If you are a globetrotter and love traveling as much as I do, it would be a delight for you to go through these books. The books in this list will not only enlighten you with travel stories of other trippers but will encourage you to pack your rucksacks and travel to wild and exotic places.
1) Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer
“Nothing is more damaging to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future. The very basic core of a man’s living spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun.”
Into the Wild is a masterpiece by Jon Krakauer born from an article published in the Outlook magazine under the title “Into the Wild”. In this book, Jon takes you through the life of Christopher McCandless and briefs you about the story of a college graduate and how he rides away from his home and goes into the wild.
The book is based on real life events of Christopher and describes how he gave away all his money to charity and made his way to Alaska, survived harsh winters in an old stranded bus in the middle of nowhere all by himself. The story of Christopher’s journey has a tragic ending. He died in the same bus where he had battled through the grim Alaskan chill. The book will definitely spark you into dropping your luxurious and fancy lifestyles in the background and go spend a few days in the woods.
2) Walden by Henry David Thoreau
“We need the tonic of wildness…At the same time that we are earnest to explore and learn all things, we require that all things be mysterious and unexplorable, that land and sea be indefinitely wild, unsurveyed and unfathomed by us because unfathomable. We can never have enough of nature.”
Walden is a classic published back in 1854. Both the style and content of the book show its age. It is one of the books that inspired Christopher McCandless to take up his journey to the magic bus to Alaska and live the life he wanted to.
Thoreau charmingly describes how he was fed up with the society and went to live in a small cabin by Walden Pond which he put together all by himself. He wrote this book during his stay in the cabin and records all his day to day events. Interesting thing about this book is that Thoreau has written a complete section on how classic books should be read. So in addition to inspiring you to travel this book also proves to be quite informative.
3) The Motorcycle Diaries: Notes on a Latin American Journey by Ernesto Che Guevara
“I now know, by an almost fatalistic conformity with the facts, that my destiny is to travel…”
We all know Che as a revolutionary who fought for the rights of the underprivileged. This book takes us through the journey he embarked upon from Buenos Aires with his friend Alberto Granado on an old Norton motorcycle. He very clearly writes about all the events that transformed his life during his journey through South America. Read this book if you are planning to visit South America or if you want to know more about the legendary Che Guevara.
4) Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer
“Everest has always been a magnet for kooks, publicity seekers, hopeless romantics and others with a shaky hold on reality”.
Into Thin Air is a story of Jon’s ill-fated climb up the Everest in March 1996. Eight people perished on the day he reached the top. This book takes you through a rollercoaster of emotions and describes various hurdles he had to face during his journey. It’s an excellently written adventure story and is a perfect read for all those folks who wish to reach on top of the gigantic Mount Everest some day.
5) The Great Railway Bazaar by Paul Theroux
“I decided that travel was flight and pursuit in equal parts”.
Unarguably, The Great Railway Bazaar is Paul’s finest piece of work. In this book, he has very appealingly jotted down his experiences from the four months long train journey which took him across Europe, Asia and the Middle-East. Other than his travel experiences, he outlines the differences in culture, religion and customs in various parts across the globe. The book features some of the longest train lines including the trans-Siberian and Indian grand trunk express. This book is a must read for every travel enthusiast and believe me, you will end up having some serious travel goals after going through this book.
So what are you waiting for? You have got a lot of reading to do!
-Sharanpal Singh
Edited by Mrinaal Datt
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