Travel & Travel Writing

Whether you’re planning a trip or are just on an armchair adventure, this book will keep you dreaming for hours. The description of each hike is accompanied by a stylized map, inspiring photos (as one would expect from Lonely Planet), a short essay on why the hike is amazing or special or tricky or relaxing, and a detailed list that includes the trip distance, suggested supplies, when to go, route planning to get to the location, and a list of three similar trips. - Megan

Inspired by the new ESPN series, this oral history of basketball is a terrific book. “What MacMullan and Bartholomew have done here is nothing short of crafting the definitive history of the sport—told through the people who lived it. There has never been a deeper and more star-studded cast of interviewees about basketball, and the authors pull unique insights out of them. A wonderful read.” —Zach Lowe

At the age of 30, Jedidiah Jenkins decided to “happen to life” instead of letting life happen to him and embarked on an 18-month bike trip from Oregon to Patagonia. The resulting book is both a delightful adventure and a thoughtfuljourney into his own soul. Travel frees him to make unencumbered relationships with his past, his spirituality, his identity, his family, and his sense of self in ways that leave me feeling alive, inspired, and ready to pack my own bags. - Melinda

“I have been waiting thirty years for this book. When I first heard of Ed Gillet’s heroic paddle [from California] to Hawaii, I was thrilled and inspired in my own traveling. But this is much more than a book about a kayak journey. It is that great thing in travel—a brave quest, the solitary traveler turning his back on the cynics, and heading into a turbulent sea in a small boat, and finding landfall. It is a great metaphor for human endeavor. ‘Never before, never since’ indeed. But Ed Gillet is that rare creature—a modest man and also a hero.”—Paul Theroux

Traveling doesn’t always have to be about escaping something or finding yourself, sometimes it’s just about the adventure. Kate Harris always had an urge to explore, and her childhood dream of becoming an astronaut and going to Mars led her instead to cycle the Silk Road. Harris’s journey takes her through countries most people would struggle to find on a map, and along the way she contemplates the absurdity of borders, humanity’s relationship with nature, and, of course, the joy of cycling. - Jade

Although his heart belonged to the Sierra, John Muir had a long-lasting love affair with Alaska. In 1899, he embarked on his sixth and final journey there as a member of the Harriman expedition. In this book, Adams retraces the steps of that voyage. He meets with scientists, speaks with the people living there, and encounters his fair share of bears. But with receding glaciers and towns falling into the ocean, the shifting Alaskan landscape Adams encounters is a much different place than it was in Muir’s time. - Jade

Lighthouse is absolutely beautiful. The gorgeous illustrations, exquisite layout, and just the right amount of captioning all come together in one of the loveliest coffee table books I’ve had the pleasure of seeing. Lighthouses are some of the most elegant structures humankind has ever constructed and this book does them service commensurate with the service they provide us. - Ian

Author Matthew Kneale uses the many sackings of Rome as a genius framing device for studying one city over 2500 years. Each time Rome gets sacked we pause to learn about the lives of the Romans of the era, the regional and political factors leading to the conflict, and the transformations made in the crucible of war. Rome comes alive as clearly in 387 b.c.e. as it does in 1943 in this brilliant ode to the city and its history. - Clara

“Pure suspense, adventure, and inspiration. When Scott Jurek went into the woods to create his masterpiece, no one knew if he would make it back out again. He was America’s greatest ultra athlete, a runner whose brains and singular intensity led him to years of extraordinary victories. But this time, Jurek was pushing himself into realms more dangerous than Death Valley, more treacherous than Mexican canyons, and only slightly less crazy than the time he chased after a wild bear. His story of plunging into the wilderness in pursuit of a dream is both heart-wrenching and spellbinding.” —Christopher McDougall, Born to Run

I loved the previous title in this series about Spain (Grape, Olive, Pig), and this one about Italy is just as good. For one thing, the author gives a well-deserved shout-out to Ciccio Sultano, chef/owner of Duomo Ristorante in the hilltown of Ragusa, Sicily. During a recent visit there, I was lucky enough to enjoy the best meal we had in Italy. Goulding’s focus is on the respectful innovators of traditional cuisine. I dare anyone to read the good-spirited debate Goulding has with Anthony Bourdain in the foreword and then be able to stop there. - Patrick