12 Great Gifts for Literary Travelers

Devouring travel books takes me to places I’ve never been and might not get to. I love any kind of travel literature, from memoirs and destination must-sees to books about photography and art-centric coffee-table books. I love the look of gloriously visual global books beckoning a lazy perusal.

Here are some of my current favorites that the literary travel lovers in your life will love to receive as cherished gifts—whether featuring places they’ve been, adventures to come, or just dreaming of destinations unknown and things to do while adventuring.

1. “Literary Journeys: Mapping Fictional Travels Across the World of Literature,” edited by John McMurtrie (Princeton University Press)

Perfect for lovers of literary classics, this beautifully illustrated guide spans more than 30 countries and 2,500 years of serving as host to important journeys in world literature.

2. “Visions of Paradise: American Wilderness” by Jon Ortner (ACC Art Books)

Revealing stunningly glorious images showcasing the magnificent legacy and breathtaking beauty of America’s wild places, this luxurious tome of large landscape images is a passionate tribute to the paradise of our national wilderness.

3. “50 States Bucket List: The Ultimate Journal for a Journey Across America” by Jessica Laughlin (Quarto)

Full of fast state facts, key attractions, and illustrated maps, this journal is great for capturing memorable moments as you check off states visited to meet your see-all-of-America bucket-list goal.

4. “Lost Gardens of the World: An Atlas of Forgotten Horticultural Treasures” by Sandra Lawrence (Frances Lincoln)

This illustrated romantic journey through 40 captivating global gardens shares enchanting stories of gardens lost to time—from the magic of the Lost Gardens of Heligan to the sculptural surrealism of Las Pozas and a host of horticultural gems miles between and afar.

5. “UNESCO Heritage Sites: The Definitive Guide to All 1,199 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, 9th Edition,” in cooperation with the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Firefly Books)

This updated edition includes 120 new important and extraordinary sites UNESCO added between 2017 and 2023. From the Grand Canyon, the Statue of Liberty, and the Great Lakes to the ancient city of Qalhat in Oman, Russia’s Astronomical Observatories of Kazan, the Bale Mountains National Park in Ethiopia, and the Old town of Kuldiga in Latvia, this is a great reference volume any traveler would joyously devour.

6. “Calgary’s Most Haunted: Urban Hauntings and Personal Encounters in Stampede City” by Ian Gibbs (Touchwood Editions)

From a horse called Lightning that haunts Firehall No. 3 to phantom revelers at the Palliser Hotel, ghost-walk guide Gibbs, host of the “Ghosts ‘N Bears” podcast, gives a ghoulishly satisfying tour of Canada’s Stampede City in 30 supernatural and sinister stories.

7. “111 Museums in Paris That You Shouldn’t Miss” by Anne Carminati and James Wesolowski (Emons Publishers)

If you thought the only main attraction museum in Paris was the Louvre, this ultimate insider’s guide uncovers a world of fascinating and curious museums in the City of Lights, from those displaying haute couture and French cuisine to impressionist art, airplanes, and automobiles.

8. “Kinfolk Journeys” by John Burns (Artisan)

For an unforgettable journey to breathtaking destinations around the world, Burns takes readers on inspiring adventures filled with ideas for different kinds of activities—from a subterranean tour of Tashkent, Uzbekistan, to sailing the high seas en route to Antarctica.

9. “The Devil’s Atlas: An Explorer’s Guide to Heavens, Hells and Afterworlds” by Edward Brooke-Hitching (Chronicle Books)

Stretching the boundary of travel waaaay south, bestseller Brooke-Hitching takes you on a captivating tour of the one place you don’t want to end up—the lands of the dead as imagined by religions and cultures of the world. With captivating illustrations of infernal cartography and a historic feast of facts, this beautifully absorbing book provides one helluva delightful journey.

10. “Sightlines: Patterns + Palettes of Australian Landscapes” by Lisa Michele Burns, (Images Publishing Dist Ac):

Capturing the delicate light, colors, and textures of Australia’s vast landscapes, award-winning photographer Burns’ book is an artistic, mesmerizing, and captivating compilation of imagery from her journeys Down Under that any traveler would be proud to display.

11. “Ed Stafford’s Ultimate Adventure Guide: The Bucket List for the Brave” by Ed Stafford (Firefly Books)

If you know an adventurer who’d walk from source to sea, the entire length of a river, or endure the drop zone of nerve-shredding top-of-the-world heli-skiing, this is the perfect gift. It’s a practical and inspirational guide for the brave who want to explore the wild wonders and experiences the world has to offer—or at least live vicariously by experiencing them in the pages of this book.

12. “Travels With Charley” by John Steinbeck (Viking)

In this classic for any traveler’s library of literary adventure and elegy for more innocent times, Steinbeck eloquently captures his journey across America in 1960 with his poodle, Charley. He writes of his experiences traveling through small-town America, the vast wilderness and burgeoning cities, and the interactions he has with the varied and subtly entertaining people he encounters along the way.

These books are available at local bookstores and major online retailers.

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