If you love traveling and love reading then you must love traveling stories!
Actually, traveling stories are probably one of the most important reasons why a lot of young readers grow up to become travel lovers, they make them yearn to travel themselves.
Some travel books tell real stories and adventures that happened to travelers, and some tell fictional stories about magical countries, and some mix both worlds and tell fictional stories about traveling to real countries. What combines all these books however is that they weave a fantastic tale about discovering the world.
So here are the best traveling stories and travel books, we bet you will find yourself dreaming about your next trip when reading one of them.
Around the world in 200 Days, Anis Mansour
This book tells a fascinating journey of traveling around the globe in 225 days, a journey which the author himself has undertaken for various reasons, one of them is writing this book.
The traveling stories told in this book take us in a magical tour from east to west to north to south, we discover the world as Anis sees it.
Some of the stunning countries he visited in this book are Japan, USA, Indonesia, and India. He also made many stops at smaller islands and less traveled destinations in his trip, one of the least traveled destinations he talks about in the book is his trip to Tibet to meet the Dalai Lama.
The book also talks about the facts and traditions of those countries in that era, as Anis Mansour made that trip in the early 1960s.
This book has certainly inspired many to travel and see more of the world around them.
Gulliver’s Travels, Jonathan Swift
This fictional book may very well be the most popular traveling story of all time, everyone has heard of Gulliver’s Travels, and many have read them.
Many people say that Gulliver’s Travels are meant to show us the true human nature, that it is, in fact, a journey to discover how people actually act. Whether that was the true intention of the writer or not it certainly adds a depth to the enjoyable stories.
Gulliver takes us with him on a weird journey to the land of the tiny people, then to the land of the giants and the lands of various weird human species, and we enjoy every minute of that bizarre trip.
Even though the book was written in 1726, you will find that the human nature which Swift takes a journey through has not changed much.
The Geography of Bliss, Eric Weiner
In a quest for happiness, Eric Weiner, a former correspondent from war-ridden countries, takes a journey to what he presumed to be happy destinations.
His traveling stories are both funny and inspirational, you will find yourself equal amounts daydreaming about traveling and wondering about the true meaning of happiness.
Eric travels to Iceland, Qatar, India, and Denmark in his quest for happy places, and to Moldova because people often assume that it is an inherently unhappy place, and we join him through this journey full of life laughter and philosophy enjoying his interactions with locals in search of the answers to this significant question: what makes a society really happy?
South and East: Trips and Dreams, Mohamed El-Makhzangi
This travel book is a collection of travel journals written by Mohamed El-Makhzangi, a renowned journalist and writer who traveled to less paved roads to write about them.
These journals were published at the time in the paper in which he worked but were later collected and made into a book that provides a mesmerizing read.
In his travel stories, El-Makhzangi takes us to different destinations, he went to sub-Saharan Africa, East Asia, and Indo-China.
At a time when all travel journals talked about the West, this book was written in the early 90s, he chose to travel South and East to give readers new destinations.
El-Makhzangi’s sense of humor makes this book a fascinating read indeed.
Travels with Charley: In Search of America, John Steinbeck
At the age of 58, renowned author John Steinbeck decided to take a long road trip with his faithful dog Charley to rediscover America.
As usual, Steinbeck’s writing is beyond beautiful, and his eye for detail and ability to see people for what they truly are make this book fascinating to read. You will probably find yourself more interested in road trips after reading this book, and more familiar with the culture and traditions of Southern USA.
So B. It, Sarah Weeks
A traveling story like no other, this fictional story tells the tale of a young girl called Heidi who goes on a long distance journey to discover the truth about her life.
This book may not be what most people have in mind when talking about travel books, however, it does tell a remarkable travel story from a unique perspective.
When we see life through this small girl’s eyes, we get a fresh fascinating outlook for traveling, and gain a better perspective of life, we learn that the journey is just as important as the destination.
To learn more about inspirational traveling stories see also:
Arab chronicles: The most famous Arab travelers in history
Extreme tourist destinations: The Edge of The World
