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Since actual travel isn’t an option for most right now, I – along with the help of the walking libraries that are my mom and sister- came up with a list of 20 books that have sparked wanderlust and caused many a travel inspiration for us.
Reading has always been my favorite escape. My favorite invention in the the last 20 years is easily the Kindle. You see, I was one of those people who would fill my carry on to the brim with books before vacation. I’m pretty sure I have permanent shoulder damage from the weight of carrying it around each time. To be fair, my love of reading comes pretty honestly. My mom was an English teach (my senior English teacher, in fact) and instilled a love of reading in my sister and I at an early age.
When I sat down to write this, I knew exactly who to call for reinforcements. Their recommendations were extensive and we had a lot of overlap, but I was able to whittle our combined lists down to the below. I chose fiction novels for almost every book listed here. There are so many amazing non-fiction books, too, but for this list, I wanted to choose books where the settings were a character in the story. Ones where the authors paint scenes with such vividness that you can’t help but picture yourself as the protagonist walking through that Tuscan town, or sitting in that cafe in Paris, or eating at the food market in Singapore.
So without further ado, and in no particular order, here we go!
20 Books to Inspire Your Inner Traveler
The Poisonwood Bible is a story of the family of a fierce, evangelical missionary family who takes his family to the Belgian Congo in 1959. The story follows the family through it’s entire undoing to its complicated reconstruction, all against the backdrop of postcolonial Africa. I read The Poisonwood Bible when it was first published in 2009 and I still remember the way she described Africa in both its and tragedy and its remarkableness.
The Great Alone is from one of very favorite authors, Kristin Hannah. The remote Alaskan wilderness plays a as much of a part in this story as does the family that lives in it. This one will keep you turning pages until there aren’t any left to turn.
If you haven’t read The Da Vinci Code, where have you been for the last 10+ years? This brain-bending puzzle thriller is a definite must-read. This mystery takes you on adventures from the Louvre to the Vatican to other European destinations in between.
The Year of Living Danishly made me come pretty close to selling it all and moving to Denmark. As one of the nonfiction books on this list, the author takes you with her as she relocates to rural Jutland and attempts to uncover why Danish people are so happy.
I haven’t read a A Year in Provence, but was one of the first books my mom listed when I asked for her list. It transports you to a small Provencal town where life is simple and time is slow.
The Paris Wife is a novel told through the eyes of Ernest Hemingway’s wife, Hadley. The story is of their mostly tumultuous, but also loving relationship set against the 1920s Jazz Age in Paris.
It seems fitting to include this Hemingway classic right below a fictionalized story of his life during that same time period. A Moveable Feast is his memoir that chronicles his time as a young writer in Paris and will inspire you to leave your comfort zone and immerse yourself somewhere new.
The publisher’s description of My Sister, the Serial Killer says it best- “My Sister, the Serial Killer is a blackly comic novel about how blood is thicker – and more difficult to get out of the carpet – than water…” Set in Nigeria, it’s the story of two sisters and the lengths they go to protect one another.
Under the Tuscan Sun may be known more now for its movie, but the book gives you more freedom to create a dream of your Tuscan life. It always makes me question, “why can’t I sell it all and buy a fixer upper in Tuscany?”
Like Water for Chocolate is a must for historical fiction lovers. This family portrait set at the turn of the 20th century in Mexico blends soap opera romance with just enough wit and tops if all off with a dose of Latin traditions and culture.
The first time I went to Savannah, I half expected to run into The Lady Chablis from Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. That’s how much the city is featured in this southern gothic novel. A dark and twisted story that will make you want to see its places for yourself.
Next Year in Havana is the story of unearthing her roots, along with family secrets that have been hidden for decades. Along with a captivating story, Next Year in Havana also makes you feel like you’ve lived through both revolutionary and modern Cuba.
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is a sweet treat in book form. While I haven’t been to Guernsey, I have been to Jersey and I could relate so easily to the tight-knit island life depicted. Another must for historical fiction readers and/or lovers of all things British.
Apparently, I have a favorite genre (at least when it comes to wanderlust). Villa America is another one for historical fiction fans and is also set in Europe during they heyday of Hemingway and Fitzgerald. Another one that puts you so close to the French Riviera that you can almost smell the sea.
The Blue Bistro is maybe my favorite of Elin Hilderbrand’s novels. It’s one of her older ones, but it’s still held its place even as I’ve read newer releases. I choose this one, but really I could have substituted any of her books to make you pine for a summer in Nantucket.
Crazy Rich Asians is solely responsible for making me add Singapore to my travel wish list. I had previously thought of it as a layover destination, but not any more. The food markets, the opulance, the shopping, I want to experience it all.
A House in Fez is the story of a couple on vacation who find a dilapidated riad and decide to restore it to its original splendor. This gives a glimpse into the complexity of Morocco with fascinating tales of history and culture.
Beautiful Ruins takes you from an Italian fishing village to glitzy Hollywood to the UK. It tells of love lost and found over the span of 50 years, with beautifully flawed characters at the forefront. The backdrops in the book will definitely pull at your gypsy heartstrings.
You can’t have a travel inspiration book list without Eat Pray Love. It became less of a book and more of a movement as reader after reader fell in love with Liz’s journey. It single-handedly revived tourism in Bali and sent countless others on their own personal pilgrimages.
Bonus! Books for Your Smaller Traveler
Love and Gelato. The Jenna Evans Welch YA series almost made my main list (I love YA fiction!) and if I had 21 spots, it would have definitely been there. In Love and Gelato, this summer road trip through Tuscany has all the things- romance, mystery and adventure. Check out Love and Olives or Love and Luck, too!
Eloise. Who hasn’t read Eloise and wanted to go immediately to New York and run wild through the Plaza?
From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E Frankweiler. This made running away to New York and living in the Metropolitan Museum of Art seem like a brilliant idea when I was 10.
What about you? Do you have any favorites that fuel your wanderlust?
If you need more inspiration, check out my destination ideas by travel mood!
