15 travel books to inspire to your travel-obsessed loved one this Christmas
With travel finally a possibility again, flight bookings are up, hotels are filling fast, Airbnbs already have limited availability and us holiday-starved Brits are desperate to go pretty much anywhere.
From culture-filled city breaks to long-haul luxury holidays, once-in-a-lifetime gorilla safari tours and cycling trips, after a long 18 months of frustration and rumination, it’s no surprise that people have huge pent-up demand for travel.
But rather than simply returning to old haunts or hopping on Skyscanner to book any old flight from here to Timbuktu, it's worth reaching for a wanderlust-inducing travel book to spark up some inspiration. If you, or a travel-obsessed loved one, is dreaming about a fantasy trip in the New Year, we've complied an edit of the very best travel books to inspire you to book that far-flung adventure.
Not sure what to buy your Secret Santa, or the sister-in-law you forgot about? Well, books always make great gifts – not only because you're giving someone a great read, but because you’re also offering context, insight, escapism and intelligence.
Travel books, in particular, make wonderful presents as they're filled with beautiful imagery and jaw-dropping photography. They may just inspire someone to revisit a place they know well, or perhaps dare to dream of vacationing someplace they haven’t been to yet.
Lonely Planet offers guidebooks to pretty much every destination on the planet – enabling curious travellers to experience the world and to truly get to the heart of the places they find themselves in. They've also published running, cycling and hiking specific travel books – to inspire sporting adventures across the world.
Elsewhere, The New York Times' 36 Hours: World is the third edition of its best-selling coffee table book 36 Hours: Europe, filled with 20 new travel stories set in destinations from Galway, Burgundy, and Bergen to the Amalfi Coast and Cyprus, while Where to Go, When features over 360 suggestions for destinations around the planet and the best time of year to experience them. It's sure to help its recipient plan the trip of a lifetime – whether it's a short break, two-week holiday or six-month sabbatical they have in mind.
Whether you’re looking for a bit of escapism or some actual inspiration, here are 15 of the best travel guide books to know.
Best travel book for 2022
Lonely Planet's Best in Travel 2022, £11.99, Lonely Planet
Why we love it: If you’re looking to book a holiday, Lonely Planet’s annual guidebook is a must. Featuring the top 10 countries, cities and regions to visit in 2022, each place also features practical information and advice on how to protect the areas you visit.
Best travel book for bucket-list trips
The Bucket List: 1000 Adventures Big & Small, £14.99, Amazon
Why we love it: Featuring 1000 adventures ‘for all ages’, from swimming with dolphins in New Zealand to driving through clouds in Sri Lanka, the guide is a great option if you’re planning a bucket list holiday. The book also has some of the most beautiful travel photography, so it makes a great coffee table book, too.
Best travel book guides
Where To Go When, £18.99, Waterstones
Why we love it: For ultimate holiday planning, Where To Go When is broken down into specific chapters dedicated to each month of the year. So if you want to book a sunny girls trip in June, or your planning a honeymoon for September, it'll offer up unforgettable trips for each month.
Travel book trip builder
Lonely Planet's Trip Builder, £29.99, Lonely Planet
Why we love it: If you're looking for a way to simplify the planning process while also offering up hundreds of practical ideas so that you can build the trip of a lifetime, then Lonely Planet's Trip Builder is filled with handy recommendations. There's also a useful carbon calculator enables you to track the footprint of your trip and make transport decisions.
Best travel book for lowering your carbon footprint
The Flightless Traveller, £15.23, Amazon
Why we love it: For eco-conscious travellers who want to explore the world – but without jumping on a flight – Emma Gregg’s guide to green travel is truly trailblazing. Including flight-free city breaks and coastal retreats, bike rides and sailing voyages to both well-known places and experiences you might not have considered before, this guide makes the journey a key part of the adventure.
Best travel book for a world trip
Why we love it: Featuring 225 of the world’s ‘most amazing places’, National Geographic’s wanderlust travel guide includes everything from historic landmarks and mountain ranges to castles and markets. It's a true photographic tour of the world with detailed info on where to eat and stay in each place.
Travel book for runners
Epic Runs of the World, £17.99, Amazon
Why we love it: Lonely Planet’s travel guide is all the inspiration you need for your next running adventure. Featuring 50 of the best running routes across the world, this guide includes everything from short city runs and must-do marathons to cross-country trails and challenging ultras such as Marathon Des Sables.
City break travel books
The New York Times 36 Hours. World. £20.99, Amazon
Why we love it: When you've only got 36 hours to get to know a city, it can be hard to know where to start. From Sao Paulo to Seoul to Sydney, The New York Times has gathered stories from it's famed '36-hours in' column and complied them into this practical, detailed guide for weekend city breaks across the globe.
Travel book inspiration
Lonely Planet's Where To Go When, £14.99, Amazon
Why we love it: Not sure where to go next? Where To Go When provides more than 360 suggestions – so you're spoilt for choice. For a December getaway, be sure to check out the Glacier Express in Switzerland for some serious travel inspo.
London travel book
The 500 Hidden Secrets of London, £12.07, Amazon
Why we love it: With the majority of us still holidaying at home, London is set to be one of the trendiest city break destinations of 2022, so there’s never been a better time to read Tom Greig's secret guide to the capital. It's time to explore the unknown.
Great Britain travel book
Hand Luggage Only, £16, WHSmith
Why we love it: There’s so much about the UK that we as Brits don’t know about – why travel abroad when there's incredible hikes, castles and road trips to explore right on our very own doorstep? If any book is bound to get you excited to book a staycation, it's this one.
Best travel book for adventures off the beaten track
Cabin Tripping: Where to Go to Get Away from It All, £18.99, WHSmith
Why we love it: Fancy escaping to some of the world’s most magical locations off the beaten track? From a hidden mountain lodge in Washington State, to a hut in Finland that's only accessible by skies, this book details the most amazing cabins around the world. The perfect gift for a travel enthusiast.
Travel books: Great British travel
The Great British Bucket List, £12.99, Waterstones
Why we love it: If you’re looking to explore the rich history and stunning landscapes of the UK, The Great British Bucket List include the most beautiful place to go for a stroll, the easiest place for a wild swim and, more importantly, the most spectacular place to have a cup of tea.
Travel books: train journeys
Epic Train Journeys, £35, Waterstones
Why we love it: Explore the wonder of train travel with Monisha Rajesh’s guide to some of the most fab train routes in the world. Featuring 50 amazing trips across the world, this book will make you want to explore beautiful scenery in a different way.
Travel books: Solo travel
A Trip of One's Own, £12.99, Waterstones
Why we love it: Less of a travel guide, more of a beautiful narrative into solo travel. So if you’re looking to plan a trip on your own, this might not arm you with practical advice on how to organise your finances and befriend fellow travellers, but it will most certainly inspire you to take a leap of faith and take that trip you've always dreamed about.
