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THE BEST TRAVEL WRITERS

Here find the A5 Travel Books recommendations on 15 of the world's best travel writers.  This isn't mean to truly be a definitive "top 15" list; there are plenty of other great authors with books we plan to read.  Our recommendations do however provide a great representative sample of those who have shaped travel literature, including some of the most obvious candidates such as popular current authors including Bill Bryson and Paul Theroux, some of the historical greats like Jan Morris and Patrick Leigh Fermor, and some of the best adventure travel journalists like Jon Krakauer and Tim Cahill.  Happy reading!
A5 Travel Books
photo of Bill Bryson
Bill Bryson
A best-selling author known for his sense of humor and his ability to share the history and culture of a place.
photo of Paul Theroux
Paul Theroux
Quite simply one of the most prolific and admired travel writers of all time, famous for long train journeys and travel in Africa.
photo of Jan Morris
Jan Morris
A Welsh historian and travel writer, known for her journalistic background and comprehensive portraits on cities.
photo of Pico Iyer
Pico Iyer
​A British-born essayist with many travel books on crossing cultures and globalization.
photo of William Dalrymple
William Dalrymple
A Scottish writer famous for his book In Xanadu and his love of the history and culture of India.
book cover of Passionate Nomad: The LIfe of Freya Stark
Freya Stark
A groundbreaking British explorer who wrote dozens of books on her travels in the Middle East.
photo of Bruce Chatwin
Bruce Chatwin
Another English travel writer, best known for the travel writing masterpiece In Patagonia.
photo of Patrick Leigh Fermor
Patrick Leigh Fermor
Once described as a "cross between Indiana Jones, James Bond, and Graham Greene."
photo of Eric Newby
Eric Newby
Yet another great English travel writer, most famous for A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush.
photo of Richard Grant
Richard Grant
A British writer with books on some dangerous exploration and his move to rural Mississippi.
photo of Tim Cahill
Tim Cahill
A leading adventure travel writer, with many collections of funny articles and essays.
photo of Redmond O'Hanlon
Redmond O'Hanlon
An adventurous and funny British explorer who loves dangerous trips into wild jungles.
photo of Jon Krakauer
Jon Krakauer
​​A best-selling American non-fiction author and mountain climber.
photo of A.A. Gill
A.A. Gill
One of Britain's best known food and entertainment critics, and a very witty travel writer.

OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS

photo of John Steinbeck
John Steinbeck

Great Travel Books from the World's Greatest Writers

Travel as a topic has intrigued some of the world's most famous authors, including most notably the historical greats Mark Twain, John Steinbeck and Ernest Hemingway.  Even much of their fiction revolves around wandering, searching, moving, and the journey of life.  Even mega-popular Michael Crichton wrote a book (Travels) sharing his adventures all over the world.  Learn more here on our page on the great travel books from these great writers.

photo of Don George

Don George

Don George is one of the worlds' most successful travel editor, having worked as the Global Travel Editor for Lonely Planet Publications and as an Editor-At-Large for National Geographic.  He has edited nine well-known travel collections, received many awards for his work, and co-founded the annual Book Passage Travel Writers and Photographers Conference.

book cover of A Sense of Place

A Tribute to Travel Writers - A Sense of Place, by Michael Shapiro

A Sense of Place is an interesting collection of interviews by Michael Shapiro with some of the world's best authors of travel books through a series of interviews in the comfort of their own homes.  Interestingly, he chooses not only to speak to more traditional travel writers like Paul Theroux and Bill Bryson, but also to some founders of travel guidebooks like Arthur Frommer from the Frommer's Guides.  We at A5 Travel Books of course love travel writing, and so this book is therefore highly recommended.  Learn more about A Sense of Place by clicking here.

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