For the times that life has you grounded, there’s nothing better than stepping into someone else’s shoes to take you away. The beauty of a travel memoir is that they’re like a peek into the author’s travel journal – the thoughts, emotions, opinions, and reflection that come to light through a journey and often supplemented with history, context and – of course – excellent writing. Check out these 10 travel memoirs to inspire your next ventures.
10 Travel Memoirs to Check Out
Driving Hungry
This memoir combines traveling in search of cuisine around the world. Layne Mosler, a writer and former restaurant worker quits her industry job to discover the flavors and foods of three major cities: Buenos Aires, New York, and Berlin. In her quest for discovering local, authentic eats, she befriends locals, learns to tango, and becomes a cab driver. As Mosler struggles to determine what she wants to do with her life, she feels the pull toward new places and new adventures - something travel enthusiasts can relate to on a personal level. By the time she reaches Berlin, Mosler discovers what she’s been searching for all along, in a place that isn’t well-known for food. Every page will leave you drooling and hungry for more!
We have a compilation of blogs on foods you must try from various destinations around the world.
Trail of Feathers: In Search of the Birdmen of Peru
Twitter: @HumanStew
One of our favorite authors, Tahir Shah, known for his works on Morocco and the Arab world, takes himself across the ocean from Europe to South America to explore the ancient culture of the Inca. Follow him on his journey from high up in the Andes to deep in the Amazon as he hunts for the famous Incan birdmen that could supposedly fly. Shah combines his storytelling literary prose with good doses of history and ethnobotany for a fascinating read. If you are interested in learning more about Peru, we have got you covered. We also offer a unique itinerary to visit the ancient ruins of Machu Picchu, you won’t want to miss.
10 Years A Nomad
No book about traveling resonates more with the nomadic spirit than Kepnes’ second book 10 Years A Nomad. For any traveler that has returned home after an extended period of travel, this book is the equivalent of an old friend placing their hand on yours with empathy, saying “I know what you mean.” Kepnes focuses on the effects of reverse culture shock and the feeling of being at home on the road, rather than in the place that you grew up. For those looking for a reflective and realistic read about what it’s like to call the world your home, this book will not disappoint. It is a fact that adventure travel transforms people, no matter the race, gender, age or nationality.
The Girl Who Fell to Earth
Twitter: @SophiaAlMaria
As the debut literary work by author Sophia Al-Maria, this memoir gives a poignant look into the cross-cultural joys and challenges faced by many across the world. As a young girl living in Washington State is sent by her American mother to stay with her father’s Bedouin family in Qatar. What starts like a teenage cultural boot camp ends up with Sophia learning about herself, growing up, and crave adventure. Though the struggle to adapt is more lonely than ever, Sophia sets her out to find her freedom, even in the most unlikely of places. Solo traveling may seem scary, but it is definitely a way to learn and grow internally.
The Lost Girls
Instagram: The Lost Girls
Jennifer Baggett, Holly C. Corbett, & Amanda Pressner
Written by three women, this travel memoir brings a unique perspective to those feeling stuck in the 9-5 pace. Three friends from New York City, each one different in their personalities, preferences, and travel styles, quit their jobs to travel the world together. For each destination, you read the words, thoughts, and reflections from all three of them, which paints a well-rounded picture of the events and challenges they face. Their adventures in South America, Asia, and Africa include volunteering, love affairs, parties, travel fails, and close calls. It’s a worthwhile read with both heartfelt and heart-wrenching moments.
At Home in the World: Reflections on Belonging While Wandering the Globe
Twitter: @tsh
Instagram: @tshoxenreider
Author Tsh Oxenreider chronicles her family’s nine-month-long adventure around the world. After meeting and marrying her husband in Kosovo, the American couple spends their lives living as expats for more than a decade. After moving back to the States to start a family, it is not long before the travel urges strike again. Thus follows the grand scheme to venture the world for a year with their three kids – all under 10 at the time. Through their ventures through Asia to Africa to Europe, Oxenreider explores the complexity of the true concept of “home” and finding her way in the world. This book will make you crave adventure, wander the world, meet new people, and grow internally.
The Geography of Bliss
This heartening read will leave you humbled and curious for more. Eric Weiner searches across the globe for the happiest places on earth, determined to discover what makes people truly happy. With every destination, the author continues to be surprised by the simplicity of others’ need for happiness, especially in places ravaged by hunger and poverty. In his journey from the wealthiest places in the world to developing countries and those in between, you’ll find yourself reevaluating how little you truly need to be happy in this world.
What I Was Doing While You Were Breeding
Twitter: @TheOtherKristin
Wanderlust and inspiring travel tales filled with candid reflections and hilarious adventures in this travel memoir that will have you laughing and engaged on each page. Author Kristin Newman recounts how she spent most of her twenties and thirties avoiding settling down, working a fast-paced job, jet setting around the world as a solo traveler, and falling in love with nature and local strangers in every location she goes to. This book is particularly relatable for female readers with an insatiable appetite for travel and adventure while also assessing life’s priorities of love, career, family, and home.
All Roads Lead to Austen
Amy Smith
With a love of Jane Austen and a desire to speak Spanish, Amy Smith sets out on a year-long adventure across South America to read and travel. As she hosts book clubs to discuss Austen’s famous works in different cities and countries, Smith connects with people from all walks of life who enjoy reading. With each new destination, Smith discovers new friends, dives deeper into Jane Austen’s works and learns to embrace the South American way of life. For Jane Austen fans and travelers alike, this memoir is filled with wanderlust and of course, a little well-courted romance. Tempted to follow Amy’s steps and learn Spanish? We strongly believe traveling enables language learning, head to our blog to find out more.
Arrow of the Blue Skinned God
Jonah Blank
Written by anthropologist and journalist Jonah Blank, this book retells the ancient story of Ramayana, the blue-skinned god of Hindu mythology. Like Lord Rama, Blank takes us on a journey from the north to the south of the Indian subcontinent retracing the steps of the ancient spiritual journey while weaving in modern historical context from Blank’s own journey through the country. Blank’s engaging prose and literary style draw you in from the beginning, weaving back and forth between Lord Rama’s journey and his own.
Do you have other favorite travel memoirs? Send us an email and let us know your top picks!
Jennifer Fitzpatrick is a food & travel writer who recently spent six months venturing the globe. Follow her on Instagram and read more travel stories on her blog!
Ashley Blake is an avid traveler, cultural consultant, and Traverse Journeys founder with a background in tourism, entrepreneurship, and project management. Follow her adventures around the world on her Instagram!
