RECOMMENDATIONS ON THE BEST TRAVEL BOOKS

When we walk into a bookstore, our first glance always goes to the notecards with special picks from the staff.  After careful consideration, here are our own top picks, our ultimate recommendations on the absolute best of the best in travel writing.  Our selection includes some of the world's most popular travel books, some from different categories like adventure travel and funny travel books, a few of the ultimate classics in travel literature, and a number of suggestions for kids.  We hope these picks inspire and transport you to new destinations. Happy reading!

OUR RECOMMENDATIONS ON THE BEST OF THE BEST

Top Pick - The Best Women's Travel Writing volume 12

We here at A5 Travel Books are very excited about the latest edition of The Best Women’s Travel Writing: True Stories From Around the World.  Edited by Lavinia Spalding and published by Traveler's Tales, this award-winning series of adventurous and insightful female wanderers is always good.  Simply a great book and a great series for anyone who loves travel.

SOME ADDITIONAL RECOMMENDED TRAVEL WRITING COLLECTIONS

The Best American Travel Writing 2021

Those who love travel literature will love The Best American Travel Writing series,  the longest standing and most popular collection of short-form travel writing with a new edition published every year.  Each book has a hand-picked selection of about 25 travel-related essays and short stories.  This year's selections are from noted writer Padma Lakshmi.  Previous editors include top travel writers like Bill Bryson and Paul Theroux.   Don't hesitate to read the older editions too; the series started in 2000, and there are some great timeless stories in each.

The Travel Book, by Lonely Planet

The world's leading publisher of travel guides, Lonely Planet, has published a number of general travel books, and our favorite is The Travel Book: A Journey Through Every Country in the World.  There truly is a section on every country, making this a book that curious readers will come back to again and again.  There are great photos, a few helpful maps, and plenty of interesting facts.  Makes for a perfect gift for someone who loves travel.

1,000 Places to See Before You Die

Your bucket list for travel will grow after reading 1,000 Places to See Before You Die, an amazingly deep list of some of the most interesting, and often hard-to-find, travel spots across the world.  One of the best researched travel books we have ever seen, and another great gift for aspiring explorers and avid travelers.

36 Hours, from the New York Times

One of the best travel columns comes from the New York Times, a regular weekly feature called “36 Hours”.  Each article explains a recommended itinerary for someone who has a short weekend to explore a location for the first time.  These articles are now summarized into fantastic books, with one for the US & Canada, one for Europe, one for Latin America, and one for Asia & Oceania.

Destinations of a Lifetime:  225 of the World's Most Amazing Places

Destinations of a Lifetime is a collection of National Geographic’s most spectacular photography on 225 travel destinations around the world.  The images are both beautiful and inspiring, as one would expect coming from National Geographic.  This book is one of our top recommendations for coffee table books.

Atlas Obscura

One of the latest travel books to appear front and center in many bookstores is Atlas Obscura, an encyclopedic-like list of the world’s most mysterious and marvelous wonders. It first was an online magazine focused on travel and exploration, and the book was very successfully spun off in 2016.  We particularly like the 40-year-old hole of fire in Turkmenistan called the Gates of Hell, the abandoned New York City subway station called City Hall Station, Japan’s amazing “Cat Island”, the bone museums in Italy, and San Francisco’s secret tiled staircase.

Oh, the Places You'll Go!

Oh, the Places You'll Go! by Dr. Seuss is just a great children's book.  It is a travel book at heart, filled of course with the original vocabulary of Dr. Seuss at his best, and aimed at those taking off for new adventures and trying new things.  It is a fun and inspirational book, with quotes that will stay with you for a lifetime.  This was the last Dr. Seuss book every published.  Although perhaps best suited for ages 4-10, the book is very popular as a gift for students graduating from high school or college.