I’m not sure what exactly it is about summer time, but when the weather is nice and the sun is shining I am flooded with the urge to travel. I want to do and see as much of the world as I can before the cold comes swooping back in. I haven’t had the opportunity (yet) to travel as much as I would like to this summer, due to you knowlife commitments, but immersing yourself in these travel based books will help with the lulls in between!
- On the Road by Jack Kerouac: Everyone knows this book; it is a classic, and the ultimate road trip novel. On the Road is based off of Kerouac’s travels across America with his group of fellow artist friends and their backdrop of jazz, poetry and art. The novel is adventurous, bold and beautifully written. Kerouac’s quote “Nothing behind me, everything ahead of me, as is ever so on the road” really captures the book’s essence.
- The Good Girl’s Guide to Getting Lost by Rachel Friedman: The Good Girl’s Guide is memoir written by a self-proclaimed “good girl” who always played it safe, and surprises everyone including herself when she embarks on an unexpected adventure across three continents. This book is such a great read. You follow Rachel as she not only explores and learns about the world, but also herself, who she is and who she becomes.
- The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho: One of the bestselling books in history, and having been translated into at least 67 different languages, The Alchemist is truly a story for so many people. The story follows a young shepherd on his quest to Egypt after having a prophetic recurring dream of finding treasure there. The book is a little spiritual in nature, with its main theme being about finding one’s destiny and how the universe will help you throughout that endeavor. The book itself, motif, and story arch are all inspiring. Coelho wrote this novel in two weeks stating that the story was always in his soul, a pure passion project.
- Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel by Rolf Potts: Vagabonding is written much like a handbook for any and every independent traveler. Emphasizing that taking time off from normal life, exploring and embracing the unknown, can do wonders for your soul and demonstrates how you can make your wanderlust dreams come true. This novel highlights determining your destination, finances, working and volunteering oversees.
- The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway: Another classic that you may have read in high school and never appreciated at the time, but it is well worth a revisit if that is the case! Written in a modern journalistic style, the novel tells the story of a group of travelers who venture from Paris to Pamplona to watch the running of the bulls and bullfights during the Festival of San Fermin. With themes of death, love, nature and masculinity The Sun Also Rises is often regarded as Hemingway’s most important and greatest work.
- The Beach by Alex Garland: “Never refuse an invitation, never resist the unfamiliar, never fail to be polite & never outstay the welcome. Just keep your mind open and suck in the experience”, The Beach tells the story of a young backpacker’s search for an isolated beach untouched by tourism, which he discovers is home to a secret community of backpackers who he then joins. Filled with love, passion and drama The Beach encompasses the need to get away along with a commentary on “Utopia”.
All of these books have inspired me, and reading of the great adventures within them has helped tie me over until my own grand venture. What are some of your favourite travel based books? Comment below!
xo
Lindsay