Travel and tourism are frequently confused with touring and being in a place where you were not born. Just being there for a while and then returning to the reality of our lives. It is far too underrated when annotated simply as a break, tranquility, or mode of change from the monotonous environment. It is, however, far ahead of this age. Travel can provide you with life-changing experiences or provide you with memories that you will cherish for the rest of your life. Some decisions can be awe-inspiring, pushing us from within to take a few more steps towards something previously unknown.

Here are a few books that will make you want to pack your bag or bags (depending on the type of traveler you are!)

9 Must Read Travel Books

The Rings of Saturn by W. G. Sebald

The Rings of Saturn, with its strange photographic archive, chronicles a walking tour along England’s east coast. Lonely eccentrics, Sir Thomas Browne’s skull, a matchstick model of the Temple of Jerusalem, recession-hit seaside towns, wooded hills, Joseph Conrad, Rembrandt’s “Anatomy Lesson,” the natural history of the herring, WWII massive bombings, the dowager empress Tzu Hsi, and the silk industry in Norwich are just a few of the things that cross the path and mind of its narrator.

American Shaolin by Matthew Polly

Matthew Polly, a regular American guy, recounts his time in China living, studying, and performing with the Shaolin monks. This is a strange and hilarious travel memoir about achieving your goals. Follow Matthew as he drops out of Princeton to pursue his dream of transforming his scrawny body into that of a kung fu master.

He tells stories about breaking into the secret world of Shaolin Kung Fu, which has strange disciplines such as “The Iron Crotch” and other indestructible body parts.

Tales from the Haunted South by Tiya Miles

Tiya Miles investigates the popular but troubling phenomenon of “ghost tours,” which are frequently promoted and experienced at plantations, urban manor homes, and cemeteries across the South. As a regular feature of the tours, guides routinely entertain paying customers by telling stories about enslaved black spectres. But who exactly are these ghosts? Miles demonstrates that haunted tales routinely appropriate and skew African American history to produce representations of slavery for commercial gain by examining popular sites and stories from these tours.

Handbook of LGBT Tourism and Hospitality by Jeff Guaracino and Ed Salvato

The authors travelled to six continents to conduct research for this book, interviewing nearly a hundred industry experts and analysing multiple emerging trends among LGBT travellers. The Handbook of LGBT Tourism and Hospitality is a simple guidebook with a simple goal: to help marketing professionals, business owners, and allied professionals compete in the increasingly competitive global LGBT travel and hospitality industry.

Around the World in 80 days by Jules Verne

Phileas Fogg bets his companions one night in the reform club that he can travel around the world in eighty days. He immediately departs for Dover with his astonished valet Passepartout, breaking the well-established routine of his daily life. They seize whatever mode of transportation is available—whether train or elephant—as they travel through exotic lands and dangerous locations, overcoming setbacks and always racing against the clock.

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

On their adventures, most travelers are looking for something, whether it’s amazing archaeological sites or the most delicious meal. But, while you’re looking for something outside of yourself, you usually end up discovering a part of yourself you didn’t know existed.

“‘The Alchemist’ is an engrossing story about an Andalusian shepherd who wants to travel in search of treasure.” “However, during his adventures, he discovers himself,” said Varga. “Coelho shows us the important journey—a journey of lessons and charming stories about snakes, love, dunes, and alchemy.”

A Woman alone: Travel tales from around the Globe

When considering a solo trip, the sheer number of “what ifs” is enough to keep many travelers at home. According to travel influencer Tanyka Renee, “A Woman Alone” will help you overcome your fear of exploring alone and encourage you to do so on your own terms.

“My initial problem with wanderlust was that I never had anyone to travel with.” “I spent years putting adventures on hold because I was afraid to travel alone,” she explained. “‘A Woman Alone is filled with real, transparent, and uplifting stories from solo female travelers.” This book will give you the confidence you need to face your fears and explore the world on your own.

Three men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome

Jerome K. Jerome’s Three Men in a Boat, a comic masterpiece that has never been out of print since it was first published in 1889, is now available in Penguin Classics with an introduction and notes by Jeremy Lewis.

J. and his friends George and Harris, martyrs to hypochondria and general seediness, decide that a trip up the Thames would suit them perfectly. When they set out, they have no idea what they’re in for with tow-ropes, unreliable weather forecasts, and tins of pineapple chunks, let alone the devastation left in the wake of J.’s small fox-terrier Montmorency. Jeremy Lewis examines Jerome K. Jerome’s life and times, as well as the changing world of Victorian England he depicts-from the rise of a new widespread of tabloids and acclaimed novels to crazes for daytripping and bicycling-in his introduction.

Vagabonding by Rolf Potts

Vagabonding entails taking time away from your regular life – anywhere from six weeks to four months to two years – to explore and experience the world on your own terms. Rolf Potts, a veteran shoestring traveler, demonstrates how anyone with an independent spirit can realise their dream of long-term overseas travel. Potts provides the following details:

– funding your travel time

– deciding on a destination

– funding your trip

– adjusting to life on the road

– working and volunteering abroad

– dealing with travel adversity

– re-assimilating back into everyday life

Vagabonding is a way of life that emphasizes creativity, discovery, and spiritual growth.