ADVENTURE TRAVEL BOOKS

One of the most popular categories in travel literature are books about exploration and adventure.  Travel in general is a celebration of discovery, but there is something especially intriguing and inspiring about the quest to truly push human boundaries.  Some of our book selections are first and foremost funny, written from the self-deprecating point of view of regular people subjecting themselves to extreme situations.  Three of the best writers in this genre include the adventure travel writer Tim Cahill, Richard Grant in God’s Middle Finger, and the hilarious English writer and scholar Redmond O’Hanlon.  Many adventure travel books are of course deadly serious, with stories of harrowing voyages and true stories of disaster.  The first-person accounts by Jon Krakauer in Into Thin Air and Apsley Cherry-Gerrard in The Worst Journey in the World are especially moving and hard to put down.  Others are just gripping stories like Endurance, the story of Ernest Shackleton's tragic expedition to Antarctica.  Here are our recommendations on 16 of the best books on exploration and adventure.

A5 Top Pick - The Worst Journey in the World, by Apsley Cherry-Garrard

One of the most gripping books on exploration and one of our top recommendations for those who like stories about exploration is The Worst Journey in the World, the story of the tragic scientific expedition led by Robert Falcon Scott in 1911 to Antarctica, where five people died just after reaching the South Pole.  The author was one of the people on the team, and he provides an extremely open and thorough account of the entire three year campaign, with special insight into polar exploration at the time, the extreme challenges faced by the team, and the motivation that drives humans to such an endeavor.  See more.

A5 RECOMMENDED TRAVEL BOOKS ON EXPLORATION & ADVENTURE

Into Thin Air, by Jon Krakauer

Into Thin Air is the bestselling account of the 1996 disaster at Everest, and one of the best-known adventure travel books.  Journalist Jon Krakauer participated on the climb, and his book provides a captivating view into the passion of the climbers and the actual events of the tragic event.  See more.

The Long Way Round, by Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman

Long Way Round is the story of two actors and friends Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman and their 20,000-mile motorcycle trip traveling east around the world.  See more.

Endurance, by Alfred Lansing

Endurance is a book about the incredible story of Ernest Shackleton’s ill-fated quest to be the first to reach the South Pole, and the harrowing ordeal of his leadership and the crew’s valiant attempt to survive.  See more.

Farther Than Any Man, by Martin Dugard

Written by Martin Dugard using material from actual journals, Farther Than Any Man tells the story of one of history’s greatest explorers, the British navigator Captain James Cook.  See more.

The Long Walk, by Slavomir Rawicz

The Long Walk: The True Story of a Trek to Freedom is a story of a Polish Army lieutenant who in 1941, imprisoned in a gulag camp in Siberia after Poland was invaded by Nazi Germany, reportedly escaped with six others to walk 4,000 miles to eventually find freedom.  See more.

A Wolverine is Eating My Leg, by Tim Cahill

Tim Cahill is one of our favorite adventure travel writers, mainly for his self-deprecating humor when facing dangerous situations.  A Wolverine is Eating My Leg is one of his best collections of travel pieces.  See more.

The Good Girl's Guide to Getting Lost, by Rachel Friedman

The Good Girl’s Guide to Getting Lost is a well-written memoir by recently graduated college student Rachel Friedman.  Confused with what to do next, she buys a ticket to Ireland and gets drawn into the wonders of exploring the world.  See more.

Vagabonding, by Rolf Potts

Vagabonding is the quintessential guide to Rolf Potts on how to navigate long-term world travel, as a lifestyle.  The book is full of practical and inspiring insights on how to actually set off on that trip and make it successful.  See more.

God's Middle Finger, by Richard Grant

In God’s Middle Finger, the journalist Richard Grant shares his experience exploring one of the most dangerous areas in the world, the Sierra Madre region in northern Mexico.  Despite the seriousness of the risk he is taking, Grant takes a self-deprecating view of his exploits, making for a very funny and fascinating book.  See more.

Blood River, by Tim Butcher

Blood River tells the story of journalist Tim Butcher’s attempt in 2000 to recreate the illustrious 1874 journey taken by H.M. Stanley into the heart of the African Congo.  The conditions were not much better for Butcher, making for an extremely arduous but entertaining adventure.  See more.

The White Spider, by Heinrich Harrer

Heinrich Harrer, author of Seven Years in Tibet, was first and foremost a mountaineer, also famous for his participation on the first team to scale the North Face of the Eiger in the Swiss Alps.  He shares his experience and the history of the mountain in his book, The White Spider.  See more.

AWOL on the Appalachian Trail, by David Miller

In AWOL on the Appalachian Trail, David Miller shares the experience of his mid-life quest to complete what is arguably the world’s longest single trail.  The book is not really to be compared with Bill Bryon’s more famous attempt in A Walk in the Woods; Miller’s narrative provides a more detailed background on the specifics around preparing for, and the practicalities of, making such a long journey.  See more.

Into the Heart of Borneo, by Redmond O'Hanlon

One of the funniest adventure travel books on our list of recommendations, Into the Heart of Borneo, comes from British travel writer Redmond O’Hanlon and the story of his woefully unprepared expedition to explore remote areas of this island in Southeast Asia.  See more.

Walden on Wheels, by Ken Ilgunas

Walden on Wheels is the story of Duke University grad student Ken Ilgunas’ adventurous quest inspired by Henry David Thoreau to live more simply and to avoid the pain of massive student debt.  See more.

Sailing Alone Around the World, by Captain Joshua Slocum

Fans of seafaring books will love Sailing Around the World, the inspirational story of Joshua Slocum’s voyage in 1895 as the first person to sail around the world, alone.  See more.

RELATED TRAVEL BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS

The Old Man & the Sea (fiction)

The Old Man and the Sea is Ernest Hemingway’s renowned novella about an old Cuban fisherman who makes the catch of a lifetime, leading to an epic battle between man and an incredibly strong marlin.  It is a suspenseful and moving story, symbolic in many ways, and a must-read for those who what to understand Hemingway.  See more.

Shantaram (fiction)

Shantaram is an epic fictional novel about an Australian heroin addict, generally based off the life experience of the author Gregory David Roberts.  The story is narrated by the protagonist Lin who escapes from prison and flees to the slums of Bombay.  Lin survives by establishing a medical clinic but then gets swept up into the world of the local mafia.  All in all, Shantaram is a fascinating window into the human spirit and into one of the world’s most vibrant and tumultuous cities.  See more.