THE BEST TRAVEL WRITERS

 Travel writers have the unique ability to transport readers to far-off lands and distant adventures. Whether journeying to a bustling city, an untouched tribe, or an exquisite beach, the best travel writers bring together incredible facts, connection to history, and stories filled with culture, creating an unforgettable experience that make readers want to book a trip of their own. The role of being a travel writer requires a sense of adventure, creativity, and an ability to immerse oneself among new cultures and landscapes.  Here find our recommendations on some of the world's best travel writers.  This isn't mean to truly be a definitive "best ever" list, as thankfully there are plenty of other great authors with books out there that still need to be read.  Our recommendations do however provide a great representative sample of those writers who have shaped travel literature, including some of the most obvious candidates such as popular current authors including Bill Bryson and Paul Theroux, the legendary Jan Morris (who passed away in 2020), some of the historical greats like Freya Stark and Eric Newby, and some of the best adventure travel journalists like Jon Krakauer and Tim Cahill.  We are always looking for new up and coming superstars, and so please send us any suggestions.  Happy reading!
Bill Bryson
A best-selling author known for his sense of humor and his ability to share the history and culture of a place.
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.
Jan Morris
A Welsh historian and travel writer, known for her journalistic background and comprehensive portraits on cities.
Pico Iyer
​A British-born essayist with many travel books on crossing cultures and globalization.
William Dalrymple
A Scottish writer famous for his book In Xanadu and his love of the history and culture of India.
Freya Stark
A groundbreaking British explorer who wrote dozens of books on her travels in the Middle East.
Bruce Chatwin
Another English travel writer, best known for the travel writing masterpiece In Patagonia.
Patrick Leigh Fermor
Once described as a "cross between Indiana Jones, James Bond, and Graham Greene."
Eric Newby
Yet another great English travel writer, most famous for A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush.
Richard Grant
A British writer with books on some dangerous exploration and his move to rural Mississippi.
Tim Cahill
A leading adventure travel writer, with many collections of funny articles and essays.
Redmond O'Hanlon
An adventurous and funny British explorer who loves dangerous trips into wild jungles.
Jon Krakauer
​​A best-selling American non-fiction author and mountain climber.
A.A. Gill
One of Britain's best known food and entertainment critics, and a very witty travel writer.

OTHER TRAVEL WRITING RECOMMENDATIONS

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 (pictured) 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.

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, written several of his own travel writing books, and co-founded the annual Book Passage Travel Writers and Photographers Conference.

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.