12 Travel Books To Read In 2017

Lauren Juliff is a full-time traveller, professional travel blogger and freelance writer. How Not to Travel The World is about following your dreams, no matter how many curveballs life throws at you. It’s about learning to get out of your comfort zone, finding the humour in messed up situations and falling in love with life on the road.

Bill Bryson is best known for writing very humorous travel books, and “In a Sunburned Country” is indeed a funny account of his travels in Australia. Those who love Bill Bryson’s books for their humour won’t be disappointed. For anyone travelling or having visited Australia this is a great read and will leaving you crying with laughter.

An uplifting true story about author Tom Michell’s years as a teacher in Argentina and the penguin he adopted as a pet. His British wit provides the perfect counterbalance to the inherent sweetness of the penguin’s remarkable devotion. Animal lovers and travel fans alike will find Michell’s adventures bright and charming.

If you’re like me…a nervous flyer this book is the perfect remedy. Smith is an experienced pilot who explains how planes work and what all those sounds I’m hearing are? It’s eased many of my flying fears and provided such a better understanding of how planes work. It really has helped me overcome my fear of flying.

Written by the founder of Lonely Planet, this tome chronicles the start and rise of the company whose guidebook is probably in your backpack or on your bookshelf right now. You’ll hear all their travel tales and learn about their early business struggles. It is a fascinating read about the company that helped start the travel guidebook industry and forever changed how we travel.

A story about following your dreams, this is one of the most read books in recent history. The story follows a young shepherd boy from Spain to Egypt as he follows his heart, goes with the flow, and learns to love and the meaning of life. The book is filled with wonderful and inspirational quotes,  an eternal testament to the transforming power of our dreams and the importance of listening to our hearts.

Hundreds of oversized images of the world’s most spectacular destinations are featured along with service information on the best and most authentic ways to experience them. A candy box full of visual delights, this book will inspire tangible ideas for everyone’s next great trip.

Written by probably the most notable and prolific travel blogger: Matt Kepnes (Nomadic Matt), this how to guide will help you plan your trip from A to Z, save money in regions around the world, and become the best budget traveler in the world. This book was three months New York Times best seller and has helped a lot of people plan and save for a better trip.

This guy walked from the Pacific to the Atlantic, from Peru to Brazil, all the way across the Amazon jungle! He was the first person to do this, cutting his way through jungle, sleeping in the trees, and almost starving a few times. It’s a compelling read, and will leave you turning page after page. These kind of travel stories are what inspire people to go out and do something wonderful and life changing.

When you are racing 435 miles through the jungles and mountains of South America, the last thing you need is a stray dog tagging along. But that’s exactly what happened to Mikael Lindnord, captain of a Swedish adventure racing team, when he threw a scruffy but dignified mongrel a meatball one afternoon. It’s a truly moving & heartwarming tale amply illustrating the wonderful power of kindness, all the way from Ecuador to Sweden, about 10,000 km.

Two Brits, George and Mark, set off from New York City to explore the back roads of America. In this calamity-ridden travel tale, George sets out in true clichéd fashion to discover the real America. Throw in plenty of run-ins with the police, rapidly dwindling finances and Josephine – the worst car in the world – and you have all the ingredients for a classic American road trip!

A personal story of discovery, Levison forges strong bonds with local guides, porters, mountain men, soldiers, farmers, smugglers and shepherds. By travelling on foot, and following the same footpaths that locals use, he uncovers stories that might otherwise remain hidden. Packed with action and emotion, more than anything Walking the Himalayas is a story of personal adventure and striving beyond the limits of convention.