squares. The parade. Quasimodo La Esmeralda. Frollo. 

Even though I know it’s a work of fiction, when I visited the real Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, it felt like I was reliving the story. The story of “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” was not a very happy one. There is prejudice, tension, and some misogyny, but in the end, there were lessons and a valuable message. 

Victor Hugo’s motivation for penning the novel is just as intriguing as the story itself. He wrote it to preserve the stunning Gothic structure. Paris was on the cusp of massive changes at the time the novel was written, with threats to the city’s cultural legacy. 

When Hugo wrote “The Hunchback of Notre Dame,” he wanted to remind his readers of the importance and glory of Paris’ Gothic history, so he set the story in the 15th century and gave it a lively, dramatic atmosphere. 

The book is also a call to action to protect Paris’ iconic Gothic buildings (and thus its heritage). The lengthy (two chapters’ worth) description of the Notre Dame de Paris may have contained his persuasive argument, which was well received. Even centuries after Victor Hugo wrote the book, tourists and possibly readers still go to Paris to see Notre Dame de Paris, as well as other historic structures in different countries that are living witnesses to their storied past.

Born Free ✈ Kenya

Contributed by Amy Tull of Traveling Tulls

I was about 7 years old when I first read Born Free by Joy Adamson. I remember my mother discouraging me from trying to read a ‘grownup’ book, but I was hooked by the second page.

“There were three lion cubs, tiny balls of spotted fur, each trying to hide its face from everything that went on.”

Joy Adamson was the wife of a Kenyan wildlife warden who unexpectedly adopted three lion cubs. Two would eventually be sent to a zoo in the Netherlands, but the smallest, Elsa, stayed with Adamson until she was successfully reintroduced to the wild. The story of Adamson’s life in Africa living with Elsa, and a pet rock hyrax, made me long to see Kenya one day. Of course, a safari in Africa was far out of reach for a young girl in 1961. But that didn’t stop me from dreaming…

Fifty-eight years passed before I would finally see my first lion cubs and yes, it was in Kenya. I traveled to the Maasai Mara as part of a three-week safari in East Africa. On our very first game drive, we came upon a large pride of lions, including two cubs just “tiny balls of spotted fur” as Adamson had described. It was getting dark, but I asked for a few minutes to sit and watch the lioness and her cubs, in acknowledgment of little Amy sounding out word by word the first edition of Born Free.

Marguerite van Gendermalsen: Married to a Bedouin ✈ Jordan

Contributed by Agnes Simigh of Voice of Guides

Walking among the ruins of Petra, once a flourishing metropolis and trading center from the 4th century BC, you will come across at one point the book of Marguerite can Gendermalsen. Bedouins selling textiles and every kind of Jordan souvenirs also have copies of this book that gives a unique insight into the “pre-touristic” life of Petra 30 days ago. The nurse from New Zealand with Dutch origins travels first with her friend on holiday to the Hashemite Kingdom, where a love story begins with the Bedouin Mohammad Abdallah, who makes money from selling souvenirs. He invites her to stay in his cave, where all Bedouins lived before being relocated to proper houses in a village outside Petra, and open it for touristic developments. Some still live in caves inside Petra as they prefer their traditional lifestyle. 

Mohammad invited her to a Bedouin wedding, where she gets attracted to their culture and later relocates. However, living a semi-nomadic lifestyle as a Western woman comes with surprises and inconveniences, although her husband does his best to “westernize” the surroundings to make her feel comfortable.

This should be one of the books you read before traveling to Jordan. You will not only want to see the pink-colored city carved into the rock immediately, but you will also look at it with different eyes. It is a personal account of a Western woman who chooses to give up modern conveniences, adapts to a simple lifestyle, and lets her heart lead her to Petra. Her observations of the Bedouin lifestyle are even more valuable, with the Bedouin culture fading away.

She was widowed in 2002 and shares her life between Australia and Jordan, where she is still found selling souvenirs with other Bedouins who treat her as one of them.

Take the Slow Road: England & Wales ✈ England’s Countryside

Contributed by Claire Sturzaker of Tales of a Backpacker

Pre-COVID I was an avid traveler, exploring countries all over the world.  When the pandemic hit I found myself confined to my own country and was desperate to find a way to travel safely.  I ended up buying a campervan and was given this book for inspiration on where to go, which was a wonderful gift for a new campervan owner like me.

Take the Slow Road by Martin Dorey is a mix of personal storytelling, informative road trip routes, and beautiful photographs of the English and Welsh countryside.  His adventures driving around England in a campervan inspired many of my journeys around this incredible island.

It is a non-fiction book, but I loved the anecdotes and personal titbits that Martin includes in the book, making it far more than a standard road trip planner.  It made me realize just how special my own country was and helped me to get out there and see it for myself. 

Since reading this book I’ve traveled the length and breadth of England and had many wonderful experiences of my own.  If you’ve ever thought England wasn’t a good place to visit, this book will certainly change your mind!

Euridice Street ✈ Athens

Contributed by Monique of Trip Anthropologist

The best travel novels teach you about culture and life without you realizing it because you’re so absorbed in the plot and characters. Euridice Street: A Place in Athens by Sofka Zinovieff is a funny and well-written travel novel that traces the journey of her London family through their first year of culture shock in the Greek capital of Athens.

Obvious problems are immediately encountered such as the children starting school in a language they don’t know, as well as the unique Greek concepts of time, bureaucracy, and under-the-table payments. But the real value is in getting a sense of how Greeks think, how their ancient history is part of their present, and what’s important to them. We learn all this through the characters of Zinovieff’s Greek husband’s family members, her attempts at gaining Greek citizenship, and the cycle of major festivals that Athenians pour their hearts and souls into.

At the end of Euridice Street, you come away knowing about all the major places in Athens, and as if a visit there would give you a slightly familiar feeling. What a great novel to read for first-time visitors to Greece!

Paul Theroux on the Plane of Snakes ✈ Mexico

Contributed by Isabella from Letstraveltomexico.com

Once again Paul Theroux entertains us with his beautiful narrative style in one of his latest books about Mexico taking us on a journey through the country with all its issues, and challenges but also showing all its beauty, through its people, the food, and traditions.

The author bought an old Buick and started its road trip through Mexico from the border crossing, the most challenging and dangerous side of Mexico, which he described with very much detail including tragic stories from the people he met and local volunteers, bringing us a reality that we can’t even imagine.

Then he continues southward passing through the “expats bubble” of San Miguel de Allende going to the colors of Oaxaca and Chiapas where he even manages to ​​attend a Zapatista party meeting, something very difficult to obtain.  

In his report, you will also find some references to other authors who wrote about Mexico and he doesn’t spare his disagreement with some of them. Theroux shares a lot of insights and facts about the socio-economical situation in Mexico and its contradictions, besides his own experience and the stories of the people he met.

The result is an overall picture of the present Mexican society from the eye of an experienced traveler and attentive observer. 

Being an expat in Mexico myself for the past 12 years I found it a necessary eye-opening book to remind ourselves about the many different sides of Mexico. I also love Driving in Mexico like he did, stopping by small villages off the beaten path and talking to people, which is the best way to connect and learn about the fascinating culture of this country.

What’s wrong with you? ✈ Off-the-Beaten Path Travels around the Globe

Contributed by Anda Bartos of Travel for a while

Ana’s story can inspire anyone to forget their fears and start traveling. She is a young woman who has the courage to follow her dream and travel without paying for transport from Europe to Bora Bora. Hitchhiking anything from cars to boats, Ana’s journey is about finding herself while traveling and discovering other cultures as well. The journey takes Ana to some off-the-beaten-path places in Albania, Turkey, Iran, China, the Philippines, and Australia. While the trip is a bit extreme, she gives good advice to anyone who wants to start traveling solo or not. She is also very open in her book about her experiences and feelings along the way. I’d recommend her book, What’s Wrong with You, to anyone who has a taste for adventure or needs a little push to follow their dreams.

Unlikely Destinations -The Lonely Planet Story ✈ Catalina Island

Contributed by Ossama Alnuwaiser At Awesome Traveler

Unlikely Destinations by The Lonely Planet Story is a travel guidebook that offers some tips and hacks for traveling. It can make your travel much easier and less troubling to your favorite destination, such as how to travel on a budget, how to find the best and cheapest accommodation, and many more.

Back in the day, I was a student in the United States. I do not have much money, and I want to travel. However, I was worried about my budget. I made some research, which lead me to this book. I learned some tips from it regarding saving money. It inspired me to travel to Catalina Island. I was able to roam around the island without worrying about my budget.

The Adventurist: My Life in Dangerous Places ✈ Colombia

Contributed by Isabella from Boundlessroads.com

Robert Young Pelton is a journalist in search of extremely challenging places to explore and write about. And he does it with details and excitement but you can’t help but wonder what moves him to put himself in such dangerous situations. 

I read The Adventurist a long time ago after I randomly found an article about the author being captured by the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia while he was traveling with two young unwary tourists through the Darien Gap. If you don’t know, that is one of the most dangerous and inaccessible parks in the world, not only for the perilous wildlife but for being a notorious hiding place for drug traffickers and the Colombian FARC.  The trio was in fact held in the jungle for 10 days before being released. 

After reading the article, I immediately bought and devoured The Adventurist because I wanted to learn more about his life of adventures. But I also booked a trip to Colombia.  However, instead of venturing to the Darien Gap, I went on a trek to the Lost City with a guide and on a safe organized tour. 

The Adventurist book is one of the oddest travel books, where dangerous situations are presented to you in the most ironic way, but it became part of those events that helped me find the courage to fight my fears and set off for an adventure.

As he says in the introduction  “this book is an invitation to you […] to take the first step, look forward, fight your fears, to be an adventurist.”

And I accepted the invitation, in my terms of course.

Not of those kinds of adventures that he describes in the book, god forbids, but yet, to dare to explore the unknown and “find a balance between fear and ambition”. 

The book is a collection of short stories from different expeditions he experienced, from the minefields in Afghanistan to the unbearable heat in Mali, to Borneo and Sudan. 

The reports of his missions and the dangers he faced read like a book of science fiction if it was not for the personal reflection on life and relationship that makes the narrative so personal and real. 

You just feel like you are there with him and if while scrolling through the pages you keep wondering why he’s doing it, by the end of the book you will get to know him and his life purpose and you just want to become his friend.

Under the Volcano ✈ Mexico

Contributed by Shelley of Travel Mexico Solo

Ever wanted to attend Day of the Dead in Mexico? The classic Malcolm Lowry novel, Under the Volcano, will only enhance your wanderlust for celebrating this important Mexican holiday in the country itself.

It’s Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead) in 1938, and former British Consul, Geoffrey Firmin, is making one last effort to salvage his crumbling life.

The Day of the Dead holiday is a celebration of death, and it seems it will take a metaphorical death or ego death for him to put his life back together — but he’s up for the challenge.

Geoffrey is in the city of Quauhnahuac, Morelos, just south of Mexico City, when his ex-wife, Yvonne arrives. She has shown up to Quauhnahuac, to try and revive their marriage, and is greeted by a town festively-decorated to celebrate the holiday.

In Quauhnahuac, the two are literally “under the volcano,” as the town’s located beneath two active volcanoes — Popocatépetl and Iztaccíhuatl. Amid the chaos brewing in the volcanoes and the fires beneath the Earth, Geoffrey must confront his own internal chaos, including alcoholism, a midlife crisis, and a failing marriage.

The book is as much about Geoffrey as it is an exploration of the Day of the Dead and the famed holiday that honors the departed. While there’s a version of Day of the Dead celebrated in a few other countries, like Guatemala and Bolivia, nothing beats experiencing this holiday in Mexico.