So many people bring a book on an airplane, but what if you haven't found that perfect flight ticket yet, or are still looking for the inspiration to go somewhere? Take one of your favorite travel hobbies of reading and grab any of these books, curl up on your couch, pour yourself a glass of wine or tea, and get inspired to book a flight.
10 Nowhere For Very Long by Brianna Madia
If the van-life trend has you wanting to sell everything to live out of a car, this book is for you. Brianna Madia chronicles her life while living out of a bright orange beat-up van with her two dogs. She doesn't shy away from the hard-to-swallow details, and she doesn't gloss over everything as if it was all glamorous. This book is the epitome of letting it all go and trusting the universe, unlearning the conventional ways in which the majority of us were raised to believe, and trusting your gut and going with the flow.
9 Unlikely Destinations: The Lonely Planet Story by Tony And Maureen Wheeler
Anyone who travels even a little has heard of Lonely Planet. It's one of the top travel sites out there, providing guides from everywhere, from Timbuktu to Tunisia. Have you ever wondered how one of the world's best travel guides began? Look no further than this book. This book explains the upbringing of the authors, as well as some of the less-wanderlust and more-technical business aspects of how they brought their company to where it is today. This book is great for a person who's looking to also create a travel business from the ground up.
8 Cruising Attitude By Heather Poole
If you're looking for a more inside scoop of the travel world, Cruising Altitude by Heather Poole will certainly provide. She chronicles her life as a flight attendant for 15 years, giving an insider's view into what flying everyday is really like. Guaranteed to make you laugh out loud and to leave with a few travel tips, this is a light read for anyone who loves to travel.
7 To Shake The Sleeping Self By Jedidah Jenkins
Have you ever wanted to quit your job to travel? Well, find inspiration from Jedidiah Jenkins, a man who quit his dream job and spent sixteen months cycling from Oregon to Patagonia. His chronicles will have you questioning what defines a full, meaningful life. He doesn't shy away from topics such as religious upbringing and the inner conflicts it can arise in and outside oneself, but no matter what, he stays true to the theme of the book and stays focused on its original purpose: travel.
6 The Catch Me If You Can By Jessica Nabongo
Jessica Nabongo had a mission when she visited her 60th country: to be the first Black woman on record to visit every country in the world. She has since achieved this goal and wrote a book filled with both admirable adventures and phenomenal photography on her journey from start to finish. She makes it a point to mention nations around the globe that get less love, and she shines a positive light on looking for adventure in the places less traveled.
5 Expedition 196 By Cassie De Pecol
Cassie de Pecol made waves back in 2017 when she became the alleged first woman on record to travel to every country in the world. Accomplishing this feat at only age of 27, she broke the Guinness Book of World Records, at the time, by being both the youngest and fastest person to visit all 196 sovereign nations. She wrote a book about her experience, and it's a quick, easy read that mentions nations such as Mongolia, North Korea, and Italy. Check it out for some inspiration by one seriously motivated woman.
4 Stories By Alvaro Rojas
Speaking of folks who have traveled to every country in the world, Alvaro Rojas completed his journey to all 196 nations as the youngest Spaniard to visit every nation. His book gives a simple story from each nation he visited (meaning every single one), and each is paired with impeccable photography. He discusses how he finally quit his job to travel full-time and how he used his skills as a photographer to fund the trips. He stays honest about how at times, he got bored, at times he got overwhelmed, and at times he got lonely, but all in all, he did what he set out to do and completed this remarkable journey.
3 Cheat, Play, Live By Lisa Edwards
A clear nod to Eat, Pray, Love, this book tells the chronicles of a woman who gets a divorce and jet-sets off to hook up with attractive men on dreamy beaches around the world. What she later finds in Goa, India, is the power of sobriety and more peaceful life. Her memoir is a journey of reading her ups and downs through healing from childhood trauma and transforming from a once-chaotic life to a life that only has space for self-love.
2 Tales Of A Female Nomad: Living At Large In The World By Rita Golden Gelman
Rita Golden Gelman tells the remarkable tale of how she left everything behind at age 48 to move to Mexico. She left behind her glamorous-on-paper Los Angeles life, sold all of her belongings, left her husband, and took a huge leap by turning to the nomadic lifestyle. She connected with women around the globe and learned to connect with her inner child. If you're feeling stuck in a rut of the mundane hamster-wheel lifestyle, perhaps Rita can provide a little inspiration to change it up and take a leap.
1 My Life On The Road by Gloria Steinem
Perhaps one of the most notable American advocates for women's rights, Gloria Steinem, tells her long journey of how she rose to global activism. She specifically points out her time spent in India and how Americans often oo'ed and ahh'ed at her explaining time spent in Zimbabwe but yawned at her discussion of spending time in Kansas. She encourages travelers to look in their own backyard, all while telling her incredible tale of how traveling helped hone her craft of fighting for women on a global scale.