My List of Non-Fiction Books to Inspire Adventure Travel

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Those of us with a passion for travel are brimming with curiosity about the world we live in. It’s what drives us to visit the far-flung corners of the earth. And when finances or global pandemics don’t allow it— we can always adventure through the pages of a new book. This list of non-fiction books to inspire adventure travel will take you around the globe, into the lives of some of the greatest adventurers and scientists, & satiate your wanderlust…at least for the time being.

“Blessed are the curious for they will have adventures”

Lovelle Drachman

I’m almost strictly a non-fiction reader. Why get lost in a fantasy world when the reality we live in is so vastly interesting & varied as it is? We can climb Everest, live with orangutans in Borneo, or island-hop the uninhabited regions of the South Pacific without ever leaving the comfort of our homes.

Without further ado, here is my list of non-fiction books to inspire adventure travel and satisfy our craving for knowledge & adventure…until we can get back on the road ourselves.

My Favorite Travel Memoirs

What I Was Doing While You Were Breeding

By: Kristin Newman

Hilariously funny story-telling that takes you around the world with Kristen while she masters the art of vacationing. A great travel memoir that takes on the sexier side of solo female travel. As her friends all settled down, she traveled the world & made acquaintance with Israeli bartenders, Finnish poker players, and Argentinian priests.

Endurance 

By: Alfred Lansing

In 1914, Ernest Shackleton set sail to traverse the last uncharted territory on the globe. Antarctica. All did not go as planned. Just a day away from setting foot on land his ship became encased in ice & then crushed. Shackleton & his crew managed the unthinkable. They set out on an 850-mile journey across the South Atlantic in search of civilization. This is a travel memoir technically, yes, but more so it’s a story of resilience and survival in one of the harshest climates on our planet.

Lands of Lost Borders: A Journey on the Silk Road

By: Kate Harris

True exploration is hard to come by. Most of the world has already been mapped & well-traveled. But Kate Harris is a modern-day explorer. In this travelogue, she bicycles the famous route of the silk road & ponders the existential need some of us feel to explore. The feeling of freedom—living without a plan. It’s a story of adventure, but also a look at the importance of breaking boundaries you set for yourself. This book is actually next on my reading list. But it’s so wildly acclaimed within the travel community, I had to include it now.

Hold the Enlightenment

By: Tim Cahill

One of America’s favorite travel writers. Tim Cahill takes you through the Saharan salt mines, the Congolese jungle & much more in a series of essays. Cahill describes stalking the legendary Caspian tiger in the mountains bordering Iraq, slogging through a pitch-black Australian eucalyptus forest to find the nocturnal platypus, diving with great white sharks in South Africa, & staving off enlightenment at a yoga retreat in Jamaica. Wanderlust inspiring, captivating, and oh so entertaining.

Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel

By: Rolf Potts

The true backpackers’ handbook. If you have even the slightest interest in long-term travel give it a read. Rolf dives into the how & why of low-budget traveling. He teaches you how to save, adjust to life on the road, & adjust to “real” life upon returning home.

In A Sunburned Country

By: Bill Bryson

Bryson is one of the most acclaimed travel writers of today. This is his rip-roaring fact-filled account of his time in the land down under. Australia, land of the friendliest locals and the world’s deadliest wildlife. Impossible to put down.

Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail

By: Cheryl Strayed

Sometimes tragedy shakes people to the core. Cheryl was broken. Completely lost–when she set out on a solo 1,100-mile walk along the Pacific Crest Trail. She hiked from the Mojave desert in California to Oregon. Unsuprisingly, this was a healing journey. Walk with her through the terrors, excitement, and adventure on the trail.

Land of the Dawn-Lit Mountains

By: Antonia Bolingbroke-Kent

In the isolated regions of Northeastern India, Antonia set out to chronicle this forgotten corner of Asia. During her endeavor, she meets shamans, opium farmers, attends tribal festivals, & discovers a way of living on the cusp of changing forever.

Into Thin Air

By: Jon Krakauer

Ever dreamed of climbing Everest? You won’t after reading about this heart-breaking tragedy on the world’s highest peak. In 1996, 15 people perished during one wild storm. Some of which were the world’s top climbers at the time. Jon Krakauer, a mountaineer & journalist, was hired to climb the 29,000ft peak and report on the difficulties & give an exclusive look at this monumental feat. Unfortunately, his story of triumph became tragedy as the fateful climb unraveled. His story became a look at how climbing Everest has changed, the dangers of inexperienced climbers & showboating professionals & of course an insane story of human-survival on the inhospitable mountain.

The Sex Lives of Cannibals

By: J Maarten Troost

26 years old & still no idea what to do with his life post-college (relatable), Troost decided to pack up & move to a remote island in the equatorial pacific. Reckless and looking for adventure he moved to Tarawa (never heard of it). Which didn’t turn out to the paradise he thought it would be. For the next 2 years, he & his girlfriend have one misadventure after another–toxic fish, deadly bacteria, incompetent government officials the list goes on & on. It’s a hilarious, light, true travel story & will leave you thankful for the modern comforts you have at home.

Into the Wild

By: Jon Krakauer

A classic. Christopher McCandless was a true free spirit determined to see the world like the great explorers of Jack London & John Muir before him. In 1992, the well-off college grad ditched his car, donated his $25,000 savings to charity, & invented a new life for himself. He hitchhiked to Alaska & then headed off into the wild. This book is a look at his {short} life, what draws us into the American wilderness, & what compels us as human beings to peer over the edge.

Magic Bus: On the Hippie Trail from Istanbul to India

By: Rory MacLean

In the 1960’s, a travel company emerged that packed huge buses of travelers & took them on a route overland from Europe to Istanbul to Kathmandu. These infamous hippie trips took you into the world of enlightenment & yoga so popular in the groovy 60’s all for a near nothing price. Today that route is completely changed by political turmoil and globalization. As Rory Maclean traverses the old trail from Turkey to Iran to India he re-lives old adventures & marvels at the transformation.

Sun After Dark: Flights into the Foreign

By: Pico Iyer

Pico Iyer is renowned as one of the world’s best travel writers. His ability to transport you from your couch to a moment in time half-way across the world is uncanny. In this book, he takes you on an adventure to a Bolivian prison, a horrific taxi-ride through Yemen, and much more. It’s a philosophical musing on the mind during travel mixed in with wild adventure.

To Shake the Sleeping Self

By: Jedidiah Jenkins

Come along for the ride as Jenkins bicycles across two continents, from Oregon to Patagonia, showing that true explorers still exist. He quits his dream job on the eve of turning 30 and embarks on a wild adventure where he contemplates what exactly makes a life worth living. If you need further inspiration to check out his book, he chronicled much of the trip on Instagram here.

For Animal Lovers

Reflections of Eden: My Years with the Orangutans of Borneo

By: Birute Galdikas

Birute is the Jane Goodall of orangutans. She’s a primatologist who spent 40 YEARS living in the inhospitable jungles of Indonesian Borneo & taught us pretty much everything we know today about the fuzzy orange people in the forest. Not only will you learn loads about orangutans, field studies, and the harsh realities of conservation in developing countries–but she is a natural story-teller. She manages to capture the personalities of the orangutans, so you feel the love and the loss she did while working to save the last of the species.

This book inspired our journey into the Sumatran jungles in search of Orangutans ourselves.

Beyond Words: What Animals Think and Feel

By: Carl Safina

Are animals conscious? Do they think, feel, & develop emotional attachments? Carl Safina set out to answer that question. Decades of field-research & brain science on elephants, wolves, and orcas is neatly laid out & show the intricacies of animal behavior. After reading powerful accounts of anger, jealousy, love, and mourning in the animal kingdom–you’ll be left understanding their humanity.

Gorillas in the Mist

By: Dian Fossey

Another first-hand account of primate research, this time the mountain gorillas in Virunga National Park. Sitting within the volcanic regions of Uganda, Rwanda, & at that time Zaire this was hostile territory. She experienced political coops, aggressive poachers, & difficult terrain. Dian doesn’t have the natural story-telling ability that Birute Galdakis does BUT her understanding of gorillas and her fearlessness in the face of danger is evident in its pages. Sadly just 2 years after this book was written, Dian was murdered by poachers in this very mountain range.

Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey, & Birute Galdakis were all funded by the same anthropologist Louis Leakey. He believed the only way to truly understand the primates was for his researchers to immerse themselves in the jungle, living with the primates for decades. He chose women because they were more observant & better notetakers in his opinion.

A Bit of Philosophy

Zen & the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

By: Robert M. Pirsig

Part travel memoir of a father/son motorcycle trip from Minnesota to California, part philosophical look at morals & values, and part deep dive into mental health issues. Zen is heavy reading and fairly complex. But it delves into the importance of travel & ‘quality’ in today’s world.

The Road Home

By: Ethan Nichtern

In today’s world filled with anxiety & uncertainty & general discontent, Nichtern takes a look at Buddhism and how we can apply the early Buddhist teachings to the modern world. For those who feel constantly distracted or the pull of always needing to be on the go (like myself), this was an interesting look at how Buddhism can help.

Okay, One Fiction Book

The Beach

By: Alex Garland

You may have already seen the Leonardo Dicaprio movie, but I promise you the book is worth the read. A backpacker in search of unspoiled paradise stumbles upon the isolated beach of his dreams in Thailand. He joins the small cast of fellow backpackers who have made a home on its idyllic shores & eventually…. paradise isn’t so sweet. It’s a look at the backpacker mentality and the desire to keep hidden gems hidden.

Southeast Asia Memoirs

The Heart Must Break

By: James Mawdsley

During the oppressive rule of Myanmar’s military regime, the Karen people are imprisoned and oppressed. The author, James Mawdsley, works to bring these violations to the world stage. By illegally entering & becoming the newest resident of the torturous Burmese prison system he works to free the people of Myanmar from the corruption of their military dictatorship. Myanmar today has changed little, with the Karen, Shan, & Rohingya people still persecuted daily. It’s a glimpse into the twisted system that still remains.

First They Killed My Father

By: Loung Ung

A harrowing look at the Khmer Regime from a survivor of the killing fields themselves. Her family was removed from their home in Phnom Pehn and forced to walk for days into the rural countryside, where they, like the rest of Cambodia’s working class, were separated and sent off to labor camps. They worked grueling hours for a spoonful of rice per day. Eventually, 1/3 of the entire population of Cambodia was worked &/or starved to death. This book is the personal account of a survivor of these horrific camps.

Kill Anything That Moves: The Real American War in Vietnam

By: Nick Turse

A debilitating look at the atrocities committed during the Vietnam war. Nick Turse, through some serious investigative journalism, unveiled the side of the Vietnam war swept under the rug by the American government. Difficult to read but it leaves you with a whole new perspective of the “American war”.

Not Travel Related

Acid Dreams

By: Martin A. Lee

The complete social history of LSD in America. It turns out MK Ultra wasn’t just a conspiracy theory. This book tells the entertaining story of the psychedelic revolution & all of its influential players. Including the U.S. government. The CIA’s covert experiments are now all recently declassified. The truth is wilder than any imagination could create.

Ready to start Reading?

Ready to start in on my list of non-fiction books to inspire adventure travel? I’ve never been a fan of kindle or any kind of on-screen reading. I like the feel of a paper book in hand. & since typical thrift shops are currently closed due to Coronavirus, I’ve been nabbing books from Thriftbooks.com. Priced like a thrift store, you’ll be able to find used books for around $4 and shipping for orders over $10 is free.

I am in no way sponsored by Thriftbooks. I just genuinely really like them.

If you want 15% off your first order sign up with this link.

You can also check out my Amazon Book List for a complete list of non-fiction books to inspire adventure travel & an up to date list of everything I’m reading.

For When the World is Ready for Real Adventures Again…

• How to Climb Mount Bromo For Free
• Save Money to Travel the World: How to Finance Long-Term Travel
• Trekking With Orangutans in the Sumatran Jungle