5 Books That Will Inspire You to Travel the World

As you get older, it’s important to adopt new skills and take part in a range of experiences, whether that’s through learning a new language or traveling to a new country. We all long to be explorers at some point in our lives, and there is no better way to open your mind and soul than studying abroad.

Sometimes a good book can be all you need to ignite that adventurous spark inside you. A well-written passage about a beautiful foreign land can be the fuel that pushes you towards your next great life experience. In honor of National Read a Book Day in the USA, we’ve complied some of our favorite books that will make you want to jump on a plane and start experiencing the wonder, beauty, and weirdness of living and studying in a foreign place. Take a look!

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

This amazing fable follows the adventures of a young shepherd boy who believes that his destiny is to go out in search of a treasure he saw in his dreams.

Along the way, he experiences the wonder of traveling, picks up a few useful skills and meets many people who influence the way he thinks, only to realize that sometimes the real treasure is the journey, not the destination.

Life of Pi by Yann Martel

Life of Pi is the amazing story of an Indian boy named Pi who winds up stranded on a lifeboat in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Unfortunately – or fortunately as we see later on – he is not alone, accompanied by a hyena, a zebra, a chimpanzee, and a tiger.

This story is about being able to face any challenge and fight for your life against all odds, no matter where in the world life has taken you. And you may even discover that what you thought was a problem has actually turned into an amazing experience.

Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne

Mr. Phileas Fogg is a rich Englishman who lives in London in the 1800s. While at the Reform Club (an elite social organization), he makes a bet with his friends for £20,000 that he will be able to travel around the world in just 80 days. Fogg sets out with his new French servant, Passepartout. Along the way, they use every mode of transport he can find, from ships and trains to an elephant and sailing sled, to get them to the right place at the right time.

This book is one of the earliest great adventure novels, and is a classic book for readers that are just learning English. Not only will it make you want to see the world, but it’s a great way to improve your reading skills!

Astronaut Watney was left behind on Mars as the crew of NASA Ares 3 mission was forced to evacuate. Driven by a will to survive, he plants potatoes and uses his engineering knowledge to develop a rover that can reach the destination of the next mission, Ares 4, in 4 years.

Although this book doesn’t take place in a place you can actually visit (yet…), the sense of travel and adventure is still the same. You might be in a completely different country or world, but you can still use your skills to overcome any challenges that come your way.

The Beach by Alex Garland

In this book, a backpacker named Richard is given a secret map that leads to a marvelous hidden island in Thailand. Along the way, Richard and his two friends trek through the wilderness to get to their destination, which includes jumping off a waterfall and running away from some angry and heavily armed farmers.

This book explores the common traveler notion of going off the beaten path, only to discover that sometimes the best adventure are ones that don’t go according to plan.

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