15 Eye-Opening Travel Books to Fuel Major Wanderlust

From eating on the street in Mumbai to the impossible task of narrowing down New York City (if anyone can do it, it’s Tony) to bowls of noodles around the world (and if anyone can wax poetic on that, yes, it’s also Tony), this blueprint to planet Earth is sure to make you laugh, make your belly growl, and add about a bazillion places to your must-visit list. 

Published posthumously in 2021 after being grounded for so long, it’s the armchair travel antidote we all desperately seek for brighter days ahead.

More: 15 Amazing Coffee Table Books

This 1962 travelogue will have you itching to explore America for both its majestic natural wonders and for a chance to encounter its eclectic people. A dual meditation on travel and humanity, when you get to the last page, you’ll want to start right back at page one. 

As Steinbeck eloquently writes, “A journey is a person in itself; no two are alike. And all plans, safeguards, policing, and coercion are fruitless. We find after years of struggle that we do not take a trip; a trip takes us.” 

Whether you’re traveling vicariously with the author or gearing up for peregrinations of your own, how truthful that is.

If a Paul Theroux book isn’t on a “best of” travel books list... don’t trust that list! Here, you’ll meander along the border of Mexico and America in Theroux’s capable hands as you encounter unforgettable locals on both sides of the border, get an insider’s glimpse into unique Mexican cultural traditions, and even enjoy a pictorial break photographed along the now-octogenarian auteur’s road trip. 

The book was published in 2020, but reads just like Theroux’s classic tomes from earlier decades like 1988’s Riding the Iron Rooster and 1979’s The Old Patagonian Express.

Many have read and loved this English, Irish, and Osage writer’s 1999 hit Blue Highways: A Journey Into America, but this 2013 collection of the author’s most brilliant short-form travel writing is well worth a read. 

Buckle up for jaunts on the Delta Queen on the Mississippi River, running away from it all in remote Oregon, and scoping out the fabled history of the Orkney Islands in Scotland. With Least Heat-Moon as your narrator, revelations and adventure await at every turn.

This series tends to be a slam dunk every year (see also 2008’s rendition guest-edited by Anthony Bourdain, 2000’s guest-edited by Bill Bryson, and 2018’s guest-edited by Cheryl Strayed), but this year’s edition is a veritable salve for our grounded souls. 

Works from Paul Theroux, Bill Buford, Leslie Jamison, Meghan Daum, and Ligaya Mishan are all in the wonderfully curated mix of A+ travel writing that takes you from the wilds of Alaska to the musical milieu of West Africa.

If you’re looking for an easy-to-follow yet heartwarming read, turn to children’s lit. In this Newbery Honor Book from the author of Walk Two Moons and Chasing Redbird, you’ll follow along on 13-year-old Sophie’s transatlantic sailboat journey from America to England. There’s nail-biting action, hard-won lessons, and dialogue that will melt your middle school heart.

This 2021 newcomer of stunning shoreline drone photography has fast become our coffee-table favorite. From Randall “Mr. Beach” Kaplan comes a whirlwind journey to beaches in far-flung locales (Polynesia, Andalusia, and the Amalfi Coast, to name a few) and familiar favorites closer to home in Florida, Mexico, California, and more.

Oenophiles, this one’s a divine treat, guiding you to wine regions such as Paris, Georgia (the country), Spain, Slovenia, Sardinia, and Australia to soak up the sights and sips. 

This story of a Brooklyn-based woman who decides to ditch her life — from under the Manhattan Bridge for the land down under, in South Australia — as she becomes a nomadic magazine publisher and winemaker along the way is not to be missed. In her humble opinion, this book is best devoured with a glass of pinot grigio in audiobook form.

This 2020 short story collection seems like a timely choice given today’s current political climate. The book features diverse voices who grew up in tiny communities from Utah to South Carolina, with each contributor weaving a unique yarn about the experience of growing up in small-town America. 

It’s considered YA fiction, but we think readers of all ages will enjoy this carefully considered compendium.

The beloved author passed away in November 2020, and we’ve been rereading our favorites of hers ever since. Chief among them? 1998’s Manhattan ’45, an ode to the finest and — as we’ve seen once again — most resilient city in the world, capturing the heart of the city in post-war 1945. Shuffle off to Harlem, Wall Street, Schraft’s, Le Pavillon, and more in this captivating (and quick) read.

This 2021 collection of evocative photography will make you rethink America’s heartland and what it means to be a cowboy or cowgirl. Within, Masson Krantz showcases ranchers from diverse backgrounds (young and old, Black, white, and Native American). For Yellowstone fans, you’ll enjoy the foreword from the show’s writer-director-producer Taylor Sheridan.

This 2021 encyclopedia is a must-read for the epicurean set. You’ll dive headfirst into adventures around the world, from making Argan oil almond butter in Morocco to meeting California food pioneer Mary Jane Rathbun (“Brownie Mary”). 

With eye-catching color photos and recipes throughout, good luck putting this one down, fellow bookworms and epicures.

If we’ve learned anything during these strange times, it’s the importance of home. If you’ve taken to upgrading your décor game as of late and are a globetrotter at heart, this is for you. 

In the gorgeous full-color, hardcover book, you’ll get inspired by 20-plus jaw-dropping interiors that incorporate objets d’art and mementos from around the globe into dreamy abodes. It may be home, but who says it can’t be an escape?

This 2021 release from photographers and avid cyclists Castelló and Bogaard will have you antsing to hit the road on that two-wheeler. But until then, join them on a visual journey of 50 unique cycling projects completed by 75 cyclists from 23 countries. 

We’re talking e-bike adventures, bamboo frame extravaganzas, biking with pets, strangers, kiddos, and more.

Want to meet your next great read in a fun way? Literati book clubs are subscription book clubs curated by authors and influencers (called “luminaries”). 

Each month (a three-month subscription costs $75; one year goes for $240), your book club luminary cherry-picks a book and scribes a note to members, and you also get a reading guide, the option to participate in discussion boards on the Literati app, special programming access, and more. 

For travel enthusiasts, our vote is Cheryl Strayed (Wild), but we also love Elin Hilderbrand for beach reads and the Atlas Obscura club for travelogues, history, and adventure tomes.