8 Travel Books to help you dream

We recommend 8 travel books with beautiful stories that will make you want to go out and explore the world again.

Photo @linkhoang.

If we want to find the best travel books, we have to go back several centuries. Mankind's first journeys were documented thanks to simply a piece of paper, and a pen. The explorers who went out to navigate the eternal waters of the oceans lived experiences worth telling and ones that shouldn't be forgotten. These adventures were immortalized on paper. An exceptional case is that of the expeditions to the Indies, that is, America. So if we understand these beginnings we will understand that books are timeless and that they can transmit incredible ideas, feelings and stories from generation to generation.

Today these ways of reporting continue to be cherished - evident in the thousands of libraries worldwide. In this article we want to show you some travel books that you should read, whether or not you are in quarantine. Oh by the way, it doesn't matter whether you're a great reader or not, because the stories that hide these recommended travel books of 2020 will make you an avid consumer of texts that lack complexity but abound in culture.

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1) Travel through the Antilles

This is a book that talks about travelling in Central America. It is often called 'The Traveler's Tree' and was written by Patrick Leigh Fermor, an Englishman whose professions range from soldier to polyglot. His life has been shaped by trips that he began to make when he was 18 years old. One of his many experiences around the globe is done on the American continent, more precisely in the sunny Caribbean. In the 1940s Patrick decided to travel the long chain of Antillean islands in a steamboat, by sailing, by plane and on foot, taking note of the most picturesque details of daily life, the landscape and the customs of the inhabitants.

2) The Last Train in the Green Zone

This book is one of those stories that you want to read in difficult times, moments in your life where you say goodbye to memories that you do not know if you are going to live again. The last train to the green zone tells of an adventure along the south west coast of the African continent, between Cape Town and Angola. Nations with a cruel history of contain wars and injustice that the majority of humanity does not know of. Paul Theroux not only travels these places but also passes through Namibia where he faces an encounter with a tribe of very particular hunters. The author is carhartic in his writing to say goodbye to Africa because within him he has the feeling that he will never visit this area again ...

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3) In the Antipodes

Bill Bryson is one of those writers who writes about the unexpected. This is due to his multifaceted ability to mix travel literature with anecdotes- some informative and others that support the sciences. The Antipodes is a book whose history takes place in Australia, a beautiful country but with a flora and fauna that can be dangerous (details that are made clear as you go on reading). When reading Bryson's trip through Australia, not only does it awaken our desire to visit the country, but suddenly we become experts in the place. The book is full of wonderful information about Australia although Bryson's greatest virtue is his ability to tell everything in a fun and educational way. Sometimes it seems like you're reading a comedy book. Without a doubt, even if you have never been interested in Australia, you'll end up loving it!

4) Wild

Looking for a quick summary? Well, this is a travel book written by Cheryl Strayed that tells of the 1800 km she travelled on foot through the United States' Pacific Range. But wait, there is more. Everything is more tragic in reality because it turns out that Strayed had begun a divorse before writing the book, and experienced the death of her mother from cancer and the estrangement of her brothers. All of these events led to her decision to venture out on the Pacific Rim- a hiking trail that runs the entire west coast of the United States, from the Mojave Desert in California to Oregon. And as if that weren't enough she does it alone, without any experience. Fun fact: this novel was the one that gave life to the movie Wild Soul starring Hollywood actress Reese Whiterspoon.

Do you know what the New York Times said? "Spectacular ... It catches you ... An adventure that takes your breath away and a deep reflection on the nature of pain and survival. A triumph on a literary and personal level ”

5) Travel

Already from the simplicity of the title we are attacked by the intrigue that awaits us behind that austere but beautiful cover. Herman Melville tells us three stories that are separate but linked by the same common thread: the boldness and risk that comes with embarking on new adventures. The first of them is a short introduction to the journey where he explains his greatness and easements and the philosophy with which he must commit himself. And the second story tells of a globetrotter who traveled the Pacific and praises that immense expanse of water that makes one seem tiny. The final story is one dedicated to his beloved Italy. He reveals his admiration for Rome, its culture and its art. Without a doubt, a book worth reading in the time of a pandemic.

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6) The River

This is one of the most recommended books to read of 2020. The story is incredibly surprising because it tells the life of a Harvard professor who disappears into the middle river of the Amazon jungle. Unexpectedly, he spent the next twelve years of his life exploring rivers that were not on the maps, collecting plants unknown to science, and studying the wisdom and customs of dozens of indigenous tribes. A few decades later the professor sends two of his students, one of them was the author, Wade Davis, to investigate the secrets of the area and the famous "divine blade of immortality". The result of this expedition was a tribute to his memory, this fantastic book

7) In Patagonia

Basically the title says it all: a journey to the southernmost region of planet earth. If there is something that will never be missing in Patagonia, it is the wild adventures in nature. Bruce Chatwin wrote this book in 1977 after a trip he made to Argentina on which he shot for six months. The excuse to tell this story was a ten-centimeter piece of skin that was given to his grandmother as a wedding gift. The family history had the skin of a brontosaurus, although it was red and covered with hair. Bruce Chatwin sets out on the trail to find a similar skin and finds the vestiges of centuries of history and the unusual traces of improbable characters.

Photo @wandervisions

8) Towards wild routes

And finally the infallible, the classic and the most popular traveling story of recent years. A story of change and rupture that is here to stay and transdorm the lives of so many people. John Krakauer writes the story of a young man named John McCandless who in 1992 was finishing his studies and had his life planned out with work and finances. But he was not happy, that is, something disturbed him to the point that he needed to modify some aspect of his daily life. It is here when he makes the drastic decision to go live in Alaska. He strips himself of all his comforts and responsibilities to live austerely. What happens next is history ...

Once in a report by Jon Krakauer, there was a stirring controversy, why had a young man who had just graduated decided to cut all ties with his family and lose himself in an inhospitable region? And with this question we close this article.

In these complicated times, it is necessary to resort to distraction to avoid falling into anxiety or bad thoughts. A good way to practice this is through a book. Now you have a good list of the best travel books to read. Below we are going to recommend some articles that we've written on our Hostelsclub travel blog.

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