What inspires your travels? What gives you the wanderlust fever? I get the travel bug from the books I read and the movies I see.
I always see myself as the heroine of one book or another and try to imagine the places described in the book. Now is easier because the WWW brings any place closer than ever.
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1. Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
Eat, Pray, Love is the story of a woman on her journey to find herself. I loved the descriptive content of the places she visits along the way; I fell in love with Italy and wanted to live in Bali.
2. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
This is a book that teaches you how to follow your dreams. Coelho’s book is full of meaningful quotes.
3. My life in France by Julia Child
This book is the amazing story of the year Julia Child spent in France, how she fell in love with the French cuisine and how she discovered her true calling.
4. Bengal Nights by Mircea Eliade
The book tells the love story between Alain, a French engineer, and Maitreyi, his host’s daughter. The story is set in 1930 in Calcutta and you can find out more about 1930’s India and the differences between two cultures.
“Bengal Nights is forceful and harshly poignant, written with a great love of India informed by clear-eyed understanding. But do not open it if you prefer to remain unmoved by your reading matter. It is enough to make stones weep.” — Literary Review
5. The Beach by Alex Garland
Discover the 1990’s Thailand with secret blue lagoons, white beaches, jungles untouched by people, a real Eden for those who run from the crowded cities.
6. A Year In Provence by Peter Mayle
The entertaining story of a man moving into a 200 years-old farmhouse with his wife and two dogs and trying to adjust to a country lifestyle in France.
7. Under The Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes
A beautiful story about a woman buying and restoring an abandoned villa in the amazing Tuscan countryside.
That’s my list of best travel books!
What books inspired your travels?
32 thoughts on “7 Books That Inspired My Travels”
The Alchemist is one of my all time favorite books and the quote you put at the header is one of my all time favorite quotes. The fact that you started the article with “eat, pray, love” is just an added bonus! You should TOTALLY check out “BIG MAGIC” by Elizabeth Gilbert! It’s as if The Alchemist and Eat, Pray, Love adopted a baby and raised it in their likeness. just GENIUS!
Jacklyn, you just made my day! Thank you for your comment. I’ve had Big Magic for some time now, but didn’t make the time to read it. Now I’m gonna read it.
The Alchemist was quite a beautiful and emotional reading, for me. It definitely inspired me! I haven’t read the others so they’re now added to my list 🙂
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Thank you, Alice! The other books are quite interesting, too. I think there are movies made after all or most of them.
I know it’s cliche, but On the Road and Dharma Bums were the first to really inspire a travel bug in me, though those were inside the US. And the first to really draw my attention abroad was, weirdly, Naked Lunch (William Burroughs).
I’ve heard of On the Road but not of the other ones :D. I have to look them out and read them. Thanks for sharing 🙂
I LOVE A Year in Provence! It makes me want to move there! I’ll have to check out some of these other books, too!
I loved it too! I would move there anytime. Or to Tuscany 😉
I’m so bad with books. I’m not yet at that point in life that i would love to read books. Hopefully that period comes soon 😀 hehe. But i did saw some movies made after these books if that counts!
I hope you would like to read at some point ;). I love to read and I enjoy books so much. Love the movies too, but nothing compares with a good book 🙂
Exactly what I needed after recently finishing my existing travel book. I guess I will start with ‘Under the Tuscan Sun’. Seems apt given my future travel plans. Thanks for the wonderful list!!
Happy I could help, Neha!
Haha! This is crazy! I started my solo travels from Thailand and you would be shocked to know that one of the books you have mentioned here did inspire me, the name of the book is The Beach. though for my future travels I would love to read out the other books mentioned by you,too. thanks for this list! Cheers.
Thanks for your comment, Sophie! I hope you will get to read the other books too 😉
My Life in France is my favorite. There are some on ur list I haven’t read yet. Thanks for the recommendation! 🙂
Thank you, Tahna! Enjoy your reading 😉
I have been meaning to read The Alchemist as I have heard great things about it. I didn’t know there was a book by Julia Child about her life in France. I really enjoyed the movie inspired by her French cuisine, but as we know, books always seem to be better inspiring our inner most childlike dreams. Thanks for this great list of must reads.
Thank you for your comment, Riely! I always love the book instead of the movie ;).
I’ve definitely been influences by both The Beach and Eat Pray Love, both books I have thoroughly enjoyed, I just returned from Naples and ate in the famous pizzeria Elizabeth Gilbert visited in Eat Pray Love, and it was so cool to experience it!
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So happy you got to eat where Elizabeth visited, Samantha! I’ll have to go next time I visit Italy <3
I’m not a big reader although I like buying books hahaha. I have only read The Alchemist on your list and it’s one of my favorites. Especially the part about the merchant who’s always dreamt of going to Mecca but wouldn’t dare. I love love love that part of the book.
I love The Alchemist, too… well, I kinda love all of Coelho’s books :). Happy you liked it 😉
What a fun post! I read Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil and now I’m dying to visit Savannah!
Molly and Stacie
Thank you, Molly! I’ll have to check that book out. It has an interesting title 🙂
I’ll need to take one of these to my next cruise…I just tend to read crime (Rizzoli & Isles etc) on the lounger when we cruise. Perhaps some more wanderlust-inspiring proper literature 😉
I’m more into romance books, Sanna. So, be warned, this are a little soft compared with your usual read 😉
Ooh great picks! I love Under the Tuscan Sun!! I’ll have to check out the others!
Thank you, Marisa! I love that book too. You should definitely check out the other books too if you liked that one 😉
I’ve been looking for a new book to read, these look great! Thank you for sharing. I always like choosing a book that’s been recommended by someone who loved it!
Thank you, Nicole! I always discover new great authors by recommendations, so I know what you mean 😉
Thanks for stopping by my blog Alex. xx I love this list, I have watched the year in Tuscany but not read the book. Book listed all these books, can’t wait to read them. Especially 4). Happy travels!
Thanks for coming over ;). Happy I could inspire your reading :). Enjoy your travels!