Author: BootsnAll and the BootsnAll Community

Top 101 Books for Independent Travel

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Most travelers also have an affinity for reading. All the time we spend in airports and on planes, buses, and trains makes for the perfect situation to pick up a good book and get lost. There’s nothing better than reading a book set in a destination I’ve been or dream of going. There are a lot of great books out there that are great for travelers, so we talked amongst ourselves here at BootsnAll and asked our community for suggestions. We were overwhelmed with awesome suggestions, many of which we hadn’t heard of before. So we put together this list of top travel books:

1. Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel
– Rolf Potts

Vagabonding

This book inspired a whole new generation of backpackers and long-term indie travelers by the Voice of Generation X and Y traveler, Rolf Potts. Most of the content is not “how to” – which is commonplace on the web today, but philosophical and helps would be AND experienced travelers with the stuff that goes on in your head. CEO and Co-founder of BootsnAll said this about the book Vagabonding, “If there is one book on this list to read, read this one. I’ve read it multiple times, given it as a gift to folks old and young, and the book stand the test of time. Get one, read it, and GO”

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2. The Rough Guide to First-Time Around The World
– Doug Lansky

Rough Guide to First-Time Around the World

A great book for those who want to take a long-term trip for the very first time. Outlines all the basics as well as gritty details necessary to get you started. A must-read for first time RTW travelers.

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3. World’s Cheapest Destinations
– Tim Leffel

The World's Cheapest Destinations

This fourth edition was released in early 2013 and is a great guide for those of you looking for the best budget destinations around the world. Even if you’re a mid-range traveler, you can find a lot of value in Tim Leffel’s book.

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4. Take Me With You
– Brad Newsham

Take me with you

Long-time friend of BootsnAll, Brad Newsham wrote this book over 10 years ago now. It’s an epic story, of Brad’s mission to bring someone back from his travels, something many folks feel after doing some intensive indie travel. Brad wears his heart on his sleeve in everything he does, and this book is no different. Enjoy.

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5. The Last Lecture
– Randy Pausch

The Last Lecture

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6. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
– Stephen R. Covey

7 Habits of Highly Effective People

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7. Around the Bloc: My Life in Moscow, Beijing, and Havana
– Stephanie Elizondo Griest

Around the Bloc

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8. The Happiness Hypothesis: Finding Modern Truth in Ancient Wisdom
– Jonathan Haidt

The Happiness Hypothesis

If you know you’ve wanted to travel, but you can’t seem to make it happen, then maybe your rider and your elephant are not aligned. The author motivates this simple rider-elephant metaphor in 10 powerful chapters in which he supports ancient wisdom with the latest scientific research to help us understand what happiness is and how we can get it. And, it’s not by sitting around meditating

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9. The World’s Most Dangerous Places
– Robert Young Pelton

The World's Most Dangerous Places

“Robert Young Pelton, a professional adventurer, and his team of international war correspondents have updated this indispensable handbook for the intrepid adventurer– a “how-to” in getting in and out of the world′s hot spots.” – Synopsis from Good Reads

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10. The Art of Non-Conformity: Set Your Own Rules, Live the Life You Want, and Change the World
– Chris Guillebeau

The Art of Noncomfority

Chris Guillebeau wants those of you who wonder “Is this it?” to realize that you can get more out of life, but you have to work for it. This book outlines methods of going against societal norms and crafting the life that you want.

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11. Rite of Passage: Tales of Backpacking ‘Round Europe
– Lonely Planet

Rite of Passage

“From the company that kick-started the trend, a funny, touching and mad collection of first-time European backpacking experiences that bring new life to a well-told tale.” – Synopsis from Good Reads

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12. Make Money From Home Or Abroad Like A Rockstar – The Best Companies, Pro Tools And Insider Tips To Live The Life Of Your Dreams
– Connie Brentford

Make Money From Home

“”Make Money From Home or Abroad Like A Rockstar” is filled to the brim with tips on starting your freedom business to work from home. The best part are the interviews from real folks who have done it successfully and lived to tell the tale. There are tons of links to help you get started including resources for building your web site, marketing yourself, and building your skill set. With information like this, there are no excuses left for you to put off creating the work life of your dreams. What are you waiting for?” – Review from Karla, on Amazon Reviews

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13. Shantaram
– Gregory David Roberts

Shantaram

This epic novel clocks in at over 1000 pages, but it’s a page turner. If you’ve ever wondered what traveling and living in India is like, the country is highlighted as a main character in the book, loosely based on the author’s life. This is the first book that made me excited, instead of scared, to visit India.

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14. The Beach
– Alex Garland

The Beach

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15. The Alchemist
– Paulo Coelho

The Alchemist

It gave me the motivation and inspiration to DREAM that I could keep going and growing, and the knowledge that my dreams (of travelling) WOULD come true if I want them badly enough – Edric Hsu

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16. The Pilgrimage
– Paulo Coelho

The Pilgramage

“The Pilgrimage details Paulo Coelho’s journey along the legendary road of San Tiago across Spain. In The Pilgrimage, Coelho recounts the spectacular trials that lead him to discover personal power, wisdom, and a miraculous sword that seals his initiation into the secret society of the Tradition. With his enigmatic mentor, Petrus, he follows a legendary road travelled by pilgrims of San Tiago since the Middle Ages, encountering a Chaucerian variety of mysterious guides and devilish opponents. Coelho’s experiences and his mentor’s teachings impart the spiritual wisdom that reveals itself as the true purpose of their exciting journey.” – Review by Maverick Book Review

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17. Into the Wild
– John Krakauer

Into the Wild

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18. Into Thin Air
– John Krakauer

Into Thin Air

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19. A Moveable Feast
– Ernest Hemingway

A Moveable Feast

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20. The Sun Also Rises
– Ernest Hemingway

The Sun Also Rises

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21. Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values
– Robert M. Pirsig

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

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22. Round Ireland with a Fridge
– Tony Hawks

Round Ireland with a Fridge

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23. Merle’s Door: Lessons from a Freethinking Dog
– Ted Kerasote

Merle's Door

“While on a camping trip, Ted Kerasote met a dog—a Labrador mix—who was living on his own in the wild. They became attached to each other, and Kerasote decided to name the dog Merle and bring him home. There, he realized that Merle’s native intelligence would be diminished by living exclusively in the human world. He put a dog door in his house so Merle could live both outside and in.A deeply touching portrait of a remarkable dog and his relationship with the author, Merle’s Door explores the issues that all animals and their human companions face as their lives intertwine, bringing to bear the latest research into animal consciousness and behavior as well as insights into the origins and evolution of the human-dog partnership. Merle showed Kerasote how dogs might live if they were allowed to make more of their own decisions, and Kerasote suggests how these lessons can be applied universally.” – Synopsis from Good Reads

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24. The Road
– Cormac McCarthy

The Road

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25. On the Island
– Tracey Garvis Graves

On the Island

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26. The Rainmaker
– John Grisham

The Rainmaker

Though its not a travel related book, it actually gives you the courage to move out of your comfort zone and go with what you believe in. – Pulkit Mathur

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27. The Sex Lives of Cannibals: Adrift in the Equatorial Pacific
– J. Maarten Troost

The Sex Lives of Cannibals

Your plane/bus/train mates may look at you funny when reading J. Maarten Troost’s debut novel. That’s because you will no doubt be laughing out loud during the entirety of this book. If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to live on a far off island in the S. Pacific, this book describes it perfectly.

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28. Getting Stoned with Savages: A Trip Through the Islands of Fiji and Vanuatu
– J. Maarten Troost

Getting Stoned With Savages

J. Maarten Troost is at it again as he and his wife head back to the S. Pacific to live first in Vanuatu, then Fiji. Like his first book, The Sex Lives of Cannibals, hilarity ensues as he tries his best to fit in with the locals.

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29. Lost on Planet China: One Man’s Attempt to Understand the World’s Most Mystifying Nation
– J. Maarten Troost

Lost on Planet China

I’m not sure if this made me more intrigued to visit China or scared me away, but I do know that Troost’s third travel book entertained me and had me laughing just as hard as his first two. While laughs are a great part of Troost’s books, they are also very informative and offer great insights into the countries he visits and lives in.

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30. A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail
– Bill Bryson

A Walk in the Woods

This was my introduction to Bryson, and I have come back to it a few times since the first read. His wit, writing style, and hiking companion, Katz, make the perfect guide to hiking America’s Appalachian Trail – 2100 miles between Georgia and Maine.

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31. Notes from a Small Island
– Bill Bryson

Notes From a Small Island

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32. In a Sunburned Country
– Bill Bryson

In a Sunburned Country

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33. The Lemon Tree: An Arab, a Jew, and the Heart of the Middle East
– Sandy Tolan

The Lemon Tree

An excellent book for anyone interested in traveling to, or simply just interested in the history of Israel and the Middle East. Told through 2 families, one Jewish, one Arab, The Lemon Tree does a great job of being unbiased and telling the story of this volatile region through the eyes of real people and families.

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34. The Shadow of the Wind
– Carlos Ruiz Zafón

The Shadow of the Wind

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35. A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian
– Marina Lewycka

A Short History of Tractors in Ukranian

““Marriage,” writes Marina Lewycka, “is never just about people falling in love, it is about families.” Lewycka’s debut novel, A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian, begins as narrator Nadia’s widowed father Nikolai announces his intention to marry a glamorous divorcee fifty years younger than he. His two feuding daughters realize they must unite to free their father from the clutches of Valentina, a Ukrainian bombshell and “boil-in-the-bag cook” with “superior” breasts and a “genius” son, whose demands on the elderly man only begin at marriage. Family secrets are revealed, and the tragic history of Ukraine is revisited in this moving, informative, and laugh-out-loud funny family drama.” – Synopsis, review, and interview with the author from Penguin.com

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36. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
– Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

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37. A Year in Provence
– Peter Mayle

A Year in Provence

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38. The Rum Diary
– Hunter S Thompson

The Rum Diary

Begun in 1959 by a twenty-two-year-old Hunter S. Thompson, The Rum Diary is a brilliantly tangled love story of jealousy, treachery, and violent alcoholic lust in the Caribbean boomtown that was San Juan, Puerto Rico, in the late 1950s. – Synopsis by Good Reads

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39. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
– Hunter S Thompson

Fear and Loating

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40. On the Road
– Jack Kerouac

On the Road

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41. Geography of Bliss
– Eric Weiner

Geographpy of Bliss

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42. Long Way Round
– Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman

Long Way Round

“Beginning in London, Ewan and Charley chased their shadows through Europe, the Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, and Russia; across the Pacific to Alaska; then down through Canada all the way to New York. Long Way Round is the result of their four-month, 20,000-mile joyride. Featuring original diary entries, travel maps, mileage charts, and dozens of photographs, this is a freewheeling, fully charged, and uproariously entertaining book about two world-famous individuals who chose the road not taken…and made the journey worthwhile.” – Synopsis from Good Reads

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43. Istanbul: Memories and the City
– Orhan Pamuk

Istanbul - Memories and the City

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44. Confessions of an Economic Hit Man
– John Perkins

Confessions of an Economic Hitman

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45. The Kite Runner
– Khaled Hosseini

The Kite Runner

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46. A Thousand Splendid Suns
– Khaled Hosseini

A Thousand Splendid Suns

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47. A Lady Cyclist’s Guide to Kashgar
– Suzanne Joinson

A Lady Cyclist's Guide to Kashgar

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48. Seven Years in Tibet
– Heinrich Harrer

Seven Years in Tibet

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49. Do Travel Writers Go to Hell? A Swashbuckling Tale of High Adventures, Questionable Ethics, and Professional Hedonism
– Thomas Kohnstamm

Do Travel Writers Go To Hell?

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50. Wolf Totem: A Novel
– Jiang Rong (Author), Howard Goldblatt (Translator)

Wolf Totem

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51. Memoirs of a Solo Traveler – My Love Affair with Italy
– Margie Miklas

Memoirs of a Solo Traveler

She is an inspiration to spend three months travelling solo around Italy. I interviewed her here – Bex

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52. Extra Virgin: A Young Woman Discovers the Italian Riviera, Where Every Month Is Enchanted
– Annie Hawes

Extra Virgin

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53. A Walk Across America
– Peter Jenkins

A Walk Across America

“Twenty-five years ago, a disillusioned young man set out on a walk across America. This is the book he wrote about that journey — a classic account of the reawakening of his faith in himself and his country.” – Synopsis from Good Reads

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54. Across China
– Peter Jenkins

Across China

“A phone call from a friend marked the beginning of a rare opportunity for Peter Jenkins to trek deep into Tibet, over Mount Everest, and across China to gaze on an ancient mysterious land that few Westerners have ever seen. You will share in his wonder and excitement as he joins some of the world’s most daring adventures to conquer the Himalayas…as he defies the Chinese authorities to explore an off-limits fishing village…as he wanders across the steppes of the proud Mongol herdsmen to wrestle with the descendents of Genghis Khan’s legendary Golden Horde.” – Synopsis from Good Reads

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55. A Ride to Khiva: Travels and Adventures in Central Asia
– Fred Burnaby

A Ride to Khiva

“In the winter of 1875, a young British officer set out across central Asia on an unofficial mission to investigate the latest secret Russian moves in the Great Game. His goal was the mysterious caravan city of Khiva, closed to all European travelers by the Russians following their seizure of it two years earlier. His aim was to discover whether, as many British strategists feared, this remote and dangerous oasis was about to be used as a springboard for an invasion of India.” – Synopsis from Good Reads

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56. Turn Right at Machu Picchu
– Mark Adams

Turn Right at Machu Picchu

Makes me want to jump on the next plane to Peru and take the full Inca trail trek. Brings back memories of what might have been my favorite trip ever. – Katrina

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57. The Songlines
– Bruce Chatwin

The Songlines

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58. In Patagonia
– Bruce Chatwin

In Patagonia

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59. River Town: Two Years on the Yangtze
– Peter Hessler

River TOwn

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60. Heart of Darkness and The Congo Diary
– Joseph Conrad

Heart of Darkness

“Dark allegory describes the narrator’s journey up the Congo River and his meeting with, and fascination by, Mr. Kurtz, a mysterious personage who dominates the unruly inhabitants of the region. Masterly blend of adventure, character development, psychological penetration. Considered by many Conrad’s finest, most enigmatic story.” – Synopsis from Good Reads

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61. Tuk Tuk To The Road
– a Bolingbroke-Kent

Tuk Tuk to the Road

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62. The Lost Girls
– Jennifer Baggett, Holly C. Corbett, Amanda Pressner

The Lost Girls

“Whether they were running away from something (Jen), searching for something (Amanda), or seeking adventure (Holly), The Lost Girls took a leap of faith together and ventured off on a global journey that took them to South America (Peru & Brazil), Kenya, India, Southeast Asia (Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Indonesia) and Oceania (New Zealand, Australia).” – The Lost Girls: Book Review

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63. The Life of Pi
– Yann Martel

The Life of Pi

This book holds a special place in my heart because it’s the first book I read on our RTW trip. But it’s also an awesome book. Extremely original, this book turned movie is both entertaining and inspirational, following the story of Piscine Molitor Patel, a young boy who survives a shipwreck. An addicting read.

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64. Female Nomad and Friends
– Rita Golden Gelman

Female Nomad and Friends

A collection of short stories. So inspiring. If you love to travel you’ll identify with elements in all the stories – Vicki Allen

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65. A Year of Adventures
– Andrew Bain

A Year of Adventures

Adventures from all around the world for every week in a year; everything from crocodile swimming in Australia to skydiving in Nepal. – Petra

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66. Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail
– Cheryl Strayed

Wild

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67. Why Smart People Do Stupid Things with Money
– Bert Whitehead

Why Smart People Do Stupid Things With Money

If you think the only thing holding you back from long-term travel is money, then consider spending $7 to buy this book. Don’t be distracted by the provacative title, this book provides an easy-to-understand comprehensive way to plan your life’s finances regardless of how much money you have or what age you are or how “smart” you are. The perspective is imminently practical and is an antidote to worrying about money.

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68. Dark Star Safari: Overland from Cairo to Capetown
– Paul Theroux

Dark Star Safari

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69. The Great Railway Bazaar
– Paul Theroux

The Great Railway Bazaar

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70. The Old Patagonian Express: By Train Through the Americas
– Paul Theroux

The Old Patagonian Express- By Train Through the Americas

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71. Video Night in Kathmandu: And Other Reports from the Not-So-Far East
– Pico Iyer

Video Night in Kathmandu

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72. The Open Road: The Global Journey of the Fourteenth Dalai Lama
– Pico Iyer

The Open Road

“In “The Open Road,” Iyer takes a long, hard look at the many meanings of this deceptively simple man. At first blush, one might wonder why Iyer, best known as the author of many travel memoirs including “Video Night in Kathmandu” and “Sun After Dark,” would take on such a subject. The answer lies in the understanding that Iyer is not just a travel writer, and the Dalai Lama is not just a monk.” – Holly Morris, New York Times

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73. The Lady and the Monk: Four Seasons in Kyoto
– Pico Iyer

The Lady and the Monk

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74. Little Princes: One Man’s Promise to Bring Home the Lost Children of Nepal
– Conor Grennan

Little Princes

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75. Invisible Cities
– Italo Calvino

Invisible Cities

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76. The Way of the World
– Nicolas Bouvier

The Way of the World

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77. Sailing Alone Around the World
– Joshua Slocum

Sailing Alone Around the World

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78. The Butterfly’s Daughter
– Mary Alice Monroe

The Butterfly's Daughter

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79. Shutterbabe: Adventures in Love and War
– Deborah Coaken Kogan

Shutterbabe

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80. Avoiding Prison and Other Noble Vacation Goals: Adventures in Love and Danger
– Wendy Dale

Avoiding Prison and Other Noble Vacation Goals

“From salsa dancing in a rum-induced haze and struggling to exercise in Colombia (“the guerillas were using the track again today”), to crossing international borders unconventionally and dodging bombs in Lebanon (“the good news was that they were ‘small bombs’”), Wendy somehow manages to find herself in the midst of hysterical, adventurous, and often illegal situations.” – Synopsis from Good Reads

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81. Educating Alice: Adventures of a Curious Woman
– Alice Steinbach

Educating Alice

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82. Have Mother, Will Travel: A Mother and Daughter Discover Themselves, Each Other, and the World
– Claire Fontaine

Have Mother Will Travel

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83. The Golden Bough
– Sir James G. Frazer

The Golden Bough

It’s a cross cultural survey of traditional rituals, taboos, sacrifices, myths, and superstitions — from Europe to Asia, from American Indians to African tribes. Often in our travels we notice that seemingly very different cultures may have similar practices – We find totem poles in Vancouver, and yet we find similar totemic practices in southern China and even in Hungary. We often wonder how this could be possible, and Frazer’s book tells us why. For the cultural traveler it’s an incredible book of insights and an invaluable tool to help us get the most out of our travels. – Bruce

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84. Travel Means Freedom
– Various Authors, David Nagy, GInger Kern, Denisa Nastase, Elena Epure

Travel Means Freedom

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85. Honeymoon with My Brother: A Memoir
– Franz Wisner

Honeymoon with My Brother

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86. Mongolia: Travels in the Untamed Land
– Jasper Becker

Mongolia-Travels in an Untamed Land

“For seventy years Mongolia was all but closed to the west – a forbidden country, shrouded in darkness. Jasper Becker had long dreamed of exploring the sweeping land that lay just beyond China’s Great Wall and when communism disintegrated, he finally did. Setting out from Kublai Khan’s capital, Beijing, Becker was one of the first westerners to cross the border. Tracing the course of the Yellow River, he ventured deep into the heart of Mongolia, witnessing the birth of one of the world’s youngest democracies as well as the deep and tragic impact of the rules of Mao and Stalin on the Mongolian people.” -Synopsis from Good Reads

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87. Genghis Khan: Life, Death, and Resurrection
– John Man

Genghis Khan

“John Man’s absorbing and beautifully written book investigates a vast amount of evidence, much of it partial, much of it conflicting and much of it mysterious, to produce a thrilling account of Genghis’s life, death and his continuing influence.” Review by Sue Bradbury, The Guardian

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88. Empire of the Soul: Some Journeys in India
– Paul William Roberts

Empire of the Soul

“One of the finest travel writers has taken on the most impenetrable country, describing his spiritual pilgrimages of the ’70s and return visits of the ’90s. Paul William Roberts says “[India] is the only country that feels like home to me, the only country whose airport tarmac I have ever kissed upon landing.” But no sentimentality dulls Roberts’s keen eye as he visits ashrams, junkie dens, and Mother Teresa’s order, explaining the complex history of castes and colonialization as he goes. He ferrets out beauty and hypocrisy with an insightful take on the masses of humanity that travel and live there.” – Synopsis from Good Reads

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89. Traveling with Pomegranates: A Mother-Daughter Story
– Sue Monk Kidd and Ann Kidd Taylor

Traveling with Pomegranates

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90. Duchess of Bloomsbury Street
– Helene Hanff

The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street

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91. In Ethiopia with a Mule
– Dervla Murphy

In Ethiopia With a Mule

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92. Where the Indus is Young: A Winter in Baltistan
– Dervla Murphy

Where the Indus is Young

“One winter, Dervla Murphy and her six-year-old daughter Rachel walked into the Karakoram mountains in the frozen heart of the Western Himalayas and along the perilous Indus Gorge. Accompanied only by a gallant polo pony, they encountered conditions that tested the limits of their ingenuity, endurance, and courage. Hair-raising, gloriously subjective, and with the quirky vitality of fiction, the resulting book is a classic of travel writing.” – Synopsis from Good Reads
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93. Full Tilt: Ireland to India with a Bicycle
– Dervla Murphy

Full Tilt

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94. The City of Falling Angels
– John Berendt

The City of Fallen Angels

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95. Finding George Orwell in Burma
– Emma Larkin

Finding George Orwell in Burma

Excellent book, and shows exactly how important it is to scratch the surface of a place you visit before thinking you understand it. – Chasing Trade Winds

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96. How to Walk a Puma: And Other Things I Learned While Stumbling through South America
– Peter Allison

How to Walk a Puma

“Ever the gifted storyteller and cultural observer, Allison makes many observations about life in humid climes, the nature of nomadism, and exactly what it is like to be nearly blasted off a mountain by the famous Patagonia wind. Allison’s self-deprecating humor is as delightful as his crazy stunts, and his love for animals—even when they bite—is infectious.” – Synopsis from Good Reads

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97. The Art of Travel
– Alain De Botton

The Art of Travel

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98. 360 Degrees Longitude: One Family’s Journey Around the World
– John Higham

360 Degrees Longitude

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99. 4 1 9
– Will Ferguson

419

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100. The Light Between Oceans
– M. L. Stedman

The Light Between Oceans

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101. Hand to Mouth to India
– Tom Thumb

Hand to Mouth to India

Author Tom Thumb offers his account of hitchiking from England to India – with NO money! It reads more like a journal than a novel, and may actually persuade you to hitchike.

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Bonus travel books to read

You wrote – we listened! This was never meant to be an all encompassing list and we have collaborated with our readers on this project from the get-go. Here are some additions to the list based on your comments and feedback!

102. At the Tomb of the Inflatable Pig: Travels Through Paraguay
– John Gimlette

At the Tomb of the Inflatable Pig

Personally, I would definitely put Gimlette’s “At the Tomb of the Inflatable Pig” for his unrivaled look at Paraguay. – Richard

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103. Travels with Charley
– John Steinbeck

Travels with Charlie

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104. The Painted Veil
– Somerset Maugham

The Painted Veil

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105. The Historian
– Elizabeth Kostova

The Historian

“The Historian made me want to go to all of the places in the book.” – Nicci
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106. The Innocents Abroad
– Mark Twain

The Innocents Abroad

“No travel book list could be complete without Mark Twain. The Innocents Abroad or Following the Equator are the originals. His style and language might be dated, but his insights into traveling in that age are unique.” – Ellyse
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106. Following the Equator
– Mark Twain

Following the Equator

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Photo credits: brewbooks

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