This week’s topic for Top Ten Tuesday, hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, is books that feature travel. I love to travel, so I found a lot of good books for this topic. I tried to pick a variety of fiction and nonfiction, and I discovered a few common themes as I wrote this list. First, I love books where people leave their every day lives behind them and in doing so, really explore who they are. I think travel is a great way to gain new perspectives on your life. I also like travel narratives where people are really immersed in nature or are pushing themselves to do something new. A lot of these books deal with various kinds of trauma, and how travel can help us heal.
Nonfiction:
Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer: One of my favorite books, this is the true story of Christopher McCandless, who hiked all across the country until he ends up in the wilds of Alaska. I like that McCandless is neither saint nor hero; he’s a fairly troubled young man who struggles with his family relationship and wants freedom and adventure.
Wild by Cheryl Strayed: Strayed, after losing her mother to cancer and seeing her family and her marriage fall apart, decides to hike the Pacific Crest Trail, which runs all the way along the West Coast of the U.S., from Mexico to Canada. Strayed is a mess emotionally, but she pushes herself to do something most people don’t have the courage to try.
The Salt Path by Raynor Winn: Just days after Raynor learns that Moth, her husband of 32 years, is terminally ill, their home and livelihood is taken away. With nothing left and little time, they make the brave and impulsive decision to walk the 630 miles of the sea-swept South West Coast Path, from Somerset to Dorset, via Devon and Cornwall. They carry everything on their backs, and it’s an amazing story of nature, strength, and grief.
Testament of Youth by Vera Brittain: This is Brittain’s memoir about serving in World War I. She volunteers to work in military hospitals as a nurse and serves in Malta and France. It was fascinating to see these places through her eyes, knowing they were real experiences. Brittain writes a lot about how sheltered young women were before 1914. Now she’s traveling on ships, seeing foreign countries, and learning about medical care. Since much of this book is based on her diaries from the time, the reader can see her grow and develop a greater understanding of the world.
Brave the Wild River by Melissa L. Sevigny: In this book, Sevigny describes the expedition of two women in 1938 to explore the Grand Canyon and catalog its plant life. At this time the Colorado River was one of the wildest parts of the country, and many of the people who set out to explore it never came back. Elzada Clover and her younger colleague Lois Jotter were struggling to establish their careers in botany at the University of Michigan. When Clover met a rafting guide in Arizona, she planned a trip to be the first women to survey the plants by traveling the entire river. I love nonfiction that combines history, travel, and interesting personalities, and this book delivered all of those.
Fiction:
Less by Andrew Sean Greer: Winner of the Pulitzer Prize, Arthur Less is a man who’s turning 50 and decides after a breakup to travel around the world. He worries about getting old, being alone, how he’s perceived by others, whether he’s been successful and what that even means. It’s beautiful and funny and sad all at once.
Us by David Nicholls: Another fantastic novel by Nicholls, this one is about a married couple heading for divorce who take their difficult teenage son on a Grand Tour of Europe. It’s funny and warm and I loved the way the main character struggles to improve his relationships with his wife and son.
News of the World by Paulette Giles: News of the World tells the story of Captain Kidd, who travels from town to town reading the news in 1870. A friend asks him to deliver a young girl who was stolen by the Kiowa at age four to her nearest relatives. The journey takes him from from Wichita Falls to San Antonio, made especially difficult because Johanna can’t communicate with him. I loved everything about this book, from its understated tone to its slowly developing relationship between the aging captain and the frightened young girl.
People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry: This may not be my favorite of Henry’s novels, but anyone who loves a travel read will enjoy this story about two best friends who travel together once a year, until things go sour. Poppy hopes the perfect trip will help them mend their relationship. One thing I really liked about this story was how travel helps both characters grow and see different sides of themselves. This one’s coming out as a movie soon.
Outlander by Diana Gabaldon: I decided to put this one in because it’s a book about travel to Scotland, and also a book about time travel. Claire has also grown up traveling and just finished serving in World War II, and these experiences really shape her character. I don’t need to tell you the story but it’s one of my favorites.
Those are ten books I loved that feature travel. I expect Emily Henry’s book will be on plenty of lists this week, but hopefully some of these are new to you. A few other books I recommend are: My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell, Unpacking for Greece by Sally Jane Smith, The Puma Years by Laura Coleman, Assassination Vacation by Sarah Vowell, and The Martian by Andy Weir. What books about travel do you recommend?
