IF YOU CAN READ, YOU CAN TRAVEL
Which Is The Greatest Travel Book Ever Written? Discover 10 Contenders
Published on July 13, 2024
Image: Kira auf der Heide
If reading can take us anywhere, then reading adventure and travel books can be compared to an epic mind journey through distant lands and situations without ever leaving the comfort of our seats.
Over the centuries, quite a few gifted minds have penned harrowing tales of exploration, endurance, and discovery. Some of them, like Jules Verne, devised amazing journeys and machines without ever leaving their homes; while others, like Ernest Shackleton, experienced firsthand the hardships most of us only have nightmares about. So, buckle up, read on, and see for yourself which of these 10 amazing reads entices you more.
Travels With Charley, John Steinbeck
Image: Eric Ward
The legendary John Steinbeck set out to discover his native land in 1960 when he was almost sixty years old. Accompanied only by his dog, Charley, he traveled all across the United States in a pick-up truck.
His journey took him through almost forty states, and he saw things that made him proud, angry, sympathetic, and elated. All that he saw and experienced is described with remarkable honesty and wit in Travels with Charley, a book that is both entertaining and informative about 1960s America.
My First Summer In The Sierra, John Muir
Image: Sam Mgrdichian
The book that launched a thousand conservation efforts, My First Summer in the Sierra is based on John Muir’s original journals and sketches of his 1869 stay in the Sierras, where he was hired to supervise a sheep flock at the headwaters of the Merced and Tuolumne Rivers.
One of the heroes of America's conservation movement, Muir deserves much of the credit for making the Yosemite Valley a protected national park and for alerting Americans to the need to protect this and other natural wonders. He describes the flora and fauna of the mountains as well as his visits to Yosemite and his climbs of Mt. Hoffman and other peaks in the range.
On The Road, Jack Kerouac
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A well-known classic, Jack Kerouac’s On The Road tells the story of two friends whose cross-country road trips are a quest for meaning and a true life experience. Written with a mixture of urgency and poetry, this novel is the quintessential American vision of freedom and hope.
The amount of characters and places visited by the two protagonists gives a sense of their frantic lifestyle and infinite thirst for adventure. To say that this book inspired thousands of road trips is falling short of the truth.
Annapurna, Maurice Herzog
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The first 8,000-meter mountain to be climbed, Annapurna was an epic conquest for the French Alpine Club expedition in 1950. Led by the distinguished French mountaineer Maurice Herzog, the legendary group pummeled through intense environments and experiences most of us would only dream of attempting.
The book, wonderfully written by the expedition leader, describes in great detail the experiences lived with breathtaking courage and grit, making it one of the greatest adventure stories ever told.
Moby Dick, Herman Melville
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"Call Me Ishmael" might well be one of the most famous beginnings of a book and that happens because what follows is a tale so harrowing and absorbing that made its way to the pinnacle of American literature since its publication in 1851.
A one-legged captain, Ahab, condemns his crew by dragging them into his obsession to hunt the white whale that took his leg. Narrated by crewmate Ishmael, **Moby Dick**is a great description of life aboard an XIX-century whaling ship and is based on a true story.
Call Of The Wild, Jack London
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Another timeless classic, Jack London’s **The Call of the Wild**was first published in 1903. The story follows the life of a pet dog named Buck, who is stolen from his California home and sold into the brutal life of an Alaskan sled dog during the Gold Rush of the 1890s.
As Buck adapts to his new environment, he must tap into his primal instincts to survive the harsh wilderness and cruel treatment from his masters. London’s narrative captures the essence of raw nature and highlights the struggle between civilization and the wild.
20,000 Leagues Under The Sea, Jules Verne
Image: Marek Okon
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea is a legendary science-fiction book that young children and grown-ups alike can thoroughly enjoy. And such a feat was accomplished by a writer who practically never left his room.
A fantastic submarine commanded by the mysterious Captain Nemo embarks on an odyssey around the world from Ceylon to the South Pole. This classic novel, written in 1870, predicts with incredible accuracy the inventions and advanced technology of the twentieth century.
Into Thin Air, Jon Krakauer
Image: Michael Clarke
While some of the stories on this list are fiction, a few real-life accounts are so extraordinary that no one would be blamed for thinking unreal (wait for the last item on the list). Jon Krakauer’s novel based on the true events of his 1996 Mount Everest adventure could easily pass for fiction and was even used as the base for a 2015 movie.
**Into Thin Air**is a masterful description of the conditions on a mountain so prestigious that it has become a tourist magnet of sorts, often ignoring its very real dangers. And it exemplifies with crude examples the perils and dire consequences that making light of such a place can produce.
Robinson Crusoe, Daniel Defoe
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If you thought Tom Hank’s movie Cast Away was an original story, think again. A timeless classic precedes it by a couple of centuries and it is so well known that its very name has been used for ages as a common term to describe a lonely situation or individual.
Robinson Crusoe is the story of a man cast away on a Caribbean island for 26 years. The novel describes in first person the discoveries, fears, adventures, and perils of our hero, as he learns to survive by himself and even thrive in a wild environment.
South, Ernest Shackleton
Image: Jay Ruzesky
In 1914, a party led by veteran explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton set out to become the first to traverse the Antarctic continent on the Endurance. But, as the ice field slowly thickened, the ship was encased in a death grip, crushing their craft, and marooning 28 men on a polar ice floe.
In the epic struggle that ensued, Shackleton led his team on a quest for survival over some of the most unforgiving terrain in the world. Icy seas full of huge waves, mountainous glaciers and icebergs, brutal cold, and ever-looming starvation were their enemies for many months. The fact that the 28 men made it out alive is a testament to Shackleton’s incredible skills, leadership, and courage.South is the legendary man’s own account of the ordeal.
